Dressed for business in a dark suit and carrying a briefcase, he stared at her with a bemused expression. “If you wanted me to stop, you could have simply said so.”
“My hand sometimes has a mind of its own. Sorry.” June coupled the apology with a smile. When he only continued to look at her with a speculative gleam in his eyes, she added, “I’m meeting someone for lunch. He’s waiting for me now.”
Her heart picked up speed at the thought of seeing Cameron again.
The man’s gaze lingered on her for an extra second. “Well, have a good day.”
“You, too.”
As she resumed walking—this time keeping a firm control on all appendages—June’s thoughts turned to Cameron Driskill.
When her job as a global account executive for a multinational tech company had taken her to France, she’d unexpectedly made the acquaintance of one of the most elusive names on the list of party attendees.
Cameron Driskill had been sixteen, the same age as June, the night Aubrey was killed. The party had been held at the upscale home of a college junior, and a large number of underage teens had been in attendance. Cameron, the son of wealthy businessman Ross Driskill, and several of his friends were known as partiers back then.
In France, June had been working up to asking Cameron about the party when he’d been called back to the United States. At the time, he’d been running the Europe Division of Velocity, a multinational corporation that had started out focused on athletic footwear and now included anything related to athletics. When his older brother moved to head Lexico, a predictive analytics company recently acquired by the Driskill family, Cameron had taken over his brother’s role as Velocity COO.
She’d been sorry to see Cameron leave Paris. Not only because she hadn’t found an opportunity to bring up the night of the accident, but because June genuinely liked him.
His well-toned body and classically handsome features coupled with a sense of humor and an easy smile had proved a potent combination.
Now that they were once again in the same city, she’d contacted him and made plans to meet for lunch. June wished she could forget about the investigation and simply enjoy his company, but she couldn’t. Not when finding out the truth was the only way to give her mom some peace.
Still, she wouldn’t bring it up. At least not today. June feared that once she asked Cameron about that night, it might be over between them. If he didn’t know anything, he might resent the implication that he’d somehow been involved. Or, if he did know something and had never spoken up—
June shook her head. No part of her could believe Cameron had been involved in Aubrey’s accident. Nor did she truly believe he’d be angry that she had questions. But she did fear that he might believe her investigation was the only reason she wanted to spend time with him. An issue that wouldn’t exist if she’d simply asked him a few direct questions right from the beginning, she chided herself again.
When they’d met in Paris, he’d been so charming that she’d gotten caught up in spending time with him, rather than grilling him for information. He was also one of those guys who seemed to want to listen more than talk, a rarity in other men she knew.
She’d told herself she had plenty of time to ask him about that night, then her mom had gotten worse, and he’d been called home for work.
“Juin.”
June’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name spoken in that incredible French accent. Taking a tight grip on her emotions, she looked up, and there he stood, looking every inch the successful businessman.
“Hearing from you and learning you were in Denver was a wonderful surprise.” Delight filled Cameron’s voice, and the smile that lit his face arrowed straight to her heart.
“I’m happy to see you, Cameron.” She stepped to him and brushed her lips across his cheek.
In that moment, June realized what she’d tried so hard to deny. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily lose her heart to this man.
June had so many questions for him, few having to do with the party all those years ago. She wondered how he liked his new position. She was curious if he’d moved into Silver Creek, the gorgeous high-rise his family owned.
The building featured a mix of business and retail space on the lower floors and luxury apartments on the upper floors. Since its construction, it had been celebrated as one of the most-sought-after addresses in Denver. She knew Cameron’s brother, JR, lived there, as well as his grandparents Halcion and Johnny.
The thought of Hal brought a pang to June’s heart. She genuinely liked Hal, but now, because of a promise made, June was persona non grata with the Driskill family.
From Cameron’s warm reaction to meeting her in Paris, it had been apparent that using her mother’s maiden name for business had resulted in an unexpected benefit. While members of the Driskill family might recognize the name June Parker, the name Juin Dion meant nothing to them.
“It’s good being back home.” She shifted her gaze to focus on the small café where they’d agreed to meet. June inclined her head. “Is this where we’re having lunch? It looks nice.”
“The food is amazing.” Cameron hesitated. “And they have outdoor seating.”
She understood his hesitation. The places he’d taken her in Paris had been extremely nice.
“This is perfect.” June gestured to her buttercup-yellow summer dress and heeled sandals. “As you can see, I’m not dressed for business, much less haute cuisine.”
The instant she’d made the pronouncement, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. The fact that she was dressed casually on a workday flung the door wide open to questions.