“In lingerie.” Her chin tilted upward, defiant.
“What gives you the right to be so judgey?”
“And you didn’t judge her?”
The waitperson stopped by our table. I let Mom deal with him, as I thought over her question. After he moved on to his next table, I could have let her question drop, but I needed to get it off my chest.
“I did judge her, in the beginning. But now, I don’t. She built a business. I look at models. I watch porn. Who am I to judge the people who participate?”
“So, she did do porn.”
“No. She didn’t. I was making a point.”
“Don’t you think you’d be happier with someone like Caroline? Someone with your background?” She immediately held up her palm to keep me sitting. “I’m not saying Caroline. Someone like her.”
I stretched my neck and debated. “I admire Poppy. She didn’t grow up with all the advantages I had. When times got tough, she did what she had to do. And she was good at it. What she did, it’s competitive. It’s not easy. And yes, she posted some sexy photos. But you can find similar photos in magazines. Why are people so judgmental?” I lifted a napkin and wiped the corners of my mouth out of habit, not because I’d taken a bite of food.
“You care about her.” Her eyebrows knitted together, and she held her teacup with one hand.
“I do.” It wasn’t exactly news. “She’s a good person. She has a lot of drive. If you’d met her, you’d like her. She’s full of energy, she’s funny. Warm. Creative. Talented. Everybody down there loves her.” I trailed off. “So, where did you say you’re meeting Dad?”
“Gabriel…if you have feelings for her, why aren’t you with her?”
“She’s got a life there, Mom. And I have no interest in living in North Carolina permanently.”
“Well, of course not. That would be preposterous. But we have restaurants in the city. Surely she’d rather live here than out in the middle of nowhere.” I couldn’t be positive, but it looked like she trembled. “If she loves you, she’ll move here. People make accommodations for those they love. Many a woman has moved for the man she loves.”
“They’re breaking ground on her restaurant this week.”
“So? Did you ask her to move here?”
“Of course not.”
“Honey, this is the first time you’ve ever, in your entire life, talked to me about a girl. And you even attempted to introduce us. Something is there. Although maybe wait to invite her up until you’re cemented into Caroline’s father’s firm. No sense ruffling feathers.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, I think he has dreams of you and Caroline eventually working out. I think Caroline has those dreams. And speaking of, you need to be careful. She’s at a marrying age, and you don’t want to lead her on or waste her time.”
“I haven’t spoken to her since you and Dad visited. I don’t—Caroline and I have been over for years. Where is this coming from? You and her dad. Both of you. I have done nothing at all to lead her on.”
“I’m sure that’s true, honey. I know she cares for you. Maybe her father read into the situation when she asked him to consider taking you on.”
“But you did, too.”
“No, no. I…hoped. That’s different. She’s a good friend of Lauren’s, so it would make for pleasant holidays. Ideal, really.” Her nail tapped her lip again. “Maybe just get a few weeks in before you—”
“Ruffle feathers?”
“Exactly.” She smiled and lifted her teacup.
Later that evening, I swung open the heavy glass door into Cipriani Wall Street. A heavy deja vu sensation washed over me. I’d swung these doors open countless times. All the meetings blurred together into one.
The managing director from Scott’s firm had a conflict with our interview time for tomorrow and asked if he could meet me for drinks after the business dinner he had scheduled here. The back-to-back meetings were the kind of thing I used to schedule regularly. Back when every fifteen-minute block of time had a purpose.
The young blonde hostess smiled at me before leading me to my table. She could have pointed me to the bar, but she ushered me to the stool. Her fingers lightly stroked my forearm. It could have easily been an accidental brush as she stood, waiting for me to sit so she could hand me my menu, but it felt flirty. I jerked away, turned off. The vision of her fingers on my arm repelled me. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was about her, but I had no interest in a one-night stand, or whatever she might be offering. I had no interest in her phone number, or her name. I directed my attention to the television screen over the bar.
“I’ll be over there if you need anything.”
I gave a curt nod in response.
A weather map on screen showed a disturbance somewhere out over tropical waters. Arrows showed possible paths, and several arrows pointed directly to North Carolina. The subtitled captions stated it was remarkably early in the season to see these formations occurring.
I pulled out my phone.
Are you worried about the tropical formation?
A response came through immediately.
Haven’t heard anything about it. We broke ground today.
A photo came through of Poppy, Suzette, Mr. Baird, and a few men I didn’t recognize. A yellow backhoe dominated the background, and Suzette and Poppy both held champagne glasses.
Congrats! Wish I could have been there.
My chest constricted. If I was there, I’d take her out for a nice celebratory dinner, order her the most expensive wine on the menu, or champagne if she preferred. I’d make sure we had a window with a stunning view over the ocean and have them set up a candle-lit table with flowers. Or, hell, maybe we’d order in. Or charter a sailboat for a sunset cruise. But I’d like to hear her tell me all about it. No, I wished I’d been
