LOGIN(Elias)"And the daughter. Lily. As instructed.""Yes.""And the boy. Elijah Myles.""Yes."Pemberton turns the page."And Miss Kelly.""Yes. Are you going to argue with me about any of it?""No.""Well." I sign where he's put the little sticker. "This has been extremely disappointing."Chase is by the window with his hands in his pockets, pretending to be somewhere else.“And you, boy. Nothing to say?”"You expected a fight," he says."I expected somebody in this room to have an opinion. I've assembled this family with my own hands and now the paperwork goes through like a grocery order.""Congratulations. That must mean you've become reasonable.""Don't be foul."Pemberton squares the pages and slides them into his case, and I let him get almost all the way to comfortable."Now. The other thing."He stops."I want the boy to have some of it now.""Now," Pemberton says."While I'm alive. While I can watch what he does with it. What earthly use is money to me after I've been put in th
(Natasha)"...and whatever notice you want me to work, I'll work it. Two weeks. A month. Whatever's necessary.""Tell me again who your new employer is.""Doheny Capital."She says it the second time exactly the way she said it the first.No softening it for me. I'll give her that.I put the pen down so I'm not holding anything."Congratulations.""Don't.""I mean it. It's a good firm. You’ll have security and excellent benefits. It’s a good career move.""You don't have to do the professional voice with me.""It isn't a voice. It's what I think."She stays standing.She's been standing since she came in, which is how I knew it was bad news before she opened her mouth."When did you interview?""Last week.""Before we went to see Mrs. Ochoa at the warehouse, or after?"Priya looks at the carpet."After."So she heard the number and went looking the same week.I keep my face still. It's the only useful thing I know how to do.And god knows, I can’t blame her.As has been pointed out to
(Mason)"I already said no, lets not waste each other’s time more than you already have.""Hear me out.""It's late, Warren. I've got a quarterly close that's actively hostile and a daughter who thinks three in the morning is a party. But go on.""Priya," he says. "She used to work for your company. Take her back. Quietly, so it reads like your idea and not a rescue. That's one salary off Natasha's books, and she keeps the one person she can't run that place without."I put my pen down.Maya's photo is propped against my monitor where I can look at it every time I miss her.I don't have the energy left over to be embarrassed about wishing I was home changing diapers rather than at work.As far as rescue plans go, it’s not a terrible one.He's obviously thought it through, trying to find a way that won’t step on Natasha’s toes too hard.And one that keeps his own hands clean."No.""Mason-""I know you’re trying to help and it’s not too intrusive as far as your plans usually go, but I’
(Chase)"...and don't give me the face you give the board. I've watched her lose before and enjoy it. Whatever this was, she wasn't enjoying it.""Whatever what was?"Julian's halfway into the chair.He stops there."Oh. You don't know.""Sit down and use words I understand."He sits and looks at me the way you look at a man right before you ruin his afternoon."Fran Ochoa fired Natasha yesterday. She signed with Doheny and let her go when she wouldn’t put in writing that she’s on board with the deal as it’s structured."He doesn't look away while he says it."I came up here assuming you knew. Demanding we cheer her up, but she hasn’t told you and now I’ve gone and put my foot in it."He takes a deep breath."I'm sorry. I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew."I believe him. He’s not the shit-stirrer he once was.He's watching closely to see how I take it.I make sure he can’t tell how upset I am about this.Not for my sake. For Natasha's.She’s so determined to do this completely on
(Natasha)"You didn't write what I asked.""No."Fran's read both pages twice while standing up and she's still holding them at arm's length like they might go off.Through the window behind her there's a man walking backward across the yard with his arms up, bringing a truck in."'It is my advice that you do not accept this offer as it stands,'" she reads out."That's not being behind it at all." She sounds flabbergasted."No. It’s not.""I asked you for one page saying we all agree.""You've got two saying we don't."She turns to the second sheet."You copied them in on it.""I copied in everyone who was in that room.""Why would you do that?""Because if I only say it to you it's just my opinion. In writing, emailed to all eight people who'd rather I kept my mouth shut, it's on the record. In two years, when they're deciding whether you hit a target that nobody ever wrote down, they'll remember somebody was taking notes."Fran puts the pages face down on the desk.Their presentatio
(Julian)"I need you to look at something, and I've decided in advance not to be embarrassed about it.""You're carrying a box.""I'm aware of what I'm carrying."Natasha moves a mug and a stack of paper and I put it down on her desk.One lamp on, nobody else in the place, half the lights off in the room behind her."There's a huge tree in your lobby.""There is.""Will it survive there?""Priya waters it more than she feeds herself.""Hand," I say.She holds it out and I drop the key into it."Still?""Still."She turns it over the way everybody turns it over, as if the other side is going to have instructions on it."I've tried my front door twice," I say. "In case the first attempt was operator error.""It's brass and it's the size of my thumb.""I'm aware of its dimensions now, yes. When it comes to Taylor my actions are very seldom rational. I've also tried the drinks cabinet, both filing cabinets, four suitcases with those little locks nobody has ever once used in the history of
(Chase)I'm three lines into a memo I've already read twice when the front desk calls up."Mr. Warren. There's someone at reception for you.""Appointment?""No, sir. He says it's personal. He doesn't have an-"She stops.The front desk doesn't stop. They're trained to deal with any eventuality."S
(Natasha)Three weeks after Shell Cove and Chase is in my spare room four nights a week.It started on a Wednesday.He dropped Lily off.He stayed for dinner.Lily fell asleep on his arm during her bath, and he stood in the hallway holding her with the wet flannel still in his hand, and asked me, v
(Natasha)It's been two weeks since Shell Cove and Chase is in my kitchen again.Tonight is also the third night in a row he’s dropped by ‘just to check in’ and brought something he didn’t need to bring.Today it's a punnet of strawberries and a small jar of cream from the place on Larchmont.I men
(Chase)It’s Tuesday.This is a thing I know because the housekeeper has put a small printed card on my breakfast tray.Apparently she’s been doing it every morning since I’ve been staying here, and I didn’t notice until today.The card has the date on it.It also has the weather and a small senten







