She blinked at him and frowned at the mostly empty glass in front of her. "Yes. A date." She tossed him a wry smile. "But he didn't show up." She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "He's an hour late now."

Cameron's brows lowered in disbelief. Who would leave someone so beautiful and intelligent hanging that way? "I seriously hope he's in the hospital or being mugged downtown or some other catastrophic event. He better have a damn good excuse."

Ginger laughed and swallowed the last of her drink, her expression dark with sadness as she faced him again. "Thank you for that. I don't know why he didn't show. We were set up through a dating service."

Madame Eve. Cameron struggled with the thought that she had to be set up on a date. The woman was bangin' hot and knew people. It amazed him that she didn't already have a family, let alone a boyfriend.

Ginger quirked a sleek auburn brow at him. "You're wondering why I employed a dating service." She raised a smooth shoulder delicately, the silver chain at her throat glinting in the low light. "I wanted somebody with more substance than I could find in my circles. Most of the guys I know are either too full of themselves, freaks, or too scared to ask me out. I needed somebody objective to help out and guide me in the right direction." Resignation tightened her features.

"Worked great, huh?"

Cameron's jaded heart shuddered at her obvious disappointment. But he could understand her reasoning. And he could certainly sympathize with the men. Honestly, he didn't know if he had the balls to ask her out. You're on duty, asshole. You can't. He'd been asked to work the night shift tonight for a reason. Surely he'd located the woman Madame had told him to watch for.

He pulled his cell phone out and typed off a quick text, letting Mike know he was going off shift. He offered Ginger a slight smile, just enough for the scar to tug at his lips. Taking a deep breath and his courage in hand, he asked her, "Can I buy you a coffee?"