Happy that I have decided on my dress for the night, I start to prepare. When a knock sounds on the door, I poke my head through the bathroom door to find my mother stepping into my room. I hurriedly finish and step into my room to find my mother sitting gingerly on the edge of my bed.
“Oh, do you have a date?” Her eyes are practically dancing with ill-concealed excitement.
“Mom, it's a work thing,” I tell her, shaking my head as her shoulder droop in what can only be described as a disappointment.
“Make sure not to miss dinner tomorrow,” she says with a frown. “Working so late into the night for a young girl like you is not ideal, honey. Time has to be created for activities other than work.”
“I know, Mom. Once the app is launched, I won’t have to stay at the office any longer than I need to.”
“Good.” Mom says, looking a bit relieved. “Your brother is downstairs,” she informs me.
“I know.”
Mom sighs.
“I'm guessing he will be joining you.”
“Of course, Mom, he works with Mitch too.”
When I make my way towards Mitch’s fifteen minutes later, with Aaron in tow, Mitch opens his door to let us in. Mitch's subtle nod of approval as I brush past makes my body tingle.
His hand brushes against my elbow as he ushers us towards the dining room, I suppress a careless shiver. God, it's going to be a long night.
CHAPTER14
MITCHELL
Everything is going better than I expected. Aaron doesn't suspect a thing and the conversation is light. Even though Aaron teases Beth, bringing up events about her childhood days a lot, I can tell that he means nothing by it, which is why I find myself having a good time, laughing alongside Beth and Aaron as they reminiscence about old times.
When I have everything set out, I relax against my chair and subtly nuance the conversation towards the matter at hand. I've found that being the boss of at least a dozen of people has taught me a lot. I know how to study a room and when it's time to alter idle conversations, which is pretty much what I do now.
I slip my phone out of my pocket and tap quickly on it. “I've sent the soft copy of the design outlook and ad copy to your phones. I know Rob is doing a great job so far but I cannot help but feel like we're missing something here.”
I watch as Beth squints down her phone. She hadn't worn her glasses today. Aaron is the first to speak.
“You're right. This can be better.”
“Yes,” Beth chips in. “The composition and contrast in color are tawdry,” she comments. “I'm going to make a few notes now, maybe you can hand it over to him, have him use some sort of direction to flesh out the next—"
A car parking in my driveway causes her to pause. With a confused frown, I drop my spoon and cellphone and move towards the door. I haven't invited anyone else over, and not one of my friends from New York knows about my new place. Peering at the classy car parked in my driveway, a sinking feeling sets in my stomach when two men in almost matching suits unfold themselves from the vehicle, beginning a purposeful walk towards the front door.
I call over my shoulder to my guests, telling them that I will soon be back, and step out to meet my brothers, not ready to invite them into the house. With hands thrust into my front pockets, I greet my brothers with a nod of my head.
“Mitch!” Harrison, who'd constantly teased me, hollers, patting me on the back like he often did when we were kids.
“What are you both doing out here?”
“We're here to talk sense into the prodigal son, as you can see,” Roscoe, who has always been more direct, says.
Roscoe has never been the touchy type and takes after father, both in speech, looks, and mannerisms. Little wonder father trained him so hard to become CEO.
“I haven't done anything wrong,” I defend.
“We're not saying you did,” Harrison says gently.
Growing up, Harrison had always looked up to me. As his older brother, I made sure he didn’t get into any trouble and felt like his protector. Now he looks at me like I’m some child who needs to be petted and coddled all the time.
“Not going to invite us into the house, I see,” Roscoe jabs, an unpleasant smile curving his lips. “You should know, though, father has been on our cases to convince you to come back home. He figures you might listen to us instead.”