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"So," Carrie commented between bites of afternoon-break pizza, "judging from your mom's putting on an appearance this morning, things did not go well with Millicent last night?" She looked nothing if not pleased. Carrie was one of the network engineers.
JD glanced over at Sherry. She was concentrating on the pizza, not offering any help. Concerning most of the women he had dated, even before his mother had decided she had to take a hand, Sherry had been quite willing to weigh in, letting him know clearly where she thought the relationship would fall apart, and what dangers there would be in trying too hard to make it work. And her analysis was always spot-on.
His mother had often complained about Sherry's interference, but now her mother's team -- his team -- often consulted with Sherry. Over the last month, even Millie had come to confide and ask for advice a few times.
Sherry had been keeping her own counsel this time, which JD had taken as tacit approval.
Carrie cleared her throat. "Sorry for interrupting your thoughts."
JD shook his head. "No problem."
Greg commented from the next table over, "Hey, some of us actually approved of Millie. But if she can't deal with a bit of cheering at the end of an opera, hey, ..." Greg was one of the sales crew.
"How is it everyone knows what happened? How many of you are doubling as spies for my mom?"
Laughter filled the lunchroom. Everyone knew JD was happy to have his friends among her spies, finding opportunities to run interference.
James leaned over. "Personally, I'm more than relieved. And I don't think I'm alone in wishing you'd tell you mother that her opinions can go down the river, and put this business in one family. Best friends make good marriages."
"If they can keep being best friends while negotiating the marriage. We agreed we didn't want to go there." JD avoided looking at Sherry.
"Neither of you think the other is ugly," Pat, their test lead, added her 2/100sixteen hour-credits.
Sherry continued to concentrate on the pizza. There might have been a sardonic twitch the corner of her mouth. "Millie is much better looking than I am. Don't worry about last night, guys. What happened is not what you think." And she picked up another slice.
JD frowned and wrinkled his nose. "Oh, give it a rest, Sherry. You know my opinions about looks."
Now she grinned broadly and threw the slice of pizza at his cheek, where it slapped flat and stuck. He peeled it off and grinned, and took a bite. The lunch room erupted in cheers, just as the lunch room door opened and Millie stepped in, wearing jeans and a neutral color tee.
She came straight to the table where JD and Sherry sat. "Hi guys. Didn't know you'd taken to wearing makeup, JD. Sherry, I know it's kind of sudden, but could you make some time for me today?"
JD chuckled and grabbed his handkerchief to clean the cheese and tomato paste off his face. "My kind of makeup."
"It doesn't suit you." But she smiled.
Sherry joined JD's laughter. "Sure, Millie. Now good for you?"
"It's not an interruption?"
"Nah. Save us some of the pizza, guys."
Most of the eyes in the room followed them as they disappeared into the corner office.
About an eighth hour later, Sherry opened the door to the office and called out, "JD, your presence is required!"
JD, who was helping clean dishes in the company kitchen, responded with a "Yo! Take over James." He washed his hands in the sink, removed the apron and handed it to James, then headed to the corner office.
Millie was standing by the couch, looking pensive.
"I have to admit, I have rarely seen you in jeans -- and sans makeup. Nice."
"Thank you. Is that suit going to be salvageable? You do look more comfortable, though. Last night was a shocker."
"Probably. I'd rather be in jeans, but I don't keep any upstairs. How so?" JD sat down on a stool opposite. Sherry was sitting on the corner of the desk.
"Sherry has been disabusing me of all sorts of misunderstandings."
"My mother's ideal vision of me."
"So I see. This whole last month we've both been negotiating around our mothers' fantasies."
"True about my mother. Your mother too?"
Millie nodded and grunted an "Mmm." in reply. "Getting to know each other through the filter of our mothers' ideals."
"Sorry to upset you by being so noisy last night."
She smiled wryly and sat down on the couch. "It was not you that I was upset at. If I had known how thoroughly your mother misrepresented you, I'd have been cheering with you. I thought you and she were testing me."
She looked quizzically at JD. He shook his head.
"It was a good performance. I hope you can forgive me for that."
"No problem."
There were several moments of silence.
"I need to know some things, so I can make a decision."
"Okay, shoot."
"This is the corner office." She waved at the well-apportioned office.
"It is. My mother said it couldn't go to anyone who was not a partner. After some discussion, Sherry said she'd take primary responsibility for it."
"Not mine so much as the partners' office, which we never use except for entertaining important people."
Millie sat straight. "I'm important?"
"We think so." JD nodded.
Millie's shoulders sagged a fraction. "And there it is. I've kind of felt it every time we've gone out, but now I'm sure."
"What?"
Millie thought for a moment. "Is it your mother keeping you two from getting married?" She looked back to Sherry and then again at JD.
JD held up his hand to stop her as he looked over at Sherry, who tilted her head to the right and pressed her lips together before speaking. "No," she said.
JD put his hand down. "There are certain topics that are not allowed."
"I think I have Sherry's permission."
JD sighed. "In that case, my answer is, I can't say."
Millie looked back to Sherry, who ducked her head apologetically.
"You two are best friends from childhood."
"True."
"If I were to marry into this relationship, I'd have to accept being the tacit second wife."
"We don't have sex, you know," JD said, somewhat apologetically. "Sex is hard on a friendship."
"Sherry told me so several weeks ago, and I think I believe both of you."
"And it isn't just us in the equation." JD continued. "If we let our friendship get mixed up, it could easily destroy the business. We aren't really stable yet, and you can't push a business to grow faster and become stable, just for the convenience of the partners and board of directors."
"Third wife." Millie laughed ruefully. "I'm going to give your mother a piece of my mind."
"It's really not her fault," Sherry said quietly.
There was another short minute of silence.
JD broke it. "I guess, then, even though last night was not the argument I thought it was, we won't be seeing each other any more."
Both Sherry and JD looked a little disappointed.
"I didn't say that. And I will be very interested to watch what happens with this 'E-P-ist millionaire seeks wife' campaign."
"What? How did you know about that? Sheliah just suggested it to me this morning."
"There's already at least one billboard up on the highway." Millie grinned.
"Mom!" JD patted his pocket. "Where's my phone?" He turned and ran out of the office, with Sherry's and Millie's laughter chasing him.
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Copyright 2019 Joel Matthew Rees
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Keep it on topic, and be patient with the moderator. I have other things to do, too, you know.