AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is Cam’s favorite place,” his dad adds.
“It’s really good,” I agree, swiping to the camera function. “I’ll make it a point to mention the restaurant in the post. It’ll drive traffic here. You’d be surprised what a quick shoutout can do for business.”
“Oh yeah?” Carl tilts his head at me. “I guess I never thought about it all that much. Cam doesn’t like to live life in the public eye. He’s a pretty private guy, like me.”
I nod, taking a few shots of Carl, the food, and the warm atmosphere of the place. As much as I want to say that Cameron is like Carl, I don’t see the resemblance. Carl is warm, friendly, and hilarious. He also welcomed me with open arms. Whereas Cameron seems to be distant and broody...
He doesn’t look a lot like his father, either.
Which makes me wonder what his mom looked like...
“You done?” Cameron shoots me a terse smile.
“Let the woman do her job,” Carl chides, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t make her job any harder than what it has to be.”
I stifle a giggle as Cameron looks away, rolling his eyes out of his father’s sight. There’s something endearing about the way the two of them interact. However, my attention drifts as my phone vibrates in my hand. I glance down...
Aaron: Nila, can we talk?
I grit my teeth as I quickly dismiss the message from my ex-boyfriend. The thing is, we have talked. And it’s clear we’ll never be on the same page. He expects me to give up my career to be with him. And that’s never gonna happen.
My phone buzzes again.
Aaron: We had a good thing.
Aaron: Come on. Just one phone call, Nila. I just wanna hear your voice again. Don’t you miss me?
I lock the screen, forcing a smile as I internally cringe.
“So, do you like hockey?”
I jerk my head up from my phone, meeting Carl’s eyes. “Um ... I guess. I never really watched it much.”
“It’s an underrated game, I think,” Carl muses, glancing over at Cameron. “I hadn’t ever given it much thought until Cam decided he wanted to play. He was good at it the moment his feet hit the ice. And let me tell you, he was like a Zamboni on those skates—smooth and unstoppable. But hey, when you’re on thin ice, you might as well skate through it!” Carl chuckles at his own cheesy dad joke, winking at me as if to say, “I’ve still got it.”
I smile, wishing I could’ve caught that story on video. Honestly, everything Carl says is charming and endearing.
I pick up my fork and push the gnocchi around my plate as my heart squeezes. There’s only one person in my life who was like Carl...
And she’s not here anymore.
The grief never fully leaves, though my phone buzzing again with a call from Aaron is an instant distraction. I silence it before shoving it into my purse.
But I know he’s not going to stop. So I take it back out and type one message:
Me: Aaron, we’ve been over this. There’s nothing left to say. Let’s move on. Please don’t contact me again.
I drop my phone back into my purse, put on a brave face, and finish my food.
“It was really lovely having dinner with you tonight, Nila,” Carl says to me as we exit the restaurant. “I have to say, you’re a breath of fresh air.”
“That’s sweet of you. I enjoyed having dinner with you as well.” I avoid Cameron’s gaze, feeling his eyes on my face. He didn’t say much at dinner tonight, and I have a good feeling that’s because I’m here.
“I hope we get to do this again.” Carl gives me a side hug as we step outside and part ways. “I’ll see the two of you later. Love you, son,” he directs to Cameron.
“Love ya, Pops,” Cameron shoots back in a light tone as he leads the way to his Lamborghini. I follow quietly, taking in the sight of the hockey player and his sports car. I’ve never really been one to admire cars—or hockey players—but there’s something about Cameron that I just can’t look away from.
He opens the car door and then looks over at me, making a face. “Are you coming?”
