The restaurant Emily suggested wasn't nearly as fancy as the one they'd gone to when Mia had first started working at Whitaker and Whitaker, but it was still nice. It was only a few blocks away from the office, so they'd walked, which was pleasant. The air wasn't as fresh as Mia was used to back home, but it still helped to clear her head a little.
Seated across from Emily at a table near the window, she could see lots of business people hustling by, trying to get back to their offices before their lunch breaks were over. Mia didn't have to worry about that. Her boss wasn't in, and she had nothing to do. She doubted Emily would have to hurry either. She couldn't imagine Beau getting angry at her for being late. An image of Beau punishing Emily the way that Sam punished Mia came to mind, and she had to press it aside before she became angry or jealous of Emily for no reason.
"So, how are you liking your job?" Emily asked, her tone conveying innocence. She took a sip of the water with lemon the waiter had just brought her, and then glanced back at her menu.
Assuming she meant the secretarial part of her job, and not the kinky part, Mia had to be honest. "Well, I don't have much to. I basically sit at my desk all day. So... it's kind of boring."
Emily gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. I bet that makes the days really long, huh?"
"Yep." Mia considered telling her she was looking at going back to school but decided not to go there. She didn't know Emily that well, and she also didn't know if that was against the company rules.
The waiter came back to take their order. Mia ordered a half a sandwich and soup. She wasn't that hungry but thought she should eat something. Once he'd taken their orders and left, Emily asked a few questions about how Mia was liking Chicago in general, and they discussed Emily's family, and then Emily said, "You know, if you're not completely happy in your current position, I bet we could find you something in marketing. That's what your background is in, right?"
"Yes, it is. I haven't finished my degree yet, though."
"I bet you could finish it while you're on the job."
Mia felt uncomfortable talking about why she didn't want to work for Beau and date him, but she wasn't sure how to say that to Emily. Besides, she'd never said she was ready to quit her job either. "That's something to think about."
Catching her drift, Emily shifted tactics. "There's someone I think you should talk to."
"Who's that?" A chill went up her spine as she wondered if William had had the same conversation with Beau that she'd had with him. Had Beau arranged this lunch so Emily could bring up one of Sam's ex-secretaries?
The waiter came before Emily could answer, setting their food in front of them. Emily dug into her salad, not answering the question right away, so Mia took a few bites, too. After she'd eaten about half of her salad, Emily said, "A friend of mine used to have your position. She's very sweet, reminds me a lot of you, actually. I think it would be beneficial for you to speak to her, if you're having doubts about your job. Not that you said you were, but no one wants to be bored all day."
Mia stared at her for a moment, not sure if she wanted to go there. Speaking to someone who'd been in her position would mean she'd have to confront the fact that she was only continuing to work there because she enjoyed what Sam did to her, and she might not be ready to go there yet.
But then there was Beau, and the sweet words he'd said to her the night before. She at least owed it to him to listen to Emily's friend, didn't she? "Sure," she found herself saying. "I'd love to meet her."
"Great." Emily's smile seemed to have a tinge of relief behind it. "I'll see when she's available."
Mia returned the smile and then focused on finishing her lunch, not sure if she should be excited about meeting Sam's ex-secretary or fearful that she might lose him. As unsettled as she felt about the situation, she knew she wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
When lunch was over, Mia went back to her office to sit in front of her computer and do nothing. She wasn't sure how many more days she could spend not contributing to society or even her own company.
Deciding she needed to do something to change her current situation, she went back to the university she'd been looking at earlier and registered for the classes she needed in order to finish her degree. It was a big step, but an important one. If she got accepted, and they took all of her credits from her previous school, she would have a new start, something exciting to keep her going, and lots of work to keep her busy at work when she wasn't working.
With a satisfied smile on her face, Mia decided to spend the rest of the day watching a romantic comedy she hadn't seen when it first came out. It was a total waste of time, but if she didn't have anything else to do, may as well.
About the time the movie ended, she got a text from Beau. All it said was, "Dinner at 7:30? Pick you up?"
Without hesitation, she texted back. "Sounds great."