"Tonight?" I push because I want that access. I want to be invited into her life in a way I haven't been before.
"I can't tonight." She sighs. "I didn't realize I'd see you today."
I surprised her on her way back to the office at lunch. I was heading there when I spotted her outside a restaurant talking on her phone. As I approached, her smile widened and the callended. "We'll do it another night. I have another surprise for you. We can talk about it the next time I see you."
"We'll talk about it now." She grabs the lapels of my jacket in her fists. "What's the surprise?"
"My mother wants to meet you."
All of the color drains from her face instantly. "Your mom?"
I know it's early for that, but I'm not against breaking dating code with this woman. "I told her about you earlier. She loves your designs."
"You showed her my designs?"
"I showed her your new website," I make a point of mentioning that. "She loved the designs and the site. Joe did a good job."
She nods, but her mind is somewhere else. She's contemplating, considering. "Do you think she'd like me? I mean beyond my clothing designs, do you think your mom would like me?"
"I know she will," I fire back quickly. "It doesn't have to be an event. She wants to make dinner, but I can easily convince her to meet us for brunch on the weekend or lunch one day if you want a guaranteed escape. I think I'll invite my sister too. It would be good for you two to meet since I still want to talk about investing in your business."
"We could all meet at a place close to the office." Her voice is serious. "If we did it in a couple of weeks, would that be okay? I need to focus most of my time on the new dress I'm going to design for our dinner with Claudia."
I smile to hide the disappointment. I'm moving this too fast. She's feeling pressured. I see it in the way her shoulders have tightened and her hands have fisted in front of her. "We'll do it whenever you're ready, Sophia. No rush. Take all the time you need."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Sophia
"You're full of it, Sophia."Dexie Walsh finishes the last sip of wine in her glass. "You're just saying that you're going to have dinner with Claudia Stefano because of that picture of Libby Duncan holding my purse at her latest movie premiere that went viral online. You're totally trying to one up me."
"First off," I begin as I wiggle my right index finger in the air. "That picture didn't go viral. It barely got a thousand views on that fashion blog, Dex. Secondly, I am having dinner with Claudia Stefano and it may benefit you too and lastly, I loved that purse Libby Duncan was holding. It was one of your best to date."
She pushes her hip against my kitchen counter. "Let's pretend you are actually having dinner with Claudia Stefano. Explain how that would benefit me."
I roll up the towel in my hand and toss it in her direction. "Dry the plates."
"Let them drip dry." She places the towel on the counter next to me. "We could have eaten out of the take-out boxes. You didn't have to set the table."
I reach for the towel and give each of the two plates I just washed, a quick dry before I place them back in the cupboard. "We have dinner once a month. It's always the same take-out. I wanted this to be a mini celebration in honor of my impending meeting with Claudia."
"It's Claudia now?" she quips. "You two are on a first name basis already?"
"Nicholas calls her that. They're friends."
I study Dexie's face as she considers that. Her blonde hair is streaked with pale pink. The color does little to accent her dark eyes, but they still pop. Dexie works full-time in the marketing department of Matiz. We met through Crew initially, but as soon as we realized that we both have a love of fashion, our connection took on a life of its own. Dexie designs handbags and crafts them all in a small studio uptown. She's offered me a corner to work on my own stuff, but the space is too cramped and I'm much more comfortable here, in my apartment with my sewing machine and over a thousand square feet all to myself.
"I still can't believe you're fucking Nicholas Wolf."
I feign a sigh. "We do more than fuck. We date."
"You eat dinner and then you fuck, right? Isn't that what dating is?"
I turn toward the living room. "Technically, I guess that's a big part of it, but he wants more already. Today he told me that his mom wants to meet me."
"Already?" She pours more wine in her glass. "You two just met."
It's been a few weeks, but she's right on point. It's early in our relationship and meeting a parent is something I've only doneonce before. In my world, that's reserved for something more serious than a few dates and a handful of moments of intimacy.
