Page 144 of Already At Risk
Our conversation on the phone last night had made me think that we were going to find a way around that, but Cameron’s expression told me that maybe I’d been holding on to false hope or misinterpreted his confidence.
But I understood. Completely. If something happened to Cameron’s career because of me, I wasn’t sure what I’d do.
Cameron remained silent for a long moment, biting the inside of his cheek. And then finally, he said, “Natalie, it could be months yet.”
Months.
“We’re still weeks out from the trial date, and the court calendar is tight, so if there’s any rescheduling, if Korey and his lawyer try something to buy more time, it could get pushed another month back. And once the trial is over, it’s possible we might get a decision that day, but it might also be days or weeks. I…” He paused, shaking his head. Cameron looked as tortured as I felt. “If we don’t give Korey what he wants, he’s going to keep digging until he findssomethingto feel like he has the upper hand again. I don’t like the idea of waiting for the other shoe todrop. And I like the idea of doing that waiting without you even less.”
“What are you saying?” I whispered, afraid of what his answer was.
Cameron’s sigh was so heavy I felt it weighing me down, too. “That I think I should step away from this case.”
I’d seen it coming from his expression, but my body revolted at the idea. Firstly, of giving Koreyanythinghe wanted, and secondly, of not having Cameron as my attorney—at making him give away something he’d been working on for weeks now. “Cameron. That’s—” God, it was such a struggle to believe he was even suggesting this. “But wouldn’t that look…but how would that affect?—”
“It wouldn’t affect the case at all,” he said stoically. “A judge’s main concern would be that nothing is delayed with the trial, and I would work overtime to catch your new representation up so that doesn’t happen.”
“My new representation?” I repeated, feeling another surge of disbelief. He was serious, wasn’t he? “Who would that even be?”
Selfishly, I didn’twantnew representation.
“My suggestion would be Juniper Briggs,” he answered, and while I didn’t like that he’d clearly thought about this, the idea of Juniper taking over did put me a little at ease. “She also has a great background in family law, is a phenomenal lawyer, and we could still work closely together to make sure all the bases for the trial are covered. I’d still help to take care of things behind the scenes. Also, I suspect Korey is a raging misogynist and would somehow think he has the upper hand if I let Juniper take my place. Until she wiped the floor with him, that is.”
I couldn’t argue with any of the points he was making. They were all very good points, and I knew he was likely right about all of them. But there was something he had yet to touch on, something equally important.
“Okay, yes, all true, but…” I sat forward in my chair, clutching the arms on it. “But what aboutyou?”
Cameron frowned, brows drawn together. “Me?”
“You told me after my deposition that your boss had her eyes on this case. That it might look bad if?—”
“Since the pressure is coming from Korey, she’ll understand why I’m doing it,” he cut in, trying to reassure me. “Sure, she might be a little disappointed, and maybe it will set me back a few steps from junior partner, but Natalie—” He cut off, rubbing his jaw for a second before giving me a defeated look and saying, “I don’t fucking care.”
“What?” So much of what he was saying wassohard to wrap my brain around. “What do you mean you don’t care? Iknowhow important your job is to you.”
Cameron simply shrugged like he was lost to the truth of the matter, lost to what he was about to say.
“Not as important to me as you are.”
I stared at him, feeling my pulse in my throat, making it hard to swallow. Or breathe. Or think. He couldn’t…meanthat. Could he?
The corners of Cameron’s mouth turned down, and his eyes grew sympathetic as he watched my reaction. Sighing, he shook his head.
“Natalie. Baby.” He crouched to his knees in front of me, meeting me at eye level. “Come on. You must realize by now.”
“Realize?”
Cameron gave me a look. “Sunshine.”
He looked disappointed in me, and I tried to puzzle togetherwhy.
“What?” I whispered.
He reached out, brushing hair out of my face before cupping my cheek. “You have to know how much I care for you. How I feel about you?”
My heartbeat roared in my ears at his words, like my body refused to let me ignore how it raced. And I didn’t want to. I closed my eyes, listening to it while pressing into the palm ofCameron’s hand, feeding off his touch. It hadn’t been very long, but I missed it so much.
I’d suspected how he felt, but I hadn’t known. Cameron had this way about him where he wassovery responsible, so verygood. And I knew he took pride in being that way, being a man who was there for everyone, in the way that he wanted to take after his dad.
