a comfy armchair.
“Great. They have this lychee cocktail that is mind-blowing. You down?”
“Sure.”
While Brie ordered at the bar, Diane checked her phone. Her dad had sent her a message about the next day’s schedule. She winced at the long list of things to be done at work and at home. Obviously, she loved being with her mom. It was the back and forth between her apartment, her parents’ place, the office, and various work assignments that ran her ragged.
She hadn’t been able to spend any time on the mural in Kai’s kitchen, and even though he’d insisted that she should prioritize other things first, she felt more than a little guilty about the matter. She wondered if she’d make the time if he were any other client, and her dad’s warnings about mixing work and pleasure came to mind.
She still hadn’t told her dad that she was dating Kai. The time never seemed right. Maybe once she was done with Kai’s mural and the two of them had been going strong for a while.
Until then, she’d have to continue being careful.
“Here we go!” Brie sang as she returned with two frosty glasses filled with a lime green concoction.
Diane sipped through the straw. “Delicious,” she said politely. Inwardly, though, there was something about the drink that didn’t feel right on her palate.
“So.” Settling into the other chair, Brie crossed her long legs. “How is everything with you and Kai?”
This was maybe their third or fourth time hanging out, and Brie had barely broached the subject of Diane dating her boss. Diane would have talked about it sooner if asked, but she found it nice that Brie chose to be tactful and mostly steer clear of it.
“Really good.” Diane knew she was smiling like a loon, but she couldn’t help it. “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Here and there.” She waved her hand. “I have a couple of the apps, and I use them sometimes, but I haven’t clicked with anyone in…man, maybe years.”
“I’m sorry. There are great people out there, though. You’ll find someone.”
Brie thoughtfully sipped her cocktail. “I have my career. Not to gloat, but I’ve gotten pretty far in it.”
“I know. It’s impressive.”
“And I want to go even further.” Her face became serious, gaze distant. “It’s good to not be distracted.”
“I understand,” Diane said.
She really did. The last few years, Diane had been consumed with her job and family responsibilities. The couple men she’d dated during that time hadn’t understood where she’d been at. The situation with her mom either made them uncomfortable and distant, or demanding.
Luckily, nothing like that had happened with Kai. He knew where her priorities were.
Abandoning her drink, Diane browsed the menu on the table. She’d eaten a late lunch, but was hungry enough that she couldn’t wait any longer for dinner.
“Looks like they have light plates here,” she said. “I’m getting a cheese plate. Want anything?”
They settled on adding hummus dip to the order and got to chatting about everything else in life.
Though Diane had a few good friends that she saw here and there, they were all pretty busy with their lives. In between her responsibilities and theirs, they were lucky if they found time to get together once a month.
The really cool thing about Brie was that she seemed to have endless energy. She’d just worked for twelve hours, and yet she sat in a bar late in the evening waving her hands around and going on about politics and being one of the few women in an investment firm.
“It’s not that our company is sexist,” she said. “God, no.”
“I would never think that, with you and Kai at the helm.”
“It’s just pretty cutthroat. Parts of it are steeped in bro culture, and that can make it hard for women to break into it.” Brie’s eyebrows knit together. “Are you okay?”
Diane clutched her stomach. “I’m feeling a little off. I think I need to eat more, is all.”
She loaded a piece of bread with cheddar and gobbled it down. A second piece took the edge off the roiling feeling in her tummy, but she still didn’t feel one hundred percent.
“Maybe you’re stressed,” Brie said. “You have a lot going on.”
“So do you, and you take it all in stride.”
Brie shrugged a little. “Everyone handles stress differently. For some people, it affects their digestion.”
“I guess so.”
“Fancy another? Sorry, it looks like you didn’t really like the cocktail.”
It was Friday, the end of another long week. Maybe the best thing to do was