Page 9 of Business or Pleasure

“How are things with…work?” A seemingly innocuous question, but the glint in my father’s dark eyes told me everything his words didn’t.

I gave him a tight but polite smile. “All is well. I’ve found a new lead on a manufacturer.”

“A manufacturer?” Mum frowned.

At sixty, she still had the same poise and elegance as the portrait above the fireplace, but her short curls now spotted silver mixed in with the brown. The lines at the corners of her mouth and eyes were more profound than they had been the last time I’d seen her. I knew, if asked, she’d say those were my fault.

I wasn’t sure she would be wrong.

“Is that the wisest thing to do?” Mum continued. “Continuing to pretend that this…flight of fancy?”

“It’s not a flight of fancy.” I kept my tone pleasant as if I hadn’t said something similar before. “It’s a good product.”

“Undergarments?” My oldest brother, Arran, spoke up from his seat at our father’s right hand. “Seems a common enough product.”

“Not what Angie invented,” I countered.

“I don’t understand how you can defend her.” The oldest of my two sisters, Finola, shook her head.

“I’m not defending her,” I said. “I’m defending her product. It’s good.”

“When are you going to admit that she conned you?” Da snapped. “She was after nothing more than our money and name.”

“And she got that by dumping me and marrying someone else?” The question popped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

My sister-in-law, Rhiannon, stared at me in shock, and I could feel the eyes of my siblings on me as well. I wasn’t one to use snark with our parents. Or anywhere near my family at all. Only my friends got to see that side of me.

I pushed down my aggravation and tried again. “I can separate the product from the person. The worth of the product has nothing to do with Angie’s infidelity.”

“Separating business from pleasure. It seems something you should have learned a while ago. It would have saved us all a lot of time and money.” Mum took another sip of wine as if she hadn’t just said that my broken engagement had cost us time and money.

I swallowed the comeback like I always did. “Angie was still in love with her ex. I couldn’t have known that.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if you’d just listened in the first place,” Da said. “But you’ve always had to do things your way. Pretend that you know better than all the rest of us.”

“That’s turned out well,” my youngest sister, Ellen, muttered under her breath.

I shot her a dirty look. She loved me as a child, following me around all the time. Then, Mum had gotten her hooks in Ellen too, and my baby sister had decided that toeing the family line was more important than anything else.

“Penelope Gareth’s daughter is back from Paris.” Mum either couldn’t hear or just ignored Ellen’s comment. “Perhaps you could give her a ring.”

I squashed the urge to sigh. I wished I could say that my mother’s attempt at playing matchmaker surprised me, but it didn’t. She and Da always made plans for us kids to marry someone that suited their interests. Business or social. Or both.

“I don’t think that is such a wise idea, my dear,” Da said with a glance at Mum. “After all, it isn’t as if he’ll have anything to offer the girl but our name. Perhaps Egan would be a better match.”

I gave my brother a sideways look, but he didn’t take his eyes off his plate. Wise move. If he didn’t want to date Penelope Gareth’s daughter, this was not the time to bring it up.

“Perhaps.” Mum lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “No point in burning a bridge with a bad match.”

“Thanks, Mum,” I said under my breath.

At least I avoided being set up on a date. I supposed there was some good in my struggling business endeavor.

“Now, let’s discuss how to repair the damage you’ve done to the family with your recklessness,” Da said, setting his fork down next to his plate.

I ignored the opinion part of his statement and focused on the facts I could present to him. “As I said, I found a new manufacturer who may be interested in putting together a few samples and a small inventory. I’m going to be scheduling a tour of the plant before I sign anything, though.”

“Wait.” Da held up a hand. “You misunderstand. Let me be more specific. What will you be doing to replace the money you threw away on this foolish scheme?”

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