9. Both Shared
BOTH SHARED
On Sunday morning, Paris rolled over and grabbed her pillow, jamming it over her head to keep out the knocking.
What the hell was going on?
She’d never heard noise this early in the morning. No one came to their door either.
She didn’t want to get up and get it, but then she heard voices and realized that London must have stayed here last night.
She didn’t know. Didn’t even check.
She had stumbled in close to one in the morning after a long flight that had too many problems and she was just happy to touch ground in New York.
Traveling never bothered her before. She’d done it a lot in her life. Not even her career, but family vacations.
But last night her nerves couldn’t handle it.
Between all the crap going on at work. The appearance of Rick. The phone calls with Debra that staff were restless. The remaining staff.
The cameras in the office, the construction that should start next weekend.
Even her new habit of looking over her shoulder everywhere she went when she’d never done that before.
Yeah, the delayed flight again and again last night was the last straw.
Until she heard London and Spencer talking, then move past her door further into the apartment.
Nope. That was the last straw.
She needed some freaking sleep!
But when the words were getting muffled, she threw the covers back and inched toward the door, her ear pressed against it.
They weren’t exactly fighting, but it sounded like maybe they were making up?
Ugh. She hated missing out on things and couldn’t go to that event last night, sending her sister alone. Well not alone, Spencer was with her. And she was pretty sure West was going to show up.
Awwww, they just said they loved each other. She heard that.
Her sister was in love! That made up for the early morning wake-up call.
She wasn’t even jealous over that.
She opened the door and stood there, then clapped her hands. “Thank God,” she said. “If I’m going to get woken up this early after a long flight, at least it’s a make-up scene. Just go back to Spencer’s if you’re taking it into the bedroom.”
“You heard her,” London said. “Let’s go back to your place.”
“So I can shower and change,” Spencer said. “Then we’ll come back and I can take you both to lunch. Maybe I need to let your sister know I’m not going to send London back here wound up again so that you have to keep up with our problems either.”
“I’d appreciate that,” she said. “Not that I won’t be here for my sister.”
Paris turned and returned to her room, shutting the door, then crawling back under the covers.
It felt as if she’d just fallen asleep when there was a light knock at her door, “Paris. Are you up?”
“I am now,” she mumbled.
The door opened. “Sorry. I wanted to talk to you.”
“I thought you went back to Spencer’s,” she said, sitting up and reaching for her phone. It was eleven now. She must have slept harder than she thought. And longer.
She never slept this late!
“I did, then I walked back to change and get you. We’ll meet him out. I just wanted to talk to you first. I didn’t expect you to still be sleeping. That’s unlike you. Are you okay?”
“You never get this serious. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You’ve been quiet and though we know I’m the loud one between us, it’s never to the point I’m asking why you haven’t said much.”
If there was one person she could open up with, it was the one sitting on her bed.
“Just a lot on my mind.”
“That shit with Rick coming over? Is that still bothering you?”
“I didn’t think it would. Or I hadn’t thought so, but West is making such a big deal about it that now I can’t get it out of my mind.”
“Tell me. Maybe I can talk you off the ledge for once.”
She laughed. “I’m hardly on the ledge.”
“For you. Not for me,” London joked. “Talk to me.”
“Only if you tell me what is going on with you and Spencer.”
Her twin smiled. “You heard it. We love each other.”
“Yeah, but something else happened. Or can’t I know?”
“I’ll share if you do.”
She let out a breath. “Nothing much. Just that I feel more nervous than I’ve felt before and I don’t like it. I didn’t like how any of this went down with our client but didn’t think it’d turn into this.”
“More security isn’t a bad thing,” London argued.
“I know. Even the plans aren’t horrible. I can make it look nicer and not clinical like a doctor’s office.”
“Think of Molly. She was scared and she feels much safer now.”
“I know. I told myself that. That even I feel safer. Or will. And I never really felt unsafe.”
“We haven’t even told Mom,” London said. “We’ll get this all in place before we do.”
She groaned. “I’d like to avoid that conversation.”
“You can’t avoid everything. It’s going to come out so it’s best hearing it from us. That those safeguards are in place.”
“True. Anyway, it’s really not much more. Debra called me once this week and then emailed me twice. Staff that are remaining are restless. They are worried they are next.”
“They will be at some point.”
“Don’t remind me. We don’t know for sure.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” London said. “By the sounds of it, it might not even be twelve months before they do it.”
“I thought the same. But that isn’t our concern. It shouldn’t be.”
“What did you tell Debra?”
“I encouraged her to hang in there. Sent her some links on how to talk to staff during a time like this, but ultimately, there isn’t much I can do. We met our obligation. Michael was pissed when I called him. You heard that.”
“Yep. I did. Asshole. He did this and you are getting blamed.”
“Debra hinted maybe something is happening there too. I didn’t ask for specifics. The less I know the better.”
“I agree. So that’s it? Nothing more?”
“Nothing more than my imagination running away from me.”
“Oh, I’ve been there.” London reached for her hand.
“I don’t like the feeling and I know it will pass. Loud noises are making me jump when they didn’t use to. I’m looking over my shoulder and around more than I did when we first moved here.”
“It was already a change for us and now you don’t feel as... strong?” London asked.
“I’m not sure it’s that as much as it’s just fresh in my mind.
So my nerves were already stretched thin enough they were almost translucent, then my flight got delayed a few times and I got home four hours later than scheduled.
And you know what it’s like when you’re stuck on the tarmac with angry passengers. ”
Which never bothered her in the past, but last night, it was just one more hot poker on an exposed nerve.
“That is a rough one. But you’re home now and your big sis is right here next to you.”
“Going to push all those bad guys aside for me, huh?”
London flexed her arms. “You know it.”
She laughed. She needed it. “Tell me what is going on with you and Spencer. I shared, it’s your turn.”
“Last night, Spencer’s old boss was there. The guy was a dick and said a few things. You know Spencer, he never gets ruffled and let the guy run his mouth.”
“And you of course, couldn’t keep your lips sealed?”
“Nope. I defended him, then he pulled me away. Said I was only making it worse. That he didn’t need anyone to stand up for him. It’s what Ryker wanted. A reaction and I gave it to him.”
“He’s probably not wrong.”
“Whose side are you on anyway?”
“Not always yours,” she said, laughing. “Or not when you do things like that, but since you made up, it’s good.”
“Yeah. I apologized, but I’m not apologizing for defending the man I love. I might have insulted him for not standing up for himself. I came home alone. I didn’t sleep much last night. I even heard you come in.”
“Why didn’t you come out and get me?”
“Because you would have seen that I was crying.”
Her eyes grew wide and she pulled her sister in for a hug. “You never cry.”
“I know. I was going to go to his place this morning, but he beat me here.”
“And now you’ve made up and love each other. I’m so happy for you both.”
“I’m happy for me too,” London said. “So get your butt up, shower, and brush your teeth while you’re at it.”
She threw her pillow at her sister. “Go. Let me get ready.”
London had dodged the pillow and backed up out of the room. “We are meeting Spencer at noon.”
“That barely gives me thirty minutes now.”
“Well, you wanted to talk.”
“No,” she argued, getting out of bed. “You came in here to talk.”
“And we both shared and got stuff off our chests.”
“If you keep talking to me now, I’ll be late,” she said, moving to her bathroom and shutting the door.
It was the only way she was going to get away from her sister at this point.
But damn if she didn’t feel at least a little better.