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She glanced around the upscale family restaurant. “What are we doing here?”
“A muffin isn’t going to cut it today,” said Mila, closing her menu, having decided on a Southwestern omelet and wheat toast.
“You need comfort food? Pancakes? What happened? What’s going on?”
Mila briefly considered the merits of pancakes. Carb loading wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
“I’m having a do-over on the obstacle course today.”
“Oh.” Zoey drew out the word in a dire tone. Then she leaned forward. “I thought you might want to talk about the hunky boss.”
“I don’t.”
“Will he be there?”
“He was last time,” said Mila. “But I asked Vegas if he could supervise.”
“What’s going on with that?”
“Vegas?” Nothing was going on with Vegas. He was a decent guy, loyal to Troy, sure. But he didn’t seem to have the same chauvinistic tendencies.
“Not Vegas. The boss.”
“I’ve been staying out of his way since Wednesday night.”
Zoey said she understood Mila’s hesitation but, like Troy, she had wondered aloud about the practicality of bottling up their desire.
“How’s that working?” Zoey asked. “Have your feelings changed at all?”
Mila wished she could say they had. But they were intensifying. Even seeing Troy from a distance made her heart beat faster, her knees go weak and her lips tingle with anticipation.
“I’ll get over it.”
Her sister gave a shake of her head and a disbelieving smile. “That’s not the way it works.”
“It will be this time.”
Zoey gave a roll of her eyes. “Are you coming to Mom and Dad’s next weekend?”
Mila cringed. She’d forgotten about the upcoming family dinner. Her brother Rand had arranged a video conference from the ship, so it was a mandatory invitation. She’d have to find the time.
“I thought I’d bring Dustin along,” said Zoey.
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Rand will help calm Mom down. We know Dad’ll be no help in that.”
“Are you actually serious?”
“I want to get it over with. The subterfuge is killing me.”
“You don’t like lying.”
“I’m not exactly lying. But I’m leaving out volumes of information. And, yes, I hate it. I want to be honest and up front with myself and everyone else. Dustin’s a fantastic guy, and I refuse to treat him like some shameful secret.”
“He knows what’s going to happen?”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Yes, baby sister, he has met our mother.”
Mila coughed out a laugh. “He must really like you.”
Her sister’s expression sobered. “He says he does. He sure acts like he does.”
“If he’s willing to brave Judge Stern, he must have it bad.”
“I know I have it bad.”
Mila considered Zoey’s admission. She couldn’t help wonder how it would feel to truly fall for someone.
She thought of Troy. But that was just lust. Aside from his good looks, intellect, work ethic and all-around sexiness, he was really quite annoying. She was under no illusion that her feelings for him were anything more noble than physical desire.
That being true, perhaps it was something she could get out of her system. Maybe sleeping with him wasn’t the worst idea in the world. Perhaps he’d be a mediocre lover, and with that attraction off the table, he’d be just another guy to her. Maybe if she slept with him, she’d be able to focus on her work.
She realized Zoey was watching her with curiosity.
“Is this a happily-ever-after thing?” she asked, putting herself back on topic.
“I don’t know.” Zoey smiled. “I’m not ruling anything out.”
“Wow. Maybe don’t tell that to Mom up front.”
Zoey laughed as the waitress arrived to pour coffee and take their order.
Mila decided to add a couple of pancakes, while Zoey stuck with a grainy muffin and coffee. The young woman walked away.
“Mom can’t throw Dustin in jail or anything, can she?” asked Mila.
Zoey tore open a packet of artificial sweetener. “I like to think our judicial system has checks and balances against that.”
“You like to think? You’re a lawyer. Shouldn’t you be certain?”
“I’m pretty certain. But, you know, well, there’s always a chance of an unexpected verdict.”
Mila tried to decide if her sister was joking because she wasn’t concerned, or if she was covering up her worry with humor. It could go either way.
“What time do you do the obstacle course?” Zoey asked.
“Eleven. I’m going straight there from here.”
“Think you’ll make it this time?”
“I don’t know. It’s really tough, but I have a plan. And I know where I went wrong last time.”
“If you finish, will he hire you?”
“I wish. It’s more like if I don’t, he definitely won’t hire me. If I finish, I take away one of his reasons to turn me down.”
“You know his other reasons?”
“Main one is that he doesn’t like women.” Mila realized how that sounded. “I mean, he likes women. But he seems to think they’re more decorative than functional.”
Zoey canted her head to one side, wrinkling her nose. “I wonder what he sees in you.”
Mila tried not to be insulted. “Thanks a ton.”
“We both know you’re far more functional than decorative. And I’ve checked the man out on social media. His dates are all glam bombshells.”
“My abs are better than theirs.” Even as she spoke, Mila didn’t know why she was arguing. She had no desire to be decorative.
“If you like a six-pack on a woman.”
“I don’t have a six-pack. They’re healthy, that’s all. I’m in shape.” She lifted her coffee cup. “Maybe I’m his walk on the wild side.”
“It doesn’t fit the pattern.”
“There doesn’t have to be a pattern.”
“There’s always a pattern.”
“Then what’s your theory?” Mila challenged. “Why is he propositioning ugly little me?”
“Stop pretending to be insulted. If you wanted to be a bombshell, you’d wear makeup, buy some nice clothes, put on some heels. You know you could do it if you wanted to.”
“I don’t want to.” Mila assured herself it was true. The last thing she wanted was for Troy to think she was pretty.
“I’ll help. Anytime you want a makeover, just holler.”
“I don’t—”
“Hey, that’d be fun. Glam you up, throw him off balance, send the guy for a loop.”
“I’d feel like a fraud. It would run counter to everything I’m trying to accomplish.”
“I didn’t say it would be smart. I said it would be fun. How about this? If you get to a point where you are absolutely positive there is no way on earth he’s ever going to hire you, we do it.”
“No.”
“Give me a yes, sister.”
“What would be the point?”
“Satisfaction.”
“Wouldn’t it just reinforce his belief that women are different after all?”
“You’re not listening. It’s a parting shot, justice, revenge—call it whatever you like. It’ll keep him awake at night.”
“You’re really not a nice person.”
“And for all your tough-girl act, you can be a real doormat.”
“Excuse me?”
“Have a plan, baby sister. If it all goes bad, have a final move in your hip pocket that will give you some measure of satisfaction.”
“Is that what you do?”
“Yes.”
“And if Mom won’t accept Dustin?”
“I’m not there yet. I’m nowhere near there yet. She will.” Zoey paused, uncertainty clouding her eyes. “Eventually.”
Mila was hit with a wave of guilt. “I’m sorry. That was a thoughtless comparison. What I meant is that I’m not there with Pinion Security, either. I’m a long, long way from giving up.”
This wasn’t about Troy. It was about a job, her career, her professional success. Troy was simply the manifestation of her current challenge. She’d rise to it. A Stern always did.
* * *
Troy didn’t feel a single scrap of satisfaction seeing Mila fail a second time on the obstacle course. Watching through the security monitor, via the cameras positioned around the course, he shouldn’t have been pulling for her, but he was. Intellectually, he knew she’d have used her success as another argument in her quest for a permanent job. And he didn’t want that.
