by C. J. Harte
“I think you’re overreacting.”
“Trust me, the Miltons have noticed.”
“Oh, come on.” Brenna laughed.
“What’s so damn funny?”
“Sorry, I don’t think the Miltons’ concerns are about business.”
“You don’t know that. The household is well aware that Mia was visiting, and now she’s disappeared. And you. And Jeremy. What will the Miltons think?”
“Give me a break. You’re one to talk.”
Teri didn’t like having her personal life thrown into her face. “You’re to go to California in the morning. I need you to find out as much as you can. Now. Have Jeremy do a walk around. You sit down with their legal.”
“Teri, this can wait. I haven’t seen Mia in quite a while, and we only have these few days. She’s come thousands of miles and we’ve made plans.”
“You go tomorrow. You can talk to her any time.”
“No. I’ve had these plans with Mia for some time, and I have no intention of letting her down. You go.”
“This is not a negotiation. You’re going and that’s it. This is a very sensitive time. I’ll stay here with Mia.”
“You’ll what? Teri, give me a break.” Bren chuckled. “You never take time off. Mia is here for a vacation, to relax.”
“Relaxation is greatly overrated. Whatever you planned, I can handle.” Teri was not happy that Bren was being so adamant. This obstinacy was new. No doubt Mia was rubbing off on her, too.
“My point exactly. I’ll go next week or you go tomorrow.”
“You are going tomorrow. I’ve arranged your transportation and hotel. A corporate jet will be ready at ten and you will be on it.”
Bren folded her arms across her chest. “I’ve never asked for anything from you or this business. I’ve made a commitment to Mia that’s very important for us to finish together. California can wait a week or two.”
Teri was losing her patience. What could be more important than the merger? After all, Mia wasn’t family. “You’re needed in California tomorrow, not next week. Is your only objection to going Mia being alone?” Bren nodded. “Then I assure you I will entertain Ms. Daniels until she leaves.”
“Give me a break. Why would you want to spend time with my friend?”
“I need you on that plane in the morning.”
“What is this really about?”
“It’s about you going to California tomorrow.”
“I don’t believe you.” Bren paced up and down, her arms flying in the air as she spoke. “You start off by complaining about what others may be thinking, and now you’re telling me I’m the only one who can handle this situation. Oh, and you’re going to take a vacation, go hiking. I’m not buying it. I’ve never been allowed to do anything but legal work.”
“You’re going to do legal work. Besides, how many times have you told me to get a life? Well, maybe it’s time to start.”
“With Mia?”
“Why not?”
“Why?”
Bren was beginning to sound like Mia. Teri was so damn frustrated. They were talking in circles. “You said you didn’t want to leave her alone, and I need you to go to California in the morning.”
“That’s an excuse. Why me instead of you?”
“I need your legal expertise.”
“Why would you want to stay here with her? She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.”
“Will you go to California if we leave her here by herself?”
“No.”
“Then you go and I’ll stay.” Teri crossed her arms across her chest. As far as she was concerned, the issue was resolved. “I’m done talking.”
“I need to talk with Mia.”
“No, you don’t. Just tell her that you’re going to California and I’ll entertain her.”
“That’s not the way this works. I don’t tell people. I ask them. Besides, she might not want to stay if I’m not here.”
“Why not?”
“Because she may not want to spend time with you!”
“Why?”
“Mia’s right. You never answer questions but you sure can ask them. Mia thinks that you don’t like her. And I agree with her.”
It was said so matter-of-fact that she didn’t have time to react. What does any of this have to do with business? “I don’t believe that.”
“You really don’t understand, do you?”
“You said she was here to relax.”
“She is. And that’s something you don’t know how to do. Or show any inclination to want to learn.”
“How fucking hard can it be? I’ll stay and do whatever is necessary to entertain your friend. I’m perfectly capable of attempting any task.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re going to take time off from work and New York and spend time with Mia in Maine? You’re going hiking and eating boiled lobster with your hands?” Bren laughed. “This is too much. Let me talk to Mia and then I’ll give you an answer.”
“What’s so damn funny? I’m not that incompetent.”
“Give me ten minutes and then come in.”
“This is ridiculous. I’ll just tell her that is what we’re doing.”
“No. I’ll talk to Mia first.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I’m standing out there and wondering why the hell I’m out on the porch of a place my family owns. Where are the cooks and staff?” Teri was looking around the downstairs.
“Everyone has the night off.” Mia kept her voice calm.
“Who’s going to fix me something to eat? And why did you let them have the night off?”
“I suggested they have the night off.” Mia stood in front of Teri. “We weren’t expected and they had other plans. I’m perfectly capable of cooking.”
Teri stared at Mia. “You cooked dinner?”
Mia took a deep breath. Remain calm. Bren’s words had unnerved her. She had no doubt that, once again, Teri was trying to keep her from associating with Bren and Jeremy. “Yes.” This was going to be a long night. Every minute was convincing her that doing anything with Teri Stanton was a bad idea. “If you sit down, I can have something hot in about fifteen minutes.”
She returned the quiche to the oven. Mia set the table for Teri and added three dessert plates. She turned away and finished preparing dinner. In less than twenty-four hours, the visit had become a nightmare. She stared down at her hands. They weren’t very steady. If she didn’t agree to spend time with Teri, Bren would stay. If Bren stayed, Teri would probably make Bren’s life miserable. If she did agree to spend time with Teri, Teri would probably make her life miserable. How many times had she wondered what it would be like to have a night with Teri? How many times had she dreamed about being noticed by Teri? Well, guess what? Reality sucks.
The timer went off. She needed to make a decision. Bren had been arguing with Teri the entire time she had been heating the quiche. She turned the oven off and set the quiche and the warm pie on the table. She pulled the ice cream from the freezer and slammed it on the table.
“Enough!” Mia looked at Teri. “I don’t know what this is about, but you two are going to stop arguing. I’m an adult and capable of making my own decisions: what I do, whom I spend time with, and where and when I go.” She put her hand over Bren’s. Teri glared at both of them. “Go ahead and go out to San Francisco.” Her smile was meant to reassure Bren that she would be fine. “You have everything here under control, and I can wait for the rest.”
“Well, I guess that’s settled.” Teri picked up her fork and began to eat. “Make sure you pick up the analysis I prepared on the Miltons.” She stopped and savored the quiche. “This is delicious.”
“You seem surprised,” Mia said. “Thank you. I assume that’s a compliment. Now, if it’s okay with you, I’ll stay here tonight and then go to the airport in the morning. You will go back with your sister and take care of whatever business you need to. Now it’s settled.” Mia put pie and ice cream
on a plate and took a bite. For the first time in her life, she was grateful that her father had been sent to Europe.
“Where are you going?” Teri asked.
“What difference does it make? As long as Bren goes to California, what I do is not your concern.”
“You can stay at my place,” Bren offered. “As for you, dear sister, you do not control my life outside of work.”
“She can stay here and I will entertain her.” Teri shoved the plate of ice cream away. “There’s no need for her to stay at your place. You won’t be there. You do work for me.”
“Teri, I don’t work for you. You can’t tell me what I can or cannot do.” Mia would have told Teri to leave if this had been her house. It wasn’t.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Teri put the fork down. No one ever said no to her.
“No, it isn’t settled. The agreement was that Bren would go to California and I would keep you busy this week.”
“That was not my agreement. That was between you and your sister.”
“What’s the problem then?”
Bren started to answer, but Mia stopped her. “This is between Teri and me.”
Bren nodded and grinned.
Mia gathered her thoughts. “Teri, I’m not a bargaining chip. You cannot negotiate what you want your family to do and use me for leverage. I can’t imagine any reason you might want to take time away from your work to do something unrelated to work. And I’m sure you’ve never been hiking in your life.”
Teri slammed her fork down. The slow burn was turning into a wild fire. “Are you daring me?”
Mia laughed. “Not hardly. Just a statement of fact. Teri, go back to whatever you were doing before you came up here. I’ll leave tomorrow and you won’t have to see me again.”
There was something grating about Mia’s words. She had pretty much told Teri to get lost, and no one did that.
“Believe it or not, I occasionally do things that have nothing to do with work. And I can’t imagine hiking being that hard.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’ll negotiate with you, if that’s what you want. My sister needs to go to California to do some legal work. That leaves me with some time on my hands. Why don’t I show you around this area? If that’s okay with you?”
Mia just glared.
“Do you have problems with that?” Teri asked.
“You really want to go hiking?”
“Yes.”
“You really want to spend time walking around the shops looking at touristy kitsch and eating lobster by hand?”
“If that’s what you want to do, yes.”
“You want to spend time in the kitchen cooking or washing dishes?”
Teri looked at the sink and then at Bren. She’s kidding, isn’t she? Call her bluff. “Yes, but we have staff for that.”
“I know you do. These are things I do every day and enjoy doing.”
“O—kay.” Teri was quickly trying to figure out if this was a test or did Mia really want to do all those things.
“Sorry,” Mia said, “but I don’t believe you. I have no doubt you work hard at what you do, but I’m sure you’ve never washed a dish or cleaned a floor.” Mia didn’t try to hide the smirk.
Mentally, Teri was already trying to figure out how to get out of this agreement.
“Teri, I’m fine. This is not something you would choose to do. Go home and go to work.”
“Damn it!” Teri threw her napkin on the table and stood up. “I made a legitimate offer and you turned it down without even giving me a chance to prove I’m serious.” This was supposed to be a done deal. She was being out-negotiated. “I’m staying and that’s that.” Teri was furious. Being calm around Mia was getting harder and harder. What was really pissing her off was that she was arguing to do things she had no real intention of ever doing.
Mia stood, her hands on her hips. “The only thing decided is inside your head.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Bren wedged herself between Mia and Teri. “Mia, what would you like to do?”
“I thought we had already agreed,” Teri said.
“I’m asking Mia.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mia was amused by Teri’s reaction. She was also confused. Teri Stanton was so uptight Mia doubted she knew what the word relax meant. Her life was about work, winning, and money. Teri didn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone or anything that didn’t increase her own stature or the company’s wealth. Mia had no reason to think that Teri had any interest in actually spending time with her. Why then was Teri so insistent? It must have to do with some perverse sense of winning a battle. Being the victor. Mia had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Teri hiking?
What did she want to do? Did she even want to deal with Teri? Would this be a different type of revenge? Dragging Teri’s butt up a mountain at zero dark thirty in her expensive shoes and silk suit? Mia’s smile widened. Wonder how much hiking and sightseeing Teri can stand? Maybe this will be one way to get rid of Teri once and for all. Call her bluff.
Mia stuck out her hand. “Done. You’re my escort and my guest for the remainder of my visit. Now, how long do you have free?”
Teri’s eyes got wide. “How long did you plan on playing tourists?”
“Seven to ten days,” Bren answered. “Or more. Mia actually was planning on being around for at least two weeks.”
“Shit!” Teri may have whispered, but Mia heard her, loud and clear.
“Well, Teri, do you have two weeks?”
“Don’t worry. I can arrange the time.” Teri gritted her teeth.
Mia was chuckling now. This might be fun. She didn’t know, or care, what Teri’s motivation was, but she had no doubt that Teri was not up to anything that didn’t involve work. Her work.
“Fine. You arrange your schedule.” Mia pulled Bren up.
“Fine. Where are you two going?”
“Bren and I have some business of our own to take care of.” Mia followed Bren upstairs.
“What kind of work does she have with my sister?”
Teri made no effort to hide her muttering. Mia chuckled and pushed Bren. “Your sister is going to be miserable here.”
“Not much I can do about it. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“No, but it’s useless to argue. Tell me what’s going on with the passport, where it’s going to be sent, and who I contact in case you get detained.”
“Mia, it’s under control. It’s coming to my apartment in the next few days. I’ll give you my admin’s phone number, just in case. I’ll also give you the key to my place. I have an extra. I’ll get back as quickly as I can.” Bren put an arm around Mia. “We’ll get this all taken care of, I promise.”
Bren took out the extra key and gave it to Mia. “I’m so sorry.”
I’m probably going to be very sorry. “I’ll be fine.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Is this really necessary?” Teri was tired of trying on hiking boots. Besides, she really needed to answer some phone calls and text messages. Every time she pulled out her iPad or cell phone, Mia found another pair of boots to try.
“Your heels are lovely, but they would not be safe on uneven surfaces and I can’t imagine you walking through mud and muck in those. They look expensive.”
“They are.”
“I bet,” Mia mumbled. “We can leave now if you want to go hiking in those.” Mia pointed at Teri’s feet.
Teri’s eyes became slits. “Are you determined to make my life difficult?”
“I’m serious.”
“Isn’t there any place to go hiking that has flat, dry land?”
Mia laughed. “Sure, Manhattan.”
Teri glared and tried on another pair. “Okay, what about these boots?” She pointed to her feet. “They are comfortable and I like the fit and feel.”
“Perfect. Now on to jeans and shirts.”
Teri rolled her eyes. What the hell have I agreed to? “Let’s g
o.”
“What size and what type?”
“I don’t know,” Teri said. “Why waste money on something that I can’t wear to work?”
“Okay, take two different sizes from the same style and see how they fit.”
When Teri came out in the dark blue jeans, Mia looked uncomfortable. Teri looked in the mirror. She knew she had a good body, and the jeans certainly showed off her flat stomach.
“Those are perfect. Don’t need to try the other ones. Now off to shirts.” Mia turned and walked away.
Selecting shirts turned into a major task. “I don’t own anything that’s not black, white, or gray.” Teri said. “It makes it easier to get dressed.”
“Let’s add a little color,” Mia said.
Teri looked at different colors but ended up selecting a black-and-white check. When Mia rolled her eyes, Teri held it up and looked at it. “What’s wrong with it? I tell you what. I’ll pick one out for you, and you can pick one out for me. But I’m still getting this one.”
Mia nodded. Teri pulled out a royal blue solid color shirt and brought it up to the counter. She laughed when she saw Mia had gotten the same color shirt but in Teri’s size.
“Well, at least there’s one thing we agree on.” She held up both shirts.
*
Teri grinned and Mia realized that she had never seen her smiling. Oh, she put on a smile when greeting people, but it never reached her eyes. And it rarely lasted. The ever-present flat affect, or the more ominous scowl, would quickly replace it. Teri was attractive when she smiled.
Teri pulled out her wallet and handed over her credit card.
“No, I’ll pay for my stuff,” Mia said.
“It’s the least that I can do. Besides, all this costs less than the shoes I’m wearing now.”
Mia looked at Teri’s feet and back up.
Teri shifted her feet. She appeared uneasy. “I can afford good shoes. There’s nothing wrong with that.” It was nearly six. “How about if I buy dinner? You don’t have to cook tonight.”
“I enjoy cooking,” Mia said. “It’s relaxing for me.”
“I understand, but I want to thank you for today. I can’t remember ever relaxing and enjoying anything as much.” Sarcasm oozed from every syllable.