Because, yeah, waking up each morning and not seeing him or hearing from him was painful. And the only logical explanation for that pain was that she’d somehow managed to fall in love with the guy.
If he felt the same—or at least had the potential to get there—she was willing to take the necessary measures to give a relationship a try. The alternative, well, there wasn’t one, in her mind.
Guess she wasn’t interested in giving it a try. She planned to be all in, do whatever she needed to do to make this thing between them work.
If only he’d call and reassure her that he felt the same way.
The guy from the Escalade paused on the sidewalk in front of the stairs leading up to Camila’s apartment. She instinctively moved to the side so that he couldn’t see her through the open blinds. When she heard the telltale sounds of footfalls on the steps, she hurried over to ensure the deadbolt was locked and then held her breath, waiting. Who the hell was this guy, and why was he coming to her apartment?
Knuckles rapped on the door three times. She peered through the peephole. The guy was dark skinned, with slicked back hair and brown eyes. He wore a pale blue button-down shirt and black slacks. He looked like a nice enough guy, but then again, so had Vince.
He knocked again and then leaned closer to the door. “Camila, are you there? It’s Chuck Morales, Tommy’s manager.”
She released her breath. Chuck. Tommy had called him by name plenty of times in her presence, and he’d always spoken fondly of the guy.
She opened the door. Chuck smiled widely as his gaze swept her from head to toe and then he nodded like he was confirming something. “I’ve seen pictures, of course, but I have to admit, seeing you in person, I can see why Tommy’s crazy about you.”
What a shallow thing to say. Tommy was surrounded by beautiful women all the time. Prettiness alone wasn’t enough to catch and hold his interest.
“Can I help you?”
He held out his arm. “I’m Chuck Morales, Tommy’s manager.”
She shook his hand. “You said that already.”
He chuckled. “I assume you’re Camila?”
She nodded.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Can I come in for a minute? I just want to talk to you real quick and then I have to head to the airport to catch a flight out to Minnesota.”
The next stop on the championship circuit. Tommy had been qualifying all week. Camila had never watched so much televised sports in her entire life.
She opened the door wider, inviting him into the apartment. He gave it a cursory glance, and she had the feeling he didn’t approve. Which was funny, because, had he ever visited Tommy’s place? Camila may be living in a totally different tax bracket, but at least she had furniture and pictures on the walls.
“I want to talk to you about Tommy. About your relationship with him.”
Her heart started beating faster. Had Tommy sent his manager to talk to her? That was a little weird, but then again, he’d told her plenty of times that when he was racing, he needed to be fully focused, not only to win but also to avoid injury. It was the reason she was waiting for him to make the first move.
“I need you to call it off.”
She blinked several times. It felt like her lids were moving in slow motion, as if by slowing down the action, she might somehow better understand what he just said.
“Excuse me?”
“I need you to break up with Tommy.”
“We aren’t even together.” Well, he certainly wasn’t here for the reason she’d hoped, was he?
“Yeah, but he wants to be.”
Furrowing her brow, she said, “So therefore you want me to break up with him before we even actually get together in the first place?”
“Exactly. Shoot him a text, tell him you never want to see him again.”
“I don’t understand.”
Chuck sighed. “I’m willing to pay you.”
Camila’s eyes widened. “Are you for real?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“How much?” Not that she was going to take his money, but seriously, how much did he think this text was worth?
“How much do you want?”
She crossed her arms. “I can name my price?”
“This is very important.”
“Clearly. Why’s it so important anyway?”
Chuck sighed. “He’s planning to retire. He’s going to announce it after the race tomorrow.”
Camila’s arms fell to her sides. “What? But—but he loves racing. He’s got at least five years left before he even needs to think about retirement.”
“Exactly.” Chuck’s eyes lit up while he waved his hands like maybe he wanted to shake some sense into Tommy. “This is a recent phenomenon. Since he met you. I think he wants to quit so he can spend more time with you. So if you break up with him, he’ll have no reason to retire.”
She shook her head. “That’s a terrible idea. He can’t retire because of me.”
“I know. That’s why I need you to break up with him. Then our problem will be solved.”
“No.” Camila shook her head again. “That’s not the solution.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I have a better idea. But instead of paying me to break up with him, how about you buy me a plane ticket to Minnesota?”
***
What did one wear to a motocross race so that one could confront a dirt bike racer about his intention to retire, which was theoretically about her, although she wasn’t entirely sure, so honestly she could be flying out to do nothing more than make a fool
