Page 29 of British Daddy to Go

“I think you would, too. My parents, not so much.”

“I won’t like your parents?”

“Well, I meant they don’t like Jenna. But no, you wouldn’t, probably.”

I intertwine my fingers with hers and take another sip of the wine. “I know they’re controlling, but why wouldn’t I like them?”

Maggie giggles. “It’s more that they wouldn’t like you, I suppose. They don’t even know I’m here.”

“You snuck out?”

“No! They were out with friends. I told them I was going to Jenna’s, so they know I was leaving.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t believe a woman your age has to lie to get out of the house.”

She tosses her napkin at me with a light laugh. “Oh, shut up. I know it’s ridiculous.”

“It’s something,” I tease. “How can you live that way? I left my parents’ house at eighteen and haven’t returned.”

“I guess I’ve never known anything else.”

“Not even in college?”

“I didn’t go,” she admits. “I wanted to, but they thought it would be better if I went to work right away.”

I study her face. “I thought you only just started at Havisham’s?”

She nods. “I did, and that’s a miracle in and of itself. My parents own a dry cleaner uptown. I’ve been working there since I was old enough to reach the dials on the machines. As soon as I graduated high school, I started full time with them.”

“How did you end up at Havisham’s, then? Did the dry cleaner close?”

“No. It’s still there, waiting for my return. My parents thought this job would get my dream out of my system.”

“And what dream might that be?” I ask carefully.

She blushes. “Oh, you don’t want to hear about that.”

I squeeze her hand. “I assure you, I do.”

Maggie studies my face for a few beats before deciding to share her story. “Do you see this dress I’m wearing?” I nod. “I made it.”

“You did? Well, it’s fantastic!”

“Thank you,” she says, her cheeks turning a brighter shade of pink. “I designed it as well. That’s what I want to do, design dresses. I’d like to work my way up to wedding dresses and become one of the big designers for women on their special day. But my parents want me to take over the family business, and they thought that if they gave me a little freedom, I’d agree to their plan.”

Her eyes brim with tears that destroy my heart. How can her parents be so careless about her dream?

“You’re not going to go back there, though, right? You’ll use Havisham’s as a stepping stone to get what you want.”

She bites her lip and stares at the tablecloth. “It’s not that simple.”

“There’s nothing simple about it, I understand. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try.”

Maggie sighs. “My parents built their company from nothing, and it would devastate them to lose it all. They want to keep it in the family.”

“But it’s not your dream, Maggie. They shouldn’t force you to do something you don’t love.”

“How would you feel if your company ended up in someone else’s hands?”