Page 28 of Minha Dona

Caitlin looked at her over the rim of the glass and Helena saw something flicker in her expression. Recognition, maybe, of the intimacy embedded in such a small act. Remembering someone’s drink order was nothing in itself. Remembering it after nine months of near silence was something else.

“So,” Caitlin said, settling back into the armchair, one leg crossed over the other. “Here we are.”

“Here we are.”

“I know I said it earlier, but I’ll say it again. You look amazing.”

“Thank you. So do you. The dress suits you.”

“I’ll let you into a little secret. The dress is one of four I couldn’t choose between. The other three are draped around my room.” She gestured at the dress she’d chosen. “This feels the most me.”

“Would I recognise any of the others?”

Caitlin smiled. “Probably… you saw quite a range of my wardrobe.”

“I did.” Helena smiled back. “Some of it more than others.”

Caitlin laughed, and just like that the ice was broken, the nine months of distance punctured by a shared joke that only they could understand. Helena felt herself relax. They could do this. They could talk to each other as something that wasn’t just professional. Whatever this was it would be fine.

“Tell me about São Paulo,” Caitlin said. “The last nine months. What’s been going on in your life?”

Helena gave her the overview, work and her career trajectory that seemed to be taking off. She talked about her family, her parents’ lunches, Mariana’s romantic chaos, Beatriz’s new apartment. She painted a picture of a life that was full and good and busy, which was true, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.

“It sounds like you’ve been thriving,” Caitlin said, seeming genuinely pleased for her.

“I have. Professionally, definitely. The Houston secondment opened a lot of doors. Rafael, my manager, keeps hinting about an accelerated path.”

“You deserve it. You were outstanding on our project.”

“Thank you. That means a lot, coming from the newly minted partner.” Helena paused, deciding to be honest. “Though I’ll confess I was a little jealous when I heard about you making partner. Only a little.”

“Jealous?”

“Well now it’ll be just that little bit harder for me to be the youngest ever partner. You’ve raised the bar.” She grinned to show she was mostly joking. “Or lowered it… you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I do. I would love for you to be the one to break my record.” Helena knew that Caitlin was being genuine, too.

They settled into a comfortable rhythm, swapping stories about their respective offices, the peculiarities of the partners they worked with, the clients who drove them crazy. It was the sort of conversation that colleagues had at conferences everywhere… shop talk, gossip, half of it meaningless to an outsider. But underneath it there was something else, a current of curiosity that neither of them was quite addressing.

Helena could feel Caitlin circling around it, the way she asked about Helena’s weekends, about whether São Paulo’s social scene lived up to its reputation, about whether Helena had managed to find good running routes. Each question was edging closer to the thing she actually wanted to ask.

But then Helena knew that she was doing the same. She wanted to know if Caitlin was seeing someone. Wanted to know if there was a person waiting for her back in Houston, a reason why the necklace might mean nothing more than habit, a reason why this drink was just a drink between colleagues.

Neither of them said it. They danced around it, delicately, even as the chemistry between them fired up all over again.

It was Caitlin who blinked first.

“Can I ask you something personal?” she said, and Helena could see the effort it took. Caitlin, the professional force of nature, visibly bracing herself.

“Of course.”

“Are you seeing anyone? Back in São Paulo?”

Helena appreciated the directness and decided to match it. There was no benefit to Helena trying to obfuscate or skirt around the truth.

“No relationship, no. There’s a woman. Juliana, a friend of my sister’s actually. We’re friends with benefits, that’s the honest description. About three months. It’s fun, it’s casual, there’s no strings and no expectations from either side. We’re not a couple, we don’t go on dates, we just enjoy each other.” She paused. “She isn’t…” She stopped suddenly, aware that honesty was one thing but Caitlin didn’t need to know every single detail.

“Isn’t what?” Caitlin asked quietly.