Page 55 of The CEO I Hate

“As if. They still think I’m playing pretend with this job. Probably dusting off a seat at the family firm as we speak.”

“You know,” Liam said. “If you wanted to bring them to the studio for a tour sometime?—”

I shook my head. “It wouldn’t help. They just don’t get this world. I mean, they never liked Jake’s job either, but at least they understood it. But as far as writing is concerned…They think it’s not arealjob. And they’ve never believed I could be successful at it.”

“But youaresuccessful,” he growled. “Heart and Hustlegets more popular every day.”

“I know. But Dad keeps pushing me to change careers, and Mom wants me to become some sort of trophy wife.”

Liam choked on his noodles. “Excuse me?” He wiped his mouth on his napkin. “I need to hear more about this trophy wife business.”

I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “She won’t stop matchmaking.”

“What, she wants you to be a housewife?”

“I don’t think she even cares about that. She just wants me married to a guy with good benefits so I can be on his health insurance. And in her defense, paying for private insurance sucksass.”

Liam frowned. “Your package with VeriTV includes health insurance.”

“Yeah, and my checking account definitely appreciates that. But VeriTV is thefirstemployer to cover my insurance in the past three years and my mom knows it. Hence the parade of guys. I think I’ve been introduced to half the city at this point. The last guy sold toilets.”

“Toilets?” Liam threw his head back and laughed. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not!” I dug around in my purse. “I even got a coupon.”

“For what?”

“A toilet!” I found it, snapping it in his face.

Liam’s brown eyes crinkled at the corners as he snatched it from my hands. “I’m framing this.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious.”

“Great,” I muttered. “We can put it up beside your cat picture. Honestly, if we’ve reached toilets, I’m terrified of what they might drum up next.” I tried not to feel sorry for myself. Sure, it made for ahilarious story after the fact, but walking into my parents’ place over and over only to be told I wasn’t good enough as they tried to pawn me off on the latest man of the week was humiliating and disheartening.

“Have you ever just told them to stop?” Liam asked, his tone oddly gentle.

That got a little smile out of me. “Multiple times, but my mother doesn’t know the meaning of the word. You tell her ‘no’ and she hears ‘try harder.’” My phone buzzed and my mom’s name flashed across the screen. I glanced up at Liam. “Here comes the universe to prove my point.” I answered, putting it on speaker.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day!”

“Hey, Mom,” I said, biting back a sigh. “I was at that big convention for the show. Remember, I told you? I also did a signing forHeart and Hustle. It actually went really we?—”

“You’re still coming for dinner this week, right? Because I need to do the shopping tomorrow.”

More matchmaking, I mouthed to Liam, rolling my eyes and pretending like it didn’t hurt that Mom hadn’t even let me finish my sentence before totally dismissing me.

“Does Friday still work?”

I rubbed my forehead. “Yeah, Friday is fine.”

“Okay, great. See you then.”

Mom hung up before I could. I mustered my best smile for Liam. “If it’s Peter Porter and his Potties again, I’m gonna lose it.”

“I thought you were kidding,” Liam said.

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