by C. J. Harte
Teri wasn’t in the study, or anyplace else downstairs. Mia finally knocked on Teri’s bedroom. “Teri, are you ready to go?” Not hearing a response, she slipped the door open.
Teri sat up abruptly. “Shit.” She looked at the clock.
“Teri?”
“I’m awake.” Teri pulled the sheet up to cover her naked body. “I’m awake. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be downstairs.”
Mia knew her grin could have put the sun to shame. And she didn’t care. Teri had been asleep. Another indication that something was awry in the Teri the Terror world. And she sleeps naked. Might be another interesting day.
Ten minutes later, Teri was rushing down the stairs, her hair still wet.
“Let me get you a towel. It’s chilly out there.” Mia grabbed a couple of towels from the downstairs bathroom and threw them to Teri as they hurried out the door. Teri was attractive in the blue shirt. She should wear more color.
“Why aren’t we taking my car?” Teri asked.
“One, this has a tighter turning radius. Two, I checked the map out, and I think it will be better if I drive.”
“What’s wrong with my driving?” Teri towel dried her hair as she climbed into the car.
“Well, I’m more awake. I’ve already had one cup of coffee. And I think I have a little more experience driving mountain roads.”
“What time did you get up?”
“About an hour ago. Took a shower, got dressed, and had my first cup of coffee.”
“Right. Down time when you get up.”
“You got it. Hot coffee in the thermos and cream and sugar in the cooler.” Mia pulled out and followed the instructions on the printout.
“I’ve got Mapquest on my iPhone.”
“If you want to bring it up on your phone, it would be easier than my trying to drive and read this.”
Mia gave her the destination. This quiet, but mindless task didn’t require conversation.
Teri put her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were on a winding mountain road.
“Holy shit! Where the hell are we?”
“Acadian National Park. We’re starting to climb Cadillac Mountain. This is why I wanted to drive. Not quite like driving across the Alps, but it can be challenging in the dark if you haven’t done it before.”
“Can you slow down?” Teri braced her hands on the dashboard.
“Trust me. I’m not driving that fast.” Mia was glad it was too dark for Teri to see her grinning. The higher they climbed, the lighter it got. She followed the signs until they reached the top. “Come on. We have a short hike and it’s beginning to get light.” She shoved the blankets in her backpack and reached for the cooler.
“Can I do anything?”
Mia handed her the cooler and a walking stick.
“Where did you find this?”
“In the garage. Jeremy has several he uses when he comes up here.”
Teri grabbed the dark, hand-carved stick. “You know a lot about my brother.”
Mia continued to walk ahead. “He’s my oldest and closest friend.”
“I didn’t even know the two of you were still in contact.”
Mia nearly tripped over a root. “With e-mail, texting, and Facebook, it’s easy to stay in touch.” She picked up her pace, determined to watch the sunrise. And avoid any confrontations.
“Can you slow down?” Teri was panting by the time they finally stopped. “I didn’t know we were going to jog all the way.”
As soon as Mia spread a blanket on the ground, Teri plopped herself down. Mia wasn’t even breathing heavily, but Teri was definitely struggling. Mia decided that Teri’s exercise was opening and closing her laptop.
Mia pulled out her camera.
“You a photographer?”
“I enjoy it.” Mia moved away and took several shots. She walked over to a woman with a camera and compared notes on settings and shots. This woman was obviously familiar with the area and pointed out some other locations for prime shots. Mia kept clicking.
*
Teri watched as Mia chatted with the stranger. It was not the first time Mia had started up conversations with an unknown person. It seemed so easy for her. Mia moved over to another spot and took more photos. Teri wondered what kind of picture Mia was looking for. She walked over.
“How do you decide what to take a picture of?”
Mia continued to look at the screen on her digital camera, moving it around, snapping, and then moving it again. “I look for the right combination of light, color, and composition.”
“How do you know when you have it?”
Mia finally looked at Teri and laughed. “I review all the photos on my computer. Keep a few and delete most of the rest.”
“That seems like a lot of wasted effort,” Teri said. “Why do you take so many pictures then?”
“How will I know I have the perfect picture if I don’t have a lot of imperfect ones to compare it to? Here! You take the camera and move it around slowly until you see a picture you want.”
It had been years since she had handled a camera. Teri recognized it as an expensive digital SLR. She moved the camera around, adjusting the focus until she found a shot.
“Go ahead and take two or three more, but move the focus or camera so that you have a slightly different view.”
Teri sat on the ground so that she would focus from the bottom up. The object of her interest was a gnarled maple that appeared to have been hit by lightning on one side. She was fascinated by the dichotomy. Green and healthy on one side and darkened and dead on the other. She moved around and took another shot and another.
Realizing she was snapping away with Mia’s camera, Teri took one last photo and handed it back.
“Come on, let’s go sit down and finish watching the sunrise.”
*
The sun was finally breaking through the mist. Mia poured coffee for them both while Teri unpacked the cold sandwiches and fruit. They ate silently for several minutes. In between bites, Mia snapped pictures. She turned to say something to Teri and was mesmerized by what she saw. Teri’s face was bathed in gold. Her knees were bent and both arms were extended across the top of her knees. She appeared lost in the sunrise. The sun made Teri’s royal blue shirt warm and brighter.
Mia slowly picked up her camera, aimed it, and took several quick photos, including the one of Teri looking directly at the camera and saying no.
“I’m not very photogenic.”
“You’re an attractive woman, Teri.”
“Every picture I’ve ever taken I look like I’m in pain.”
“Well, maybe you should smile and you would appear less grim.”
“I’m not grim.”
“You rarely smile.” Mia put her hand up. “I know. You have serious work to do.” Mia shook her head. “Serious work can still be enjoyable.” She noticed Teri shivering. She pulled the other blanket out of the backpack and offered it to her.
“Aren’t you a little chilly?”
“Some, but it’ll get warmer soon.”
Teri moved over next to Mia and wrapped the blanket around the both of them.
The unexpected gesture was disconcerting. Mia felt herself tighten up. There was no way she could avoid their bodies touching. She sat that way for another few minutes before Teri broke the silence.
“It’s amazing how different the sunrise looks with every passing second.”
“Did you know this is the first place the sun rises in the U.S.? Well, at least part of the year. I’m glad the mist cleared enough to see it.”
“Thank you for suggesting this.” Teri turned and Mia’s face was inches away. Teri’s eyes moved down to Mia’s lips. She leaned forward and gently, but briefly kissed Mia. “Thank you.” She quickly stood.
Mia was bewildered. Teri kissed her and then became impersonal. She arose and began to pack up. The ride back to Bar Harbor was silent. Her thoughts were frozen on a split second of time.
Why had Teri kissed her? Did she regret it as soon as it happened? What happens now?
“Can I buy you breakfast?” They were approaching the edge of Bar Harbor, and Teri had finally broken the silence.
“Why did you kiss me?” Mia asked.
“Do you regret it?”
“I’ll answer your question after you answer mine.”
“The sun was glowing on your face and I couldn’t help myself. Do you regret it?”
“I have no regrets since I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
“What makes you think it won’t happen again?”
“I doubt either one of us wants to make that same mistake.”
“How do you know that?”
“You prefer really well-planned. That wasn’t. Work is your only passion. Anything personal would be a distant second. I don’t take backseats. You won’t give up the front seat—work.” Mia’s barbed comments were designed to sting. Teri never did anything without some plan, some intention. Teri’s response made her feel cheap. Again.
The surprise on Teri’s face was priceless. Theresa Stanton, heir to the Stanton fortune and business, was being turned down.
“You didn’t answer my first question. Can I buy you breakfast? Must be some good places around here.”
“Mrs. Davis said she’d have breakfast ready for us when we got back.”
“Oh. I’ll let her know that we’ll be there soon.” Teri pulled out her phone. “I don’t know the number.”
Mia handed her phone over. “Check redial. It’s the second or third number. Jeremy had it.”
“Of course, Jeremy had it.” Teri sounded frustrated. Jeremy! Her conversation on the phone was terse. She handed the phone back and stared out the window the remainder of the drive.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Mia stopped near the front of the house. “I’ll let you out here and then park the car.”
“Fine!” Teri immediately regretted her tone of voice. “Sorry. I was lost in thought. Can I help with anything?”
“If you can grab the blankets and the cooler, I can handle the rest.”
Teri pulled as much as she could out of the backseat and then watched Mia drive around the house. I should have stayed in the car and helped her. Too late now.
Before she reached the top step, the door opened. “Good morning, Ms. Stanton. Did you enjoy the sunrise?”
Mrs. Davis was a pleasant, smiling woman who had been hired years ago by her grandmother. Teri couldn’t remember the time before Mrs. Davis. She must be close to retirement by now. “It was beautiful. Chilly until the sun came out, but I enjoyed it. Thank you.”
She handed over the cooler and started to walk toward the back of the house. She was stopped by a hand on her arm.
“If you give me those blankets, I’ll get them cleaned.” Mrs. Davis quickly took Teri’s bundle. “I hope I’m not out of line, but it’s good to see you up here and to see you smiling again.”
“Thank you.” Teri didn’t know what else to say. She was sure she smiled. Often. She went into the dining room and found the pot of coffee. She poured a cup and added some half-and-half. The heat of the cup warmed her hands and helped her to relax. “I do smile.”
“Excuse me, Ms. Stanton?” Mrs. Davis had entered with a hot breakfast that she placed on the dining table.
“Just talking to myself. How soon will Ms. Daniels be joining me?”
“She said to tell you to go ahead. She wanted to take a shower first.”
Teri nodded and ate in silence. She thought about the phone calls she needed to make. It was almost nine. She could start calling the West Coast soon. She remembered that their office in London would be well into their workday. The number was programmed into her phone. She quickly connected to the director of their European operations, an individual she had personally hired.
“Teri! Good to hear from you.”
“I need a favor, Clark. Quite a few years ago, one of our U.S. executives transferred to our London office and he eventually left. I never did find out where he went. We may not even have the information, but if you could check on Thomas Daniels.” She gave him the necessary dates and employment history. “If you can’t get the information, it’s not a problem.”
“Has he done something? Do I need to check with the authorities?”
“No!” Teri checked her tone. After all, this was a personal matter and she didn’t need to raise anyone else’s attention. “No. He was an excellent executive, and I was just wondering what he’s doing now. Call me if you find out anything.” She chatted with Clark for a few more minutes, discussed their European operations, and then hung up.
“Might as well get some work done.” She booted up her laptop, checked her e-mails, and mentally made a list of calls. First was to her sister. Bren was laughing when she answered the phone. “I assume you’re not talking about work.”
“Actually, Teri, I am. I found the picture of you when you first joined the company after graduation. You really need to get another picture taken. We’re working on the Milton presentation and wanted to put the photos of the executives from each company in and only had that one of you. You looked grim.”
There was that damn word again. “Thanks. What have you found out about the Miltons?”
Bren filled her in on the latest problems with the solar rechargeable batteries Milton Corporation was putting into mobile communication devices. “The reason why the Miltons were in New York was they were on their way to Washington to see if they could get more development money.”
“That could be a game changer. Take Pamela out for lunch. Play golf or tennis with the son. Get as much information as you can. Call me later tonight. I’ll be up late.”
“Teri, what about Mia? You’re supposed to be relaxing.”
“I am. We watched the sun come up on some cold, damp mountain.”
“Does that mean you had a good time?”
She could hear the mocking tone. “Actually, yes. This is business, however. Mia is fine. Now get busy.” She quickly hung up and called her chief financial officer. She wanted him to rerun the numbers. If her gut instincts were correct, she could save several hundred million on their bid for Milton.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Mia really liked her shorter hair. It was the first time since she had graduated from college that she wasn’t wearing it long. It barely touched her collar in back. She fluffed it with her hands.
Her thoughts wandered to Jeremy and Bren. When the phone rang, she wasn’t surprised it was one of them on the other end.
“Should I be on the next flight to Maine?”
Mia laughed. “No. We haven’t tried to kill each other yet. Have Jeremy and Elaine gotten to spend much time together?”
“Every spare moment. I’ve never seen him so happy. He proposed to Elaine and she accepted. He’s smiling all the time. Makes me happy just being around them. I admit I’m a little envious.”
“I hope it happens to you one day. Maybe Alan will be the one.”
“Maybe. I don’t think my sister feels that way. Teri called the first day I was here and was furious I wasn’t at work at dawn. She needs to get a life. Mia, be honest. Is Teri working or is she keeping her promises?”
“Yes and yes. In her defense, it rained most of yesterday so we couldn’t do much. The day before I did take her clothes shopping and actually got her something that was not black, white, or gray. And this morning we watched the sun come up on Cadillac Mountain.” Mia waited for several seconds and heard no response. “Are you still there?”
“I’m just picking myself off the floor. You took Teri shopping and she bought clothes? And she went hiking with you?” There was a pause. “Mia, what’s going on?”
How did she answer? There was no one word or even two or twenty. “You know your sister. There are times when she’s actually enjoyable and then other times there’s this three-foot-thick wall between us.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve never agreed to come out
here. I’ll be done with what I need to do tomorrow and will be leaving by noon. I can be there in two days.”
“Don’t worry. I’m leaving here a day early. We can catch up in New York. I’m ready to start the next phase of my life.”
“How is Michel?”
“Missing me but enjoying being spoiled by my parents. Can’t wait to see him. When I talked to my folks, my dad seemed tired. Hope Michel isn’t wearing him down.”
“I’ll be there soon and we’ll have time together. And no interruptions this time.”
Mia doubted that, but she also didn’t know when she would see Bren again. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“I gotta go play nice with the Milton siblings. Don’t let Teri spend all her time working. Take care.”
“You, too.” She had just closed her phone when she realized she was not alone.
“I just wanted to see if there was something you wanted to do. Was that Jeremy on the phone?” Teri stood at the door.
Mia wondered if Teri took stealth Ninja lessons. She kept popping up unexpectedly and without sound. “It was your sister. What would you like to do?”
“I Googled the attractions in Bar Harbor. We could go see a lighthouse or the museum.”
“Tough choices.” Mia didn’t even try to hide the smirk. “I bet you had the same difficulty with the decision.” She had no doubt Teri secretly hoped she would refuse. “When do you want to go?”
Teri seemed to be making some decision. Mia waited.
“Give me a few minutes to change.” She pointed to her linen pants and heels.
Mia sat on the front porch to wait for Teri. She seemed to be waiting a lot. “Like your boots and jeans.” Teri was wearing the same outfit she had worn earlier.
“I’m growing accustomed to them. Who knows? I might wear them to work one day.”
“Let me know.” Mia grabbed her camera and backpack. “I want to take a picture of that.”
“Well, my family was telling me I need a new work photo. I’ll definitely have you do it.”