Here for You (4 page)

“I will also agree to only one story. Since we seem to have something in common, I will stick with that one. Fair?”

Fair?
None of this shit is fair. If he’s been through what I have, then I know he’s hurting too. I nod my head. “Fair. But just to be clear, I’m saying fair to you only telling one story.” His mouth lifts slightly on one side but there’s no humor in his eyes. He understands my meaning. It’s crazy, but we seem to get each other without even trying.

“Two weeks ago I caught my fiancée, or as you said, my
ex
-fiancée in a very similar position. I give you a hell of a lot more credit than me. You’re much stronger than I ever will be. She cheated on me with one of my tea … ah, co-workers, and I have to see him every day. Everyone knows what happened, and they now see her with him. I’m not sure if your sister and ex plan on staying together, but if they do I would do anything to be able to give you the strength to handle it. It hurts more than anything.”

I shake my head at him and hold my hand up. “No. No way they will be together. For so many reasons they won’t, but really because my sister has never stayed with any man. She bounces from one to another. I think it’s the last thing that will happen, so don’t worry about me. But I don’t think that makes you weak if it hurts you to see them together, especially with everyone aware of the situation.”

“You’re right. That part doesn’t make me weak. The part that does is that if she came back to me tomorrow I would take her back. She is, or was, the love of my life. She was my high school sweetheart. My first everything. We broke up when I first got … ah, started my first job. When I moved away, she said she couldn’t do the long distance thing. About two years ago, she decided she wanted to try again. I’d never gotten over her and took her back with no hesitation or questions. Are you starting to see why I’m weak and pathetic?”

He laughs half-heartedly and I immediately hate the sound. I want to hear his genuine laugh that I heard earlier. I’m starting to realize that we really are two peas, albeit pathetic ones, in a pod.

“Cam.” I reach out and gently place my hand on his thigh. His eyes jump to mine and I pull my hand back. “I don’t think you’re pathetic in the least. I think it sucks that the person you love betrayed you, but you can’t help how you feel.”

“Yeah. Well, seeing her with the other guy is killing me. I want to strangle him when I see them, but then I stop myself because I don’t want to hurt her. If she’s happy with him, then I want her to be with him. Even if I can’t be the guy that still makes her happy, I don’t want her to lose that happiness. I hate that I still worry about her feelings, but I can’t help it. I would give anything to become immune to her.”

“Do you want another beer? Or perhaps something stronger?”

Another half-smile forms and this time there’s amusement in his eyes. “That’s probably a good idea.”

A few beers, shots and hours later I realize it’s after three in the morning. Even though I’ve hardly slept since Thursday night, I don’t feel exhausted. Cam looks tired and I know he said he has to work today. I’m hoping it’s nothing too intense because he’s not going to be in good shape.

He must read my mind because he pulls his phone out. “No watch.” He shrugs, glancing quickly at the screen. “Shit. I’m sorry but I really have to go. I need to leave here in an hour, and I have to finish packing.”

“No problem. I hope you staying here with me all night doesn’t put you behind this week. You should have been sleeping, not listening to me.”

“Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing I would have rather done.” He smiles, and it’s absolutely genuine. As he moves to get up off the couch, I throw my blanket to the side to get up too. “Just make sure you tell Quinn that I hung with you all night and didn’t leave until I was sure you were okay.” He winks, and I melt.

“She will be very happy to hear that you took care of me
all
night.” I smile and feel the warm flush across my cheeks. “Seriously though, you’re a great listener. Thank you for being here.”

“You’re welcome, Ash.” He leans in and wraps his arms around me. The comfort I feel by being in there almost breaks me again because I don’t think Charlie ever hugged me with this much care. Cam holds me tight. He doesn’t expect anything. He doesn’t push me for anything. He just holds me, and for this moment I feel safe and cared for. Somehow, I manage to keep my tears in. “Until we meet again.”

I nod as he pulls back from me. Something about knowing we would not see each other again made it so much easier to share our problems. We talked about anything and everything for hours and it felt like talking to a male version of Quinn. “See ya around.” I manage a small smile.

I watch him walk down the stairs and back across the beach to the house next door. I instantly feel alone and head in to try and get at least a few hours of sleep.

“Don’t worry about it man. I’ll be fine.”

“Wills!” The sound of the kid’s voice makes me groan today. “Hey man, great to have you back. Hope you got everything done the last two days.” As he catches up to us the same look crosses his face. “Wow, you look like shit.”

“Fuck off.”

Fonz throws his hands up. “Whoa, sorry man, but you do.”

“Yeah, I get it. Enough about how I look. Last time I checked that’s not relevant to how I play.”

“I’m just sayin’. If you’re gonna be pitching today, I’m afraid we might be in trouble.”

“King will be ready to go and if not, I’ll do what I always do.” I toss my bag at him. “Get this loaded. Then get your ass on the plane and shut up about how I look.”

“You got it, Cap.” The dumbass actually has the nerve to salute me, and it takes the rest of my self-control not to smack him across the face.

“Damn rookies.”

“Hey, he doesn’t mean any harm. He just doesn’t know any better yet.” Perez lowers his voice. “Seriously though, you all right man? Anything I can do?”

Johnny P is my best friend on the team. I know he means well, but today I’m just not in the mood for anything, including him treating me like a freakin’ baby. “I’m fine. Just let it go.”

“All right. Shit. I hope King is good to go.”

“He will be. I talked to Coach last night after he talked to him. He’s ready.”

We continue in silence to the plane. I’m dreading stepping onto it. As soon as I see the prick, my blood will boil. I’ve tried to tell myself he’s just a sorry excuse for a man, but it doesn’t matter. He took my girl, and no matter how hard I try to look the other way I want to hurt him. He doesn’t deserve her. Obviously I don’t either, but he is a worthless piece of shit.

“I’m glad you’re back. The team needs you. Without you here, they fall apart.”

I know he’s just trying to be nice, but he’s partially right. I’m responsible for keeping them all unified and it makes me feel guilty for taking two days away. Although I needed to do it for family, I still felt like shit about it. Then spending six hours talking to a girl rather than sleeping was selfish. If I have to pitch today, the team is going to suffer because of my need to have a friend for a few hours. But shit, it’s been so long since I’ve had someone I could just sit and talk to. It felt great.

“Thanks, man. I’m back. My head will be in the game the rest of the season. Sorry I had to bail.”

“Don’t you dare fucking apologize. You’ve been through more in a month than most people can withstand in a decade.”

I nod my head at him and continue on to board the plane. Most guys nod as I make my way down the aisle to the back. A few put out their fist and I give them the obligatory bump. I’m not in the mood to chat with anyone, and although I typically sit in the front in case Coach needs to review anything, I head to the back today.

Unfortunately I see him about halfway down the aisle. He looks away as soon as he knows I’ve seen him. This is the shit that really pisses me off. He’s not even man enough to stand up for himself and my girl. He cowers in the corner, and it makes me think that he doesn’t really want her.

When I sit, I barely resist the urge to punch the back of the seat in front of me. The last thing I need is to injure my throwing hand. If I have to pitch, at least my arm can be physically ready to go even if my head isn’t fully in the game. I pull out my phone, go to my music and plug in my earphones. I’m sure Coach will want me to sit with him for a while to catch up, but right now I just want to put on music and try to get some sleep.

Coach designated me captain of the team five seasons ago. It’s unofficial as far as being recognized by the league, but I take my responsibility to heart. The guys all look to me for leadership and direction. We’ve been in the playoffs three of the last four seasons since I’ve been in the position.

We’re on track to make it again this year, and we should go all the way. No one is tougher than us, and it’s my job to make sure we win. Even though I wasn’t on the schedule to pitch the last couple of days, not being in the dugout for two of the games was almost impossible for me to bear. Especially because I had to miss two additional games a month ago.

I know helping my family is number one, but this team is my family too and they need me here. Even though I’ve had the worst year of my life personally, I can’t let that get in the way of my responsibility to these guys. I’m all in for the rest of the season and need to put my personal shit to the side.

I buckle my seatbelt and lean my head back against the headrest. I let the pounding of the music distract my mind from everything else, and my lids drift shut.

Of course she broke up with Francis the day after she got home. I would love to say it surprised me, but it didn’t. She can’t commit to a man. At least I don’t have to worry about needing to console her after each break-up because she’s never with them long enough to get attached. Although she claims they can’t keep her attention, I know part of it is because she doesn’t want to get hurt. Plus she works almost as much as I do, and that can be a hindrance in any relationship.

Immediately following the death of my father, I was named president and CEO of Hughes & Donnelly Advertising. My dad started the company fresh out of college, and it’s grown to become one of the top advertising and public relations firms in the country. My dad worked hard early on, gaining traction faster than any other company. I have worked here since high school, so even though I’m young I’ve been in the business for fifteen years.

I did attend college but continued to work part-time for the firm even while I was at Stanford. That’s where I met Quinn. She was in a similar position although the difference is that her family is fairly normal and they love her. She works with her dad at his law firm and whenever I’m around them the pride in his eyes is unmistakable. Quinn does love vacation and men. Addicted may be more accurate, but when she’s in work mode, she’s one hundred percent dedicated and a force to be reckoned with. I’m happy to work
with
her and glad that I never have to be on the other side.

She has a meeting here this afternoon, and I plan on joining for a bit. She represents an up-and-coming coffee brand that we have assisted with branding, print advertising, web design and SEO. Our firm has done extensive market research for the company, and they’re gaining market share. I know from speaking with my project manager that the company is significantly increasing their advertising and marketing budget, and they’re sitting with our creative team this afternoon to work on fresh ideas.

Quinn is coming over to meet with our legal team to ensure the new contract is up to her standards. Of course I expect our team to have it in order or I will have concerns. I have an excellent legal team, but I still go to Quinn once in a while to be sure my team is up to my high standards. I completely trust her, and she’s happy to look at my contracts when needed.

I walk out of my office to touch base with Lizzy before I head down to the conference rooms in search of Quinn. “Liz, did you send the Dempsey contract off?”

“Yes’m. All taken care of. Do you need anything else? I have a million things to catch up on, but the last thing on your calendar today is Quinn.”

“I’m fine. You should get out of here early today. We’re good, and you’ve gone above and beyond for me the last few weeks. I know I’ve taken too much of your weekend time.”

She waves her hand at me. “That’s okay. I don’t mind finishing up my emails.”

“Lizzy, get out of here. It’s not often that I kick you out early on a Friday afternoon, so I suggest you take advantage.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You’ve earned it.”

“Well, if you’re sure, I will finish up a few emails and then head out.”

“Perfect. I’ll call you this weekend if I need anything, but I’m not expecting any major issues. I’ll see you Monday.”

“You got it, Ash.”

It’s not often that I can tell Lizzy to leave early, and I’m happy to be able to give her a few hours off. The girl works hard for me and I appreciate every minute she puts in. I know we’ll be out celebrating soon, and it will take a lot of self-control on my part to hold the news until I announce her promotion.

I smile as I make my way down the hall. She has no idea that I plan on promoting her. I’ve been interviewing potential assistants behind her back and finally found one this morning. She’s young but seems eager to learn. Her resume and education are phenomenal, and I know she’ll be a close second best to Lizzy.