“Well, they can’t all buy from the same source.Go find another source.Or, better yet, hire the best creative and…I don’t know…be fucking unique.”
“Obviously, that’s the goal.”
She’s exasperated but so am I.Her breath comes across the line like heavy static.“You could have told me your plan.”
“I didn’t believe we’d see eye to eye.”Actually, I know my sister.She would’ve done everything in her power to stop me.
“You chose to be righteous instead of loyal—and that’s not something I can forgive.”
“I knew you’d never forgive me—and I decided I could live with that.”
“You’re infuriating.”
I am.I know.
“If we were in the same room right now...”she lets it hang.
“You’d what?”
“I don’t know.Something that would get me in trouble with mom.”
Well, yes, that I can see.
“It’s so annoying.She always takes your side.Always.”
“She’s the reason you’ve been calling.”
“She wouldn’t let it rest.”
Interesting.Through all of this, she hasn’t said a word to me about reaching out to my father or sister.I suppose she did take my side, but then again, I’ve only spoken to her once, briefly to check in.My hours have been insane.“I suppose she loves me best.”
“You fucker,” Margot says, but there’s no anger, no bite.
Silence fills the line and Brie sinks into a chair.
“I heard your membership took a hit,” Margot says finally.“What are you going to do?”
“Work through it.”
“Is that really what you want to do with your life?”She means life as a club owner.
It’s probably not my life’s end goal but I’m not about to quit.Nor am I ready to share the finer details with Margot.
“I’ll let you know when I figure that out.”
“Don’t bother,” she says quietly.
She’s interrupted by someone in the background, and we bid adieu.
“That went well,” Brie says, rising from her seat.
She doesn’t move closer.Doesn’t step away either.Just watches me, waiting for what comes next.
We’ve been in this strange limbo between lovers and colleagues, between the crisis that brought us together and straddling the future.The intense, long hours left little time to sleep, much less talk.
“Want to take a walk?”I gesture toward the deck.“It’s brisk, but the beach is secluded, owners only.”
She nods, and twenty minutes later we’re strolling along the water’s edge, jeans rolled to our calves despite the cold front’s chill.The wind has an edge to it that promises winter, and the cold bite against our skin is invigorating.
