Page 78 of I see you Beauty

“You work for Dad,” she shrugs.

“There are other reasons for that,” I evade and turn my attention back to her bookshelf.

I don’t want to talk to my daughter about the fact that I only work for Thomas at the law firm and have given up my dream of running my own business because he couldn’t keep his pants zipped. Those are our problems, not our 19-year-old daughter’s!

“So you like working for Dad at the law firm?” she asks meekly, and I can hear her uncertain tone, which is why I turn to her again.

“Why do you ask that?” I ask her, tilting my head slightly.

June avoids my gaze and pretends to continue putting things away. She moves her jeans from side to side in her closet.

“Just because,” she mumbles before sighing. “I mean… maybe I thought we could start something together when I’ve finished my studies, or while I’m studying, if you want to?” she suddenly babbles so quickly that I can barely follow her.

“Would you like to set up an interior design company with me?” I asked her, surprised, completely overwhelmed, and moved.

She nods uncertainly as she chews nervously on her lower lip.

“Yes. I found your old folders in the cellar and went through them a while ago. They were great, and I’ve considered doing something like that ever since. I thought… it would be cool to build something together and work together. But if you think it’s stupid, that’s totally fine.” She quickly brushes it off and turns back to her wardrobe.

I look at her with a soft smile before wrapping her in my arms.

“I would be honored and excited if we built something together. June, I’m proud of you,” I whisper to her, kissing the top of her head before pulling away from her.

She beams at me from ear to ear, and I do the same because it’s true. I couldn’t be prouder of her right now. June is going her own way without my or her father’s direction. She has chosen her path independently and without pressure and wants to follow it. It fills me with pride that she has become such a self-confident young woman who goes her own way and dares to fight for it.

“It’s going to be so great,” she squeals happily, jumping up and down like a bouncy ball.

That makes me smile.

“It will be. But before we take too big a step, first things first. Start your studies and get a grip on your courses first. Then, if you think it’s for you, we can start planning. Then your father won’t be quite so skeptical about the whole thing. All right?”

June nods eagerly and starts acting like a bouncy ball again, which makes my grin grow even wider.

“Good, then let’s get this done so you can get your room ready again. It’s become pretty bare since you only come home on the weekends. And if you want, we can go to the movies tonight or something. It could be a nice mother-daughter date like we hadn’t had for a long time. What do you think of that, love?”

“Sounds great,” June agrees, and we return to work.

I decide to keep our conversation to myself for the time being. Thomas has only just halfway accepted the fact that his little princess won’t be studying law and won’t be taking over his law firm eventually. I don’t know how he will cope with the fact that she would rather follow in my footsteps than his. So I’ll let him get used to her new plans for the future before I drop the other bombshell, for which I’ll then have to pay the consequences…

The day flies by as we busily clear June’s dorm room and tidy up and decorate her room at home. It’s been wonderful to spend so much time with my daughter again, instead of just seeing her twice a week for dinner since she usually spends the weekends with her friends.

We talk a lot and laugh even more. The atmosphere is exuberant and relaxed. It also becomes painfully clear to me that June is no longer my little girl but almost a grown woman. I thoroughly enjoy the day with her and find it a relaxing distraction from all the problems waiting for me at home.

I barely think about Ezra and how much I miss him, only to berate myself in the same breath for not thinking about him and not missing him either. It’s refreshing to escape this vicious circle for a day, even though I can’t ignore the fact that I’m already thinking about when I can see him again.

Admittedly, now that June isn’t studying and will be going in and out of his house, meeting him might be a bit more complicated. Nevertheless, I don’t want to miss out. However, I should probably avoid seeing him in the next few days if I don’t want him to notice my bruises.

My guilty conscience toward my husband is quite subdued today, but that could be because I’m currently not on good terms with him. I don’t know how our marriage will continue if he treats me like this. However, with June here for the next few months, it might bring some peace, as Thomas has always managed to control himself in front of her over the years. I’m confident he won’t risk showing his darker side now that she’s almost grown. At least, I hope he won’t.

“Are you ready, Mom?” June asks me as I head downstairs. We’ve both showered and changed after all the work.

I’m ready,” I reply happily, leaving the house with her for a lovely mother-daughter evening at the movies, complete with lots of popcorn and candy.

Chapter Fifty-Four

When will you finally realize it?

Iwould have preferred to end the evening with you last night instead of showing your daughter around my house and listening to her chatter about her many interior design ideas. If I’d known that I’d be tying her to my leg and wouldn’t be able to get rid of her, I would have stayed out of it. But I felt sorry for her, and especially for you, yesterday. Fuck, Beauty! When are you going to realize it…?

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