The Spinster Sisters (32 page)

There are murmurs around the room. A couple of people nod their heads, and a couple of people look away.

“Look, guys,” Jill continues, “I know you all care about me, and I know that you all are excited about my wedding for my personal sake. And I’m sorry that I was dismissive when somebody tried to tell me that perhaps it ought to be up for discussion. Not whether to get married, but how to handle it in terms of the business. And while I’m not going to cancel my wedding just to retain my spinsterhood for the sake of the company, I do want to ensure that there isn’t any sort of backlash. We are putting two things on the table right now for open discussion. The first is the Mallory/Brant issue. We would like any of you who would like to weigh in with us on whether you are more in support of fighting the fight or more in support of making a settlement to make your voices heard. The second topic has less of the decision-making air to it and simply is more of a brainstorming session. What do you see as the potential negative ramifications of one of the Spinster Sisters not being a spinster anymore? And what, if any, are the potential positive impacts of that? We want to take this time to think through how best to handle the situation. And hopefully to turn it to our favor.” Jill looks over at me. I smile and turn back to the team.

“Guys, we’re not leaving this room until we make a decision about Brant and Mallory, and until we figure out the best way for the company to support Jill’s marriage. Are you guys up for it?” Around the table heads begin to nod.

“All right, then,” Jill says. “Who wants to begin?”

 
Jill holds her wineglass out to Hunter for a refill. “I really think it was the best meeting we’ve ever had,” she says. “Don’t you think, Jodi?”

“Absolutely,” I say. Once everybody got over their nervousness, people were very open and honest about their concerns. But it also became very clear how much those concerns were truly about the impact to us personally and the general success of the company and really very little about protecting their own interests. They hated the idea of Jill and me being dragged through the mud, and more than that, they all believe so strongly in our message and are so certain that we really do help people that they wanted to be sure that we could continue to do that effectively. It was truly amazing.

“Well, dears,” says Aunt Shirley. “I’m not in the least surprised. You have such wonderful people working with you. I would have been shocked if you had found anything different.”

“I agree,” says Ruth. “But let’s cut to the chase. Ultimately, what did you decide?”

“Well,” says Jill, “we debated the PR issue pretty extensively, and even though a few people still have some reservations,” she winks at me, “we all agreed that it is a clear connection to the message of our company to fight if it comes to that. So we have decided not to offer any sort of settlement and, in fact, not to have any communication with either Mallory or Brant for the time being and simply to see how it plays out.”

“I still think Brant may not be fully aware of what Mallory is up to,” I say. “And I also believe, when push comes to shove, that Mallory may in fact back off to protect her relationship with Brant once she realizes that we aren’t going to cave. At least, I really hope so.”

“And what about the other issue?” Hunter asks. “Am I about to be lynched by the entire staff of Spinster Inc. for taking one spinster off the market?”

“Actually,” Jill says, “I’m glad you bring it up. I’ve decided for the sake of the company not to marry you.”

There is a deafening silence as Hunter’s head whips around to look at her. Jill smiles at him and winks.

“You are so mean,” I say.

“You’ve got to stop playing these pranks. They’re going to give one of us a heart attack,” says Ruth.

That discussion, while slightly shorter than the other, was probably the most meaningful. It turned out that the underlying message that we send has far less to do with someone being single and far more to do with someone being true to themselves and is aimed at empowering people to live a life of joy, abundance, and personal success. It was interesting that Maddy actually brought up that she and Cleo had had a few ideas that they had been hesitant to bring to us, because she felt so strongly that it was sort of a top-down organization. That when it came to the big picture, Jill and I were in charge of ideas and the team was in charge of executing. But once we started, it became clear that we have assembled a team that is as passionate about our ideas as we are, and what’s more, a group of people who are creative and intelligent and have wonderful ideas of their own.

“Well,” says Jill, taking a sip of her wine. “What we figured out is that the company has grown to a point where it has to stop being so centrally focused on Jodi and me. That actually being a Spinster Sister has nothing to do with your marital status. Nor with your being blood related to one of us. Being a Spinster Sister is about attitude and lifestyle, and we have an office full of Spinster Sisters who embody that ideal just the way we do. So we are going to begin a marketing campaign that starts to make some of the other team members a part of being the face of the company.”

I take a sip of wine and jump in. “Paige and Kim came up with the idea of a campaign that opens up the company in, I think, a pretty exciting, and more important, inclusive way. So we’re going to start with a series of ads in magazines and on billboards and signs on buses that say things like, ‘Are you a Spinster Sister?’ ‘Be a Spinster Sister.’ And the second round of ads is going to have pictures of all the girls on the team with the tagline, ‘I’m a Spinster Sister.’

“We’re also going to change the website to include sections where the team members each get their own page and their own blog, and where our fans have opportunities to engage with and ask questions of any particular person in the company, not just Jill and me. We think, if we handle it right, that the new face of the company is going to be the entire company. And in that way we’ll be able to reach an even broader market and have a more inclusive message. If we can convince everybody that
Spinster Sister
is an attitude and not a legal term, it will eventually really broaden our market to be more accessible to women who aren’t single. Jill and I are going to propose that the next book we write is
The Spinster Sisters on Marriage
. Jill will cover the points of being newly married. I will cover the points about being married for a longer period of time, as well as some of the trials and tribulations associated with getting divorced. And we’re actually going to work with a third author for this book, someone who has been married for a very long time and is successful so that we have that demographic represented as well. It’ll open up a new ability to address the issues connected to sustaining relationships.”

“Well, I think it’s a brilliant idea,” says Hunter.

“We’re hoping to use the new campaign as a preemptive strike against Mallory,” Jill says. “In fact, Kim and her team decided to stay late tonight to get the initial round of ads and billboards designed so that we can start as early as next week getting them in place. Hopefully, by the time Mallory can plant her poison in the press, everybody will be too focused on the rebranding to pay much attention.”

“I’m very proud of you girls,” says Ruth. “I know that both of these difficult things have brought up some serious issues for you. It is very impressive that the two of you can work through them openly and honestly and not have it damage your relationship.”

“Well, we learned that from the best!” says Jill.

“Hear, hear,” I say. “I’d like to propose a toast to the original Spinster Sisters who taught us that sisters make the best friends, the best support, and the best business partners.”

We all raise our glasses in praise and drink to our health.

Does it feel greedy? I don’t think so. For me, dating more than one
man is no different than having more than one favorite restaurant.
Don’t forget, it is always my assumption when I’m dating more than
one person that the men I am dating are also dating other women. I
certainly don’t ask for exclusivity from someone with whom I am being
nonexclusive. I don’t think that dating more than one person takes
anyone off the market for anyone else. And in general, I find that the
nature of those types of dating relationships tend to be between people
who are both in the same place in their lives. I always try to be open
and honest with my partners and encourage them to be open and honest
with me. And I genuinely believe that it doesn’t do any harm to
play the field. I find that sometimes women who only date one man at
a time tend to settle in making permanent connections to partners because
of the amount of time they have invested in one person, and
how daunting it is to end a relationship and start over from scratch.
Whereas dating multiple people allows someone to feel comfortable
about ending relationships that aren’t working and also to recognize
that truly exceptional singular partner when he does come along.

—From an interview in
Jane
magazine, Jodi Spingold, September 2006

 
 
 
“You take the last bite,” Abbot says, pushing the crème brûlée across the table to me. “I’m stuffed.”

“Well, if you insist,” I say, spooning the last delectable morsel of custard into my mouth. Abbot waves at our waiter for the check and then smiles at me.

“So, I’ve been having an idea, and I wanted to get your take on it.”

“All right,” I say. “Shoot.”

“Well, from all reports, being the maid of honor is an exhausting business in the best of cases, and certainly in your situation, considering everything that’s been going on, I have to assume that by the time the wedding duties are done, you are going to be much in need of some R & R. I have a client with a beautiful little villa in Tuscany, on a charming piece of property, with its own olive grove, in a village only an hour outside of Florence. He’s been offering it to me for years, and I thought that perhaps this summer might be a good time to take him up on that offer. He has informed me that it is free the first two weeks of June, and at my disposal. What would you say to allowing me to whisk you away for two weeks of wine, pasta, and relaxation after the wedding?”

My jaw drops open. “You’re serious.”

“Of course,” Abbot says.

“Two weeks?”

“Well, it could be less, but frankly, I would think a minimum of ten days to fully enjoy the amenities.”

My head reels. Two weeks in Tuscany. I’d only been to the region once before, nearly ten years ago, and then only for four days. It was magical. The thought of being able to get away to such a beautiful place is thrilling.

“But Abbot, you and I have never spent longer than three days together. Are you sure that we should jump to such an extended vacation? And in a foreign country, no less?”

Abbot looks at me with a very serious air. “Jodi, I’m a very patient man. When you and I first began our relationship nine months ago, you were very open and clear with me about the nature of the relationship, and certainly that matched what I felt able to commit to as well. It has become clear to me over our time together that you and I are very, very good together. You are the first woman since my divorce who has made me believe that it is possible to find someone with potential. Someone that reminds me how wonderful it could be to be seriously committed to one person. But neither one of us will ever know unless we take a step forward. I’m suggesting this trip for a few reasons. First, I think we would have a wonderful time. It’s a beautiful country with much to explore and enjoy. But I also believe that spending that kind of time together would give us both a clear indication whether this is a relationship we would like to pursue in a more serious vein. If we find at the end of the two weeks that we are not compatible in that way, then at least we know that and will have had a great time and wonderful memories.

“I’m forty-eight years old, Jodi, and for the first time in a decade I see genuine potential in a relationship. And I’m tired of the two of us playing chicken with each other. To see which one is going to broach the idea first. It’s going to be me. You don’t have to decide right now, but I would like you to give some serious consideration to my offer. Come to Italy with me. See how we do, and if it is as wonderful as I genuinely believe it will be, then I would like for you to consider moving forward with me. Exclusively.”

Holy shit. “Abbot, that is one of the loveliest things anyone has ever said to me. And you are right. I do think we would have a wonderful time, and I do think it would give us a clearer idea of who we are to each other. You are also right in that it is the kind of offer I will need to seriously consider before giving you a final answer. But I want to thank you so very, very much for making it.”

“That is all I can ask,” he says. But his demeanor belies his casual comments. Everything about him seems to imply that, of course, I will say yes. “Shall we?” he asks, having signed the bill.