by Mia Sosa
“A friend?”
“My boyfriend.”
“I’d be meeting your parents.”
“Yes. But given how absent they’ve been in my life, you shouldn’t view this as a big deal. It’s not a grand statement, okay? Also not a big deal if you don’t want to go. I’d understand.”
He raised his shoulder to get her to lift her head. When he was sure she was focused on his face, he peered at her. “Just answer one question. Do you want me there?”
God, he wished she’d just admit it. No bullshit. No explanations or disclaimers. But with Mimi, he never knew when he’d get the unadulterated truth about her feelings for him.
“Yes.”
Ah, damn. This time she didn’t disappoint. He loved this woman, and he trusted that she’d come to love him, too. Baby steps, it is. He pressed his lips against her forehead. “If you want me there, then that’s where I’ll be.”
* * *
Okay. Maybe he shouldn’t have come to Austin.
Less than an hour in Mimi’s parents’ presence had been enough to confirm Mimi’s succinct description: Her father was a jerk, and her mother was a doormat.
Mimi’s father, Richard, gave off an air of charm and sophistication that drew people to him. Throughout the evening, people stopped by his table, and he received them like a king holding court. He had little to say to his wife and daughter, however, and Mimi, for her part, handled his inattentiveness as though it were expected, rarely bothering even to look in his direction.
Daniel tried to engage Mimi’s mother, Gayle, in conversation, but her eagle-eyed gaze didn’t stray from her husband, particularly when another woman was in the vicinity, and the few questions he’d asked her were met with half-baked responses that underscored her distracted state.
When the waitstaff served dinner, Mimi’s parents were forced to engage in some semblance of conversation with each other for the benefit of the guests at the table. By the time dessert arrived, Richard appeared exhausted from the exercise, fidgeting with his watch and glancing at his phone at regular intervals. As Richard ate his pie, he turned his attention to his daughter, his gaze traveling between Daniel and Mimi.
Daniel gave Mimi a reassuring smile, and Mimi returned it with a less effusive one of her own.
The fork in Richard’s hands sliced through the air as he spoke. “How’s the job, Mimi?”
After Richard had addressed her, Mimi’s fork hovered in the air as though she were shocked that her father had deigned to speak with her. A few seconds later, she set the fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “My career’s going well. I’m poised to make partner in the next few months, or so I’ve been told.”
“Not a sure thing until it actually happens, so don’t go gettin’ cocky on me. In business, decisions can change from one day to the next.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” She took a sip of her water, her hand trembling as she lowered the glass to the table.
What a jackass. The man saw his daughter once, maybe twice, a year, and he couldn’t find the heart to praise her obvious success. Daniel studied Mimi. Her gaze darted everywhere, and she shimmied her shoulders to the eighties music playing in the background. Her father might be incapable of showing his support, but Daniel had no problem filling the void. “Mimi’s phenomenal at what she does, Richard. I have no doubt she’ll make partner.”
She stopped shimmying her shoulders and covered his hand with hers. He winked at her, and she smiled.
“How did you two meet, by the way?” Richard asked. “I don’t think Mimi mentioned it.”
“Through work,” was all she said.
Her father must have sensed a story because he leaned in and pressed for more information. “You work in the same office?”
“No,” Mimi said through tight lips. “I work with his architectural firm.”
Richard choked on his laughter. “Oh, he’s a client then.”
Mimi’s mother attempted to intercede. “Richard, let it go.”
He held up his hands. “What? I’m just making friendly conversation.” To Mimi, he said, “Well done, my dear. Well done.”
What would be the point in responding to this man’s bullshit? The woman beside him was all he cared about. He stood and held out his hand to her. “Nobody puts Mimi in a corner,” he announced.
She looked up at him, her eyes glinting with humor. “Did you just quote Dirty Dancing?”
“A loose interpretation.” He gave her a pleading look. “You have to take my hand so I don’t look like an idiot.”
She rose and took his hand, her eyes twinkling. “We can look like idiots together.”
He swept her onto the dance floor.
She giggled. “Are you going to perform Patrick Swayze’s solo now?”
“Who’s Patrick Swayze?”
After opening and closing her mouth, she shook her head. “Never mind. How do you even know about that movie?”
“Pamela used to rave about it.”
“I think that’s the first time you’ve mentioned your sister’s name in casual conversation. That’s definitely progress.”
She was right. He’d voiced Pamela’s name without the usual tightness in his throat that made it hard to swallow. And he discovered something else: Talking about her made it easier to absorb that she was gone.
“Yeah. She was always going on about a remake in the works. And that line became her battle cry when someone pissed her off. She tried to get me to watch the movie, but I wisely declined.”
Mimi stopped swaying and pulled back. “Wisely? That movie has endured for decades. There’s a reason.”
“Let me guess? Patrick Swayze and dirty dancing.”
“Might have something to do with it.”
The music slowed and he pulled her closer. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What was that about back there?”
“My father being a dick. Exhibit A.”
“Why did he say ‘well done’?”
“The story isn’t a short one, and I’m not sure this is the right time or place.”
“He upset you, so I’d say this is exactly the right time and place. And I have nothing else to do but focus on you.”
The jazz band switched to an up-tempo song.
Mimi dropped her head. “He’ll be getting his award soon.”
“Do you care?”
She didn’t hesitate to answer him. “Not at all. I’m here because my mother asked me to be.”
“Then let’s go outside.”
She linked her arms with his, and they strolled to the hotel’s courtyard, looking as though they were nothing more than a couple enjoying a lovely evening. But Daniel knew better. Because Mimi was quiet, and she hadn’t made a dirty joke the entire evening.
They walked the hotel grounds as she talked.
“In all my adult years, I confided in my father once. I’d just graduated from college and had my first full-time job in a law office. A friend from college had hooked me up with a short-term gig working for her father’s firm. I was so clueless that I didn’t recognize the signs that another lawyer there wasn’t really trying to mentor me but wanted to have sex with me.”
Daniel’s heart thumped wildly in his chest. He hoped this wasn’t going where he thought it was going. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I’d been assigned to help him prepare for a trial. It involved lots of long nights in the firm conference room with take-out food strewn everywhere. I was excited to be helping on the case. Everyone on the team working together. And then one night he sat next to me as I highlighted witness statements. Everyone else had gone home. And the next thing I knew, his hand was on my thigh.”
Daniel squeezed her hand. “What did you do?”
“I froze. That hand on my thigh made no sense, and I think I was hoping it would go away and I’d never have to deal with it again. But it didn’t go away, and that fucking hand reached under my skirt, until I
shoved it away.”
They reached a bench and he guided her to sit. “Did the guy give you any trouble?”
“No, he backed off but not before telling me I’d been sending him mixed signals. My skirts were short. My cleavage practically in his face all day. He said, and I quote, ‘You have to know any red-blooded male is going to respond to those signals.’”
“What a dick.”
“He was. But you know, in a way he was right, too. I hadn’t put much thought into how I presented myself at work.”
Daniel now understood the impetus for the complete transformation she made in her appearance when she was in a professional setting. “No, he wasn’t right in any way. He was, and likely still is, just a dick.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and his heart hurt for her. “Did you report him?”
She dropped her head as she shook it. “No. I just wanted to be done with the whole experience.”
He lifted her chin. “This is me you’re talking to. Don’t ever be embarrassed about this with me.”
She nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Okay.”
“So I gather you told your father about it?”
A line appeared between her brows, and she pressed her lips together. “I did. He asked me lots of questions. What had I been wearing? Had I made any sexually suggestive jokes around the guy? Did I flirt? On and on and on. And I wracked my brain trying to figure out what went wrong. Maybe I had flirted. Maybe I’d smiled too much. Maybe my makeup was more than was appropriate for the office. I mean, we all know there’s a difference between what you wear in a social setting and what you wear in a professional setting, right?”
“Is that what your father led you to believe?”
“No. My father’s point was slightly different. He wanted to give me a dose of reality. Said my looks would always be a factor in the workplace, whether it was because people would assume I was a dumb blonde, or because men would make unwanted advances. My father has some sick theory that you should use your physical assets to get ahead in life. He claims that’s how my mom caught him. She was his secretary. What a cliché, right? I told him he was sexist for suggesting that, and even more fucked up for suggesting that to his own daughter, but he laughed it off.”
Daniel didn’t even know where to begin. There was so much shit to unpack here. But Mimi wasn’t done.
“What a message to send to your daughter, huh? Need a job? Flirt with the guy who’s interviewing you. Need a promotion? Screw your client.” She wrung her hands as she dropped her head. “Which I’m doing, actually, so yeah, I proved him right.”
Whoa. He wasn’t in a courtyard, he was standing on a minefield, and he had a feeling that he’d be fucked no matter which direction he stepped. “I don’t recall having a particularly easy time convincing you to date me, so I’d say you did the exact opposite of what your father expected of you.”
“But it doesn’t change the position I’ve put myself in. As much as I want things to work out between us, I’d be an idiot if I didn’t recognize the potential consequences. And if anyone knows the hazards of putting a man before their career, it’s me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You met my mom. That’s the hazard. She just lives in his shadow, and she’s trapped. So she takes his bullshit and his affairs, puts his interests before hers. There’s no way I’m letting that happen to me.”
“Of course you aren’t. Is it even a question in your mind?”
He’d expected to see fiery determination in her gaze, but she looked at him with sad eyes instead. “No question in my mind.”
A part of him appreciated her honesty. Another part of him understood the silent message: If forced to, she’d choose her career over him any day.
He could tell her that he loved her. That he couldn’t imagine a life without her. That they’d figure it out no matter what. And he opened his mouth to tell her just that, but he stopped himself, because those sad eyes told him she didn’t feel the same. Maybe she never would. And that was a possibility he was just going to have to deal with. So he took the easy route. Holding her in his arms, he said, “Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay?”
She nodded and rested her head against his chest. “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
But it wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted to say.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Department of Architecture was holding its panel on the future of the industry in Gund Hall, a building that itself fascinated Mimi in a way it never would have before she and Daniel began dating. One side of the hall resembled an ordinary office building. The other side, however, jutted into the air, a transparent roof stacked on top of a triangle of windows that let in tons of natural light.
After a brief call to the office, Mimi strolled through the courtyard, imagining Daniel as a grad student staring up at the sky as he studied in this hall. Being here connected her to him in a way that transcended their physical relationship.
She slipped into the auditorium and took a seat in the last row. The event had been organized in a question-and-answer format, with one mic set up in the middle of the two main aisles so that attendees could ask the panelists questions. A member of the audience stood at the mic as Spencer responded to his query.
Mimi, meanwhile, focused on Daniel. He’d dressed the part of the successful businessman, choosing a tailored navy suit and a slim burgundy silk tie. But for once his hair wasn’t perfectly styled and instead bore evidence that someone—Mimi to be exact—had run her fingers through it minutes before he took the stage. It had been a quiet moment, away from the eyes of his partners, and she’d ruffled his hair to make the point that he was perfect in all his imperfections.
The angry voice of a young woman interrupted her introspection.
“Well, that may be, but as I see it, the Cambridge Group exemplifies the problem female architects face in this industry. C’mon. Four guys who met at GSD and years later opened up their own firm. And said firm has no female architects? Was there not a single female classmate who could have been part of this venture?”
The young woman wore a Harvard sweatshirt and jeans and kept her arms crossed as she spoke.
Daniel jumped in to address the woman while Mimi made her way to the mic. If the exchange became contentious, she’d be in place to step in. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to.
“The Cambridge Group is sensitive to the issue of gender parity,” Daniel said. “It’s something we’re working to address in the coming months.”
The woman leaned into the mic. “How?”
Daniel exuded confidence, his expression calm despite the woman’s brusque tone. “I can tell you that this issue is foremost in our minds. Once the firm is ready to hire an architect, you can be sure that every qualified candidate will be given a fair shot at a position, and the firm certainly will advertise for the position far and wide, including encouraging female candidates to apply.”
Mimi blew out a soft breath. He was handling the woman’s question with poise and tact. Still, she should have anticipated someone in the audience taking issue with the composition of the firm. Hadn’t Daniel mentioned that a women’s group on campus had already complained about it to the career counseling office? At a minimum she should have prepared the owners for a question like the one the woman had posed to them. But if she were being honest with herself, she hadn’t prepared for the panel with her usual thoroughness. Typically, she overcompensated when dealing with new clients. But she’d taken a more relaxed approach to her dealings with this client, probably because she was dating its CEO.
Now positioned in front of the mic, Mimi said, “I’ll also add that apart from what Mr. Vargas has mentioned, the firm itself mentors young women in the D.C. area in the hopes that they’ll be part of the next crop of architects in the industry. So much so that the firm is considering a scholarship in the name of one of the founder’s family members. So you see the firm is aware and being proactive on this front.”
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br /> The dean of the school, with a microphone of his own, interjected. “Perhaps this issue can be explored further during the reception. In the meantime, I’m interested in hearing about your experiences immediately after leaving the Graduate School of Design.”
Mimi returned to her seat as Amar tackled the question. The rest of the panel passed in a blur. She picked at her fingers while she surveyed the owners’ faces. Each wore flat expressions, one more placid than the previous one, but she suspected they were pissed that an event meant to raise the firm’s profile might undermine it instead. And she couldn’t blame them if that were the case.
Thirty minutes later, the dean thanked the panelists and asked the audience to join him in applauding the group.
Afterward, the men stormed into the anteroom.
When Mimi shut the door, Jason rounded on her. “What the hell was that?” he said in a tight voice.
“Okay, that was unfortunate, but I think we handled it well.”
Jason barked out a harsh laugh and clenched his jaw. “Well? That was embarrassing.” He glared at her and Daniel. “Why the hell did you even dignify her question with a response?”
“Because that’s our job,” Mimi replied.
Jason’s eyes flashed with anger. “No, your job is to make us look good, and we ended up looking ridiculous.”
Spencer squeezed himself between them and poked at Jason’s chest. “Chill out. It’s not her fault the woman asked the question. Plus, it was a fair one.”
“Yeah, but she should have given us the heads-up about it. Talking points about this issue would have been nice.” He gave Daniel a sidelong stare. “But I guess you’ve got other things on your mind.”
“Shut the fuck up, Jason. This isn’t the time or place.”
Jason’s eyes bulged. “Oh, it isn’t? Well, tell me when’s the right time and place to discuss it. Or are you so caught up that you’re incapable of criticizing her when she does a poor job?”
Daniel’s face settled into stone and he positioned his body within inches of Jason’s. “We’re not having this conversation right now because you’re acting like an asshole. Show her some respect.”
