Page 149 of Not That Into You

“Oh yeah. And he brought a date.”

“Oof.”

“He was a bit of a prick, to be honest. He paraded his date in front of Vanessa while sporting a shit-eating grin.”

“Nice.”

“So what you saw that night...” He runs a hand through his hair. “You were right. I was making it seem as if Vanessa and I were together. She didn’t ask me to do that, but I felt bad for her, and her ex pissed me off. I didn’t want him to think she was wasting any time thinking about him.” Cameron grasps my hands again. “That was wrong of me. I wasn’t thinking about you or how it would look to other people who knew we were together or how they might react to you in the future. I was sending the wrong message to the wrong people.” He squeezes my hands. “I’m really sorry about that.”

He gives me a sad smile. “When you walked in, I was so happy to see you. You looked amazing, and I was so happy you were there. But then your face...” He wipes a hand across his mouth. “I knew I’d fucked up. It felt like the bottom dropped out of my world. I saw how hurt you were, and it killed me. I’m so sorry.”

It makes a lot more sense now, though it still hurts to think of him pretending to be Vanessa’s boyfriend. But not as much as it did when I thought he was with her because he thought she was a better option than me.

“Thank you for explaining.” I take a deep breath. “Apology accepted.”

His shoulders sag in relief as he smiles. “Thank you.”

“So, now what? You quit The Stanhope Group. Does that mean you’re unemployed?”

He grins. “You want to be my sugar mama?”

I snort. “I can’t afford you.”

Cameron laughs, then his expression clears, and his brow furrows. “Are you staying in New York?”

“What?” Where did that come from? “Of course I am. Why do you ask?”

“Good.” He blows out a breath. “That’s good. In the Hamptons, you said you were considering leaving New York, moving some place cheaper.”

“Oh. Right.” I shake my head. “That seems kind of ridiculous now. The whole time I was in Ohio, I couldn’t wait to leave, to get back to New York.” My eyes widen. “I mean, I was happy to be there. I was happy to help my parents out. I wanted to be there.” I bite my lip. “But the moment I returned, it was such a relief.”

Cameron smiles. “New York’s home.”

I nod. “New York’s home.” The corner of my mouth lifts. “Plus, there are some things here that are really important to me.”

His smile broadens. “Like me?”

I roll my eyes. “So arrogant.” My lips twitch as I try to keep from smiling. “I was actually thinking about my job.”

His gaze sharpens. “Your job?”

“My job. I accepted the full-time position at Design 454, the design studio I’ve freelanced for in the past.”

He grins. “Monica, that’s great.” He pauses. “That’s great, right?”

I smile while nodding. “Yes. It’s great.”

He wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you.” He loudly kisses my cheeks. “Congratulations.”

Laughing, I squirm in his hold. “Put me down.”

He drops me to the floor.

“Thanks,” I deadpan.

He chuckles before his expression turns serious. “So, what made you decide to take the job?”

I shrug. “I realized you were right.”

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