God’s perfect food. I chewed thoughtfully for a few moments, thinking about how I wanted to address this. Yes, they were being kind, overly so. But—and it was a pretty big but—they had done this without consulting me. It’s my life, my family, not theirs. They needed to understand the severity of what they’ve done.
“Look, Max, Cyndi…” I gestured to them both. She put down the spatula, turned off the burner, and waddled over to her husband. He looped an arm around her waist while she gripped his shoulder. They presented a united front, and something about that didn’t sit well with me. Regardless, I had a point to make, and by God, I’d make it. “You cannot meddle in my life. I am here to do a job. One you’ve paid a hefty fee for. Even though we’ve become friendly, it does not give you the right to home in on my problems. You are my client. I am essentially a hired hand, not your family. What you did, bringing Maddy and her fiancé here, was so far out of bounds, outside of anyone’s comfort zone…” I shook my head, not knowing how to finish what I needed to get across without crucifying them.
“You overstepped a line.” My own voice shook with the anger bubbling at the core of the problem.
Max inhaled and nodded. “I’ll speak for my wife and myself when I say that we regret the way we invaded your life, but please know that our intentions were in the right place.”
“Yeah, well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I pursed my lips together and brought a knee up to my chest, balancing it on the chair. “Please remember your place. I think the lines are getting blurred here. I am pretending to be someone to help fool your investors until you find your real sister. As much as I wish it were true…I’m not your sister. You do not get to act like the big brother saving his little sis.”
Saying that put it out there in black and white. Max clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. Cyndi leaned down, kissed his temple, and whispered something that sounded a little like, “Tell her,” into his ear, but I couldn’t be sure.
Several excruciating minutes of an uncomfortable silence passed until, finally, Max opened his eyes and loosened his hold on his wife. “Okay, Mia. I get it. We’ll play it your way.”
“Max honey—” Cyndi started, but Max threw a hand up cutting her off.
He shook his head, eyes laser-focused on me. “Can we move on from this?” he asked me, his tone now that of a hard and fast businessman.
I nodded and played with my napkin, suddenly feeling as if I were in the wrong somehow. The conversation turned so quickly that I didn’t even have a chance to bring up the dreams, or memories rather, before he stood abruptly, his chair grating along the tile floor. “Got to get ready for work, Mia. Today is a suit day.”
“A suit?”
His chin jutted. “We’re meeting with the investors. Time to put that sisterly facade into place.” He grumbled in a way that sent pointed spikes deep into the tough barrier around my heart. The one that I’d just barely put in place this morning after finding out they’d duped me. Admittedly, his words stung. No, they downright hurt. My concerns were valid, and he was the one that overstepped his authority, not me. So why did I feel like the scum on the bottom of a landfill worker’s shoe?
“When do we leave?” I asked around a mouthful of eggs.
“Forty-five minutes. Cyndi honey, I’ll be on the porch. I need some air,” he muttered and walked off.
I finished my breakfast and thought about how I was going to get him back into the jovial mood he’d been in most of the time I’d been here, but I couldn’t come up with anything. And of course, now with tension between the two of us, we had to meet with the committee of investors and present this new sibling relationship, making it believable enough that they’d forgo transferring the ownership for the time being.
----
T he ride to Cunningham Oil & Gas was
“Look, Max, Cyndi…” I gestured to them both. She put down the spatula, turned off the burner, and waddled over to her husband. He looped an arm around her waist while she gripped his shoulder. They presented a united front, and something about that didn’t sit well with me. Regardless, I had a point to make, and by God, I’d make it. “You cannot meddle in my life. I am here to do a job. One you’ve paid a hefty fee for. Even though we’ve become friendly, it does not give you the right to home in on my problems. You are my client. I am essentially a hired hand, not your family. What you did, bringing Maddy and her fiancé here, was so far out of bounds, outside of anyone’s comfort zone…” I shook my head, not knowing how to finish what I needed to get across without crucifying them.
“You overstepped a line.” My own voice shook with the anger bubbling at the core of the problem.
Max inhaled and nodded. “I’ll speak for my wife and myself when I say that we regret the way we invaded your life, but please know that our intentions were in the right place.”
“Yeah, well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I pursed my lips together and brought a knee up to my chest, balancing it on the chair. “Please remember your place. I think the lines are getting blurred here. I am pretending to be someone to help fool your investors until you find your real sister. As much as I wish it were true…I’m not your sister. You do not get to act like the big brother saving his little sis.”
Saying that put it out there in black and white. Max clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. Cyndi leaned down, kissed his temple, and whispered something that sounded a little like, “Tell her,” into his ear, but I couldn’t be sure.
Several excruciating minutes of an uncomfortable silence passed until, finally, Max opened his eyes and loosened his hold on his wife. “Okay, Mia. I get it. We’ll play it your way.”
“Max honey—” Cyndi started, but Max threw a hand up cutting her off.
He shook his head, eyes laser-focused on me. “Can we move on from this?” he asked me, his tone now that of a hard and fast businessman.
I nodded and played with my napkin, suddenly feeling as if I were in the wrong somehow. The conversation turned so quickly that I didn’t even have a chance to bring up the dreams, or memories rather, before he stood abruptly, his chair grating along the tile floor. “Got to get ready for work, Mia. Today is a suit day.”
“A suit?”
His chin jutted. “We’re meeting with the investors. Time to put that sisterly facade into place.” He grumbled in a way that sent pointed spikes deep into the tough barrier around my heart. The one that I’d just barely put in place this morning after finding out they’d duped me. Admittedly, his words stung. No, they downright hurt. My concerns were valid, and he was the one that overstepped his authority, not me. So why did I feel like the scum on the bottom of a landfill worker’s shoe?
“When do we leave?” I asked around a mouthful of eggs.
“Forty-five minutes. Cyndi honey, I’ll be on the porch. I need some air,” he muttered and walked off.
I finished my breakfast and thought about how I was going to get him back into the jovial mood he’d been in most of the time I’d been here, but I couldn’t come up with anything. And of course, now with tension between the two of us, we had to meet with the committee of investors and present this new sibling relationship, making it believable enough that they’d forgo transferring the ownership for the time being.
----
T he ride to Cunningham Oil & Gas was
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