Sara:You're feared. Don't worry.
Alex:Feared, sometimes. Admired, rarely.
Sara:You're being too hard on yourself.
Alex:And you're being too hard on Stremmel. I say the same thing to Riley all the time. He lets Stremmel push his buttons and that's what's happening here.
Sara:I'm not sure if it's exactly the same…
Alex:Have you ever stopped to examine which buttons he's pushing on you?
Sara:I am very familiar with that button. I know it well.
Alex:Then maybe don't let him keep pressing it.
Sara:Yeah…I'll think about that.
Alex:Please do.
Sara:There are lots of nerve endings involved with that particular button. It's a sensitive one.
Alex:Believe me, I understand, but you can't let it run your life.
Sara:Yeah. I'll think about that.
Chapter16
Sebastian
"Well,if this isn't the murderers row," O'Rourke called as he approached the picnic table in the park where we'd congregated for lunch. "If I have Emmerling, Acevedo, Hartshorn, and Stremmel all in one spot, is anyone cutting right now?"
Hartshorn leaned into my side, asking, "Is he going to be a pain in the ass?"
I lifted a shoulder. It was bitterly cold, not that anyone else noticed, and I was in a wretched mood. The last thing I had time for was decoding my fellow's mercurial behavior. "He was incredible yesterday. This morning too. Who knows what we'll get now."
"Neither of you are required to be assholes. You do it for free," Alex said under her breath.
"Blame me," Acevedo murmured. "I invited him." Ever the includer, Acevedo waved O'Rourke over. "I have a grilled cheese with your name on it."
"Thanks, man."
O'Rourke dropped onto the bench beside Emmerling, who sent him a measured glance. He didn't notice. "Grilled cheese?" she asked. "Really."
"It's one of the things I picked up from Minnesota," he replied. "A deep and abiding love for cheese."
"You got that…from Minnesota," she said.
O'Rourke unwrapped his sandwich, saying, "It's very close to Wisconsin and all their cheese. And it's not like good dairy farming stops at the state lines. Nah, that shit permeates."
Hartshorn bobbed his head. "I can see how that would be the case."
I leveled a stare at my fellow. "Please tell me you've cleared all your pages and consults."
"No one needs me, no one wants me," he replied around a mouthful of bread and cheese.
Nick passed a hand over his face to hide a grin. "That is one way to put it."
"Are we talking about Stremmel's problems?" O'Rourke asked. He pulled a small spiral-bound notebook from his pocket and thumbed through the pages. "Because I have thoughts I'd like to contribute."
