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“What do you mean?”

“I mean, hearing your voice helps soothe away some of that irritation.”

She laughs and says, “My crazy voice makes you feel better. Oh buddy. You must be having a rough day.”

“How goes everything for the mixer?”

“Great. I mean, I’m tangled up in strings of decorations at the moment, but at least I’ll be able to finish this out and put the fear of my first mixer behind me.” She pauses and says, “I convinced Jack to come. Hopefully he’ll bring a few friends he mentioned.”

Running a hand through my hair, I lean back in my desk. It’s only four p.m. on a Friday, but I’m ready to be done.

“Do you need help with the set up?”

“I’ll never turn down help. We’re in the CFA building. Come when you can.”

I end the phone call and log off my computer, knowing this will help me a lot more than sitting around in my office.

As I drive over to Boston University, I mentally go through the meeting I’d had that morning with my mother. She’s been difficult ever since the whole engagement thing happened, but it’s like she’s trying to get me to bend to her will by being a thorn in my side.

And at this point, I’m over it. I don’t want to be in her control forever.

This idea I had in working with Oliver is like breathing new life into my work persona. I’ve been so bored for so long, just doing what my mother asks of me that I haven’t thought outside the box or worked on something that gets me excited to go to work every day.

And as much as I don’t want to, maybe it’s time to step away from the company. There has been a lot of turnover in the past two years as it is, many people getting fed up and leaving because of my mother’s dictatorship. It might be something to talk over with Oliver. He obviously believes in this project enough to work on it himself, but will that work if I end up having to fund it out of my own pocket?

From the stories of Dani and others who’ve been on the receiving end of healthcare, if I can help make the weight of it all a bit easier, I want to do that. It might take some time, but this is a cause worthy of pursuing.

These thoughts get me all the way to BU, and I’m ready for a distraction. I walk through the building where I’d had one class forever ago, and I swear everything still looks and smells the same. It’s like a mixture of ink and mildew.

I stand next to the door, taking in the scene of the room. There are hundreds of hanging lights crisscrossed from wall to wall around the nine-foot mark. There are several tall tables spread with a floor-length tablecloth on the far end and regular height tables with white tablecloths closer to me.

With a million decorations in other spots around the room, I stop looking as I find my girl.

I mean, notmygirl, but the one I came here to see. Obviously.

“Hey,” Dani says, walking up to me with a smile. She leans up and gives me a quick kiss, which has me stunned where I stand. We’re not anywhere that we need to prove our relationship, but I’ll take it.

“Hey yourself.” I pick up a section of thick beads she’s got wrapped around her neck and laugh. “Please tell me these are Sonia approved.”

She laughs, the sound cutting right to my chest and ripping away some of the anxiety. “These are an early birthday gift from my sister, Sami. I might have to run it by Sonia if I decide to wear it to your mom’s thing next weekend.”

“How can I help?” I ask, glancing around the large room. I’d had a few conferences and meetings here since graduation, but it had been a while and with the decorations, it already looks different. “Are you prepping for a high school dance?”

Dani shrugs. “Well, I’m trying something different this time. I’ve gone over the notes for past mixers and am hoping to make things a little more exciting.”

“You’re going to do games and stuff, aren’t you?” I say, rolling my eyes.

She hits me with a light jab to the shoulder. “Yes, yes I am. And you’d better be helping people with it, seeing as you’re my fiancé.” Her cheeks color and she turns around quickly, probably to cover up the fact she didn’t add fake to the beginning.

That gives me a shred of hope, but there’s still that lingering doubt that maybe she really is just in it for the agreement to help each other. I’ve been used before, but I don’t think I’ve wanted something as much as I need to know her feelings.

The two other people who’d helped us set things up have already left by the time we wrap up two hours later. I’m happy we’re not pulling an all-nighter to get this thing ready.

Standing back, I nod. “This is simple, but classy.”

“Thank you,” Dani says. Her beaming smile has my stomach doing gymnastics.

“Where would you like to eat?” I ask, my stomach rumbling in response.