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Her mother leanedagainst the bathroom doorjamb as Sienna removed her makeup.
“It was a good day, don’t you think?”
“Yeah.” She scrubbed a little too hard at a mascara smudge under her eye. “They sure are a hard-drinking group.”
Her mother laughed. “They’re on vacation. And they’re young.”
“Not that young.” Sienna washed her face and came back up for air to find her mother still standing there.
“What did you think of Carter?” her mom asked.
God forbid Mother should start matchmaking. She wasn’t sure about Carter. How could someone take off every summer since he’d graduated from law school? Lawyers, just like financial advisors, had to work their way up the ladder. And that didn’t involve taking off three weeks every summer. If his friends were any indication, she wasn’t sure how any of them had graduated. He’d said two of the guys were lawyers, another was an accountant, so was one of the girls, all of them on the partner track at large firms. Another of the girls had become an interior designer. And Tamryn was in marketing. But they were all partiers. Carter was handsome, and he seemed polite, but she had to consider the company he kept. Maybe the fact that Carter worked for his father said it all. He didn’t have to work hard. He already had it made.
“And he lives and works right in San Jose,” her mother went on. “How’s that for serendipity?”
“Coincidence,” Sienna said. There was a world of difference between the two. Her mother was definitely matchmaking. “Please don’t get any ideas about Carter and me. He’s not my type.”
Her mom arched a brow. “You’re both in high-stakes careers. You both work hard. You’re both career-oriented.”
Sienna put a hand on her hip. “Really? Didn’t you see how much those people were drinking?”
“Yes,” her mother said calmly. “But Carter didn’t drink any more than we did. Besides, if you work hard eleven months out of the year, you deserve to let loose for three weeks.”
Sienna had expected agreement from her mother. “Anyway, I’ll never see him once I’m back home. I’m too busy. Especially if this interview with Smithfield and Vine goes well.”
“I hadn’t realized you had another interview with them.”
Sienna felt a stab of guilt as she smoothed on her moisturizer. They’d been out in the sun all day on the boat, then gone to dinner with Carter and his group, dining on calamari, moussaka, and dolmades, delicious stuffed grape leaves. The others had dug into the ouzo to the point where she was sure it was oozing out of their pores. But her mother had a point. Carter hadn’t imbibed nearly as much as the others.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Sienna said. “I wanted to keep things close to the vest in case it goes south like the last time.” She shouldn’t have even mentioned it, but she’d been making conversation with Carter.
“It went south because of your father,” her mother said softly. There wasn’t reproach in her voice, just something wistful.
Sienna gasped. “Did Aunt Teresa tell you?”
“She didn’t mean to. I dragged it out of her. I couldn’t understand why you weren’t the top pick, and I kept saying you should have gotten the job. So she had to tell me about Donald.”
She wondered how much of what she told her aunt made it back to her mother. Did it matter? If she really wanted a relationship, maybe she needed to talk more.
Instead of pushing the conversation, though, her mother changed the subject. “I’ve decided not to climb the stairs with you guys tomorrow.”
Letting her hair out of the elastic she’d pulled it back with while she washed her face, Sienna gaped. “But you wanted to climb the steps.”
Another twinge of guilt squeezed her. She’d refused to walk the stairs with her mother, yet she’d jumped at going with Carter and his friends. She hadn’t wanted to look like a stick in the mud. But there was a bigger question here. Why did she care what Carter Ellis thought?
It couldn’t be because she liked him. He was a playboy with good looks and a winning smile, but he wasn’t a hard worker. He was a year younger than her, unmarried, and he should put his career first.
She tried to explain. “It’s just that since I didn’t join in with the sunbathing or dancing or drinking or being with his friends, I didn’t want Carter to think I’m…”
“A stick in the mud,” her mother finished for her.
She smiled at her mother’s use of the same cliche. “Yeah. They’re having fun and doing all the touristy things, but the first thing you want to do, I say no. I’m sorry. I was just tired. The last couple of months have been busy getting ready for this trip.” She sighed.
“And you wanted a day or two to relax in the sun and acclimate. I understand.”
She squirted toothpaste on her toothbrush. Maybe her mother understood a lot more than Sienna had ever thought. Especially about her dad. “Yes. But—” She held her toothbrush aloft. “I feel like I can make it tomorrow.” She truly wanted to have fun with Carter, even if he wasn’t as career-oriented as she was. Maybe she’d even get to know his friends. If they weren’t drinking so much, they might be okay.
