one on my way down from Austin. These rural hamlets are all the same no matter where you are. There’s always a Walmart and a Dairy Queen and a crumbling Main Street where the shops are going out of business because they can’t compete with the Walmart and the Dairy Queen.”
Josh didn’t say anything in response, but from the muscle that ticked in his jaw Mia guessed he was already regretting his decision to meet her father. She was certainly regretting her decision to let him.
“The rib eye sounds good,” she announced to fill the silence that had fallen after her father’s diatribe. “I think I might get that.”
“I don’t know if it’s worth getting a steak at a place like this,” her father said. “I might just have a salad.”
“It’s a steakhouse in the heart of cattle country, Dad. I’m sure they know how to make a good steak.”
“If you say so, Ace.” Her father gave her a patronizing smile before setting his menu aside. “So, Josh. My daughter tells me you own a dairy. Is that right?”
Apparently the interrogation was about to begin.
Josh seemed perfectly calm and confident as he told her father about his acreage and herd size. A casual observer would probably think he was doing fine. But Mia knew him better than that. She could see his fingers rubbing against his thigh under the table. She also noted the uncharacteristic rigidity of his posture and detected a faint note of strain in his voice. All of which meant he was uncomfortable and struggling not to show it.
A surge of tenderness tightened her chest, even as she ached for him deep in her bones. She tried to send him a look communicating how much she understood and appreciated him, but Josh’s attention was fully on her father.
“How many employees does it take to run a place like that?” her father was asking.
“I’ve got one full-time and one part-time helper,” Josh answered. “But I do a lot of the work myself.”
“You’re the kind of man who likes to get his hands dirty, I’ll bet.” Coming from someone else, it might have been a compliment, but her father’s tone communicated clear disdain.
Josh’s spine grew several degrees straighter. “I’m not afraid of hard work, if that’s what you mean.”
“What’s your educational background?”
“He’s not on a job interview,” Mia interjected with an uncomfortable laugh.
Josh ignored her, continuing to address her father. “I’ve got a BS in animal science with a minor in agribusiness entrepreneurship from Texas A&M, one of the top agricultural schools in the country.”
“Cow college, isn’t that what they call it?” Mia’s father turned on her. “That must be what it’s like at that school you’re at. Trying to teach calculus to farmers’ kids.”
Mia didn’t even know what to say to this incredibly insulting statement. Josh had fallen icily silent beside her, but he was radiating fury. She suspected it was taking all his self-control to hold his tongue.
“I’m just wondering how much you two have in common,” her father went on blithely. “A dairy farmer and a PhD mathematician? Do you talk about Gödel’s incompleteness theorems or the latest techniques for goat manure disposal?”
Incandescent rage burned in Mia’s chest, but she kept silent, not wanting to make things worse for Josh by causing a scene. Drawing more attention to them wouldn’t make this any easier.
She threw a pleading, apologetic look at Josh, hoping he wouldn’t hate her after this night was over. His gaze met hers with an unsettling blankness. It was impossible to read anything in his shuttered expression, but she knew it was a defense mechanism to hide what he was feeling.
Desperate for connection and unable to reach his hand under the table, she slid her foot across the floor to bump against his. He didn’t react, but at least he didn’t move away from her. That was something.
Fortunately, before her father could say anything else, the waiter appeared with their champagne. They sat in silence as champagne flutes were distributed and the bottle was opened with a loud pop that made Mia flinch.
Once everyone had a full glass in front of them, Mia’s father lifted his portentously. “Now that we’re suitably equipped, I can share the news that motivated my trip today.”
Oh god, Mia thought, hunching her shoulders in apprehension. Here it is. The real reason for her father’s visit. Because of course he hadn’t just come to see her. As always, he had a hidden agenda.
Her mind raced through possibilities but couldn’t find