She shivered at the mere thought of losing one of her parents.
“Do you have brothers or sisters?”
Enzo thought for a second. How did he get himself in this uncomfortable conversation? He hated lying to her, but there was no other way. He couldn’t possibly tell her the truth about him. He didn’t even know whether she was aware of the existence of shapeshifters. It was true that some humans knew about shifters and immortals, but he couldn’t assume. Not when Penny was who she was and worked for Richard Goldman. Not when she was the one who took care of the two orphan twins. If she knew, then he’d only betray himself by asking, and she’d probably run to her boss and warn him. If she didn’t know, then it could get really messy. The shock would be too much for her, and it could put his mission in danger. No, he couldn’t take any risks. He had to lie again, and again, until he managed to draw the conversation in a different direction.
“Two brothers,” he finally said. Huge lie! “We’re very close, but we work in completely different fields, they travel even more than I do, and we don’t see each other often.”
“Even so, you’re very lucky. I’ve always wanted a brother or a sister, but my mom couldn’t have any more children after me. She had a… difficult pregnancy.”
“But you grew up with the Goldman children, didn’t you? I saw how Killian is around you. He definitely sees you like a little sister.”
“It’s not the same.”
They fell silent as the waiter placed the appetizers before them and poured two glasses of white wine. Once he left, Enzo and Penny resumed their casual chat. They both felt comfortable with each other, and everything flowed easily. Soon, Penny was talking about her childhood in the Goldman household, about her parents’ jobs and about her dreams. She even went as far as to tell him her dad was still hoping she and Killian would end up together. When Enzo pursed his lips, made a rather harsh comment, and showed jealousy, Penny couldn’t help but feel proud of herself. He immediately changed the topic and asked her if she’d thought about the thing she loved doing most. Just like earlier that day, Penny was at a loss.
“I have, actually. But… I don’t know. There are many things I like. I wouldn’t turn any of them into a business. I feel like if I take a hobby and re-frame it so it would bring me money, it wouldn’t be a hobby anymore. It would become work, and I’d soon come to hate it.”
Enzo’s dark eyebrows rose in curiosity.
“Work doesn’t have to be hard or unpleasant, Penny. Right now, you’re thinking of a hobby as something light and joyful that comes with no responsibilities, and of work as the opposite, so when you attempt to combine them, they cancel each other. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
Penny chuckled. “Well, then why is it called work?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a word, nothing more. It’s up to us to give it real meaning. Each person has a different definition for ‘work’, a different idea of what it is, or what it should be. It’s all about our core beliefs and how we apply them to work, money, talent, hobby, passion, and so on.”
“Core beliefs?”
“Yes. The first step, of course, is to become aware of your core beliefs, see whether they’re helping you or hindering you, and then decide if they need changing.”
“And what is your core belief about work?”
“Right now? Let’s see…” He crossed his arms over his bulky chest and looked out the window, as if he was just gathering his thoughts. “I see work as being easy. Not easy because it’s simple to accomplish, but because I get lost in it. When I wake up in the morning, it’s the first thing on my mind, but at the same time, it doesn’t prevent me from having a personal life. My personal life and my work complement each other. My work is my mission, and it’s not about the money or the fame. It’s about helping others. When your work is all about being in service to others, you don’t feel it as work. You don’t feel like it’s taking something away from you, like you need to make sacrifices, like you need vacations to relax and recharge. You don’t even call it work anymore.”
“What do you call it?”
He looked into her blue eyes and smiled. “Dharma.”
Penny was transfixed. She had heard about the concept before, but she had never met someone who could actually say about himself that he was living his dharma. Her father loved his job, sure, but he never talked about it like it was his mission in the world. Not even her mother, who was all about giving back to the community, ever said that. They both needed a vacation from time to time, and they often complained they couldn’t take two weeks off to go to Hawaii.
Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable. She was sitting across from a man who was so sure of himself, so aware of how handsome and powerful he was, so confident that what he was doing was for the good of the whole world… Penelope felt small and insignificant. She knew that hadn’t been his intention, but it was hard to fight the wave of insecurities that seemed to bubble up inside her. Enzo Salvador was so young, and he had already traveled the world. What had she accomplished so far? A degree in Business Management and a job as a personal assistant slash nanny. Well, congrats, Penny! In an attempt to dissipate the tension that was slowly falling over their table, she laughed lightly and adopted a sarcastic tone.
“You own some sheep farms, Enzo, you’re not saving the world.”
Her comment brought him back to Earth. He realized he’d been talking about his real mission, when all Penny knew was that he was selling cheese. He laughed with her.
“Well, you know… it’s all about perspective. You tasted Manchego cheese. What would the world be without it?”
“Nothing.”
They laughed harder. The waiter brought dessert, and they happily dug in. Enzo shared his Panna cotta with her, and Penny let him take a bite of her Semifreddo. Before they knew it, it was late, and they couldn’t eat, nor drink anymore. Penny felt so full that she doubted she could get up from the chair and actually walk graciously to his car. She had already accepted his offer to drive her home but had made it clear that he was not invited for a last glass of wine, and she had no intention of changing her mind. Enzo had smiled politely and told her he always loved a woman who knew how to set her boundaries. Penny wasn’t sure whether he was making fun of her or being serious, and she didn’t care. She’d just been on the best date of her life, and she was determined not to allow anything to ruin it.
Enzo parked the car in front of her building, and they sat in silence for a minute longer.
“Thank you for this wonderful evening,” she whispered.
“It was my pleasure.”
“See? I took your mother’s advice, too.”
