Chapter 6
ASSESSING THE SITUATION
“Slow your roll and take a deep breath before you pass out.”
London turned to her sister when those words came out two days later after work.
She was in the kitchen putting together dinner. Her turn to cook.
Maybe she was slamming things around more than she should have been.
“I’ve never passed out a day in my life. Why would you even suggest that?”
“How about cut yourself then,” Paris said. “Those knives are moving too fast for my peace of mind.”
Her hands stopped chopping rapidly at the peppers. They were smaller than she wanted now that she bothered to look.
“Sorry.” She turned and opened the oven to check the salmon on the plank—five more minutes—then returned to assembling their salads. A nice, quick light dinner.
“What dressing do you want on the salad?”
“I like that dill one. I’m putting my fish on the salad and drizzling it over the whole thing,” she said, glancing up quickly.
“That actually sounds good. I’ll do it too.”
Paris opened the fridge and got the bottle out, then moved plates closer and put their salads together from all the cut pieces lying on the counter.
“It’s my night to cook.”
“I’m only helping. Want to tell me what is going on?”
There was no keeping secrets from her sister and she didn’t know why she was even trying. It was the one person in the world she could be herself around on top of it.
“I don’t know why you can’t go with me to Maine next week. Or why our first job has to be there.”
Paris burst out laughing. “That’s your problem? You’ve traveled alone for years. The same as me.”
“I’m not going to be alone,” she snapped.
“Who’s going with you?”
“Spencer Jensen. I got the email two hours ago. That the office is making the flight and reservation at the hotel.”
“You knew this was going to happen,” Paris said, then reached for a pile of veggies to load their plates.
London turned and pulled the salmon out of the oven and set it on the cutting board.
“I did. I didn’t think it’d be this soon and with just the two of us.”
The smile on her sister’s face wasn’t hiding anything. “You’re being a baby. I thought you liked him.”
“From one visit? Sure. I guess. But he makes me feel... I don’t know. Like he’s just waiting and watching for me to come unhinged.”
“You mean like right now?”
She snarled and picked the spatula up to place her fish on her salad, then moved the rest to her sister.
The bottle of dressing was in her hand, she shook it more than she should have because when she took the top off it oozed out and she rushed to put it over her salad and not have it land on the floor.
“Fine. I’m worked up. I was so excited to get started and didn’t think it’d be in a small town with a bunch of fishermen who were most likely going to have their eyeballs pop out of their heads when I walk in the door and not take me seriously.”
“That’s on you to think that. I don’t think it will happen. Nor do I think Spencer will let it happen.”
“Which is why he’s probably being sent to go with me. You know how it is. It’s like we can’t be trusted.”
“Wow. Someone needs to get a grip,” Paris said.
She stabbed her fork into her salad. “I’m being a baby. You’re right.”
“Tell me what’s really going on,” Paris said. “I get it. We both get frustrated with exactly what you’re saying, but you’re taking it to the next level. It’s not like we haven’t had men look or treat us as if we’re beneath them before.”
London chewed the food she’d shoved in her mouth and turned to stare at her sister. It was like looking in a mirror. Kind of.
They had the same color hair, same eyes, but she had a smaller nose when you looked from the side, her cheeks were a little sharper, which kind of went with her personality. And their hairstyle when down differed slightly.
Hers was longer, had more layers and had a wave to it because of those layers.
When their hair was up in a ponytail like now, you wouldn’t really know the difference.
“I don’t think Spencer likes me.”
Paris laughed. “From one meeting you got that?”
“It’s the way he looked at me.”
“I noticed nothing other than him assessing the situation. I thought he was nice. I told you he was handsome. Oh.” Paris put her hand in front of her face. “That’s it. You think so too.”
“No comment.”
“Don’t need to give me one. I know the truth. So what? He’s not the first guy we’ve worked with that is hot.”
“True.”
“Then what is the big deal?”
“He rubs me the wrong way.”
“From one meeting,” Paris repeated.
“And two emails.”
Paris grinned around a mouthful. “Fine. What did the emails say? I’m positive they were perfectly professional and polite.”
“That. Exactly that. You know I hate that. I don’t think he has much of a personality at all. And I’m going to be stuck with him in a small town with nothing to do.”
“You’re there to work, not entertain each other. Let me see these emails that you’re so worked up over.”
She pulled her phone closer to her that was on the counter, unlocked it, found the emails and shoved her phone over to her sister.
Paris picked it up, read the two brief messages and burst out laughing. “There isn’t anything there to wind you up.”
“That’s right. It’s factual. I talked to Nelson. He said Spencer is a by-the-book type of attorney.”
“So that has you worked up. You like to rip pages out of books.”
“He’s more like you,” she argued.
“Then we’ll get along famously.”
“We have to,” she smirked.
“You know what I mean. You’ll be fine. You’re a big girl.” Her phone rang in her sister’s hand. “It’s Mom.”
“Answer it.”
Paris slid the button across. “Hi, Mom.”
“Why are you answering your sister’s phone?”
They’d never been able to pull one over on their mother. “She’s right next to me pouting. I was reading an email she got from our attorney.”
Paris put it on speaker, but she could hear her mother’s loud voice.
“Did you get in trouble already, London?”
“No,” she said, drawing it out. “He’s uptight like Paris. And now I’ve got to go to some small town in Maine next week with him for a few days.”
“So you rubbed him the wrong way like you do most people,” her mother said. “You’ll smooth it over like you normally do once you get your feet under you. I’m sure it’s just nerves.”
“That’s what I said,” Paris said. “This is big. She’s not the only one feeling the pressure and stress.”
“And we don’t have an assistant so we are doing things that they could do,” she said.
“Molly is starting in a few weeks,” Paris said. “If we didn’t waste our time with Beau we could have had Molly start a week earlier.”
“Paris is trying to say I told you so,” she said, crunching loudly on her salad.
“That’s for you two to work out. Your father and I knew you might get on each other’s nerves working and living together.”
“It’s easier this way,” she said.
“And cheaper,” Paris said. “We’ve got a lot of money on the line and don’t know how the business is going to go.”
They were getting good salaries. They had money coming in from their contracts with West’s businesses, plus the business loan they’d gotten after their father and West put money in also.
It was not as if they needed a ton of start-up costs, but they needed things to get started and hold them over while they built their business.
Money for salaries so they weren’t draining their savings.
She was terrified they were putting it all on the line when they had it so easy where they were.
Why did she let Paris talk her into this?!
“We’re going to be fine. I’ve got a few clients I sent information to this week.”
“Me too.”
“And we’ve got a lot of work with West alone.
London is traveling next week. I’m going over the information on Penelope Plush next week.
With Laken out and Lily trying to cut back with being pregnant, and Abby not doing as much, some of Laken’s work is coming to me.
They are having office issues there. Nelson and I will work on that. ”
“You’ve got it easy,” London said. “You’ll be local.”
“But it’s a bigger issue and you know it. Stop complaining.”
She grinned like she always did when her sister got snarky with her.
“Sounds like nothing has changed with you two other than being close to a thousand miles away,” her mother said.
“You wouldn’t want us any different. Is Dad there?” she asked.
“He’s on a call in his office. He thought he’d be off by now. Do you need to talk to him?”
“He’s just going to lecture you, London,” Paris said. “But maybe you need it from another attorney.”
“You keep bringing this person up. What’s their name and what’s the issue?”
“His name is Spencer and London thinks he’s hot.”
Her jaw hit the floor. “You said he was handsome first.”
Her mother was laughing. “You made it sound like you didn’t like him, London.”
“He’s a treat on the eyes, but his personality is as dry as burnt toast.”
“You’ve got enough personality for everyone,” her mother said.
“London is annoyed because she’s going to get bored. Or that is her worry and Spencer won’t entertain her like I do.”
“Then you entertain him, London,” her mother said.
“No, thank you. He can sit in his room and watch TV by himself. I’ll be eating lobster rolls at the bar with a glass of wine.”
Her mother sighed. “I don’t like you traveling alone as it is, but then to be going to a bar alone. Don’t make me lecture you.”
“I’m just kidding, Mom.”
She really wasn’t, but she’d take the drink to her room. She wasn’t stupid and didn’t enjoy sitting in a bar alone. Least of all in a small place like that. Sometimes the locals were worse than being in a big city where you could blend in.
“You better be. I’ll have your father call when he hangs up.”
“No need,” she said. Because she didn’t want another lecture. The ones from her sister and mother were enough. “I’ll catch up with him later. Are you guys doing anything for the Fourth of July holiday?”
“We are going to fly to Atlanta and see Phoenix. It’s too hard for Crystal to travel between Elsie and Camden and being pregnant.”
“How is she feeling? I texted her last week,” Paris asked about her sister-in-law.
“She’s feeling great. It’s early still. She’s got six more months, but it’d be nice to stay with them. We are leaving first thing in the morning and will be back on Monday. What about you two?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I’ve got to leave Monday morning, first thing. It takes longer to drive from the airport in Maine to the village than it does to fly there from JFK.”
“Oh boy, she’s going to start whining soon,” her mother said. “I’m out of here. Good luck, Paris.”
“Thanks,” her sister said, her lips curled. “Remember, you birthed her. You owe me for putting up with her.”
Her mother laughed like she always did and hung up.
“Are you really that out of sorts over this trip?” Paris asked.
“It’s nerves more than anything. I don’t want to mess this up and I’m positive Spencer will report everything back to West.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Paris said. “That’s you being paranoid. He’s new too. Why can’t you both just be navigating it together? He’s going to be working with us for a long time, so you better find a way to relax and get along.”
She blew a breath out. “You’re right. It will be fine.”
With enough wine and chocolate. If she could even find that in the damn town they were going to.