“We are?” Cam wasn’t sure why they would, but he wasn’t about to turn down an invite, especially not if it was Aidan Flynn issuing it.
“Yeah. He’s woken up from his cock-drunk state and realized that he’s left us alone, which . . .I’m not mad about that, to be honest, because he’s an annoying busybody, but we’ll let him have this one.”
“We will?”
Dawson shot him a look. “Rook. Keep up.”
Cameron couldn’t help the smile that bloomed across his face, even though he’d tried to keep it under wraps. “Alright,” he said. “If we’re invited, I suppose we’d better go.”
“Damn straight,” Dawson said, grinning. “Plus, it’s on Aidan’s dime and he’s a snob, so it’ll be good.”
Their food arrived then, looking delicious and smelling even better, and Dawson added as he picked up a beef skewer, “Don’t tell him that though. His ego is big enough.”
“Oh. Okay.” Cam was still having trouble actually saying anything to Aidan’s face, so he didn’t think that was going to be too much of a problem.
“Dig in,” Dawson said, between bites of beef satay, “and don’t let me eat all of these. Trust me, you’re gonna want to try one.”
Theyweredelicious. Tender and bursting with flavor, and the peanut sauce on the side? Cam was tempted, for one single moment, to pick it up and just slurp the entire bowl down.
His noodles were really good, too, and it lifted his confidence just a little that he’d done a good job picking for himself, even though all he’d had to go on was the description and the picture.
“Yeah,” Dawson said, smirking, as Cam barely came up for air. “I knew you’d do okay.” He reached over, patting Cam on the hand. “You’re too hard on yourself, rook.”
Cam stared at his plate, already half-gone. “You were right,” he said. “Toronto has been a real eye-opener.”
“Yeah?” Dawson glanced up. There was still no judgment in his face. “I bet it is. And I should’ve realized it sooner that nobody else was watching out for you.”
Humiliation flashed in his stomach, hot and fast. “I’m twenty-two. A grown man. I don’t need to be watched out for,” Cam retorted.
“Yeah, you do,” Dawson argued mildly. “The fact that you don’t think you do means youreallydo. The NFL is a big adjustment, even for guys coming from the major colleges. And you definitely didn’t come from one of the big schools.”
“No,” Cam agreed. Western State had been tiny, and he’d only gotten national attention for his skill because they’d ended up playing two top twenty-five teams for a much-needed payday his senior year. Otherwise, probably very few pro GMs would’ve even known he existed. But he’d had some really great punts exactly when his team had needed them, and people had sat up and taken notice.
“This is the way,” Dawson said, between bites of fried rice. “The way things are done. The vets watch out for the rookies. But I didn’t the way I should’ve. Guess that’s another thing I’m sorry about.”
“You don’t need to be,” Cam argued. That embarrassment was still curdling in his stomach, no matter how good the food was. He didn’t want Dawson’s apology or to be treated like some hick who didn’t know anything—even if that might be partially true.
“Yeah, I do.” Dawson’s hazel eyes were soft and serious. “I was stuck in my own shit. And Joey might’ve done it instead, but he’s busy with that whole pack of kids, and there’s a hierarchy to these things. You should know about that. Even at a small school, things can’t be that different.”
“Yeah, I get that because it wasn’t. Not really,” Cam said. It was why he’d been demurring to both Dawson and Joey, because they both had lots of NFL experience, and because Dawson was one of the team captains.
He wasn’t about to force his company—or even worse, his fucking issues—onto Dawson.
“That why you were sitting with Duke and Jack at lunch today?”
“Maybe I just like them,” Cam said, aware of how defensive he sounded.
“You can like them, but they’re still practically practice squad guys. You should be hanging out with the starters.You’rea starter, rook.”
“Joey spends all his time with the linemen, and then you . . .” Cam swallowed hard. “You’ve known Aidan a long time, so it tracks that you’d hang out with him.”
“Shit,” Dawson said, and Cam knew he’d said too much because realization was dawning, clear and obvious on Dawson’s face.
“Don’t—” Cam warned, fork clattering to his plate.
Dawson shoved another beef skewer at his face. Cam didn’t want to take it, but it was hard to resist when they werethatgood. After dipping it in the heaven-sent peanut sauce, he groaned a little around the first tender bite of meat.
“Yeah, for sure we’re never telling Aidan how right he was about those,” Dawson muttered under his breath. “But back toyou, I get it. I was with Aidan, and you weren’t gonna encroach on Aidan Flynn at work.”
