Tyree's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "But I was about to go into the schedule and change that. I'll already be here because of the meeting, and Jenna said she's working late Sunday night, too."
Cam said nothing, afraid to get his hopes up.
"Tell you what. Consider this your last responsibility-free weekend. And next Friday night, you'll dive into your new position with lots of vim and vigor. Deal?"
"Sounds perfect to me," Cam said, forcing himself to look only at Tyree and not grin like an idiot at Mina.
Tyree nodded, the firm motion sealing the deal. And that's when Cam turned to Mina. "Looks like I'm all yours."
"That's fabulous," she said.
"We're going to babysit Faith for Brent," Cam explained, since Tyree was still standing there.
"Uh-huh," Ty said, glancing from Cam to Mina and then back to Cam again. "Well, you have fun, son." And then after a slight pause he met Cam's eyes. "With Faith."
Cam nodded in acknowledgement. He appreciated the show of male solidarity, but was going to feel like a damn fool if this was all in his imagination. If there was no connection.
Or if he never got up enough goddamn nerve to even hint to Mina how he felt.
Then again, he'd already inadvertently dropped a hundred hints. Tyree had seen that clearly enough.
Had Mina?
And if she had, was she ignoring them?
Hell. His stomach twisted again, and suddenly his twenty-four years felt much more like fourteen.
He rarely dated because he didn't have time. And, honestly, because the women he met didn't send the same thrill running through his blood that Mina did.
But right then he was wishing he'd had just a little more practice in the art of reading a woman.
On stage, the band started to play a cover of Taylor Swift's Love Story. He'd been fourteen when the song came out, and every time he heard Swift belting out the ballad about two kids in love, he'd thought of Mina.
Beside him, Mina pushed her wine glass away. "It's getting late. I should probably head home."
"Right. Sure. Just let me pay, and we can go." He signaled to Eric, then settled the bill. They said a few goodbyes as they headed for the door, and she led the way, heading east on Sixth Street and then turning south on one of the streets that ran perpendicular.
They walked for several blocks, the streets becoming darker and more deserted.
"Did you park all the way across the river?" Cam asked after they'd gone three blocks.
"Ha, ha. The closer lot was full. But I'm just over there." She pointed down the street where a small sign with an arrow advertised paid parking.
They kept walking, but then she stopped and turned, obviously in response to the pounding footsteps that Cam had also heard.
It was a guy in a hoodie, and by the time Cam turned, he was practically on top of them. He shoved Mina into Cam, sending him stumbling. And as he righted himself, he realized that the sharp noise in the air was the echo of Mina's scream.
"Mina!"
She swallowed the scream, her eyes wide. "My purse! That fucker cut the strap on my purse."
Son-of-a-bitch.
He didn't think--he just took after the guy. Blood pounded in his head, and he clenched his fists as he raced forward, wanting only to catch the guy and slam his fist right into the thief's ugly face. He wanted to fucking hurt him for scaring her. For stealing from her. For putting his goddamn filthy hands on her.
"Cam! Cam, stop!"
The fear in her voice got through the storm of rage in his head, and he spun around, breathing hard.