“Tomorrow we’re scheduled to drive up to Connecticut to golf.”
“How many are in your squad?” she teased.
Throwing back his head, Cameron laughed. “Initially we had twenty-two, but we’re down to fifteen. We are a motley crew of middle-aged frat boys trying to recapture our youth, and so far we’re failing miserably.”
Her salad and Cameron’s appetizer were set on the table, and Jasmine could not help but smile when she tried to imagine forty-something men challenging each other to see how much they could drink and still remain upright. “That’s the distinct difference between men and women. We are less likely to challenge one another in what I call a pissing contest to see who comes out the winner.”
Cameron sobered. “You have other ways of competing.”
“How’s that?”
“It all comes down to physical appearance. Many sororities accept or reject girls based on how they look, while jocks are only concerned with having dudes on their teams that will help them win.”
Jasmine’s eyes met and fused with Cameron’s penetrating light-blue orbs. She took another sip of champagne before the waiter refilled her glass. “I suppose we all have our biases.”
“You’re right, even though some biases are more dangerous than others.”
“What’s on your agenda for Thursday?” she asked, again deftly changing the topic.
“We have tickets for a game at Yankees Stadium. Friday is free day because that will give everyone time to prepare for Saturday night’s finale. Those who have wives and girlfriends usually arrive on Friday to join their significant others.”
“What’s happening Saturday night?”
“We have a formal dinner cruise up the Hudson River to the Adirondack Mountains before we reverse direction to dock at Chelsea Piers.”
“How long will that take?”
“Twelve hours.”
“What about your girlfriend?” Jasmine asked, as she wondered why Cameron was asking to take her out when he had someone committed to join him on the dinner cruise.
“What about her?”
“Is she coming in Friday?”
A mysterious smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “No, because I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Why not?” Jasmine asked. “You seem nice enough to have a special lady friend.”
Attractive lines deepened around his luminous eyes when his smile grew wider. “Thanks for the compliment, but right now I’m not involved with anyone.”
“It doesn’t bother you to attend a formal affair without a plus-one?” She had asked him what seemed like an endless stream of questions.
“At forty-eight I’m quite comfortable going to social events without a date.”
She had been unable to pinpoint Cameron’s age, yet she would have thought him closer to early forties rather than approaching fifty. It was obvious he took good care of himself as evidenced by his slender physique and unlined complexion.
“You did attend Hannah’s wedding alone.”
“There you go. What about you, Jasmine? Have you ever attended an affair unescorted?”
His question gave her pause and she thought back to before she married Raymond. There had only been one other man in her life, and he had been her first lover and mentor. She owed everything to twice-married Gregory Carson, thirty years her senior, for giving her what she needed to become a much sought-after successful interior decorator.
“Maybe a few times, but I always found it uncomfortable,” she admitted. “Whenever a guy who had a date would come over and ask me to dance, their woman would either give me the stink-eye, or a few would be bold enough to tell me not to dance with their man again. I wanted to tell them their man had asked me to dance, and not the other way around.”
“Didn’t you know they were jealous of you?”
Jasmine rolled her eyes upward. “It had nothing to do with jealousy, but insecurity. I wouldn’t care how much my man danced with other women as long I knew he was coming home with me.”
