“So . . . guess who heard back fromPlatedtoday?” she said with a confident grin. So often she felt intimidated by his success and was eager to see his reaction to what she’d accomplished.
“That’s so cool. I’m happy for you,” he said and planted a kiss on her forehead.
A little confused, she set down her wine glass, expecting more of a reaction. While he didn’t know the full extent to which this opportunity was important to her — how much it had cost her — he’d reacted as if she’d told him she found twenty dollars in a pair of jeans.
“That’s it?” she remarked. “You don’t seem that enthused.”
“What? It’s a great development, babe. I just said I’m happy for you. It’s just . . . sorry, I’ve never seen the show,” he said with a shrug. “But I will absolutely be watching if you make it past the audition.”
Cierra frowned. “If?”
“Which of course you will,” he added. “Listen, I just like to save all my excitement for when the deal is actually closed, ya know? Like, you haven’t really landed a spot on the show yet, right? This is just for the casting call?”
“Well, yeah. But it’s a big deal to me,” she said. “Even if it’s just a step along the way, I think I deserve a little more credit than that.”
Julian exhaled, obviously annoyed, but eager to reconcile. “You’re right, it’s an accomplishment. I’m sorry, I am proud of you.”
At this point, she felt like he was just trying to placate her — but she accepted his apology. He was just ambitious. He was hard on himself, and it probably made him that way towards others. She reminded herself that his drive (and the lifestyle it brought) was something she liked about him, and maybe he was right; maybe the celebrating should wait until she actually landed a spot on the show.
“It’s fine,” she said. “Also, my family should be here any minute. You ready?”
“Oh, yeah. Born ready.”
Her jitters about how much her mom would approve of Julian mattered, sure. Because Cierra’s dates never impressed Lisa, Cierra ignored that factor. But she wasn’t worried about what Julian would think of her loved ones. They were warm, generous people, and she was proud to show them off.
Cierra joined Julian on the sofa, who wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Only enough to know I want to make a good impression,” he replied, giving her a wink. She nestled into his shoulder for a moment before the intrusive buzzer went off again. It was showtime.
When Cierra opened her door, her mom already had her arms open, clad in Sketcher tennis shoes and a taxi-cab-yellow bag from the M&M store in Times Square. Lisa, standing behind her with Jess, was frantically typing away in her phone, looking up and muttering, “Hey,” before going back to whatever work emergency was going to keep her occupied during dinner.
“Hi, honey,” her mom said while embracing Cierra tightly. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, and I love the apartment. We sawChicagoearlier today. My God, those young people are talented, and—”
The abrupt silence alerted Cierra that her mom had seen Julian.
“—and you must be Julian,” her mom said, her voice an octave higher in excitement.
“It’s great to meet you, Mrs. Brooks,” he said before going to shake her hand. But Cierra’s mom quickly went in for a hug.
“None of that formal stuff. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
Lisa waved. “Hi,” was all she said before heading to the open wine bottle, which was on display in the front room. “So, what are we eating tonight? I’m starving.”
“I ordered from a local Thai spot, even got some Tom Yum soup,” Cierra replied, Lisa’s favorite.
“Mm, sounds good,” Cierra’s mom said, rubbing her hands together.
“So, what do you think of the new place?” Cierra asked, guiding her family and Julian over to the makeshift dining area.
“Oh, we love it,” Jess replied, looking at Lisa, who was obviously more interested in her phone. “So much more personality than that other place. Maybe a little smaller, but that’s all right.”
Cierra’s mom turned to Julian. “I’m so proud of my girls, you know. And it’s just so exciting seeing Cierra try something new,” she said, patting her younger daughter’s hand.
“Cierra told us you’re in tech? That must be really demanding,” Jess said.
“I thought you guys said he was in construction or something like that? I just love watching restorations on TV,” Cierra’s mom said excitedly, clearly mistaking Julian for the other handsome man who happened to be in her daughter’s life.
