Chapter 22
LANDON
Hailey dropped a bomb at the next Friday dinner.
“You didn’t,” I exclaimed.
“Yeah, I did. Look, you’ve been stretching yourself thin these past three weeks.
I can even see some white hairs sprouting.
I spoke to my boss and told him I need to take one month off.
He went berserk, but I pulled on all my negotiation skills and convinced him to give me three weeks.
So Monday morning, I’m coming to the office with you. We can split tasks.”
I stared at her in bewilderment. “Okay, back up. How did you come to the conclusion that I need help?”
“Your partnership with Sullivan is rocky, and Val’s project requires 200 percent of your attention. Some might even say it would have been a great idea for her to hire someone to assist her.”
She slid her gaze to Val, who was suddenly very interested in her quinoa and avocado salad.
Since we wanted Val to rest, we took turns preparing Friday dinner.
This had been Will’s contribution. Had I been too careless these past Fridays?
Complained too much? I racked my brain but didn’t remember doing so.
“Hailey, I appreciate the thought, but this isn’t necessary. You have your own career to focus on.”
Hailey crossed her arms over her chest. “I have a lot of accrued time. It’s my right to go on vacation.
My boss is like all bosses—present company excluded, I hope”—she slid Val and me a cutting look—“and he doesn’t like his employees to actually take time off, but there’s nothing he can do about it. ”
A while ago Hailey confided in me that she was on track for a promotion, and I knew sharks in the consultancy world well. They wanted your sweat, blood, and full commitment. Taking this time off would work against her. But Hailey knew all this, so I needed another angle.
“You don’t know the business—”
“I’m a business consultant, Landon. I tackle unknown businesses for a living. I take everything on a project-by-project basis, and I have a good system for learning the nuts and bolts quickly. And I’ve worked with other companies in the industry.”
She held her chin up high as if daring me to question her expertise. Okay, so that had been a lousy angle. I was running out of ideas. I looked at Val for support.
“Val? You’re really going to let her do this?”
Hailey sighed. “I’m an adult, Landon. I don’t need permission from either of you to do what I please.”
My twin sister looked miserable. “I don’t want either of you putting your lives on hold for me.
But Landon, you do have your plate full.
I’m not making much of a dent in your workload with what I do from home.
My team isn’t used to working remotely with me.
I know I’m not good when it comes to delegating, and your deal needs more of your attention. ”
Negotiations had reached a new low this week.
Sullivan was reopening negotiations on every front, including unimportant details.
He was wasting both our time, and that bothered me, because I couldn’t see his endgame.
He’d seemed a straightforward person in the beginning.
I would have backed out of the deal, but I had no other way of delivering the results I’d promised to investors.
I hadn’t mentioned the latest troubles with the merger to my family, though.
How did they know? Had Adam called Val? I’d kill him.
I looked around the table for support. It took me all of three seconds to realize I would get none.
Lori, Jace, and Will were nodding appreciatively.
Milo was focusing on his second serving of salad.
I wished Maddie was here, even though I’d be outnumbered even with her vote of confidence.
“When I say I can take care of something, it’s because I can,” I said calmly.
“Jeez, you’re stubborn,” Lori said.
“We can out-stubborn him,” Will added.
Jace chuckled. “Let’s not get cocky. The stubborn streak runs deep in the Connor bloodline, but Landon takes stubbornness and determination to a whole new level. Need to tackle this somehow else. I’m thinking old-fashioned bargaining.”
“I can take care of this,” I repeated, but with less conviction. I remembered the conversation with Maddie from three weeks ago about not placating my siblings. I knew she was right, but knowing and doing were different things. I could start trying, though.
“You don’t have to take care of things on your own anymore, Landon. We’re grown up. And you’re our brother, not our parent,” Jace said. The table went quiet.
“I know that.”
He shook his head. “Sometimes you seem to forget, which I suppose is normal since you and Val…. Well, we all know what you did for us, and we’re very grateful.
But you don’t have to do everything on your own anymore,” Jace said with so much tact that it threw me off. Tact usually wasn’t a priority for him.
“She already asked for time off, Landon,” Lori said. “Just relax. It will all work out.”
“Okay, I… appreciate the help. But I wish you’d told me about this before making a decision.”
Hailey clapped her hands, then practically shoved a finger in my face. “No way in hell. The best way to negotiate with you is to ambush you. Worked when I was a kid, and it’s working now. Why change a running system?” She elbowed Lori playfully.
I laughed. Lori had invented the ambush technique when she couldn’t sway me to buy her a dalmatian.
She’d promised to take care of it all on her own, but I figured she didn’t know what that entailed.
One night when Val and I came home from the pub, she was waiting for us in the living room, a dalmatian in her arms. She’d held the puppy to her chest, looking at me with accusing eyes.
“I hope you will find it in your cold, black heart not to put him out on the street.”
Her words had sliced enough that I could remember them to this day.
Of course, I wasn’t going to put him out on the street. The dalmatian stayed, and the ambush technique was born: a strategy used with success by all my siblings—sometimes even Val.
“By the way,” Jace said, “where’s Maddie? I got used to having her around on Friday nights.”
“At the bar where her sister works. They’re having a big event and Maddie is helping.”
Will held up his beer to me before taking a swig. Hailey propped her elbows on the table, looking at my eyes intently.
“What?” I challenged.
“I think I see stars in your eyes,” she said.
“Oh boy, here we go,” Jace said. “Run while you can. I sense another ambush coming. I get that every time a fan looks too long at me.”
“That’s different. We’re just looking out for you,” Lori explained, helping herself to more salad. “What if they want to take advantage of your fame?”
“Maybe I don’t mind,” Jace said, and we all laughed.
I was proud of my brother. Playing soccer professionally required dedication and hard work.
He’d been in love with the game since he was a little boy, watching Val and me play.
Our school’s soccer coach had declared Val and me to be natural talents, but when Jace went for tryouts, he didn’t even make it on the team.
Coach told him he’d better focus his efforts somewhere else.
Instead, my brother asked me to practice with him.
He was relentless in his determination. The next year, he made the team, and now he’s one of the best players in the country.
Val shifted her leg on the ottoman, then swayed widely in her chair from left to right, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
“My butt hurts from so much sitting,” she explained when we all paused to watch.
“As soon as your ribs are better, you should move around more,” Jace instructed.
“The muscles in that leg will atrophy anyway, but it’s important to keep the rest of the body strong.
That’s the advice our club’s doctor gives us when we have an injury.
I’m going to keep pestering him to make time to check you. He’s the best.”
“Oh, more doctors. I’m looking forward to it,” Val said dryly. Then she perked up. “Is he hot?”
Jace looked murderous. “He’s not good for you. He’s a manwhore and—”
Val burst out laughing. “I was just messing with you. Jeez, relax.” He opened his mouth, but Val held up a hand. “I believe we were talking about Landon’s love life before we got derailed.” She winked at me. “Is it my imagination, or are you spending a lot of time together?”
I couldn’t tell if she honestly hadn’t noticed I’d only slept a few nights here in three weeks, or if she was trying to take the attention off her by shifting it on me.
“Not your imagination,” I answered. Val beamed with so much honesty that I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Later, I shot Adam a message as we cleared the table.
Landon: Did you talk to Val recently?
Adam: No, man, but Hailey called last week.
Landon: What exactly did you tell her?
Adam: Hell if I know. She started asking me about my dog, and by the end of the conversation I think I even told her what color Sullivan’s logo had. You know how she can get. She’s got that talent for talking until the cows come home, like all business consultants have.
Of course.
After dinner, I was tempted to call Maddie. We hadn’t made plans for tonight because she and Grace would be at the Lucky Bar until closing time, but I missed her. Was she having fun? Was she thinking about me as often as I thought about her? I needed to see her.
For years, I hadn’t wanted to need another being, because losing them crippled you.
But when it came to Maddie, I couldn’t help myself.
My days here were numbered, and I didn’t want to let one pass without seeing her.
I was of half a mind to show up at The Lucky Bar unannounced, but decided to text her first.
Landon: Everything all right? Having fun with Grace?
Her answer came moments later.
Maddie: Inofun. Cowded
Had she typed without watching the screen? I went out on the front porch and called her.