Page 10 of The CEO I Hate (The Lockhart Brothers #1)

“That’s you ?” she squealed. “My cousin loves that comic. She’s always yattering on about how she can’t wait for high school because of it.”

Jerome whipped out his phone. “Looking this up right now.”

My cheeks flushed even more. My worlds were colliding.

“This is just like High School Musical ,” Jerome said as he started scrolling.

“Just less singing,” Tanya said.

Jerome cackled. “Sign me the hell up.”

“God, I had the biggest crush on Zac Efron when that movie came out,” Kait said. “So many posters on my wall. ”

“Same!” Jerome said as our waitress brought us out another round of sushi rolls. He lifted his chopsticks in a toast. “To our new head writer.”

We all copied him, lifting our chopsticks in the air.

“May you forever reign in the writers’ room,” he said solemnly, making Kait giggle.

“Thanks.” I grinned. “And here’s to us kicking ass on season two.”

I was so stuffed by the time we went our separate ways at the restaurant that I was ready to go home and pass out on the couch in a sushi coma.

But as I made my way through North Hollywood, I was still riding such a high that even the traffic didn’t annoy me.

I was so stoked that I dialed my parents before I reached the apartment.

“Hello?” my mom answered. Her voice rang out over the Bluetooth speakers in my car.

“Hey! How’s it going?”

“Hi, honey. Just catching up with work. Your father’s on a call with a client.

” Of course he was. My parents were financial planners, with their own small firm, and they were always saying there was room for two more.

Translation: When are you going to give up your unstable little dreams and come do real work?

I knew they loved Jake and me, but they’d never approved of the risky, unreliable nature of our chosen careers.

Jake’s accident had only added fuel to that fire.

I squeezed the steering wheel, batting away those worries.

Because, sure, I’d had bad luck in the past, but this bit of success had to finally convince them that my writing dreams were achievable .

“So…I have some exciting news to share. I got a job. A TV writing job!” I added quickly. “With VeriTV Studios.”

“Oh,” my mother said flatly. “Wait, your father’s just gotten off the phone. I’ll put you on speaker.”

“Hi, Dad,” I said, squeezing the wheel harder. I could already feel the tension eating at my good mood.

“Hon, you got a job?”

“Yeah, I’ll be working on season two of End in Fire . Have you seen it?”

“No,” my parents said together. That wasn’t surprising. If it wasn’t a police procedural, it wasn’t their jam. Even outside of work, they liked things wrapped up neat and tidy.

I swallowed hard. “Anyway, it’s a pretty big deal. The old showrunner walked out, and they needed a new head writer to take the helm and?—”

“Walked out?” my mother said. “That doesn’t sound very reassuring.”

“That kind of thing happens, Mom. What’s important is?—”

“Perhaps you should have done more research,” my dad said. “Maybe this show isn’t a very safe bet.”

“I don’t need to do any more research. It’s an incredibly popular show. I’m a huge fan. And I’ve already accepted the job.”

“Oh, well,” my dad said. “Congratulations, then.”

That was the least enthusiastic congratulations I’d ever heard. Like I’d just told him I’d found a quarter on the sidewalk and planned to frame it. I’d never gotten much support from my parents about my writing, which was partly why our relationship was so tense, but this felt like a new low .

“Thanks,” I said quietly. “It’s a huge opportunity.”

“I’m sure it is,” my dad said. “Just don’t forget these kinds of jobs are fickle. A lot could go wrong, just like it has in the past.”

Okay, yes, message received.

“I know you think every opportunity is going to be your big break, Mia,” my mom started. And that was it. I tuned them both out.

My throat burned. The sting of tears hit hard and fast, but I blinked them back. Not here. Not now.

To this day, Dad still took every opening to try to convince me to go back to school to study something “practical” like nursing. Meanwhile, Mom was always harping about me marrying someone “steady.” Translation: someone with a real job to bail you out when this dream crashes and burns, again.

“I think it’s gonna be really great.” Even I didn’t sound convinced. I never should have called them.

“Well…” My mom sighed. “I suppose we’ll see, won’t we? Anyway, dinner next Friday?”

I winced as I turned into the parking lot for the building. “I don’t know, Mom. I’m gonna be pretty busy with work stuff.”

“I’m sure you can make time to visit your parents one evening out of every?—”

“Okay,” I said, not in the mood for a lecture. “ Okay .”

“Excellent. I’ll text you the details. Talk to you later, honey.”

“Bye.” I hung up and let the silence settle like a weight in the car.

No part of me was interested in dinner. They hadn’t even mentioned inviting Jake, which meant that this dinner—like so many dinners before—wasn’t about family at all.

It was about fixing me up . I was sure she already had someone with a “steady” job lined up. Probably a dentist.

Just the thought made me groan. I needed something to lift my spirits, so I decided to head straight to Jake’s apartment. At least he could be counted on to be happy for me.

“Didn’t go well?” he said, seeing the look on my face when I walked in.

“Actually,” I said. “The interview went great. Better than great. It was Mom and Dad that sucked. I called them on the way home to tell them the news.”

“Wait,” he said, his tone shifting instantly. “What news? What’re you saying?”

“Umm…” A smile broke out on my face. “I got the job.”

Jake wheeled himself over to me. I bent down so he could wrap me in a hug. “Mia, that’s freaking amazing! Congrats.”

“Thanks.” Relief bloomed inside me. At least one of my family members knew how to actually celebrate good news without turning it into a guilt trip.

Jake pulled away, wearing a scowl that could rival Liam’s. “Why the hell did you call Mom and Dad?”

“I was asking myself that all the way up the elevator,” I muttered.

Jake laughed, making me smile even more. If nothing else, I was glad that complaining about our parents seemed to lift his spirits. His good mood was probably more about the fact that I’d gotten the job, but I didn’t care. Seeing Jake smile or hearing him laugh was always a win in my books.

“We have to celebrate!” he said. “What do you wanna do? ”

“Anything. Just don’t mention sushi or I’ll barf.”

“So, you don’t want me to order the fried eel and cream cheese combo you love so much?”

I made a swipe for him, but he rolled away, snickering. Even when no one else had my back, I always knew Jake did, and I was glad he wasn’t too far gone in his funk to be happy for me. I just hoped this current good mood lasted.