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“And what's this clause?” I ask, pointing to the section in question and willing myself not to stare at the narrow strip of chest exposed by the button she left open on her blouse. “You can decide at any time to end this agreement?”
“That's right, and I keep the deposit.”
“And your clients generally go for this?”
“Let's get something straight.” She lowers the paper to her lap, squaring her shoulders like she's ready for battle. How much has this girl had to fight that she's always so ready for the next one? “I am going to tell you what to do based upon my expertise, and you are going to do exactly as I say. I'm entering into this agreement in good faith. However, if at any point you decide you know better than I do, it's a waste of time for both of us to continue working together. And believe me,” she adds with a smirk, “that clause wouldn't be in there if I hadn’t already been burned.”
“Really?”
She lifts a shoulder, trying to play it off even while her mouth is set in a scowl. “In the early days, I figured it was enough to trust my clients to follow my advice. Most of them did, but there were a few who thought they knew better. And when they didn't get results, who do you think they blamed?”
She points a thumb at herself, grimacing. “So then there came the arguments about whether they should pay the rest of my fee, because clearly I didn't know what I was talking about if they were still having trouble.”
“So you decided to hell with it,” I conclude.
“Something like that. If you aren't going to work with me, then I am not going to work with you. End of story.”
“I admire that.”
She arches an eyebrow, looking me up and down. “Really?”
“Yes, really. It takes guts to stand up for yourself. And you're right—some people will never learn. You can't twist yourself into a pretzel trying to make them happy when they won't meet you halfway.”
“That's right.” There's a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Don't think I won't remind you of that the first time you decide you don't like my advice.”
“I would expect nothing less.” Otherwise, I see nothing else to argue. Once we've agreed on the terms, I send the contract to Theresa with a few instructions, along with the routing numbers for the deposit. The timing couldn't be better, as moments later there's a knock at the door to signal our lunch has arrived.
“I don't want you to think I haven't given this any thought on my own.” Just why I feel the need to prove myself is a mystery, but one that I can't help giving in to before taking a bite of my sandwich.
“What do you mean?” she asks, spearing lettuce and hard-boiled egg on her fork.
“I did some research on my own, before you got here.”
“Oh, you did?”
“Why do you sound like you're about to laugh?”
“Do I?” It's clear she's having fun with this, barely bothering to hide a grin while she eats.
“I didn't want to leave it all up to you, and I wanted to approach this in good faith.”
“Bravo.” She lifts an eyebrow, clearly waiting for more.
“From what I read, it's advised to make an apology, something official. Then, to improve my image, I could donate to a local charity organization. Something committed to the local area—I want to remind everyone how committed I am to Somerset Harbor, not only to the club.”
She doesn't say a word, taking another forkful of food and chewing slowly.
“Maybe I should post something to my Instagram?” I suggest.
“No,” she barks, her head swinging from side to side.
“Why not?”
She sets down her fork with a sigh. “You don't want people to be curious about why you're apologizing and go to look for the video. Right?”
Now that she puts it that way, I could kick myself for bringing it up. “Okay. Point taken.”
“Now, from what you've said, this hasn't become as much of a disaster as it could be, because the problem is still somewhat limited. In fact, when I went searching for the video online after you reached out, I didn't see many mentions of your name. Yes, it's a mess, but it's not like you are being vilified across the entire internet. It's only here, in Somerset Harbor, where people really care. So we need to keep it local, and make small, deliberate steps rather than a blanket apology on a social media platform where most of your followers are strangers who might not even know about this.”
