Morgan tipped his bottle back. "I hate to say this, but maybe it wasn't the best idea to work with our sister."
Was that fair? I didn't know Aspen that well. Maybe what everyone said about her was true.
"She's constantly changing her mind about things," Maverick agreed.
"She really wanted this job—" I began and then broke off.
"What happened?" Hudson asked.
"I expedited the estimates because of the short timeline, and then she never responded. I went to see her, and she said she hadn't seen the email. But it looked like she's been working long hours." I remembered there were multiple coffee cups on her desk, and to-go containers were scattered about.
"She's taking lead on all of the town events and the renovations. It's a lot," Maverick said.
I ran a hand through my hair. "We have to get the bathrooms done before the winter ball."
"That doesn't give us much time," Morgan said.
"That's why I don't understand why it wasn't a priority for her."
Maverick sighed, and everyone looked at him. "I'm not sure if I should say anything, but I think she has trouble organizing things. She misses things, gets distracted."
"Don't we all?" Hudson asked lightly.
"She really struggled in school, and I overheard Mom and Dad talking about ADHD once. But Aspen didn't want the diagnosis, meds, or any help. I always wondered if she felt dumb because school was harder for her."
Hudson shook his head. "That's probably why she dropped out of college."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of." But was she any different from me? I was ashamed of my family.
"I think she wanted to be the same as everyone else. She didn't want Mom and Dad to see her as different. You know she was always trying to keep up with us."
I didn't add anything because this was a family thing, and I was the outsider. I wasn't super familiar with ADHD, but I supposed that could be the issue. If she had a lot of tasks, she might not know which one to focus on first. Or she might miss something. Maybe I was too hard on her.
Maverick rolled his shoulders back. "I'm not saying that's what happened here, but it might be why she doesn't take jobs with a ton of tasks and responsibilities."
"Didn't everyone assume she was irresponsible?” I asked.
"I think Mom and Dad were frustrated that she never sought help. Not that they were frustrated with who she was," Maverick said carefully.
"I mean, that makes sense. It fits with everything we've seen over the years,” Hudson said.
I let out a breath. "But what does it mean for the town, for our contract? Will Eve be able to pick up where she left off?"
"I'd give Aspen a few days and then reach out to her. Maybe she was feeling overwhelmed when you confronted her," Maverick said.
"I don't know." I was worried that I was going to screw up this project, and then we'd lose the contract. The Sterlings were depending on me. I couldn't let them down. I didn't have a fall-back plan. If the business failed, I'd be working for someone else again. And I was really enjoying being my own boss.
"I wouldn't worry about it just yet," Maverick said.
That was easy for him to say. His job wasn't on the line. All of them had solo businesses they'd built before we went into business together. "I was born worrying about everything."
Hudson gave me a look. "You got something you want to tell us?"
I took a swig of my beer, wishing I hadn't said anything at all. "Nope."
Morgan shoulder bumped me. "Didn't your last girl say that you were closed off? Maybe if you confided in us first?—"
"Don't all girls say that?" I quipped.