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“Tradition conveys strength,” he says. “And it would tie in beautifully with the rest of the Winter brand.”
“Mm-hmm.” I bite my lip, fighting the urge to argue. It’s not time yet, not until the pitch.
“You don’t agree,” he says.
“I think those are key aspects of the Winter brand,” I say. “But I don’t think those are the only ones, or maybe even the most important ones.”
“Interesting.” He taps his fingers against the wheel again and looks over at me. The landscape behind him has changed, Manhattan receding in the distance. We’re leaving one jungle for another entirely.
“I want to do a good job on this pitch,” I say. “But I also want to deliver what you’ve asked for.”
“You think they’re mutually exclusive?”
“I think they’re at odds, yes,” I say carefully. “But you can trust us to deliver on your vision. I promise there will be a traditional option at the pitch.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“Now you’re just being polite.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not what I sound like when I’m polite.”
The words sink into my mind and I turn them over, examine them. There’s truth there.
And a compliment.
I look out the window and take in the greenery passing by. We don’t speak again until I start to recognize the familiar landscape of Long Island. It’s a place I’ve been to before with Percy, many times, driving up on the weekends to his parents’ house. The trip is long but comfortable.
It’s funny how the people in the city and the Hamptons just switch places. The same people, different locations. It’s insular and familiar, a social circle so small, it’s almost incestuous.
“We’re not stopping?” I ask. We’re halfway through Southampton, and Isaac shows no sign of slowing down.
He shakes his head. “The party’s in Montauk.”
“Oh, that’s a lovely place.”
“Been before?”
“Yes, we’d go up sometimes from the house in Southampton.” There’s no need to explain who theweis. “But that was a few summers ago. Montauk’s nice. Less crowded.”
Isaac nods. “That’s why we like it. It’s the furthest from the city.”
“You have a family house there?”
“Yes. My parents do, and my brother bought a place for him and his wife a few years ago, too.” There’s a brief pause, and then something tightens in his voice. “They’re considering moving here permanently one day.”
“Wow. Are they tired of the city?”
“In a way,” he says. “They’re hosting the party we’re heading to.”
“Your brother and your sister-in-law are?”
“Yes.”
I blink at him. “Wow. Didn’t think to mention that?”
“I am now,” he says and looks over at me with a smile.
“It isn’t distant relatives today, then,” I say. My stomach does a little flip. We’ll really be playing a couple.
