Cameron applauded softly. “Good for you. You’re in the minority because not everyone is as confident as you are.”
“Would it bother you if we went out together and I danced with other men?”
“Hell no,” he drawled. “As you said, as long as we were going home together, then it wouldn’t make a difference to me.” Cameron paused. “Now that we’re on the same page, I’d like to invite you to be my date for the dinner cruise.”
Jasmine wanted to remind him that he was coming on strong again, but in a moment of madness she decided to turn the tables on Cameron. “I’ll go with you, but I’d like you to go out with me Friday.” There was no doubt she had shocked him when his jaw dropped.
Seconds became a full minute. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll get to see Long Island’s North Fork when I take you to a restaurant where you can sample a variety of incredibly prepared seafood dishes.”
He winked at her. “That sounds like the Big Easy if you’re talking about seafood.”
She smiled. “Seafood, yes, drinks no. The difference is go-cups are illegal in New York.”
His smile matched hers. “I accept, which means we’re on for Saturday. Now, if you need to buy a dress and accessories for Saturday, then I’ll give you one of my credit cards.”
Jasmine’s expression changed as if she had been doused with ice-cold water. Did he actually believe that because she wasn’t employed she could not afford to purchase something to wear for a formal affair? Not having a job did not translate into her struggling to make ends meet. The generous severance package from Wakefield Hamilton, in addition to the equity in her condo and a generous divorce settlement, afforded her financial stability if she did not drastically alter her lifestyle.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Her words were dripping with sarcasm.
“I didn’t mean to insult you, Jasmine,” Cameron said in apology.
She held up her hand. “Let it go, Cameron. I can assure you that I have something appropriate for the evening.” She hadn’t lied to him. When she had visited her favorite boutique to look for an outfit for Tonya’s wedding she had been unable to decide between two dresses, and in the end purchased both.
Jasmine concentrated on eating her salad. Tonya’s invitation indicated she and Gage planned to exchange vows at seven in the courtyard of her fiancé’s home in the Upper French Quarter, followed by a reception in Hannah and St. John’s garden. Tonya had sent her photos of the interior and exterior of Gage’s house and Jasmine was awed by the beauty of the residence. It resembled Parisian-style garret with wrought-iron balconies, a lush courtyard, and upper floors offering views of the city and Mississippi River. Tonya had chosen her daughter to be her attendant, while Gage had selected his son as his groomsman.
She was looking forward to reuniting with Tonya and Hannah, and discovered each time she left New Orleans to return to New York she felt something pulling her back to the historic city. Jasmine knew it wasn’t the place as much as it was her friends. She’d become so connected with Nydia, Hannah, and Tonya that she had begun to think of them as her sisters.
Jasmine waved away the waiter when he attempted to refill her glass again. “I’m good, thank you.” Although she had eaten the salad she was beginning to feel the effects of the sparkling wine.
“Are you sure you don’t want another glass?” Cameron asked under his breath when the man moved away from the table. “I’ll make certain you get home unscathed.”
“I’m not worried about getting home, because I plan to take a taxi.”
“That’s unnecessary because I have a driver on-call. By the way, where do you live?”
“East Eighty-Second Street. Where are you staying?”
“This year we all checked in at the Mandarin Oriental. A couple of years ago we stayed on an estate on one of the Thousand Islands that had been in one of my frat brother’s family as far back as the Civil War. He claimed his three-time great-grandfather had a factory in New Hampshire that manufactured armaments for the Union army. He built the house and several outbuildings as a vacation retreat with the fortune he had made from the war.”
“How did you get there?” Jasmine asked.
“We flew up to Syracuse, and then took a boat to the island. After we got there we scrapped our plans to visit Canada because we spent most of our time swimming and touring some of the other islands.”
“It’s nice that you guys still get together after so many years.”
“We all made a pact that once any of us becomes a grandfather, we’ll get together every five years.”
Jasmine wondered if Cameron had an ex-wife, or had fathered children. “Most of you are nearing the big five-oh, so it’s only a matter of time before someone will claim grandfather status.”
“I’m not counted among them, because I don’t have any kids.”
This disclosure puzzled her. “You never wanted children?”
He lifted broad shoulders under his suit jacket. “I never thought of them one way or the other. Unlike some men, I didn’t want to become a baby daddy, so I’ve always made certain to use protection whenever I sleep with a woman.”
“Good for you,” she said sotto voce. Jasmine wanted to tell Cameron her ex had no qualms when it came to sleeping with a woman who wasn’t his wife and eventually fathered a child with her.
