The rest of the meeting did not go much better. My half brother Greg called in, and he and Hunter went at it. Greg was an arrogant, type-A investor who never met a dollar he didn’t want to exploit. Hunter was, of course, an asshole. It served him well as a high-powered lawyer, but when it came to interpersonal relationships, his personality could go off like a nuclear bomb; see Exhibit A, Meghan Loring. Put Greg and Hunter together, and the fallout was legendary.
At the end of the hour-long screaming session, the only thing we had all decided on was that the event that Remy had already only semiplanned, the maker fair at Archer’s convention center, was still happening. People from around the greater Harrogate area could show off crafts and food or tell people about their services. Entry was free, which Greg was still unhappy about.
“That was a waste of time,” Garrett complained after the meeting was over. “That maker fair is going to be a disaster.”
“Don’t be so grumpy,” Remy said to Garrett. He tucked his plaid shirt into his jeans. I smirked. I knew it annoyed Garrett that Remy refused to dress in business attire. “There are going to be a lot of food stands. You could come get something yummy to eat and turn that frown upside down!”
I left before Garrett could go off again. Sadie was back in the office when I returned. I ignored her. I hoped she would just quit. I didn’t have the patience to deal with her. I skipped lunch and worked on reviewing new pharmaceuticals the rest of the afternoon.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Sadie offered, poking her head into my office. “I can go grab you something.”
“No, thank you.”
“Your blood sugar’s low. A snack might make you not so angry.”
“I’m fine.”
“I have biscuits, or I can get you some seaweed—”
“I’m fine,” I practically shouted.
Sadie jumped and scurried back into her office.
I felt marginally bad. I had been tense lately due to my brothers, but Sadie had pushed me and left me teetering on the edge of the cliff. Part of it was that I was used to being alone. Yet there she was in the corner of my vision.
A message from Kaitlyn popped up in the PharmaTech internal chat app.
Kaitlyn:Drinks tonight?
Parker:I am very busy. Perhaps this isn’t the best time.
I waited a beat. She didn’t respond.
Kaitlyn:Maybe in a few weeks.
That was easy enough. If only I could get rid of Sadie that quickly. She was still working that evening when I packed up to go home.
“I was thinking,” she said when I opened the door between our offices. “I could help you on the Rural Trust. I was reading through the packet today, and it sounds like a cool organization. I was involved in the Junior League in college with my granny before she passed. I helped them organize all sorts of events. We could have roundtables with the local farmers and a big annual gala for fundraising! Everyone loves a big fancy ball! Since you’re building that maker space with Weston and Blade’s company, I was thinking it would be nice to have a kids’ component. Activities for children are popular, and it would keep local teens out of trouble. It would also be a pipeline into high-paying jobs at your and your brothers’ companies. We did something similar with—”
“After you ruined my printer and spilled water all over me, I don’t think we need your help,” I told her firmly.
“Oh.”
“I’ll have some white papers finished tomorrow for you to proofread. You’re free to go,” I said then turned and left. I couldn’t stand around listing to Sadie. It was my night to cook.
Josie, Mace’s girlfriend, used to cook every day for us until Garrett shut that down, saying she had better things to do than cook for everyone. Now we rotated. Tonight was my night. I was a chemist, and you would think that meant I was a good cook, but you would be wrong. In addition, Hunter had implemented a “no takeout except for emergencies” rule, so I had to cook something from scratch.
“I’m starving!” Billy complained when I walked into the house.
“And I am still dealing with the fallout of your bad decisions,” I scolded him.
“But I apologized,” he whined.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I told him. I went into the kitchen and started directing my little brothers to help me chop vegetables. I was still perturbed about the whole Sadie situation, and I was even less on my kitchen game than I normally was. I half burnt the chicken and vegetables, but they were still edible, I decided as I pulled them out of the oven. Billy and Ellis carted everything into the dining room to set it out on the long buffet.
“You should get a girlfriend so she can come cook,” Oscar told me as I dished up the plain baked chicken for him. “That’s why Archer is never here, because Hazel cooks for him.”
“You can get your own girlfriend,” I told him.
