Page 38 of Taming the CEO

"Oh, that banana bread recipe. I just had to have it."

Gran was one of the most accomplished cooks and bakers I knew. She’d baked a lot of banana bread in her life—she didn’t need a recipe.

“She kept her mother's cookbooks," she continued. "I think that is so lovely.” That particular tidbit of information touched me unexpectedly. Cami had many layers. “She was at home. She’s going to repair a tile on her roof today by herself.”

I straightened up. "By herself?"

"I know, right? It's not something I’d ever dream of doing. Climbing a ladder, balancing on a slippery surface. I hope she doesn’t hurt herself."

Gran insisted on doing almost everything by herself, but she and Granddad did have limits.

I didn’t like Cami’s plan. Working on a roof was always dangerous. Why the hell didn’t she hire someone to do it?

Not everyone can do that, I reminded myself. Some days I forgot I had a damn privileged life and unintentionally took it for granted.

“But Cami says she’s got no problem doing it,” she said with a sigh.

"Good for her" was all I said.

Gran narrowed her eyes little bit but didn't add anything else, grabbing another lobster roll instead.

"I always thought you were the most stubborn of all of your brothers," she said after a few more bites.

I laughed. "Really? How come?"

"In the beginning, it was just a feeling. But you've proved me right a few times over the years. Especially when you took over the office space business of your father’s against everyone’s advice, including your own granddad’s."

I cleared my throat, choosing my words carefully. "I saw the potential. And with all due respect to Granddad, he was old-school when it came to office design. He couldn't foresee that it was such a dynamic industry." Back in his day, everyone was happy with cubicles. When Dad set up Whitley Office Spaces, they simply renovated office spaces and made cubicles more appealing. But now we turned open-space offices into an oasis where people would actually feel comfortable—using plants and wooden structures as dividers, among many other things. We were constantly innovating.

She leaned forward and said, "Between you and me, I was glad you fought him on that. I had a hunch you had the right idea, but I just didn’t say it. I didn't want your grandfather to think I wasn’t in his corner."

The loyalty my grandparents had for each other still impressed me even after so many years. They tried to form a united front in every way. I appreciated that, though some days I wished I'd found out sooner that Dad was a bastard. Maybe then we would have had more time together with our grandparents.

Our next order arrived just as fast. And we still had no drinks.

"We’d like to order beverages too," I said.

"Oh right, right. I forgot. Sorry, food is the most important thing around here, and most people don't even order drinks."

"I want a glass of red wine," Gran said.

I fought to school my features. "Just sparkling water for me."

After the waiter left, I stared at her.

"What?" she said. "I'm feeling feisty. You know I like to keep alcohol to a minimum at home. And the doctor didn't specifically forbid me to drink it as they did your grandfather."

"No, but they mentioned that you should stay hydrated."

"Which I do. I drink plenty of liquids. Wine is a liquid, too, don't you know?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Gran, you know alcohol actually dehydrates you."

"Oh, po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Just let me enjoy my lunch."

"Fair enough," I said.

She and I thoroughly relished our meals, and to my surprise, she didn’t bring up Cami again.

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