Run, Girl (If You Can)

Jennica certainly wasn't expecting that particular job title. "You're his what?"

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck, slightly sheepish.

"I know it sounds weird…I was in my first year of grad school when I got approached by this serious eighteen-year-old kid who had been watching me clean people out at unofficial blackjack and poker tournaments held in the dorms for weeks.

"Aaron noticed that I never lost and offered me a job straight out of school at his family's company in exchange for going on all-expenses-paid trips to Atlantic City to gamble with his money and give the winnings back to him. It's how he kickstarted his personal fortune."

Jennica gaped at him. That was one of the craziest things she had ever heard of—she knew Aaron Hale was a nut! "But why does he still have you go now? He's super rich!"

"That's his business. I just do what I'm told and compete in tournaments at gambling hot spots and give him the prize money. He gives me the buy-in amounts but still lets me keep part of the payouts. He's a generous overlord."

She couldn't help but snicker at the phrase 'generous overlord.' "So he approves your time off as business trips and pays for everything while you get to visit other countries? That sounds like the perfect job."

Cameron shrugged. "It's not all fun and games; I'm mostly sitting in a dimly lit casino for hours on end. Not much time for sightseeing. I'm slowly working my way around the tourist sites in major cities though. I've been to the Eiffel Tower and seen a couple of Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas."

"Do you think Aaron needs a personal actress?" she joked. With an eccentric boss like that, she might be able to see some pretty cool stuff if her job was anything like Cameron's.

"I doubt it. If you went to more than one event with him you'd be torn apart by the wolves." That was probably true. She didn't want to ever experience something like that cocktail party again.

"Darn. It would be so fun to travel," Jennica sighed dramatically. "The most exotic place I've ever been is Michigan."

"I'm going to the Bahamas in January if you want to tag along."

She was about to ask if him if he was messing with her when a voice came over the loudspeaker with the safety announcements right before the plane took off. It distracted her enough that she forgot all about it.

Cameron put in his earbuds and listened to music the entire flight while Jennica used the free Wi-Fi to look up other auditions happening in December on the days she wasn't filming the music video.

The two hours passed relatively quickly.

When they landed and began to disembark and head toward the baggage claim, Cameron reached out and held her hand.

At her questioning look, he explained, "Your mom just texted you that they were waiting for us in the baggage claim, right? It's better to start acting like a couple now."

Right. The illusion had begun already. Her heart thumped; Jennica may have bitten off more than she could chew this weekend.

They held hands all the way onto the escalator and when she spotted her family below she waved with her free hand. Her mom's eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw her daughter holding hands with a man.

At the bottom of the escalator she released Cameron and got a running start to fling herself at Brian.

He caught her with a startled laugh. "Whoa there, Jenny. I missed you too but…who's this?"

"I don't see you in nearly a year and that's all you have to say to me?" she complained, refusing to let go.

"It's not like I didn't call you!"

"Not nearly as often as you called Ali. Hi, Ali," she said sheepishly, peeking out from under his arm to greet her sister-in-law.

She beamed at Jennica and waved. "Want to let go of my husband and introduce us?"

"Right." She backed up and Cameron slung an arm around her shoulders casually. "This is my boyfriend, Cameron Singleton."

"Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?!" Anna screeched.

"I wanted to surprise you guys. Surprise!"

Brian and Alison exchanged looks. "Well, we're certainly surprised. How long have you guys been dating?"

"We met in the spring at a roller skating party," Cameron lied smoothly. "It's probably been about six months now."

Six months? They hadn't even known each other six weeks! Well, it did seem more believable to bring a guy home after six months than less than one. She'd roll with it.

Brian snorted. "A roller skating party?"

"He's just jealous he can't skate to save his life," Alison said cheerfully. "What happened exactly? I want details!"

"Well," Jennica began. This much was true so it shouldn't be too hard to get out, though it was a bit embarrassing since Cameron was right there. "I was skating backwards and bumped into him but he caught me and then we skate danced the next two songs together."

"How romantic!"

Anna was skeptical. "Skate dancing? You're not one of those frivolous artsy types too are you?"

"Mom!" she protested. She'd been there less than five minutes and was already getting her job put down.

"No ma'am, I'm a financial analyst on Wall Street," Cameron said simply.

You could practically hear the crickets chirping as the entire Stevens clan was dumbstruck. Jennica was sorely tempted to laugh. Bringing him was worth it just for this!

"Oh look, I think I see our suitcases," he continued, oblivious to the chaos he had caused.

Cameron walked over to fetch them and her mother pulled her aside. "Is he telling the truth?!"

Jennica nodded. "Why would he lie? He's the head of the analyst department at Hale Investments. I've even met his boss."

There was a branch in downtown Cincinnati so her mother knew how big a deal Hale Investments was. Her demeanor toward her daughter changed instantly.

"You have to get him to marry you! You've cooked for him, right? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"

She sighed. "Yes Mom, I've cooked for him. Stop talking though, he's coming back!"

Cameron smiled at them warmly as he placed Jennica's suitcase in front of her and she really hoped he hadn't been able to hear them. It was going to be a long few days.