Page 47 of Not That Into You

“Cameron.”

“Sweetie pie.”

“Jerk face.”

“We still have a while before we get to Amagansett.”

“Are you asking to be entertained?”

“No,” he says with a sigh. “I’m saying it can be helpful to talk things through.”

I press my lips together, holding back an automatic refusal. I don’t hate the idea of talking to him about my client issue. And there’s the added bonus he’ll probably get bored quickly and leave me to stew in silence.

“It’s not a big deal. I have a client who hasn’t paid in full.”

“Oh. That sucks. Is it a lot of money?”

“It won’t bankrupt me, but it’s also not nothing.”

“You’ve already completed the work?”

“Yeah. They owe me their final payment, but...” I shrug.

“You think they’re just dodging the payment?”

I sigh. “Looks like it. They’ve ignored all my efforts to get them to pay.”

His brow furrows. “Is that why you agreed to pose as my girlfriend? Because you needed the money to cover this client?”

I shake my head. “No. They don’t owe that much money.”

“Hm.” He glances at me. “You never did tell me why you had the sudden change of heart.”

I look out the window. “No, I didn’t.”

“You see, Matthews, that right there was another invitation to share.”

“I’m aware, Stanhope. And you’ll notice I declined.” I am not discussing my mom’s health with him.

“Fine. So, back to the issue at hand. You have a client who owes you money but has disappeared into the wind. What’s your next step?”

I sigh. “At this point, I’ll probably just book it as a loss.”

He grimaces. “Ugh.”

“Yeah.”

He taps his thumb on the steering wheel. “Can I ask you something?”

“Can I stop you?”

His lips twitch. “Why did you choose to freelance rather than work at a firm or design studio? Why take on the accounts receivable headache when you could work for a company that takes care of that for you?”

I shift in my seat. “I like working for myself. I like the flexibility and freedom. I mean, this may come as a shock to you, but I’m not much of a team player.”

He cocks his head. “I don’t buy that.”

I narrow my eyes. “Regardless, I like being my own boss.”

---