Spencer looked relieved. Then she asked, “Did you allocate funds?”
“Yes.”
“What’s my budget?”
“Same as last year.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?” Spencer asked. “It’s done.”
“No, it isn’t done. We’re going to talk about this. I want to triple my budget.”
She was looking at Aiden when she very calmly stated what she wanted. He shook his head. “That’s out of the question. We’ve already slotted money for most of the charities in the city because you wanted us to-”
“And because it was the right thing to do,” she interjected.
“Yes,” he agreed. “But we can’t do any more than that, at least not this fiscal year.”
“We have to think about the bottom line,” Spencer said. “We’re trying to make a profit.”
“You are making a profit, Spencer.”
“The budget’s set,” he said. “And we’ve got a new hotel going up.”
“Yes, I know,” she said. “In Melbourne.”
“Yes, in Melbourne,” he agreed. “But we’re just now finalizing plans for another one.”
“Oh? Where?”
“Sydney.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Now you do,” Spencer said. “We’re hoping to break ground within six months. We’re on a tight schedule, and we’re really moving ahead on this one.”
“And did Walker vote for this?”
“Of course he did. You know Walker. As long as we don’t interfere with his racing, we can pretty much do what we want.”
She picked up a pencil and began to twirl it between her fingers like a baton.
“I’m not a real important part of this organization, am I? Did either of you ever think to talk to me about this expansion?”
“No,” Spencer said. “You’ve been under tremendous stress.”
“Yes, right. Stress.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Spencer said. “I’ve never seen you so antagonistic.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
She waited for one of them to ask her what she had been thinking about, but neither one of them did. She wasn’t really sure Aiden was even paying attention to the conversation. He seemed far more interested in the paper he was reading. The pencil twirling got away from her, and the pencil went flying. It landed at Aiden’s feet. Regan immediately reached for another one.
As she turned, she spotted Henry. He was standing at his desk. What was he doing here on Sunday? He should be out, having some fun, she thought. And who was he talking to? She couldn’t quite see.
“Why are you so nervous today?” Spencer asked.
“Why do you think I’m nervous?”
In answer, he looked at her hard. Her pencil was going at Mach four speed. She made herself stop.
Aiden picked up the pencil from the floor, handed it to her, and then pulled out the chair behind her desk and sat down. He opened the folder and said, “Regan, you need to look over these contracts Sam sent over.”
“For the new hotel?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“If our attorney sent over contracts, you two must have known about the expansion a long time ago. Odd that you never mentioned it to me.”
“Would you have been interested?” Spencer asked.
“Yes, I would.”
He didn’t believe her. “There’s a basic difference between our philosophies,” he said. “Aiden and I try to make money, and you try to give it all away.”
She smiled. “Not all, Spencer. Just some.”
Her brother walked over to the credenza and poured himself a glass of water.
“I don’t know how it happened,” he said. “We grew up in the same house.”
“I knew I was different and I tried to be more like you, but I didn’t become a capitalist.”
“Right.”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking about,” she said. “And I’ve come to some startling realizations.”
“Like what?”
“I’ve always thought I had to earn your love. Silly, huh? I worried that if I didn’t please you and Aiden, that you would stop loving me.”
“Where did you get that crazy idea?” Spencer asked.
Aiden answered the question. “Mother. When she was there, withholding affection was her way of manipulating us into doing what she wanted.”
Regan turned to Aiden. “She did that to you?”
He nodded. “She did it to all of us.”
“You don’t think we’re doing that to you, do you, Regan?” Spencer asked.
She sighed. “All I’m trying to say is that I’ve spent my life trying to please you, and it’s wearing me out. I grew up worrying that you’d stop loving me… but I don’t feel that way any longer. I’m your sister, and as far as I’m concerned, you have to love me no matter how angry I make you.”
Aiden nodded. “Good. I’m glad you worked that out. Now will you look at these papers? I’ve got to get going.”
She turned to him. “I’m not finished yet. Aiden, I’m sorry you got stuck with the job of being my parent, and I’m sorry you and Spencer had to carry such a burden. I can’t change the fact that our mother didn’t like being a mother, but I want you to know how thankful I am that I had you.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. Spencer noticed. “Ah, no. You’re getting all emotional on us, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
“You know we love you,” Spencer said.
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Let’s move on.”
Like Aiden, Spencer was uncomfortable showing any kind of emotion. “Okay,” she agreed. “About the meeting…”
“Yes?”
“Besides setting the budget for next year and agreeing to start another hotel, what else did you boys decide?”
“That’s about it.”
She started to reach for the papers Aiden wanted her to read, but Spencer stopped her when he said, “Actually, there was one other matter we discussed.”
She turned back. “Yes?”
“We talked to Sam about it, and he agreed,” he said. “I know you aren’t going to like this, but we decided to pay Emerson nuisance money to get rid of him.”
She jerked away from the desk. “No,” she said in a near shout.
“It was either that or give him the house,” Spencer said. “And you know what that property is worth. Emerson’s agreed to get out by the end of next week. Then he’ll get a check.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Regan, it’s a done deal,” Aiden said.
“How can you do this?” she cried out. “My God, he was cheating on our mother when he married her.”
Aiden was suddenly angry. He stood, planted his hands on the desktop, and said, “And what do you think she was doing?”
She didn’t understand. “She was getting her heart broken.”
“Yeah, right.” The derision in Spencer’s tone infuriated her.
