Page 48 of Executive Benefits

I laughed. “You’re brutal. Maybe you should just let me interview them so you don’t scare all the people away.”

“I’m sure we’d have one left over,” she said.

“And that person would be desperate or some type of sociopath. I know how you work. Be nice to the people,” I pleaded.

“No, I weed out the weak ones and then you can butter them up with your sweetness and really keep them on their toes.” She cackled.

“Alright, don’t make me speed to make sure you don’t freak people out. If I do, you’re paying for the ticket,” I said.

“Yes, and we can both afford to because we have so many clients,” she said, then her humor dropped away. “See, I told you that you were good at your job.”

“Yes, you did,” I said. I released a long sigh.

“What’s wrong? We are swimming in clients, only a few are with the help from your wonderful, loyal, and amazing assistant?—”

“That’s a great way to pump yourself up.” I laughed.

“Well, someone gave me a lot of confidence, so I know how to say good things about myself now,” she said.

“You’re a freaking nerd,” I said.

“Takes one to know one, sister!” she said.

“Awesome.” I bit my lip and didn't want to say what I was thinking. But I battled with it, and “I miss Nick” fell from my lips anyway.

I turned onto the freeway and started to pick up speed to keep with the traffic.

“Don’t say anything, alright?” I said to Mia. “I’m just feeling vulnerable because of what happened with Jared, and I did catch some feelings for Nick in the midst of everything. But you were right. I can’t ruin things for us again?—”

“You didn’t ruin things. Jared did,” she said.

“Fine, but I don’t want the possibility of it happening again to even be on our radar,” I said.

“What if you protected your heart and kept your business stuff out of your relationship? I think you do need to guard yourself a little better, but I think you're taking too much of the blame and putting it on yourself. Like you want to kick yourself when you’re down,” she said.

I sat with what Mia was saying. “You think I’m trying to kick myself because things are going well?” I asked.

“Yeah. You had Jared to do that before. Now you don’t have that.” Mia released a long, dramatic sigh. “And as much as I hate to admit it because I don’t know that sleeping with a client is the right call for either of us, Nick doesn’t seem like the asshole Jared was.”

She paused for just long enough that it seemed as though I dropped the call. Then she said, “Just the fact that he’s kept away from you this long after you told him not to come around says something about his boundaries. They’re in a better place,” she said.

“He did come over when I told him I was doing something with you,” I pointed out, waiting for her to take the bait and tell me that she was joking. I’d never heard her rationalize about a guy before. She was pretty cynical about life.

“But did you really tell him not to come over?” Mia asked. “Because he is pretty old, he might not understand how dating works now. You might have told him what you were doing—at home with your awesome friend, but maybe he didn’t get the code. Things were more patriarchal back when he was a young buck,” she said.

I snorted. “That’s a backhanded way of saying something nice, Mia,” I said.

She laughed. I pictured her raising her hands up in surrender when she said, “All I’m saying is that I’ve seen Jared in action. I’ve seen Nick in action. I’ve seen them both interacting with you. And it’s different. Nick is different. I still don’t think you should bone clients, but that’s all,” she said.

I didn’t say anything for a while because I didn't know what to say. It was interesting to hear Mia sticking up for anyone. Not that what she was doing was exactly sticking up for Nick, but she wasn’t trashing him fully. That meant something, even if she wasn’t willing to admit it.

“Alright, you obviously have to drive home. And my first interview is coming up in a bit. I want to get ready with some questions,” Mia said.

“I don’t like the tone in your voice, young lady,” I said.

“Ew. You just sounded like my grandmother,” she responded.

“Will it get you to stop thinking about being a dick to the people who are coming in?” I asked.

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