Chapter 3 - Peyton Distrusted Him Before I Did
My sister Peyton Ainsley was twenty-three.
Four years younger.
Different from me in almost every way.
I liked:
people,
negotiation,
strategy,
movement.
Peyton liked:
numbers,
systems,
silence.
She studied accounting and data analytics.
Then joined a forensic-accounting firm instead of our company because she wanted:
her own résumé.
Dad loved that.
I found it annoyingly responsible.
Peyton met Spencer at Thanksgiving.
She disliked him before:
dessert.
Later she told me:
“He answers questions you didn’t ask.”
“What does that mean?”
“If you ask what a project costs, he tells you why the return will be great.”
“So?”
“So that isn’t the question.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You’ve known him three hours.”
“Correct.”
She was not jealous.
Not competing.
Peyton had a boyfriend in Seattle and no interest in:
my romantic life
unless she thought something was:
wrong.
Six months later, she said:
“Why does Spencer have your company login?”
“He doesn’t.”
“I saw you let him use your laptop.”
“To look at marina data.”
“Andrea.”
“What?”
“You work for a private company.”
“He signed an NDA.”
“That isn’t the point.”
I became defensive.
“Dad lets outside consultants see financials all the time.”
“Through controlled access.”
I ended the conversation.
Because Spencer had already taught me what Peyton represented.
Your family doesn’t trust your judgment.
So every reasonable concern sounded like:
May you like
another vote against me.
---
