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She looked idly down at her fingernails. “Hm. Well, seems like it. Anya would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t. But you’re welcome to try, anyway. We’ve already submitted the motion to leave the parent company anyway.”
It felt like a dash of water to the face, and for Kevin, too, judging by the look on his face. “You’re not serious,” he said. “And everyone in your company? Did you even talk to them before—”
“Kevin, as always, you grossly overestimate yourself,” Cameron said. “Did you really think you of all people would be able to singlehandedly dismantle a brand like mine? We’ve already partnered with a new firm to handle the physical logistics, and we’re planning a promotional campaign for the move to independent.”
“You’re fucking lying,” Kevin snapped. “How the hell would you—”
“With a little help,” she laughed lightly. “From London, of course. God knows the woman can do anything. And God knows that she’s not the only one willing to hunt you to the ends of the earth if you do something to the other one of us.”
My heart flopped in my stomach, a nervous, giddy sensation, looking her over. “Cameron…”
She smiled my way, holding out a hand for me. “Come on, princess,” she said. “I’m not keen on talking to you in front of this man.”
“There’s no firm taking you on after all this,” Kevin said. “Not after—”
“Technically, you’re right,” Cameron said. “Hasn’t been established yet. But a small group fronted by an old friend of London’s is interested in leveraging some recently freed-up assets and taking advantage of what’s sure to be a fire sale on our contracts and retail outlets… someone with a very strong reputation in real estate.”
My stomach swooped, and it took a second to find words through the pounding of my heartbeat. “You don’t mean…”
She smiled sweetly at me. “Someone who’s interested in taking you on for the new firm, too. Had apparently heard you’d make an exception to work for one boss.”
“Cam—” Kevin started, stepping forward, put Cameron put a hand up.
“I think we’ve said enough here. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be in touch plenty through the divorce proceedings.”
He crumpled. Not a lot of times I’d seen a man so thoroughly collapse into himself—someone completely lose everything right before his eyes, breaking down like paper stars crushed under too much weight. “Please, darling,” he said, his voice small. “I just wanted to help you… you know that.”
“I never asked for your help. And after having seen it first-hand, I don’t think I’ll be asking for it anytime soon. That’s more than enough. London—let’s go.”
She held out her hand, and she led us out to where her car was parked next to mine, and she got the passenger door on her car for me. I didn’t even think about the logistics, ditching my car here—Cameron held the door open for me, so I got in, and she sat in the driver’s seat, leaning back against the seat, resting her head backwards, and she laughed, turning her head to look at me.
“Gets a girl excited hearing you eviscerate a man like that.”
“Are you serious?” I whirled on her. “Then that’s—”
“Very serious. I arrived to hear you yelling, and I decided to hang outside until you’d finished, because if I walked in on that, I’d have ended up making out with you on the spot.”
“That’s—well, it’s good to know,” I said, my face prickling. My heart still pounded like I was waiting for something to fall any second, to break, like I was in the middle of a desperate sprint and didn’t know why it had paused. “But you know what I mean. That’s it? You’re leaving the parent company, striking out—”
“Anya told me I didn’t have a choice, so—ah, it seems that way.” She shrugged lightly. “I’d like to see what I can do in this life, when it comes down to it. And that would end the moment I went back to him. Besides, I, well…” She looked away, tousling idly at the back of her hair. “I’d miss you too much if you left Miami. It would be extremely inconsiderate of you to do that—just leave me there in a state where I could never find another woman like you, compare everyone I ever met to you and find them all lacking. I’d end up having to go to Vegas too and track you down, and I can’t imagine I’d like Vegas much, so, really, this was the only option.”
I stared at her for an eternity before I heard myself let out one little breathless laugh, shaking my head. “Cameron… you’re not getting shy all of a sudden, are you?”
“Might be. I’ve never done this before.” She turned back, smiling softly at me, where she was lit up in an ethereal glow from the violet warmth of the Miami dusk. “I’m not going to lie, this is risky. I contacted María Gonzales, talked to her about some things… and I ended up signing on the property.”
“The…”
“The one you took me to earlier. Don’t be coy. I told you I want living-room dance parties with just the two of us. I figured it would be a good way to convince you not to leave this city.”
I swallowed a thick lump, feeling like I was seeing stars, like my head was spinning around—swimming, in the radiance that was this woman. “You don’t do anything in half measures, do you?”
She laughed. “It was a practical move, too, darling, but you know that, don’t you?”
“Secured the property, moved the liquid to pay it right away, and now it’s collateral for María’s move to buy the properties at the bottom of the drop once this moves forward.”
She smiled wider, eyes sparkling. “You’re every bit as good as she is. I didn’t have a clue what was happening, but that’s exactly what she did. Needless to say—I’ve had an exciting day, and I am really going to need to get back into the office, but I had to go extend a job offer to you personally. On someone else’s behalf. María said she could use someone like you to help make this work, and who better for Queen Pearl’s new life than the one who made the last one work?”
I laughed thickly, looking down. “I can’t believe you just… up and… all of that. I didn’t even know what I was trying to do, just convince Kevin of anything, try to do anything…”
