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Laia frowns.

"I think sometimes you forget we're not exactly rolling in money," she says, amused.

A week ago this was the topic they walked through on the beach. Laia got curious when she found out they'd taken away Claudia's credit card and that she only had her base salary from the factory, which Claudia admitted she'd burned through entirely every month with so many nights out.

"I have some savings," Claudia had said. "I could survive for a few months while I find work."

Claudia laughs and nods.

"You're right. There's lasagna in the freezer. We'll eat here and then go."

"Okay. I'll jump in the shower while you heat it up."

When Laia comes out of the bathroom, she stops for a few seconds in the living room and looks at Claudia, who's only wearing underwear and a shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.

"This version of you is one of my favorites," she says, walking over as Claudia finishes filling the water glasses from the pitcher.

"Yeah?" Claudia asks softly, turning toward her.

"Yeah. Natural, no makeup, barely dressed." She puts her hands on Claudia's waist and kisses her.

"And freshly fucked—don't leave that out, because it matters."

Laia bursts out laughing and they sit down to eat.

"If your parents think you've changed and you're ready to take the position they have in mind for you, will you accept it?" she asks, curious.

Claudia is still for a few seconds, then shakes her head.

"No, I won't. I've thought it through and I'm going to hold my ground. I've never wanted that position, and I want it even less now. My place isn't there—not in the offices, not with them—and they're going to have to understand that."

"And where is your place?" Laia wants to know.

"I don't know yet, but I want to do what I actually love."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," Claudia says, smiling.

"But if you already know what you want, do you think you even need to go to that meeting? The contract's over and you don't want any ties to the offices anymore. Putting yourself through the stress of being in the same room with them might do more harm than good."

"I've thought about that," Claudia admits, "but I'm curious to hear what they think. I know I wasn't a model employee, and especially at the beginning I fell pretty short. But I pushed myself. I tried to do my best in every section I was in. That should count for something."

"Of course it should. It's true the first two months you were a nightmare—you'd show up late or not at all, and you seemed to not care about anything your aunt told you. But that changed. Even when you kept going out, you came in on time and stuck to your schedule, except for the day you decided to sneak off to the beach," she reminds her, and Claudia nods and raises her hands.

"Guilty."

"Yeah, but the whole point of those six months was supposed to be this—that you'd reach the end knowing what you want."

"I don't think that was my parents' idea. Theirs is that I tell them I'll be thrilled to take over the company, so we'll see what happens when I tell them no. I've always had this feeling like I've never done anything right by them, like all I ever do is disappoint them."

"That's their problem, Claudia, not yours. You don't owe it to them to sacrifice your happiness just to please them."

"I know that now. I didn't before," she admits sadly, "but I'll always be grateful to them for forcing me to work at my aunt's factory, because I got my relationship with her back, I figured out what I want, and I met you. The reward's been so much greater than the six months I put in."

Laia is about to tell her that if she talks to her parents the way she's just talked to her, she's sure they'll be proud of her—but she holds back, because she doesn't think Claudia's parents deserve any effort on their daughter's part.

Chapter 28