Sisters by Choice Read online

  Although she didn’t want to remember the things she’d said to him, the words echoed in her head, getting louder and louder. Oh, God. She’d been an idiot. She’d made assumptions and had never bothered to question them. Dugan was a successful, experienced businessman who’d been offering her advice and she’d blown him off. Worse, no matter who he was, she’d been condescending and rude and pretty much just plain awful.

  She shut down her computer and leaned back in her chair. This was what came from sleeping with a man while not knowing who he was, she told herself. She really had to start doing research.

  So now what? She probably owed him an apology. Saying she was sorry and possibly admitting she was wrong was not her strong suit. And she was going to have to revisit his advice to her, damn him. Because given who he was and what he knew, he’d probably been right.

  Still mulling over her new reality, she drove home, all the while trying to remember if there was food in the house for anyone but the cats. She really had to start going to the grocery store on a regular basis or find some kind of meal delivery service, or hire a housekeeper, which seemed silly given how small her place was—all of which was meant to distract her from feeling like a fool. She’d been so confident in her assessments of Dugan. So smug and righteous and bitchy. God, she hated being wrong.

  She’d barely parked in her driveway when a car pulled in next to hers. She knew without looking it was a late-model BMW and the guy sitting behind the wheel had, hey, given away millions of dollars to charity.

  He got out and walked around to the driver’s side of her car and opened the door.

  “Go away,” she said, unable to put much effort into the words.

  “Because?”

  “Oh, please.” She grabbed her tote bag and got out, then glared at him. “You know I looked you up. You know I know who you are. You’re just here to gloat.”

  He smiled at her. “Maybe a little.”

  He leaned in as if to kiss her. She jumped back. “Don’t do that. We can’t kiss. Not now.”

  “Because it’s seven on a Thursday?”

  “No. Because of who you are. Before you were just some hunky Tai Chi guy who I liked.”

  “You forgot to say I was also good in bed.”

  “This isn’t funny.”

  “I think it’s funny.” He put his arm around her. “Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. It’s hard to be smug when you figure out the rest of the world is just as smart as you.”

  She shrugged out of his embrace. “I wasn’t smug.”

  “Yes, you were.”

  She looked at the ground, then back at him. “I was and I’m sorry. I assumed a lot of stuff that wasn’t true. I was wrong.”

  “Thank you.”

  She sighed. “It was just easier for me when I could put you in a box. I thought I knew who you were and now I don’t know anything.”

  “That’s a little harsh. You know a few things. You know how to scare away a great sales director candidate.”

  “Ha-ha.”

  “Told you I was funny.” He opened the back door of his sedan and pulled out a large bag. “I brought dinner.”

  Her spirits perked up. “Really?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t come to me and I was starting to miss you.”

  She inhaled the smell of fried chicken. Her stomach growled. But before she gave in, there were ground rules to establish.

  “You know I can’t sleep with you anymore.”

  “I’m getting that message, yes.”

  “I intend to pick your brain about my business.”

  “I figured.”

  “But we can still be friends.”

  He put his arm around her again and guided her toward the house. “My heart beats faster at the thought.”

  “Now who’s being smug?”

  * * *

  After her fight with Jaxsen, Kristine slept in the basement. She found the quiet space soothing and the oversize sofa was plenty comfortable. She and Jaxsen managed to avoid each other for the next few days. He worked late one night and hung out with his friends another. The third night he took the boys out to dinner and then to a movie. In a final gesture of defiance, he’d packed a bag and moved in with his parents—something he’d done before when they’d had a big fight. That was Jaxsen. Why have a reasonable, adult discussion when you can cut and run?

  She knew he thought he was punishing her, but she was so furious, she was grateful that she didn’t have to deal with him. His total lack of respect for her burned hot and bright. She kept thinking of all the things she’d done for him, all the things she’d given up. There had been jobs she’d wanted to take that he’d talked her out of, telling her she had to be home with the boys. Then he had the balls to complain she didn’t bring in any money?

  She wanted to punish him. She wanted him hurt and broken and in serious pain, only she couldn’t think of how to do that and not break the law. She thought about slashing the tires on his ATV, but that would only mean another expense later. Plus, it was childish and she really wanted to take the high ground.

  By day four, she was just as pissed but she was also frustrated. Not having Jaxsen around meant they couldn’t talk. While she had no interest in discussing his Neanderthal views on her place in his life, she did want to move forward on the bakery. But to do that, she needed the fifteen thousand dollars from their line of credit and for reasons she simply couldn’t explain, she wasn’t ready to take the money without talking to him first.

  She’d tried. She’d logged on to their bank account and had started the transfer. It was just a matter of pushing a few buttons. But in the end, she hadn’t been able to do it. A reality that left her feeling like a fool, but there it was. She couldn’t take “their” money without telling him first. Not that he would agree, which made her situation even more ridiculous. She was willing to defy him, but she wouldn’t go behind his back?

  She took out her frustrations on the bathrooms and gave them all a thorough cleaning. She baked cookies and didn’t put away the mixer or the cookie sheets. She got caught up on all her errands and still there was no contact from Jaxsen. She was about to give in and text him when Ruth stopped by.

  Her mother-in-law let herself in the back door as she always did, calling out a greeting.

  “It’s me.”

  Kristine looked up from the onions she was chopping for her Crock-Pot dinner and smiled. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  Ruth’s expression turned guilty. “I wasn’t sure if it was okay to come by.”

  “Of course it is. Ruth, you and I aren’t fighting. At least I didn’t think we were.”

  “We’re not. Of course not. Jaxsen can be stubborn.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  She supposed she could worry that Ruth had come to tell her to give in to whatever Jaxsen wanted, but she wasn’t all that concerned. Ruth was an incredibly fair-minded woman who had often sided with Kristine in various matters. She loved her son, but she also loved her grandsons and her daughter-in-law. Ruth might have been raised in a different time with different life goals, but she’d always been able to see both sides of a matter. Kristine had no reason to think that was changing.

  Ruth poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot and then sat at the island. “He says you’re unreasonable and he’s going to teach you a lesson. He’s coming by later to get some things. He told me he’s not coming back until you apologize. He said he’s going to stay down in our basement for as long as it takes.”

  The information surprised her. She carefully put down the knife she was using and washed her hands before taking a seat next to her mother-in-law.

  Jaxsen being in a snit wasn’t new—he often pouted when he didn’t get his way. But he’d never been gone more than a couple of days. And what lesson did he want to teach her? What had she done wrong? Had a dream that did
n’t involve washing his damn clothes?

  “Paul says he can stay with us as long as he wants,” Ruth added, looking at Kristine. “I’m sorry, but he’s taking Jaxsen’s side. He thinks your idea for opening a business is ridiculous and he’s encouraging Jaxsen to stand firm.”

  Not unexpected, but still a little hurtful. “What do you think?”

  “You first.” Ruth’s voice was soft and encouraging.

  Kristine tried to figure out what she was feeling. She was hurt, of course, and angry. Underneath that was a lot of betrayal and maybe a little fear. Was the price of her dream her marriage? Was Jaxsen willing to take things that far?

  “I think he’s wrong,” she admitted, fighting to stay strong. “This isn’t some impulsive decision. I’ve thought things through. I have a plan. We’ve been married sixteen years and I’ve always supported him. I’m asking for the same and he won’t do it.”

  She drew in a breath. “He said horrible things to me, Ruth. He dismissed what I do and the life I lead. He tried to make me feel small. I know he’s angry about my grandmother’s inheritance, but I don’t know why. It’s not a fortune and yet he acts like I’m stealing food from his mouth or something. I just want something of my own. I just want to have a chance to make my dreams come true. Is that wrong? After sixteen years of marriage and three kids, shouldn’t he want that for me, too?”

  She squared her shoulders. “I take that back. I’m not asking a question, I’m making a statement. He should want that for me. He should want me to be happy and it sure as hell doesn’t say much about him that the first time I stand up for myself he runs home like a little boy.” She paused. “No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  “So?” Kristine said. “What do you think? Am I horrible?”

  Ruth studied her, then slowly shook her head. “You have to do this. You have to be determined. If you’re not, if you give in, you won’t just lose your dream, you’ll lose a piece of yourself. For the rest of your lives together, he’ll know he can bully you and in the end, that will destroy your marriage. I love Jaxsen. He’s my only child and I would die for him a thousand times over, but he’s wrong. And Paul’s wrong, too.”

  She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. “I never thought to want something other than what I have. I regret that now. I can’t change my path, but I can help put you on yours.”

  She passed the envelope to Kristine, who opened it and stared at a check for fifteen thousand dollars.

  “You can’t,” she breathed. “Does Paul know?”

  “He doesn’t. So you need to go to the bank right now and cash it before he can stop payment on it.”

  Kristine dropped the check on the counter. “Ruth, no. I don’t want to come between you and Paul. He’ll be pissed.”

  “Let him be. He needs a wake-up call and this is the best way to remind him that despite what he thinks, he’s not the boss of me.” She smiled as she spoke. “Kristine, I want to do this. I admire you and I believe in what you’re trying to do. Take the money, for my sake. Lease the building. Be a success. It will be a good lesson for all the men in our lives.”

  Kristine hesitated. She didn’t want to start trouble, but Ruth was insistent. And the check meant she didn’t have to use the line of credit, freeing her from that concern.

  “Are you sure?” she asked again.

  “I am. Do this for me. Please. And for yourself.”

  Kristine picked up the check. “I will,” she promised. “Right now.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Washington State had a couple of mountain ranges, but they were fairly pathetic things when compared to the mountains around Denver. Sophie told herself to focus on her driving. She could mountain-gawk later, after she’d accomplished what she’d come for.

  In a move that had absolutely nothing to do with what Dugan had told her about herself, she’d decided to convince Maggie Heredia to take the job. To that end, she’d called and set up an appointment, promising to only take thirty minutes of Maggie’s time and offering to fly to Denver so Maggie wasn’t the least bit inconvenienced.

  “It’s your nickel,” Maggie had told her. “I’m not going to come work for you.”

  “Then your time with me can be a huge boost to your ego and nothing more.”

  “I don’t need a bigger ego.”

  “But you’ll still meet with me.”

  “If you show up, sure.”

  Sophie had taken the six-thirty a.m. flight out of SeaTac. Her return flight, that afternoon, gave her enough time to drive to Maggie’s house, convince her to take the job and then drive back to the airport.

  Maggie and her family lived in a nice subdivision in an upscale suburb of the city. The air was crisp and clear. When Sophie parked in front of the two-story house, she paused to admire the mountains surrounding the valley. Denver was what—a mile above sea level—and the mountains soared well above that. Sometimes, when she bothered to notice, nature could be impressive.

  Maggie opened the front door before Sophie could knock. The two women looked at each other.

  “Like I said,” Maggie told her. “You’re wasting your time.”

  “And yet you agreed to meet with me.”

  “I’m a sucker for a lost cause.”

  Maggie led her into a study on the first floor, closing French doors behind them.

  “Where’s your family?” Sophie asked, sitting across from the large desk by the window.

  “Out.”

  “So I won’t be meeting them.”

  “No.”

  That was clear enough. Maggie looked relaxed in a sweater and jeans. Sophie genuinely had no idea what she was thinking and wondered if this really had all been a waste of time.

  No, she told herself. If she wanted something, she did the work. She might screw up but it was never because she didn’t put in the effort.

  “CK Industries needs you,” Sophie began. “I need you, as well. As you might have noticed or heard, I have some difficulty when it comes to my management style.”

  Maggie’s expression stayed carefully neutral.

  “I can get a little too involved in the process,” Sophie continued. “It’s because I love my company. When those first videos took off, I couldn’t believe it. I saw the potential right away but everyone told me I was ridiculous for believing a few videos about my kitten could be anything.”

  “How many of those naysayers were men?” Maggie asked.

  “A lot of them.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Encouraged by the comment, Sophie went on. “I built something good, but I can only go so far by myself. I need help.”

  “Sister, you need a lot of help and you’re not going to get it acting the way you do. You don’t know everything, but you seem to think you’re the only one with information or expertise or drive.”

  Had she been talking to Dugan? “I don’t mean to be like that.”

  “Whether or not you mean it isn’t important. In the end, it’s what you do that matters. Have you read what your former employees say about you online?”

  Sophie tried not to flinch. “I’ve been catching up on that in recent days.” There was a common theme in the comments, and most of them included calling her a bitch. Sometimes a class A bitch, which didn’t seem like a compliment.

  “I have control issues.”

  “You have a lot more than that.” Maggie leaned toward her. “I’ll admit I like what you’re doing at CK and I think there’s a lot of potential. You desperately need some custom products that wow your customers and make them want to have them, no matter the price. You need to be the go-to place for the crazy cat ladies out there. A lot of them have money.”

  “I do need all that, and you’re the person to make it happen.”

  “I don’t think I can work for you. You’d piss me off so
much, I might do something I’d regret.”

  “I’d give you free rein.”

  Maggie’s eyebrows rose. “No one believes that for a second.”

  “I’d try really hard. I want this to work. I want your contacts and expertise. I want CK to grow. I want to have the special products that make my customers love the brand even more.”

  Maggie looked doubtful.

  “Don’t sell your house,” Sophie said impulsively. “Keep it. I’ll rent you a house on Blackberry Island. I’ll pay to move your family. If it doesn’t work out, you can come back here, no worse for the wear.”

  “Except I won’t have a job.” Maggie’s tone was dry.

  “I’ll promise you six months’ severance.”

  “Do I get a pony, too?”

  “Do you want one?”

  “God, no.” She sighed. “You’re serious about all this.”

  “Even the pony.”

  “You shouldn’t put it all out there,” Maggie advised. “It really reduces your ability to negotiate.”

  “I don’t want to negotiate. I want you to come work for me. I think we’d be a great team.”

  Maggie drew in a breath. “I’ll pick the house we rent, but you’ll pay for it.”

  The rush of elation left Sophie filled with hope and anticipation. “I will.”

  Maggie groaned. “I really hope I don’t regret this.”

  “You won’t.” Sophie held out her hand. “Welcome to the CK family.”

  Maggie shook hands with her. “Try not to be so annoying that I have to kill you.”

  Sophie grinned. “We’re going to get along just fine.”

  * * *

  Heather really liked working for Elliot. He was smart, he knew his stuff and despite the fact that she was pretty sure she disappointed him on a regular basis, he was always patient and kind. She always did her best, putting in extra time when she could, so as to give him what he wanted. But there were days when no matter how she tried, she could tell he wasn’t happy with what she’d done.