Chapter Two
Molly
I scrolled down to find a grainy picture of Martin Lithgow getting into his car, besieged by a storm of reporters. He was wearing dark sunglasses, and the collar of his coat had been turned up so I couldn’t really see his face, but I hoped he was feeling the burn of his latest mistake.
All the papers basically printed different versions of the same story. None of them gave me any sense of satisfaction. I couldn’t help feeling depressed when I thought about my next move. Starting all over again in a new company was never easy, and all I had was a stock recommendation letter that was probably handed out to every single other employee who was given the boot.
I sighed and looked around my childhood room. Three of the walls were white, and the fourth was a soft ocean blue. The white walls had been covered over with a plethora of posters. Over my bed, there were two framed posters, one depicted Thirty Seconds to Mars, and the other was a poster of Clockwork Orange.
Mom had kept my room like a shrine, and while it was always comforting to be back in the room where I had done my most profound maturing, today it made me a little sad. For the first time since I’d graduated, I was unemployed and floundering. It made me feel like a complete failure, especially compared to my brother’s meteoric rise to the top.
That was only part of the reason for my deflated mood, however. I kept thinking of all the people I had worked with who had been laid off, too. I knew their families and their problems, and I couldn’t help but feel for them.
I was interrupted from my haze of self-pity by a knock on the door. “Come in,” I called. A second later the door opened, and Jason walked in. “Think of the devil,” I smiled.
“You were thinking about me?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I was brooding, to be honest,” I admitted. “And feeling very inadequate.”
“Come on now,” he said, ruffling my hair with his hand. “You’re far from inadequate.”
I pushed his hand away and ducked out of his reach. “Maybe not in comparison to the average twenty-something-year-old. But in this family, I am decidedly inadequate.”
“You want to explain that to me?” Jason asked, humoring me as he sat on the edge of my bed.
“Mom is the president of several charities that make a ton of cash for foundations all over the world. Dad was running, like, a dozen companies before he hit fifty, and then you came along and surpassed his track record in next to no time. Oh yeah…and you’re not even thirty yet. Which was something Forbes mentioned about thirty fucking times in five paragraphs.”
Jason let me vent. The moment I finished, his face broke out into a huge smile.
“Mom showed you the article, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “It was a bit heavy-handed if you ask me.”
“The interviewer was fantastic,” he laughed. “Did you check out Tristan? He was number thirty-four.”
“I saw,” I nodded.
Tristan had been Jason’s best friend since college, and for the ten years that I’d known him, I had been head over heels in love with him. Not that he’d ever really noticed. My mind flew back to the family Christmas party six years ago, but I forced the memory away.
“Fucker beat me,” Jason was saying. “I was number thirty-eight.”
“You made the list,” I reminded him.
“Still,” he replied, as though that were a valid answer.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Did I ever tell you how proud I was when I saw the article?”
“You didn’t actually,” he said.
“Sorry… I guess I was busy being a petty bitch.”
He laughed. “You are not petty,” he insisted. “And, you’re certainly not a bitch. Trust me; I’ve known you your whole life. I would know.”
“You’re sweet,” I smiled. “You really are perfect. The perfect businessman, the perfect son, and the perfect brother.”
“Please…”
“No really,” I said jokingly. “I’m glad you’re so perfect. It makes up for all my failures. Mom and Dad have one child they can be proud of.”
Jason narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you done feeling sorry for yourself?”
“Umm no,” I said. “The whole reason I came down to spend the week with Mom and Dad was so that I could really dig my heels in and feel sorry for myself. You know, get a really good pity party going.”
Jason guffawed. “You’re funny; you know that?”
“I try,” I replied seriously.
He shook his head at me in amusement. Then I saw his eyes slip to the computer screen behind me. “Been doing some trolling, have you?”
“Please,” I said. “Trolling is not my style. Though if anyone deserved to be trolled, it would be Martin Lithgow.”
“What’s the internet saying about him?”
“Apparently, there’s talk of an SEC investigation being opened up,” I replied. “I’m not sure if it was really bad management or money laundering, but either way, he’s not going to be able to get away that easy.”
“That’s something.”
“I guess,” I nodded. “I just… I really liked working there. The atmosphere was great, the people were great, and even the money was decent.”
“Were any of your friends laid off?”
“Seven.” Jason let out a low whistle. “I was closest to Anita. She’s a single mom who really needed this job. I keep thinking of all the other people who depended on this company to keep them employed so that they could support their families and pay their mortgages.”
“I know it’s hard, Molls,” Jason said. “But the sad truth is that layoffs come with the corporate territory.”
“Apparently, so does scandal.”
Jason laughed darkly. “How are you doing…financially?”
“I got a severance package,” I reminded him.
“I know, but that won’t last you too long,” he pointed out.
“If you’re about to offer me money, Mom and Dad already beat you to the punch, and I already turned them down.”
Jason sighed. “Where did all this pride come from?” he demanded. “Because it certainly doesn’t run in the family.”
I laughed. “Are you saying you would accept money from me if the roles were reversed?”
“In a heartbeat,” he nodded. “You’re my sister; who better to borrow money from?”
“You’re a good liar.”
“I happen to be telling the truth.”
“Please,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You know that you’d never be in a position to accept money from anyone, which is why you can afford to say you would.”
“Come on, Molls,” Jason persisted. “What’s the point in making so much money if I can’t help out my baby sister. I’m just talking about giving you a couple of grand.”
“A couple of grand?” I repeated. “Are you nuts?”
“Uh…my therapist seems to think I’m neurotic,” he replied sheepishly. “But not nuts…no.”
I gave him a half smile. “I appreciate the offer, big brother, I really do,” I assured him. “But I want to do this on my own. But I promise that if I’m ever that hard up, I’ll come to you.”
He smirked. “Funny…”
“What is?” I asked.
“I used to love hearing that line from women in college.”
“Eww.”
He laughed. “Sorry,” he said. “TMI.”
“Sometimes I forget what a slut you were in college.”
Jason laughed louder this time. “I take that as a high compliment,” he said. “Speaking of sluts… I spoke to Tristan this morning.”
I smiled. “Okay?”
“He made me a really nice offer,” he continued. “One that I, unfortunately, was forced to turn down.”
“What was the offer?”
“He’s opened up a new resort—”
“Another one?” I interrupted.
“Yup,” he nodded. “The boy is going places fast.”
“Apparently,” I said, impressed despite myself.
“This new hotel is a luxury resort in Hawaii, and it’s opening on Christmas Day. In the meantime, Tristan’s been hosting a few VIP guests from all over the world who’ve come at his invitation.”
“And, you’re on the VIP list?”
“Of course,” Jason replied smugly. “He offered to take care of my plane ticket and the cost of the stay. And since I’m too busy to take him up on his offer, we thought you might as well make use of it.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Whose suggestion was it?” I asked. “Yours or Tristan’s?”
“Uh…does it matter?” Jason asked, in confusion.
I hadn’t seen Tristan in six years, and the last time I had seen him, we had left things on awkward terms. Again, the family Christmas party sprang to mind, and I remembered Tristan standing by the punch bowl in a crisp white shirt that made him look like a Versace model.
“I’m curious,” I said, with a shrug.
“It was Tristan’s suggestion,” Jason admitted.
“And why would he make that suggestion in the first place?” I questioned.
“You’re not an easy girl to do favors for, are you?”
I gave him a mocking smile. “Did you tell him I was just laid off?”
“Uh…was that a secret?”
“Jason!”
“What?” he asked defensively. “Is it that big a deal?”
“It is to me,” I said. “It’s humiliating.”
“Why should it be?” Jason asked. “It’s not like you were fired for misconduct or incompetence. The CEO of the company you worked for is a douche. That’s the reason you lost your job.”
“I know… But still—”
“Are we back to talking about your feelings of inadequacy?”
I suppressed a laugh. “I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me,” I said firmly.
“Trust me, no one feels sorry for you,” he insisted. “Tristan was only offering because he’s my best friend and you’re my baby sister, and it’s an easy favor for him to do. Plus…”
“Plus?”
“Well…he did mention that he needed to hire someone for his human resources department.”
“He’s offering me a job?” I exclaimed. “Great, just great. He definitely feels sorry for me.”
Jason shook his head. “He’s heard how amazing you are at your job,” he insisted. “In any case, there’s no pressure. You go down, relax for a few weeks, and get the lay of the land. If you feel like it would be a good fit for you…”
“Tristan will hire me?”
“Only if you’re interested,” Jason said quickly. “And if you’re not, then pack your bags and come back home, having enjoyed a luxurious vacation.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t know how I feel about staying at his resort for free.”
“Tristan and I have been friends for a long time,” Jason reminded me. “I’ve helped him out, and he’s done the same for me. You’d just insult him by offering to pay, trust me.”
I sighed. “It does sound nice,” I admitted.
“See?”
I bit my lip and seriously considered the offer. I wondered if my interest had anything to do with seeing Tristan again.
“Okay,” I blurted out spontaneously.
“Okay?”
I nodded. “What the hell?” I said. “I accept.”
Jason smiled and gave me an approving nod. “Atta girl; it’s time you lived a little. I’ll call Tristan tonight and let him know you’ll be flying down.”
“Has he changed much since the last time I met him?” I asked tentatively, remembering the smooth and savvy playboy from my memories.
“Not at all,” Jason replied. “He’s the same guy he’s always been.”
“Still a player, then?” I asked casually.
“Always.”
I smiled and waved Jason out of my room. The moment the door was closed, I turned back to my computer, but my thoughts had traveled back six years ago.
I had relived that memory so many times that it was clear and well preserved. I may have still been underage, but since it was Christmas, I had indulged in a couple of glasses of champagne and a glass of wine. I had been watching Tristan all night. He and Jason were fresh off their graduation, and both were high on ambition.
I, on the other hand, felt like I was high on Tristan.
For the past four years, Tristan had been the star in all my daydreams. He was everything you could want in a man. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. But I had always been his best friend’s little sister, and I feared he would never see me as anything more.
But that night at the family Christmas party, it seemed as though something had changed. Tristan looked at me differently, and when he smiled at me, I felt as though he were seeing me as a woman and not just Jason’s kid sister. I remembered that intoxicatingly elicit moment when Tristan had grabbed me suddenly and pulled me into a quiet little nook of the house. Before I could catch my breath, his lips had come down over mine, and he was kissing me, hard and passionate, as though he had wanted to kiss me for years.
I had been walking on sunshine the whole night and the next the morning. That is, until it became clear that Tristan didn’t even remember what had happened between us.
I was forced to face the fact that perhaps I had idealized the moment and that maybe, I had projected my feelings onto Tristan. I had created a connection between us that was far from mutual, and in the process, I had become just another forgotten name on his famously long list.
Again, I questioned why I had agreed to go to Tristan’s resort in Hawaii. Was this some desperate attempt to rewrite our narrative and win him over? Or was this just a way to find some much-needed closure? Personally, I hoped for the latter but feared that the truth was an altogether different story.