“Come on, Sophia. Do you believe I think so little of you? I’m not asking you to.”
She straightens her shoulders. “Fine,” she bites out. Her eyes flash with barely concealed rage. “It’s only four weeks. It probably won’t kill me. I’ll do it.” Then she pastes a smile on her face and pushes past me. “Mrs. Howard, it’s so good to see you.” Now that she’s not talking to me, the ice has melted. Her voice is warm as she clasps the older woman’s hands. “Thank you so much for your support.”
Someone thrusts a glass into my hands. “I saw you talking to Sophia,” Julian says. “You look like you need a drink. What did you do, Damien?”
“Why do you think I did something?”
“Because I know you. You’re generally sensible, but every so often, you do something profoundly stupid.”
He’s not wrong. “I’m taking a month off work,” I reply. “I paid Sophia to give me empathy lessons.”
Julian blinks. “Let's take this from the top. You're taking a month off. You, Damien Cardenas, Chief Operating Officer of the Cardenas Group, are taking a full month off. What happened? Are you dying?”
He’s closer to the truth than he thinks. “I had a medical scare,” I finally admit. “Don’t worry; it’s nothing. My family doctor arranged a battery of tests, and everything came back clear. But he told me to slow down, and so, here I am.”
Julian’s expression makes it clear that we’re not done with this conversation. But there are people around us, and now’s not the time to get into details. “How is your family taking it?”
“They don't know.”
“What? Why haven't you told them?”
“Because.” I spread my hands. “It’s only been three years since my father died. My mother will worry herself sick. She will insist that I see a thousand specialists. Tomas will blame himself. Victoria and Cristiano will feel guilty that they don’t do more in the business. It’s a lot easier to keep it quiet. I told my mother and stepfather I needed a change of scene. I’ve promised to check emails and call into meetings as much as I can. Which reminds me, I have a meeting in four hours. I should switch to water.”
Julian glances at his watch. “Four hours from now, it’ll be two in the morning.”
“Yes, I’m calling Melbourne.”
“How is this taking time off?”
I lift my shoulders in a shrug. It is what it is. Julian knows my family situation. My mother won’t delegate to anyone that isn’t family. My stepfather Tomas doesn’t know what he’s doing, Vicky has two young children and refuses to travel, and Cristiano and his partner Magnus are trying to get married and have a baby. I pick up the slack, something I’ve been doing all my life. “This is the best I can do.”
“Okay,” he says. “Tell me about the empathy lessons.”
I recap my conversation with Sophia. “I didn’t get her fired,” I finish in frustration. “Why won’t she believe me?”
“I don’t know,” he replies. There’s something in his tone that makes me take a closer look at his face. How does Julian feel about all of this? Is he reeling from seeing Sophia again, the way I am? Does her presence here bring back memories of that perfect night? I don’t know; I don’t ask. That fire has been stomped out. It’s not like we’re going to rekindle it.
“I don’t know how anyone found out,” I continue. “I didn’t mention Sophia to anyone. At least, I don’t think I did. But maybe I’m wrong. It was ten years ago.” I sip the Oban Julian brought me. “Maybe my privilege blinds me to other people’s concerns. Maybe she’s right, and I do need empathy lessons.”
Julian raises an eyebrow. “I don’t buy it,” he says. “There’s a much simpler explanation.”
Jet lag has made me stupid because I have no idea what he’s talking about. “Which is?”
“Maybe you really like Sophia. Maybe you're looking for a second chance with her.”
I drain the rest of my drink—Australia meeting be damned. “Fuck off, Julian.”