She pushed back a tear, touched by his heartfelt promise. “You won’t regret it. I’ll make it up to you.”
He ran his eyes over her, licking his lips. “How?”
She chuckled. “Oh my god, you’ve got a one-track-mind!”
“You can’t blame me for that, baby. After all, with a body as sinful as yours, what is a man to do?”
Laughing, she pushed her nearly-fully-eaten plate away. “I was thinking of getting a job.”
Daniel paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “Why? You don’t need to work, Sabrina. I make more than enough money for both of us to live comfortably.”
“I know that.” She rolled her eyes. “But it’s not about the money, Daniel. If I continue to sit in this apartment day after day, I’m going to go stir crazy. Hell, I think I’m halfway there already.” She shook her head.
“You don’t have to get a job just so you won’t be bored. I can put you in touch with some organizations if you want to get involved in a charity and be on the board somewhere. I have connections.”
“Sitting on a charity board? Daniel, I know that’s probably what your previous girlfriends did, but I don’t want that. Sitting on the board of a charity and going to some fundraising event isn’t what I had in mind. I want to have a real job. I want to do something that will challenge me, something that will make me feel useful and important.”
“You’re important to me.”
Sabrina smiled. “I know that, but that’s not what I meant.”
“Okay then,” he conceded. “You want a real job?”
“Yes, I want to work as a lawyer again.”
“I know a lot of lawyers in the city. You’ll have to go through licensing in New York state of course, but I can make a couple of calls and get you into a firm—”
“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “Thank you for the offer, but I want to do this on my own merits. I don’t want to be given a job just because I’m your girlfriend. It’s bad enough I have to prove myself because I’m a woman. I do not want to have to prove my worth because I’m your girlfriend, too.”
“Are you sure? I know a very prestigious firm that could do wonders for your career.”
“Yes, I’m sure. But after the way I was treated at my last firm, the way Hannigan and the rest of the lawyers minimized my talent simply because I was a woman, I need to prove this to myself.” She shook her head to clear the bad memories from her mind. “I’m going to do this on my own.”
Daniel nodded in agreement, something looking like pride shining from his eyes. “If you’re sure about that, I’ll support you.”
“Thank you.”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “Darn, I’ve gotta go.”
He rose and moved around the table, bending down to her.
“Don’t forget, I’ll be home around four today, and then we’re leaving for the Hamptons to see my parents.” He kissed her quickly.
“Do you want me to pack for you?” she asked as he was already walking toward the door.
“No need. I have everything I need in my old room at home. Tons of casual clothes. Just pack what you need for yourself.”
Then he was out the door, leaving her to deal with the anxiety that was rising again at the thought of meeting his parents for the first time. Maybe on the drive to the Hamptons, she could ask Daniel about his parents in more detail so that she didn’t say the wrong things and wouldn’t step on anybody’s toes.
After agonizing over what to pack for the weekend in the Hamptons, she decided on casual clothes. Hadn’t Daniel said that he kept casual clothes at his parents’ house? That probably meant that she wouldn’t need anything fancy. As she stared at the bag she’d packed, she contemplated repacking and adding more things for any occasion, but stopped herself. She had to stop worrying about it, and the only way to do that was to occupy her mind with something else.
And a job search would definitely occupy her mind.
She powered up her laptop and began an online search for law firms in New York. Several hours later, she had a list of firms she wanted to send her résumé to. Now all she had to do was update it.
She glanced at the clock—3 p.m.
“Crap!”
Sabrina closed her laptop and rushed to the bathroom. She jumped into the shower. Today she wanted to be extra thorough with her appearance. She had to look perfect when she met Daniel’s parents. First impressions were, after all, extremely important.