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She stopped and spun toward him. “Matt, I’ll go out with you any time you want.”
“All right.” Lips pursed, he didn’t seem convinced.
“You’ve invited me twice. My turn now. Can I have you for dinner next week? Choose the day and time.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Is Monday good? I’m on call during the weekend and will sleep all morning on Monday.”
“Monday it is.”
“Where would Mia be? Sharing our dinner or studying in her room?”
“Not sure yet.”
When they returned to the pool, the kids were lounging around a table chatting.
“We’re leaving now.” Susan stood and the three teenagers gathered around her. “Mia, we’ll see you on Monday at U.C., three o’clock in the Lincoln Room. Royce, Matt, thank you for a lovely evening. Dr. Hammer, I hope we’ll see you with Mia.”
The kids collected the coolers and said their goodbyes.
“Matt, can we postpone the dinner to—”
“Call me next week.”
She felt his annoyance. So much for claiming she would go out with him any time.
“I will. Bye, thank you. We had a great time. Thank you, Royce.”
Mia couldn’t hide a smile of delight. “Mom, they invited me to join their groups,” she started as they sat in the car. “I’ll watch their meetings on Monday and decide which one I want to join.”
“I’ll rearrange my schedule to drive you and attend.”
“No, Mom. I don’t want you to attend. For a change, I want to do it on my own.”
“Susan insisted I should come and learn what the meetings are about.”
“Next time, please.”
To avoid a senseless argument, Brenda gave in. “Okay.”
On Monday, she dropped off Mia at U.C. and picked her up at seven. Mia was waiting for her with Tayla and another girl.
The two accompanied Mia to the car.
“Nice to see you again, Dr. Hammer,” Tayla said. “This is our friend Lauren. She’s the president of the Health Group.”
“Hi, Dr. Hammer,” Lauren said. “Ms. Chen told us we can consult with you if we have questions.”
Brenda smiled at the girl’s all-business attitude. “Yes, of course. Here’s my card. You can call my office and leave a message. I’ll call you back.”
“Thank you, Dr. Hammer. Mia has an official form you need to read and sign. Don’t forget to initial some important points that are highlighted. Mia can’t attend any meeting if the form is not completed and returned.”
Mia huffed. “I was about to tell her that.”
“You forgot to remind her about today’s meeting, so I was afraid you might not remember the form,” Lauren retorted.
“I didn’t forget. Mom was too busy.”
Horrified, Brenda bit her tongue not to expose her daughter. “Jump in, Mia. Have a good night, girls.”
