Any Way You Spin It: An Upper Crust Novel (The Upper Crust Series Book 7)

by Monique McDonell

  She took a step toward him and ran her hand up and down his arm.

  “Cheryl.” He gave his head a shake. “No, I don’t think we’d be great together again. I’m pretty sure we weren’t even that great the last time around. This is better. We can be friends, and you can work for me for a while . . . it’s what’s best.”

  “For you maybe.” And there was the pout right on cue.

  “It will be better for you in the long run. You’ll see. Okay, so let’s get this show on the road. Cara will be waiting for you, and she’s on the lunch shift at work.”

  Mitch was certain Cheryl had more to say, but he grabbed the biggest bag by the handle and made for the door quick-smart before she had a chance to say anything.

  When he arrived back hot and sweaty not too long before lunch, Harper was sitting at his kitchen counter working on her laptop. He peered over her shoulder, and it was clear she was doing some client work not just internet shopping.

  “I thought you were on vacation.”

  “Nah, I’m working remotely.” She looked up at him and grinned. “I see your houseguest is gone.”

  “Yep, all gone. So now you can move back down here and give Minnie some space.”

  “You’re just jealous I got to have a slumber party with her and you didn’t.” Her smile was devilish.

  She wasn’t wrong. “Maybe. Do you like her?”

  “I do. She seems like a good person, but you know, she’s got some challenges. You need to tread carefully there, Mitch.”

  “You’re warning me off?” He couldn’t believe it, his own sister.

  “Of course not. I’m just saying she’s not long out of rehab, she’s just relocated, and she has kids that need her.”

  “All things I know.”

  “So just don’t forget them when she tells you to take it slow, that’s all I’m saying. I love you, you know, like a brother.” She slapped her thigh as if she’d said something hysterical. Mitch was not laughing. “I want you to be happy, but I can see in your eyes when you look at her that you want everything, and all I’m saying is she might want to but she can’t give you everything right now.”

  As much as he hated to admit it, Harper was right. “Okay. Good point. So, I’m going to go and ask her to lunch. Do you want to join us?”

  “No, you kids run along and have fun. I need to meet a deadline anyway.”

  “Okay, later you and I need to talk about why you’re here.”

  “Isn’t it possible I just missed my brother?”

  He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “It is possible, I am extremely missable, but even I am not that gullible.”

  Chapter 20

  Minnie was behind the reception desk of the Inn when Mitch walked in. He wore a crisp white shirt, black pants, and a panty-melting smile. Good grief, Minnie hoped she wasn’t drooling. She’d missed him. It was stupid and crazy because she wasn’t a goofy teenager but that was how he made her feel.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he said, crossing the foyer in decisive strides.

  “Hi, what brings you by?”

  “You.” He laid his hands flat on the counter, leaned across, and swept a soft kiss across her cheek. “I thought maybe I could take you to lunch, that is if you’re okay being seen with me.”

  She wanted to say no but somehow the word yes escaped her mouth first. “I have a break in half an hour. Shall I meet you somewhere?”

  The truth was the lunch options in town were limited. There was the diner, his bar, a food truck by the park, and some takeout joints.

  “Diner or the bar?” he asked as if this wasn’t a loaded question.

  She wanted to see the bar desperately, because it was a part of Mitch and it felt weird not to, but it was a minefield if she said yes.

  “Diner,” she said in a voice that hid her indecision.

  “Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

  A warm shiver of anticipation ran down her spine. It was nice to have that feeling again. Maybe this would work out, if they could just take it slow.

  The half hour flew by because she was busy, and the sooner she got her work done the sooner she could go and see Mitch. The sight of him sitting waiting in a booth by the window made her smile as she approached the diner. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was going to eat a burger in plain sight of the whole town with a cute guy, and yet it felt illicit. That was ridiculous she knew. She shouldn’t feel any shame, and yet she did.

  “Get over it,” she mumbled to herself as she pushed through the door and into the crowded room before making a quick beeline to Mitch. He, of course, stood and pecked her cheek. His good manners drew a few stares, and she slid in opposite him, making herself focus on him and not on any eyes that were on her.

  “You look nice,” he commented.

  She wasn’t going to tell him she was certain when she’d gotten dressed this morning that she would see him today and so she’d dressed for him. The fitted red jacket and black shell, with the tight black and white pencil skirt were all for him, as were the heels. “In fact, you look very sexy.”

  Luckily, his voice was low so no one else could hear.

  “What looks good?” she asked, changing the subject and hoping she wasn’t blushing too much.

  “Apart from you, you mean. Well, on the menu there’s a lobster roll today, the soup is a clam chowder, and the sandwich special is a meatball sub.”

  She gave her head a shake. He was incorrigible, but she had to admit she kind of liked that.

  “Is Cheryl moved out?”

  He gave his head a firm nod. “I don’t wish to spend our lunch discussing Cheryl.”

  The waitress came and took their orders, two lobster rolls and two iced teas with a side of fries.

  “They’re not as good as my fries.”

  “I know that now that I’ve tasted yours,” she said.

  “Yep, once you’ve sampled my fries you never look back.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  She cocked her head to the side. “Are we still talking about fries?”

  “I doubt it.” Under the table, his foot rubbed against her ankle.

  “Oh.”

  He began to speak. “I’ve missed you the last couple of days. Every time we take a step forward I feel like we take another one back.”

  “Maybe that’s a sign from the universe.”

  He shook his head in disagreement. “Maybe it’s just bad luck.”

  “Or the universe is saying, ‘take it slow.’”

  “Slow is fine, but it does imply forward movement at least.”

  “We’re moving forward,” she assured him. “Look, we’re out in public.”

  He smiled that megawatt smile that had graced more than one magazine over the years and no doubt improved their circulation. She took a moment to appreciate how handsome he was. That was her mistake because in that moment Patty and Tori took seats at the table beside theirs and she hadn’t even had a second to prepare because she hadn’t seen them coming. Not that she would have gotten up to run, but she would have liked to. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear Patty was stalking her. Then again, she did like to torment people for sport so it was certainly possible.

  Mitch couldn’t believe it. Of all the people, Patty had to show up. He knew she’d taken the spot right by them on purpose. She usually held court in a booth in the back corner, and if he knew that, the whole town knew. The woman had an agenda and he was damned if he could figure out why.

  He mouthed the word breathe to Minnie and watched her exhale.

  “So, Harper has some client work so she couldn’t join us for lunch.” He thought maybe distracting his companion would help. “I guess it’s a working vacation.”

  “She’s so sweet. And talented. She showed me some of her designs.”

  “Yeah, she’d always been the creative one.”

  Maybe this wouldn’t go so badly, he thought for a moment before the voice at the next table cut through.

  “Cheryl is devas
tated Tori, she really thought she and Mitch stood a chance.”

  Okay, so today’s agenda was clear. That sounded about right. Cheryl would be drawn like a magnet to anyone who could add a little fuel to her fire, and in this town, it was Patty. Mitch rolled his eyes at Minnie and asked her a question about her work.

  He wasn’t fully listening to her answer because he had one ear on the table next to him, but they needed to look like they were ignoring them. He nodded and smiled and watched Minnie talk. He heard words like guests and booked out but that was about it.

  “Oh dear,” was all Tori could muster at the next table. She looked like she wanted to crawl under the table.

  “Well, you know, some women can’t be trusted with other people’s boyfriends.”

  Mitch wanted to see Tori grow a spine, but he didn’t need to worry about Minnie who stopped mid-sentence and turned her glare on Patty.

  “Oh my gosh, are you for real?”

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” She spat the words out.

  “Yeah, well, I’m talking to you. And if you’re going to talk about me all over town, you should at least have the guts to say whatever it is to my face.” A hush descended over the whole restaurant, the waitress who was halfway to their table stopped still with a plate holding a lobster roll in each hand. “You are such a hypocrite, Patty.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that.”

  “Yeah, I can, I’ve known you since you were in diapers. You were my sister’s best friend, or so she thought, and you stole her boyfriend and the whole town knows it, so how about you stop mouthing off about me and take a long hard look at yourself.”

  “Who do you think you are?”

  “I’m the woman who doesn’t care what you think of her. And unlike everyone else in this town, that apparently makes me the only one who will stand up to you.”

  “You’re nothing but a drunk . . .”

  “Thank you for pointing that out. Hey, is there anyone in this diner who didn’t know that? I’ll take a show of hands.” No hands were raised. “Right, no one cares but you. Most people want people to find their sobriety and get their life back on track, am I right?”

  Lots of hear, hears and hell yeahs bounced around the room.

  “Well, you’re no different than your mother.”

  “Patty everyone knows trash-talking someone’s mother is a no-go zone. But you had to go there. My mother has made some mistakes, big ones, but she has gotten herself together and is now a wonderful member of this community.” Around the diner people nodded. “So, I hope I can be like her and make the changes I need to make to stay on track.”

  Mitch had thought at this point Patty might let it go, but she didn’t. “Is running around with a man so soon part of that?”

  “She means you, Mitch,” Minnie informed him. “Let’s see, how is my eating ice cream or a lunch running around exactly? You need to stop sticking your nose in other people’s business. I feel sorry for your poor husband having to put up with that nasty gossip. I’d be careful, Patty, he’s had a wandering eye in the past.”

  And with that, she turned back to Mitch and gave him a wink, just before the whole diner started clapping and Patty sat there slack-jawed and puce.

  “Come on, Tori, we’re leaving.”

  “Actually, Patty, I’m going to stay for lunch. I paid for a sitter seeing as you said I couldn’t bring the twins, so I’m not wasting this chance.”

  And with that, Patty stormed out and the diner came to life slowly as forks and knives hit plates, glasses clinked, and the waitress placed their food in front of them.

  “That’s on the house,” she said before heading back to the kitchen.

  When she got back to work, Minnie couldn’t quite believe what had happened over lunch. On the one hand, she felt mortified, that wasn’t how she normally rolled, but on the other hand, she felt empowered by it. All her dirty laundry was out there and she’d owned it. Was she perfect? Definitely not, but it was like a switch had flipped and she didn’t feel ashamed any more. She felt remorseful and regretful but not ashamed.

  Word had spread because Moose came and found her to give her a hug mid-afternoon.

  “Good for you, Minnie,” he said as he drew her into his large chest. “Don’t let people make you less than you are.”

  She appreciated that. She appreciated all that Moose had done for her. “Thanks, and thanks for supporting me, giving me the job, and all you’ve done.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re good at your job. Anyway, no one’s perfect, we’ve all got pasts and we’ve all got issues, we just need to focus on each other’s potential. Am I right?”

  He looked down at her with a big grin on his face. “You are so right.”

  He was right, and Minnie thought about that as she worked her way through the afternoon and as she headed out the door to walk over to her mother’s place. She was aware that as gossip spread like wildfire in this town her mother and maybe the kids, especially Katie, might have knowledge of her outburst, so that made her nervous, but it didn’t make her regret her behavior.

  Halfway through her journey her phone rang, and it was Lucy.

  “Did you really rip Patty a new one in the diner today?”

  “Maybe.” She felt her voice crack with nerves.

  “I hope so. It sounds like you were awesome.”

  “Really, you’re not mad?”

  “Why would I be mad? The woman is a menace and you defended not just your own but our whole sorry family’s honor. Good for you.”

  Tension left her body. “Good, she’s such a hypocrite . . .”

  “Look, Minnie, I think we all know we’re a family of people who makes mistakes, but deep down we’re good people. She doesn’t have to agree, but she needs to mind her own business.”

  “Good, I hope Mom feels the same way.”

  “I’m sure she will.” Minnie stopped at the curb and looked up at the house. “And if she doesn’t, don’t worry, sis, I’m really proud of you.”

  Minnie felt her heart do a little happy dance in her chest. Lucy was proud of her and that meant everything. “Thanks, Lucy. I love you.”

  “You too, sis.” And she was gone.

  Inside the house, her mother and Kevin were in the kitchen as usual. Kevin turned as the back door opened and gave her a big smile. She felt strangely close to Kevin, maybe it was the meetings she went to with him each morning or maybe it was just his presence was calming, but he made her feel better, safe. Mitch did that, too, now that she considered it. It was a good feeling and she hadn’t experienced it for a while.

  Her mother on the other hand had the opposite effect. She didn’t really know this woman. This woman wasn’t the mother she used to know and she was struggling to adjust. She liked this version of her mother, but just like it was going to take her kids a while to get used to her, Minnie was going to have to allow some time to get to know this woman.

  Yet when her mother walked across the room and hugged her, somehow she got the feeling that might be easier than she’d imagined. Minnie couldn’t remember the last time her mother had given her a genuine hug like this.

  “Thanks, honey.”

  “For what, Mom?”

  “For standing up for yourself and for me. You used to always be this feisty girl who took on the battles for everyone, you fought for the post office, you used to fight me for Lucy when she needed it, you helped Nick fight cancer, and you got tired of fighting, so tired. But now, I’m glad to see that girl back, especially when the people you’re fighting for again is us.”

  “She just crossed a line,” Minnie said as if that was plain to see.

  Kevin piped up from the corner. “The woman lost sight of the line a long time ago. Someone needed to remind her where it was.”

  Her mother stood back, a hand on each of Minnie’s shoulders. “I know you’re going to be okay now.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Because that girl, the one who steps up, that�
��s you and I know you’ve been lost and I think now you’re finding yourself again, and if you know who you are, you’ll be okay.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. By the way, that’s not to say I think life is going to be super easy, I’m no fool, but now that you’re back you’re going to be all right.”

  Minnie felt buoyed to hear that. She didn’t feel weak anymore, she didn’t feel ashamed, and she didn’t feel like a victim. For the first time in a long time she felt like a woman with a lot to be happy about, a lot to look forward to, and it was a very good feeling.

  The kids didn’t say anything when they came bounding down the stairs a few minutes later, but their greeting was warm and she could see that they now felt secure because they knew she wasn’t going to try to take them. As she sat there listening to the stories of their day, a sense of excitement came over her, she had a very bright future ahead of her, it was filled with lots of people who loved and cared for her. The question was, did she trust herself enough to let Mitch be one of them?

  Chapter 21

  After lunch, Mitch had gone back to the bar and he was well aware that if Minnie had wanted people to stop talking about her, the lunchtime run-in with Patty had ensured the opposite had happened. Everyone was talking about it. Mitch hadn’t paid much attention to Patty and her antics but it turned out there were a lot of people in this town who were more than happy to see her get her comeuppance.

  Among those enthralled by the story were Harper and Minnie’s old friend Janet, who Mitch had met before but until today he hadn’t known there was a connection.

  When she’d come in and ordered a chardonnay, she’d informed him that she knew all about him and his “antics at the lake” and that she was watching him. She’d also been extremely happy that Minnie had stood up for herself.

  “You know,” she informed both him and Harper, who was on the stool beside her, “as kids we stayed pen pals when I moved away and it was obvious that both her and Lucy just tried to blow off the stuff they heard about their own mother or any snide comments directed at them. That’s a hard thing. It’s about time she stood up for herself.”