Emily didn't often show off the fact that she and her family had money. What she spent, she generally spent on practical things. She bought good serviceable clothes for herself and Harrison that were stylish but not frivolous, well made and obviously expensive, but never flashy or ostentatious. She bought good food, healthy and organic ingredients, but was never so snotty and snobbish about her meals that she refused to order in a pizza now and again.
She bought toys for Harrison that were designed to expand his imagination, not fill up a toy box and gather dust – Lego was a huge favorite of hers to encourage imaginative play, for example. She'd bought him a play kitchen with all the trimmings, wanting to press the idea that it wasn't only women who cooked. She'd bought a large collection of dress up clothes, but hadn't limited him to super heroes and pirates and sports stars – she'd included the odd fairy princess dress, tiara, and sparkling magic wand. As a child, Emily had felt pressure to be the daughter her mother wanted her to be. She wanted Harrison to understand that if he woke up in the morning and wanted to be Spiderman that was okay – but if he wanted to be Cinderella that was just as okay with her.
She bought gifts for JJ, but her engagement ring had been the only truly expensive present. She stuck to things like flowers, cupcakes, and small tokens that reminded them both of conversations they'd had, or jokes they had shared.
Because of all of this, JJ had put the fact that Emily was wealthy mostly out of her mind. And now, sitting across from Emily in what had to be one of the most expensive, exclusive restaurants in DC, it was all coming back to her.
"Am I dressed okay?" she asked self-consciously, casting a worried glance down at her simple blue dress. It hit her at the knee, so she wasn't worried about modesty, but she knew a single appetizer here likely cost more than she had spent on the dress.
"You're easily the most beautiful woman in the city," Emily said reassuringly. "Look, what you have to know about this place, is that it's off the beaten track. There's no glitz or glamor. We're not going to make the tabloids just by being seen here, because this is one of DC's best kept secrets. Having money isn't enough to get you through the door. So no one is judging you, baby. We're far too classy to judge. It's invitation only, and to get an invite you have to… well, not be an asshole."
JJ stifled a burst of scandalized giggles. "Emily! Can you say that in here?"
Emily shrugged. "Considering that I went to college with the chef, and put up half the capital to get this place started… yeah, I can pretty much say what I want and do what I want, with who I want, in here." It was her turn to look self-conscious as JJ's eyes widened.
"You never told me you owned a restaurant!"
"I don't own a restaurant," Emily insisted. "I just… my friend wanted to open a place, I had her cook for me a couple of times, and I thought she'd be a good investment. Now, ten years later, she's successful enough to be this exclusive. I'm completely hands off. I get sent a check every quarter for my percentage of the profit, and I get a table here whenever I want one."
The waitress came over to take their order as soon as she sensed a lull in their conversation. "What's good here?" JJ asked, and Emily grinned.
"Everything here is amazing," she said. "But… you should have the lobster, if you have no issues with shellfish. It is ridiculous how good it is."
JJ bit her lip and scanned the menu. The prices were listed, and the lobster was… way out of her price range. She looked up at Emily guiltily.
"Can you give us a minute?" Emily asked the waitress, who nodded and seemed to… melt out of view. "JJ… we were going to have to have this conversation sooner or later. I guess it's just happening now."
"I can't justify asking you to spend that much on one meal for me," JJ hissed. "I know you've got money, but I don't want to be the girl who goes on a date, picks the most expensive thing on the menu, and then expects you to pay for it. That's not my style. I can just… have a salad. The Caesar looks good, and you can never go wrong with Caesar salad." The salad's price still made her wince, but at least it didn't send her careening towards cardiac arrest like the lobster did.
Emily was squirming uncomfortably, and leaned closer so that she could lower her voice. "Jay, do you have any idea how much I'm worth?" she said quietly. "I wasn't going to give you a dollar amount, because advertising the fact that I'm loaded isn't MY style. But honestly, we could quit our jobs tomorrow, eat lobster here every night, put Harry through college twelve times over, vacation in San Trope every other month and I'd STILL have enough to buy you a Ferrari in every color of the rainbow."
JJ's jaw dropped. "Come off it, Emily. You're exaggerating," she said shortly.
"That's the really upsetting thing," Emily said, dropping her head into her hands. "I'm not. My mother's an ambassador and my father… he's in finance. Without going into detail, he's like a modern day Midas. Whatever he touches turns to gold. He's taken every penny of my mother's not inconsiderable earnings, and increased them a thousand times over."
"I… am not comfortable with… getting comfortable with that," JJ said slowly, letting out a breath. "I've always worked for a living. I've always cooked for myself, cleaned for myself… I wanted to teach Harry to do the same things."
"I absolutely agree!" Emily said quickly. "I escaped all of that… privilege as soon as I possibly could. I cook, and I clean, and I think you can agree that I work damn hard. The money is just… there, in the background. It's there, and sometimes it's nice to have nice things, but I don't depend on it, and I don't expect you to become some… kept woman." She smiled weakly. "It's one of the things I fell in love with. You wanted me long before you knew about the money, and now that you do know? You're trying to convince me not to spend any of it on you. That's how I know I can trust you, and that you have a good heart."
JJ smiled. "You know, we could blow this joint and just hit up a McDonalds," she suggested, only half joking.
"Jennifer, will you please just let me buy you the damn lobster?" Emily said, exasperated. "God, as much as you don't want to rely on the money, sometimes it'd be nice to just… be allowed to spoil the woman I love."
For a long moment, they sat, staring each other down. JJ didn't want to give in. She didn't want there to be any suspicion that she was a gold digger or that she was just after Emily for the perks. But she had a point. She hadn't known about any of this until right now. Her motives were unassailable, and…
"I do really love lobster," she said quietly. She looked like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and Emily let out a peal of laughter, the tension completely broken.
Gesturing for the waitress to come back, Emily ordered the lobster for JJ and the sole for herself. "Look… now that you know, it doesn't mean I'm going to start shoving my cash in your face all the time," she said delicately. "I know it makes you uncomfortable. Hell, it makes ME uncomfortable. It's just that once every now and again, I'm gonna wanna buy you something pretty, or something tasty, and maybe it'll cost a little more than you're used to… but I'm not doing it to make you feel inadequate. I'm doing it because I genuinely think you'll like whatever it is, and I love making you smile."
"I think I get it," JJ replied. "As long as you understand that, as much as I love lobster, I'm just as happy with a Big Mac. And as much as I love the few pieces of jewelry you've bought me, I'd be satisfied if you just sat down with Harry's crayons and drew me something by hand. I'm about the thought, not the price tag."
Emily smiled, and they gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment, before JJ's expression turned serious. "I don't ever want to know a dollar amount," she said firmly. "Please, spoil me if you must, but don't ever tell me exactly much you have squirreled away. I don't want to put a price on you. I don't want to risk mentally spending it. I don't… I don't want to ruin what we have by discovering some previously unknown mercenary tendencies in me."
Despite her snickers, Emily nodded. "Okay. It's a deal. Now, stop talking, and eat the damn lobster."
JJ thanked the waitress and took a forkful of the food, chewing for a moment before a loud moan escaped her. "Oh sweet Jesus, that's better than sex," she blurted, and then turned red.
Emily pretended to be offended by the comment, and JJ played along, leaning in for her next remark. "Well, it's better than all the sex I had before you, that is," she murmured, running her foot up Emily's calf for good measure.
"That was a good save, darling," Emily drawled, tucking in to her own meal.