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Julia shook her head. “Nonsense. I’m more than capable of getting to the train on my own. Besides, you two should catch up. I’m a big proponent of hanging out outside of work.”
“Since when?” Annie said. Her jaw was tense as she spoke, and I knew that she did not want to stay alone.
Julia didn’t answer. She simply grabbed her tea and croissant and waved as she walked down the street.
“And then, there were two,” I said, giving Annie a smile.
She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. “I should probably get going. I’m sure that you have a lot to do.”
“It’s Saturday. I’m free.”
Annie looked as though she were going to bolt at any second. My mind raced as I tried my best to think of a way of making sure that she spent the day with me. Before I pulled the rug out from under her, I needed Annie to trust me.
“Why would you want to spend the day with me?” she asked. “I’m no one.”
I felt my brows knit together in confusion. “Why would you say that?” I asked.
“Well, because you are you.”
“And that is?”
Annie’s cheeks pinkened slightly, and I sighed. “You looked me up.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
“Julia did,” she said. “But yes, I know that your mother is the only daughter of one of New York’s wealthiest families.”
I leaned back in my chair and stretched the kink that always formed in my neck when I had to think about my mother. She’d always worn her pedigree on her shoulders like a badge. If she was in the room with you, she’d find a way to make sure that you knew her family practically built New York City.
“Unlike the rest of my family, I don’t see much value in my mother’s last name.” My voice was firm. I wanted to be friendly to Annie. Last night, I planned a whole day out in my mind. After all, I could give her one normal day. But things weren’t going my way.
“Is that why you don’t use it?” she asked. Annie had leaned forward slightly, allowing just a hint of her creamy cleavage to show.
Sighing, I fought the urge to move on from this topic. Talking about my family did nothing but put me in a bad mood. But Annie seemed captivated. “I was never close with my mother’s side of the family. Not until I was older, and my grandfather realized my cousins weren’t good at anything except spending their inheritance.”
Annie was sitting patiently waiting for me to tell her the rest of my story.
“My father met my mother at a college party. She was there with someone else, but he said he was so drawn to her that he had to know her. They were married in six months despite my grandfather not approving.”
Annie smiled. “That’s nice.”
I scoffed before I could stop myself. “Maybe for my mother. She was going through a rebellious phase and wanted to stick it to my grandfather.”
“Your mother didn’t love your father?”
I shook my head. For a moment, I wondered why I was telling Annie so much. I could have left her with the idea that my parents' marriage had been a happy one, but I couldn’t stomach the words. My late father deserved better than a lie. “My mother has only ever loved herself and money. When she realized my father couldn’t provide a lot of the second, she made sure that he never forgot it.”
Annie reached out. Her soft hand grabbed mine. “I’m sorry,” she said, sincerely.
I turned away from her, not wanting her to see how talking about my father affected me. He’s been dead for fifteen years, but the thought of him still made my chest feel tight. “What about your family?” I asked. “Are your parents still married?”
The openness that Annie had shown me closed up immediately. It seemed that she didn’t want to talk about her family any more than I did.
“My mother passed away when I was young,” she said. Her tone was emotionless, and I recalled how she had told me that her relationship with her mother had not been an easy one.
“I’m sorry.”
Annie shrugged. “I barely knew her.”
“And your father?” I asked. Annie had told me that she was from Michigan, and I wondered how her father felt about his daughter moving to the big city.
