"It's a long shot, yeah, but it's better than nothing. And we need to cover the fight anyway, right?" Cam combs his fingers through his messy shag, but his hair stands up, looking even messier. "I mean, you can still say no, but why would you? Free hotel room, free plane ticket, free first row ticket, championship fight." He motions at my computer screen. There's a picture of a very angry, very bloody Jesus Vasquez. "And you get to see your ex-boyfriend getting punched. Which, according to Emilia and a few more girls who work here, is a serious bonus."
I nibble my lip. "People know you're asking me to do this?" Great. More pressure. And most definitely more humiliation when Ty turns me down.
"Well, no. I was asking Emilia this hypothetically, because I didn't want to come off as an insensitive prick."
I fold my arms. He is kind of an insensitive prick for asking me to do this, but I'm not going to say anything because...well, because I totally dig this job.
A few seconds pass in uncomfortable silence before Cam speaks again.
"Just think about it."
"I don't have to go to Vegas for this. I can stop by The Grind and ask him face to face."
Or better yet, go straight to his house. If there's less of a crowd around us, there's less of a chance of me trying to hurl myself under a bus when this whole thing blows up in my face. But Cameron shakes his head, eyes shut.
"Wilder’s not in Concord anymore. He set his camp in Vegas four weeks ago. So unless you want to do this by phone..."
Nope. I really can't do it by phone. One, because I don't have his number, and two, because even if I get it through Jesse, Dawson or Mary, there's a good chance Ty won't answer my call.
"I'll do it," I hear myself saying, and even though the words coming out of my mouth are freaking me out, I know that it's the right thing to do.
I love this job.
And I freaking love Ty.
Vegas was bad to me the last time I was there, but maybe things will be different the second time around.
Maybe I'm already over his secret.
And maybe, he still isn’t over me.
Chapter Twenty One
I'm sitting next to Cam in a cab that's taking us to our Vegas hotel. I think the panic attack started on the flight and kind of escalated to this point. I'm sweating like a pig, and my clammy hands strangle my canvas bag like I'm trying to choke it to death. What the hell am I doing? If Ty wanted me here, he would have said so. He is perfectly capable of getting what he wants—when he wants it—and now I'm just going to barge into the most important night of his life uninvited. The last time I surprised him, it ended up with tears and a breakup. I can't believe Cam has talked me into this.
"I may be out of line here...okay, I'm definitely way out of line here, but for whatever reason, I just can't seem to picture you and Wilder together? You don't seem to have a lot in common." Cam is filling the silence with his words.
"And why's that?" The assumption that we are too different to be together is pissing me off, and I'm not even sure why.
"Well, you don't have much in common. Like, you and I for instance, we share some cultural background I guess. We go to the same gigs, watch the same movies, go out to the same bars. You know, we're alike."
I send a sweet smile his way. "I don't want someone like me. I want someone who will drag me out of my comfort zone and introduce me to new things. Different things."
"I completely agree.” Cameron is not stupid. He knows he crossed a line and is now backpedaling his way into my good graces. “I also like a challenge.”
Ty is not a challenge, but I don't want to pick a fight with my boss in the middle of this trip, so I let it go and nod, looking out the window.
When the cab driver drops us off at the hotel, I'm literally shaking. Cam offers to do the check-in while I clutch my suitcase, looking around the lobby and trying to keep my emotions in check. The place is packed and buzzing with laughter and excitement. Judging by the amount of people who wear credentials around their necks, most sports journalists have already arrived and are now mingling with each other.
The lobby is spacious and dazzling, with ornate crystal and golden hand-carved marble chandeliers. Cam disappears somewhere between the masses of people waiting in line at the reception desk, and I mess with my phone, trying not to think about Ty.
Don't think about him.