"Here let me just—" Santana said trying to fix Charlie's collar, only for Charlie to swat her hand gently. "It's crooked, and this is your first job interview." She seemed to care about this more than Charlie did. It was a decent job offer too, with excellent health benefits, and a decent salary and more importantly Charlie wouldn't be in some war-torn country. She'd come home to her every night at a relatively stress-free job.
"It's a job that my father arranged for me Santana as a lobbyist of all things." Charlie said patiently, Santana had made it clear that she should take the job.
"It's not a weapons manufacturer, it's not big tobacco, or alcohol, or something you don't believe in. Your father found you the perfect lobbying position, and you get to help other vets suffering from PTSD, and people who don't want to be beholden to big pharma. It's literally the most liberal job that your father could have gotten for you, and you really should call him to thank him." When Charlie makes a face at this, Santana sighs and kisses her gently. "You should."
"I know, but I feel like money is merely a corrupting influence on our politics—"
"You turned down being a contributor on the news," Santana reminded her.
"No, you turned it down because of the network. Something about how you don't want me to be the reason that old people are ill-informed and dumb, because they buy into all the propaganda that this network spews." Charlie sighed and looked at Santana carefully. "It's a good thing I really didn't want the job," she adds quickly.
"Just be yourself and remember everything we went over last night?"
Charlie grinned immediately, "Sure—ow Santana." She rubbed the arm that Santana had punched and gave her an amused look.
"Not the sex, before the sex," Santana said with a shake of her head. Three months of being at home full-time and she had realized that Charlie needed something to do or she was going to be bored. And a bored Charlie wasn't good for her sanity, or getting any work done. Though she had never been as sexually satisfied as she had been lately. "If it goes well, how about you stop by the office afterwards and we can go for lunch somewhere?"
"You just want to show me off in this suit," Charlie says with a sigh, she blinks when Santana doesn't deny it. "Alright, but nowhere that takes a long time, I have therapy, and then I'm going to see my mother. Apparently saying that I'm having sex with you isn't actually a reason to keep blowing her off."
Santana frowned and swatted Charlie's arm again, "Please tell me you haven't actually been saying that to your mother?"
"Alright, I won't tell you that's what I've been telling my mother." Charlie smiled at Santana who scowled at her. "She's happy that we're still together, and I may or may not have informed her that I was making it up to you by being your concubine and house bitch. Which she may or may not have taken to mean that you've turned me into a sex slave—"
"Please stop talking," Santana said closing her eyes and counting to ten. She really didn't know if Charlie was just joking or not, but she liked Judy on most days. Judy was kind and a bit conservative; she didn't want Judy of all people to think that she was corrupting her youngest child.
"But—" Charlie flashed Santana a half smile when she glared at her. "She bought me one of those magazines, that has all the sex tips on it. I think she's trying to be hip again, even if it makes her uncomfortable."
"I was certain I said to stop talking," Santana sighed before kissing her once more. She takes a step back and studies Charlie for a moment, it was a job interview and she had made sure that Charlie had dressed the part. Charlie was finally getting her life on track, and sure she wasn't the happiest that it was a lobbying gig, but she was happy that Charlie would have something to do, and that this would lead to other things.
"So, be myself?"
"Without the jokes, you're not funny." Santana reminded her. "Be honest, be open, tell them why you believe in their product and lobbying for the government. Show that you're interested in more than just the free samples."
Charlie nodded, "I'll be fine Santana, and when I get my first paycheck, I'll buy you dinner, and take you somewhere nice."
Santana rolled her eyes; Charlie didn't need to do that. She was honestly at the point in her life where staying in and watching a movie with Charlie was a good time. But Charlie had been locked away for months on end, and she was still catching up on all the movies she had missed and all the books that she couldn't read. But there had been a flurry of going to new places and trying to cram nearly two years into a few months.
~ O ~
"I just haven't found the right ring yet. I want it to be perfect, and I want to make sure that I have a stable job, before I ask her to marry me." It sounded reasonable in her mind that waiting until the perfect moment and time was the right thing to do. She knew Santana enough to know that she didn't want a public proposal. It would need to be intimate but still romantic.
"Well, you will have all that soon. I'm just saying that getting a venue is equally as important. Do you want it at a church or at a hotel—"
"I feel as if I say that if she says yes, going to find the nearest courthouse, and locking that down before she changes her mind would be the wrong answer?" Charlie asked dryly taking a sip of her water. The look her mother gave her was enough to let her know she would be disowned if she actually went through with such an idea. "Mom, Santana's been planning her dream wedding for years now. I am not going to do anything silly like try and start planning it. But the moment she says yes, I will give let you know so you can start planning the wedding."
Judy sighed; she had feeling it was the best that she could get given how uninterested Charlie was in big parties. But she takes a sip of her tea anyway, her youngest looked healthy, and that was all that mattered to her. She even seemed to be rather calm. "How did the interview go."
"They laughed at a joke I told, so I can't imagine it went well. I think they were being polite," Charlie admits with a wave of her hand. "But I mean it could have gone well, and that means I'll finally be moved up to partner, instead of house bitch and concubine. A promotion of sorts."
Judy coughed slightly and gave her daughter an unamused look, "Speaking of your father—"
"We were literally not talking about him at all."
"You need to make peace with him, he's been very interested in your recovery, and he does love you. I think it will be less stress for him to see you working and doing well. Just try not to needle him."
"Needle him?" Charlie repeats.
"Yes, I told him the same thing. You both enjoy getting under each other's skin. But your father does want the best for you Charlie. And now that you're doing well, it's probably time to bury the hatchet." When Charlie doesn't look like she's going to simply agree and do as she says. Judy switches to the one emotion that she knew would work on Charlie. "His heart, is not what it used to be. He's already had a bypass while you were at Green Oaks, he didn't want you kids to know, but I think it's important to him that he walks you down the aisle. He's already given up on seeing Frannie married, but it's something he wants to do. Why do you think I've been pushing for this wedding to be sooner rather than later?"
Charlie frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly, before sighing. Her mother was laying it on thick with the emotional blackmail. "Fine."
"Fine?"
"I'll see him, maybe this weekend. But I have to give Santana the heads up that I'll be seeing him," she really needed to notify Santana of any of the major stressors in her life. Dealing with her father was a big one. But she was okay and she knew Santana would hover until she was sure that she was okay. But if her old man really was about to kick the bucket the sooner, she did this the better.
"If you think that's for the best dear," Judy smiled into her cup of tea as her daughter rolled her eyes.
