He looked self-satisfied to have caught her unaware, saying with a wry grin, “You always told me you’d make partner first.”
“Damn right I did,” she said, snapping out of the momentary surprise, but her expression remained dubious. “So you want to move to Manhattan?”
“No,” he said. “We’re based in Saratoga Springs.”
Wait … based here? Did that mean he moving here?
But he hadn’t said that, had he?
Her wide eyes scanned his dad’s wood-paneled conference room and I winced at her disdain. “You expect me to work here?”
“Well, not in this office,” he said calmly. “I’ve identified potential office spaces. We can probably convince Connor to join us as our paralegal.”
Her skeptical eyebrow lifted. “And pay him with what money?”
“I have a three-pronged strategy.” Alex’s smile turned ruthless as he clicked to the next slide. “These are the Silicon Valley nanotech companies that Hamilton & Houghton represent. The two of us have touched 60% of these accounts.” He clicked again, and more than half the logos were circled, then another half dozen appeared below. “These companies have a presence at the Saratoga County microchip plant.”
Her lips widened slowly, like the Cheshire cat. “How many could we poach?”
His cunning expression mirrored hers. “Even if undercut their fees by 30%, I estimate a million in billings when we walk.”
My mouth dropped open, but nobody noticed my reaction.
She leaned forward to review the slide and murmured, “Fred Houghton will never see it coming.”
“The perfect vengeance,” he said with a glimmer of mischief in his eye, “like Inigo Montoya.”
She covered her mouth quickly to hide an unexpected smile.
“We can afford to undercut them, because the cost of living here is lower.” He flicked to the next slide of a luxury condo. “For the cost of my one bedroom, you could buy this.”
She tapped her lip several times, then leaned back in her chair with arms crossing her ample chest. “It’s not enough.”
“That’s just part one,” he said, his gaze tilting to look at his sister. “Part two is sitting beside you, the giant attitude in the minuscule body.”
Mallory straightened in alarm at their sudden attention. “Me?”
“You. I had a whole pitch about you, but since I didn’t include a slide about how you can’t tell time or follow simple directions to save your life,” he tried to sound gruff, but I don’t think I imagined an eye roll, “I’ll just tell a story.”
He settled his hip against the table and I found myself leaning forward in rapt bewilderment.
“When I flew home last month,” his eyes met mine and warmed before twisting back to his sister, “I prepared myself to dodge questions about being Dominic Martin’s brother. But you know what everybody said when I introduced myself?” He made an annoyed face, but couldn’t hide the slight eye crinkle. “‘You’re Alex Clarke? Are you related to Mallory?’” His lips pursed in mock frustration. “Even my barber told me his wife loves her yoga classes.”
“Aw, you went to see Tony!” Mal said with a clap.
“This sister of mine knows every business owner in this town. And for some reason, they all adore her,” he said sarcastically to Victoria, though his lip quirked in a proud grin.
“I smell yet another favor …” Mallory said dryly. What did she mean, ‘another?’
“Not a favor, a quid pro quo,” Alex said. “If you introduce us to any businesses in town that need legal services, hOMe Stretch Yoga will be our first local client. We’ll help you expand your studio into an empire.”
“That’s a colonialist phrase,” she said briskly, “but I accept your terms.” She’d dreamed about expansion, but we were too busy running the current place.
He bit back a smirk and flicked ahead a few slides, displaying a map. “I’ve identified potential properties for expansion. Victoria can lead commercial real estate negotiations and I’ll make sure your contracts cover your ass.” When Mallory winced at talk of contracts, Alex amended, “With Grace, of course.”
Right. As the studio manager and her ‘work wife,’ I manage the paperwork. Maybe that’s why he asked me to stay for the terms, given that he hadn’t talked to me and had barely looked at me.
But just as bitterness began leaking in, his gaze traveled to me. His expression softened, and my stomach flipped in confused hope.
“What’s the third part?” Victoria asked, pulling him back into his pitch.
The screen showed a photo of Alex, Victoria and … oh my gosh, was that Nick? They looked young and happy, unencumbered by the weight of the world.
Mallory exclaimed, “Holy shit.”
Victoria released an audible gasp and whispered, “I — I haven’t seen this in …”
“Houghton threw it in my face when he offered me the partnership,” Alex’s voice was a sneer, “He said they didn’t notice back when he was a ‘nobody.’ But when I looked at this picture, all I saw was the answer to Mallory’s question.”
Mallory tilted her head like a confused puppy.
“Right here, in this office, you asked me the last time I was happy.”
“Goddamn, I’m insightful,” she murmured and nudged my bicep.
He pointed to the screen. “There it is. Before we finished law school, or started at Hamilton & Houghton. The last time I was happy … until last month.”
He leaned his palm on the table.
