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“Chicken first,” Nathan said.
Though she scowled, she knew he was right.
Dutifully, she ate a few bites before eyeing the cake.
“After you.” Nathan nudged the slice toward her. “This will be fun.”
She took the first bite and closed her eyes in delight as she savored the delicate combination of sweet and a slight bitterness.
When she opened her eyes it was to see Nathan with his hands laced together, tapping his index fingers, watching her.
Undaunted, she took a second bite. Then a third. By the fourth, she’d had more than enough. With a reluctant sigh, she put down the fork and pushed the plate toward him. “Fine. You were right. I can’t finish it.”
On the other hand, Nathan’s appetite seemed insatiable. He demolished the rest of the cake while she melted her swizzle stick in the cappuccino.
“You must have a serious sweet tooth,” she said, somewhere between shock and amazement. She knew he had to work out every day in order to put away that number of calories while looking so damn trim and fit.
“I was hungry,” he replied, sitting back and pulling his coffee closer.
Suddenly she wondered if they were still talking about food.
“I didn’t forget that I asked you a question.”
“I was hoping you had,” she replied.
“Not likely.” Gaze unblinking, he repeated, “What drives you?”
A small quirk of his lips was an invitation she couldn’t resist. “I lost my mom when I was thirteen, about to go into high school. She was my anchor, my inspiration.” Even now, talking about it cut a jagged path across her memory, as if her mother had died yesterday rather than years before. “I’m sure my dad did the best he could, what he thought was best.”
“And that was…?” He trailed off and fell silent, as if he had the whole evening in front of him and nothing better to do.
“Encourage me to find a man to take care of me. He thought I should go to a top-ranked college simply because I would meet a suitable husband there.” She shrugged. “That’s perfectly fine for a lot of women.”
“But not you?”
“My mother didn’t read us stories about princesses who were rescued. We were taught we shouldn’t be damsels in distress. She told us we could be anything we wanted. Back then, my sister wanted to be a ballerina.”
“And you?”
She hesitated for a moment before revealing, “Are you familiar with that one day a year that parents bring their kids along to work with them?”
He nodded, but his mouth tightened.
Someone like Nathan who breathed profit and loss had to be frustrated at the loss of productivity. “Well, my dad took me to the office because my mother insisted. I loved it. I liked the constant activity, the way he always seemed to be in demand…” She paused, trying to find the right words. “There was an energy about my dad when he was at work. It was as if he were a different person when he put on his suit and drove into downtown. Sounds silly.”
“Not at all. I want to hear more.”
“He had to go to a meeting that I couldn’t attend, so he left me in his office. I sat behind his desk, tipped back his chair. I imagined myself there, moved stuff about, picked up the phone. I pretended I was the person that everyone came to for answers. He seemed so very important to me. I remember deciding that day that I wanted to grow up and run a company.” Damn it. She dropped her swizzle stick. Why had she revealed that? How had she let that out? She should have kept quiet, guided the conversation back to Nathan and his goals. Instead, she’d given him a glimpse of things she’d never shared with another person…the real her. “It’s getting late.” She stood.
“Please,” he said. “Wait.”
Reluctantly she sat. And since she’d already given away so much anyway, she decided to finish. “My mom had dreams of her own. She loved being a mother, don’t get me wrong, but she was a lawyer, and she wanted to be a judge. But when she got pregnant with me, Dad wanted her to stay home. I guess it was a complicated pregnancy, so she ended up on bed rest. Then came my sister. And then… She had started to take on some pro bono cases when she got ill and was talking about working as a public defender. I remember hearing my father shout at her.” Damn, she hated the way this still bothered her. “Before she died, I promised her I would stay focused on my goals.” She zipped her jacket. “Dad told me she got over-exhausted from trying to do too much. He told me he wouldn’t pay for my college unless I was planning to get married after graduation. So I turned down his money. And I’m helping my little sister pursue her degree. She’s got her law degree, she’s active in the political process, and she plans to be a judge.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Thanks for the appetizers and cake.”
