"No," Meg said. "You have to fight."
"I'm not like you," I sniffed.
"What happened to all your boss babe quotes, hmm?" Meg retorted. "I have one of your inspirational paintings in my office. When I'm feeling down, it gives me a pep talk."
"There is no force more powerful than a woman wearing heels, determined to rise!" Minnie quoted.
"You need to go have the last word. He can't treat you like this," Rose insisted.
"You know what? You're right! Bring the donuts," I told Rose. "We're going to the Svensson estate."
66
Archer
"So that's it," I said when I told my brothers what had happened. We were sitting in the kitchen. Mike brought liquor, and we locked the kids out. Greg had driven to Harrogate and was now sitting across from me.
"You acted very uncharacteristic over the phone," he had explained. "I thought you were going to do something rash."
"I don't understand," I said, staring at my drink. "I'm good with women, likevery good. How did I screw this up?"
"Howdidyou screw this up?" Mace asked.
"Maybe we should ask our resident expert at screwing over women," Garrett said tersely.
Hunter ignored him and continued eating his sandwich. He did not seem as concerned about the situation as I was.
"You made your bed," he said around the sandwich. "Now you have to bear the consequences."
"You're eating Hazel's sandwich!" I yelled at him. "You think you're going to eat another one of those? No. You're bearing the consequences, too, so maybe try to be a little more helpful and brotherly."
He looked down at the sandwich. "Fuck."
"Now you know how I feel!" Garrett yelled at him. "Your idiocy has cost me business calls and several tickets. Enjoy that sandwich because that is the last one you'll ever eat."
Hunter glared at me. "I can't believe you would inconvenience me like this, Archer," he said, his voice full of reproach.
I gestured at him with my drink. "You? What about me? I just lost the love of my life. And apparently she was just using me to buy real estate."
The doorbell rang. There was a mad dash of yelling and pounding feet as all the kids ran to be the first to open the front door. We could hear them chattering through the walls.
"I thought you were going to break them of that habit," Greg said.
"There are other people in this house who could do something. I don't know why you all expect me—"
The kitchen doors swung open. They revealed Hazel wearing a black apron covered in flakes of sugary glaze, holding a box of donuts, and sporting lemon custard filling and chocolate sauce on her cheek.
"You," she spat, gesturing with the half-eaten donut in her hand, "Are a piece of shit. You don't get to use me for your stupid little backhanded dealings."
"Holy smokes," Mace said, looking concerned. "I think she's here to kill you, Archer."
"I'm not here to kill him. However, I am here to tell you that from this day forward, I will be making your life aliving hell. In no universe are you allowed to use me to secure your convention center and then try and dump me by feeding me some bullshit excuse about how it was my fault. You are a sociopathic billionaire playboy, and I hope you and McKenna are miserable together!" She stuffed the entire rest of the donut in her mouth and chewed, looking like an angry chipmunk.
I looked blankly at her. "First of all, we've been over this. I'm not getting back with McKenna. I don't care what she's offering. I don't want it."
Hazel looked stunned. I set my glass down and stood up to take the donut box out of her hand before she dropped it.
"I didn't use you. I love you, Hazel."
