This apartment felt less like home than ever. The kitchen was strewn with takeout boxes and dishes that Cam couldn’t find the energy to clean up. Maybe tomorrow he’d give a shit about the state of the place
“You need a cleaner,” Brian said, pointing at the sink. “Want me to call yours?”
“You don’t work for me anymore.”
“I remember.” Brian grinned. “But I’m still your friend, right?”
Cam swallowed. He felt like shit. “Yeah, of course. And I’m sorry. I’m feeling a little bitchy. I worked out hard.”
“I can tell that from the sweat. And by the way, if you answered your phone occasionally, I’d have arrived after your shower. Are you avoiding me or something?”
“Not you in particular.” Cam swallowed a mouthful of water. “I’m ignoring everybody.” The truth was, he’d put his phone in the hallway dresser drawer when he arrived, afraid that if he looked at it for too long he’d call or message her. He knew himself too well. He’d tell himself that one chance to hear her voice wouldn’t hurt, but then he’d be hooked again. He’d want more and more and it would kill him.
Who was he kidding? He was still hooked.
“Derek asked me to check on you. He’s worried about you.”
“Yeah, that’s because I’ve been avoiding him, too.”
Brian leaned on the counter, eyeing Cam carefully. “I know on the outside Derek’s a mean vampire of an agent, but I think he really likes you. He’s worried about you. Says you were only going through the motions in L.A. I thought you’d made up your mind it’s what you wanted.”
“I did.” Okay, so it wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but he couldn’t have that. L.A. would be second best.
“He’s working really hard at getting you a top rate package. But you need to speak with him. Meet him halfway.”
“I know.” Cam nodded. “I’ll call him.”
“Today?”
“If you want.”
“It’s not about what I want,” Brian said, giving him a tight smile. “It’s about you. You’re the talent. It’s always about you. If you don’t want to go to L.A., you need to tell Derek.” Brian tipped his head to the side, scrutinizing Cam carefully. “Are you sure you want to leave your family? You seemed happy when you were in Hartson’s Creek.” Brian gave a little laugh. “I mean, you didn’t call me much, because you’re an asshole of a boss, but when we did talk, you sounded good.”
“It was a good break,” Cam said, his chest tight. “That was all.”
Brian nodded. “Okay, man. So I’ll call the cleaner and have her come tomorrow. And arrange for some healthy meals in your refrigerator. Where’s your phone? Since you’ve been ignoring my calls, I imagine you’ve ignored everybody else’s. I’ll go through the messages and reply where I can.”
His simple kindness made Cam feel strange. “It’s in the hall dresser drawer. Along with the charger.”
“Good. Now go shower. I can’t concentrate with all these damn pheromones filling up the apartment.”
Cam rolled his eyes. “I’ve kind of missed you, you know that?”
“Yeah, well. You can give me an end of contract bonus.”
“You’ll get more than that.” Cam’s face turned serious. He grabbed the keys he’d slung on the kitchen counter two days ago, pulling one off. “If you fancy a trip to Hartson’s Creek, there’s an Audi parked outside my house there. You pick it up, it’s yours.”
Brian laughed, but then when he realized Cam was serious, the smile slid from his face. “What?”
“The car’s yours. Honestly, I don’t want it.” It was another reminder he couldn’t take. “And if you go there, can you take two of the Depuis watches in my drawer with you? I want you to
give them to two kids I know. I’ll give you the address.”
“What is this? Why are you giving away all your assets?” Brian lowered his voice. “Are you feeling suicidal?”
“No, I’m not.” Cam sighed. “They’re just things I don’t want anymore. I want to go to L.A. with a clean slate. Leave a lot of the shit behind.”
“I’ll go pick up the car early tomorrow, and get you anything you need from the house. I’ll even deliver those watches. But I don’t want your Audi. If you really insist, sell the damn thing and buy me another car. One I can actually afford to insure.”