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“I don’t know if—”
Stephanie’s burst of laugher interrupted me.
I glared at her. “I’m trying to have a business conversation.”Nothing like reprimanding the CEO’s wife.Sometimes my sister did not bring out my best self, and that was another reason why I might not be a good fit for this position.
“I’m just laughing at whatever excuse you’re going to give for not taking a job that you’re good at and you enjoy doing.”
Staying silent, I continued to glare at her. She and Phil might be family, but I was going to remain professional.
“Stephanie,” Phil said gently, “if Claire doesn’t want to take the job—”
“The job is perfect for her. She’s just being stubborn.” She turned to me. “Tell me you didn’t enjoy the work.”
“I did,” I hedged. “But that’s not always the most important thing.”
“You’re right. The most important factor is that you are too scared to go back to the Carolina Banks because you’ll see Bennett Ramsey.”
“Can you blame me?” I hissed then shot a look at Phil. I did not want to have this conversation in front of him—talk about unprofessional. After another five minutes of listening to me and my sister bicker, he’d probably rescind the offer.Dilemma solved.
Stephanie folded her hands at the table and leveled her gaze at me. “Phil, darling,” she said without taking her eyes off me, “can you give us a minute?”
“I’ll be in the bar.” He picked up his wineglass and left.
Despite the fact that I was livid with her, I had to respect my sister’s command of the table. She would have made a good executive for that reason alone.
As soon as he was out of earshot, I hissed, “What the hell, Steph?”
“Don’t you ‘what the hell’ me! You’re being a coward, plain and simple.”
“It’s not being a coward if I’m not the right person for the job.”
“Now you’re a coward and a liar. Plus, you’re insulting my husband’s judge of character. He thinks you’re what he needs. Are you saying he doesn’t know what he’s doing?”
I considered her words carefully, knowing she was laying traps for me to fall into. “What if I want to find my own way and not rely on him for a job?”
“If you wanted that, you could have done it by now. I know you think you were blackballed from all the New York firms, but that is simply not true. There are way too many firms for that to be the case. Besides that, I don’t think you want to go back to New York.”
The thought of competing with the rush of people on the sidewalks in the financial district gave me a headache. After a long work day, I’d much rather have taken a walk in the sand than through the concrete jungle.
“So what if I don’t? I’m still figuring things out.”
Stephanie sighed. “You’re not happy here, but you were happy in the Carolina Banks. As much as I’d love to keep you tucked away in my backyard, I don’t think it’s right for you. Phil won’t care where you live as long as you’re willing to travel when needed.”
My shoulders sagged with the truth of her words. “You’re right. I don’t think I want to live in the Northeast.” And perhaps that was why I’d been dragging my feet about getting another job. I’d had several promising leads, but they were all in the tristate area.
“You want to live at the beach.”
“Maybe,” I said. But I didn’t want to simply live at the beach—I wanted to be part of a community, to know the local police officers and bartenders by name. I wanted to be part of Bennett’s world, part of his life.
There—I’d admitted it.Not aloud, though. That would give my sister way too much ammo.
“Reg pushed you out of the city, which turned out to be the best thing for you. But I’ll be damned if I’ll sit by and watch you let another man push you out of a place where you do belong. The islands are big enough for both you and Bennett.”
My lower lip quivered. “He’s part of what I love about the Carolina Banks, though,” I said in a small voice.
She gripped my hand. “I know. And right now, I want to punch him in his nads.” Despite the tears swimming in my eyes, I laughed at the memory her word choice conjured. “Don’t let another man decide your fate. Take this job, go down there for the groundbreaking ceremony, and see how you feel. If that’s not the place for you, there are plenty of other beaches.”
She was right. Damn it. When did my sister get so wise?
