“Sure, sure,” I said with a smile that let her know I didn’t have any real hard feelings.
“And no offense to Dr. Pitt, but those events always end up being kind of a snooze. Everyone’s always so concerned with networking and looking the part that they forget how to act like actual human beings, you know?”
She wasn’t wrong about that. “Oh, I know. And that’s why having my little girl there would’ve been just the thing to liven up the evening.”
“Was it that bad?” she asked.
“Well…” I trailed off. What the hell was I supposed to do – tell my daughter that I’d had the best one-night stand of my life? “It was fun. Surprisingly so.”
Confusion took hold of her features. Then her eyes went wide as she put two-and-two together.
“Oh my God! Dad, did youmeet someone?” Her words were braced with total excitement.
Shite.The thing about Camilla was that she was bright as they came. You didn’t make it into the DA’s office right out of law school by being a dummy.
There was no sense in lying to her. All the same, I needed to keep the details hidden.
“I hit it off with someone, kind of.”
“This is big news. Who is she? What’s her name?”
“That’s the thing – she was totally committed to the masquerade theme of the evening. Never took off her mask, never told me her name.”
“You serious? So, what happened? You guys plan a date or anything?”
“Nope. Just, ah, danced for a bit and that was that.”
“That’s a bummer.” Relief washed over me as I realized Camilla wasn’t picking up on my accidental subtext. “Jeez, figures that you’d finally meet a woman who actually caught your eye, and you didn’t even get her name.”
“You’re right about that.”
It didn’t matter, however. The woman, whoever she might’ve been, was long gone.
“Anyway, you can tell me all about it tonight over baked ziti. Got a ton to do before then.”
“Sounds good, kiddo. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
The conversation over, I hurried back into the suite to finish my list. Like Camilla, I had loads to do that day. As I planned my day, however, my mind continued to wander, filled with images of the woman from last night, and the strange tattoo that adorned her perfect leg.