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“Please. Stop.” My voice came out broken. It wasn’t enough for them that I had gone to the best schools and excelled, had a fantastic career, a great relationship with my brother. They needed to control me.
She made it sound like I was being some unreasonable child. “We just want what’s best for you.” She gentled her voice and I saw red.
“No, you don’t. You want what’s best for you. Neither you nor he has ever wanted what was best for me. Do you even know the name of the law firm I work for?”
She stuttered but recovered and continued smoothly. “You’re being unreasonable. Just give Portia a shot. And your father really does miss you.”
“No, he doesn’t.” He never had. Not a call during all the years at boarding school, not a Christmas card. My father didn’t miss people.
My mother started to blather about how I was wrong, about how he was busy, about how he meant to call. I clenched the phone in my fist until I couldn’t listen anymore. Then I hung up and went back to my office.
* * *
“Are you ok?”Margo’s voice dragged me away from my dark thoughts.
I turned and saw her staring at me, her brow wrinkled.
“I’m ok. Just family stuff.” I gave her a half smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes, but she looked unconvinced.
“Do you want to take a break? It’s almost dinner time.” She bit her lip. “We could coordinate our dinner order, I mean, if you want to. Like we used to.” She looked away.
Damnable hope sprang in my heart before I crushed it.
“I’d love that,” I responded.
When our sushi arrived, we sat on the floor, just like we had as junior associates when we were sick of eating at our desks. We had called it a floor picnic back then and it had always been the best part of our late nights of drudgery. I shoved down the ache in my chest at the memory of those nights and focused on the present.
Margo was leaning against her desk and I leaned against mine, keeping my legs carefully separate from hers and away from the sushi spread out between us.
Every time she popped a roll in her mouth, I watched the way her pink lips opened and shut around her chopsticks. She cocked her head when she caught me staring and I tore my gaze away.
“Still the most efficient way to order,” I said, grabbing a roll.
She rolled her eyes. “You just like to eat the half roll I inevitably won’t be able to finish. You haven’t changed at all.”
“Probably true.” I chewed, watching her dark eyes scan my face. She was lovely, even after a long day of work, with her hair up and the soft lines of her neck exposed. “Those were some good nights,” I added quietly, unable to help myself.
“They were,” she agreed. I saw the memories in her eyes, but also wariness.
“Remember when Gerald called you mid-bite and you had to put the phone on mute while you coughed uncontrollably?”
She giggled. “Sure,cough, I made the indemnity changes,cough, whatever you need. I could have died right then and there and he wouldn’t have noticed. It didn’t help that you were laughing from across the desk.” She frowned at me and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips.
“Always your biggest supporter, that’s me.”
“Please, if I had expired, at least you wouldn’t have any competition for partner.”
“All part of my plan.” I winked.
We ate in silence for a few minutes. It was surprisingly nice to be here with her, even though we were ignoring what happened yesterday. I wanted to push her, wanted to ask if she felt the desire simmering like I did. But I knew she would run, so I stayed quiet.
“So what happened earlier?” Her tentative question interrupted my thoughts.
“Hmm? When?”
“You left and came back and looked pretty pissed. Well, not more pissed than usual. You have a trademarkintensityduring deals.”
I smiled. That was certainly true. “My mother called.”
