Page 4 of Bachelor CEO

“Sure.” Chase opened a cabinet and took outtwo tall tumblers. Because he hadn’t stopped on the drive up he was hungry andthirsty. “So what did you want me to come up early for?”

“Did you bring all my work from the office?”Leroy asked, after taking a sip.

“Everything your secretary gave me,” Chasereplied, balancing his own glass. “It’s out in my trunk with my luggage.”

“That’s fine. I’m going to go wash up. Let’smeet in twenty minutes.”

“Perfect. I want to unpack and make asandwich. I missed lunch.”

“Okay.” Glass in hand, Leroy left the room.Chase drained his iced tea, put the tumbler in the dishwasher and made a turkeysandwich. When finished, he retrieved his cases from the car.

This was his first visit since closing thehouse last fall, and as he carried everything in, he looked to see if therewere any changes from last year. He wandered through the kitchen and enteredthe huge vaulted great room.

He set the big envelope Leroy’s secretary hadgiven him on the dining room table, and paused to take in the view of the waterthrough the front windows. To Chase’s right was a glassed-in porch that couldeasily seat forty people when filled with tables.

The great room containedmultiple groupings of comfortable sofas and armchairs, beneath a ceiling thatrose to twenty-five feet. The bedrooms were located in a wing on the far end ofthe house, opposite the enclosed sunporch.

Chase made his way to his bedroom, on thesecond floor. He unpacked before returning to the great room and tucking intoin his favorite armchair near the floor-to-ceiling fireplace. He had fondmemories of crackling fires that heated the pinkish-colored stones until theywere hot to the touch.

“Ah, good, you’re here,” his grandfather said,emerging from the first-floor hallway that led to the master bedroom andLeroy’s office.

“I put your stuff on the table,” Chase said.

“I’ll look at everything later. Are you stillhungry? I thought we could swing over to the country club for a quick appetizerand a drink before everyone gets here.”

“I’m fine,” Chase answered. It wasn’t yet 4:00p.m. His siblings would start arriving around five-thirty. “You said you neededto talk to me,” he prodded, a bit surprised by his urgency to hear the officialword that he’d be CEO. He’d always assumed there’d be no glitches, but now thatthe time had arrived, he was a little nervous. He simply wanted everythingsigned, sealed and delivered, so he could relax and enjoy the weekendfestivities.

Leroy settled into his recliner and kicked uphis feet. While he might appear relaxed, his blue eyes were razor sharp and hisgaze locked on to Chase. “I’m worried about you,” he stated.

“W-why?” Chase sputtered in surprise. The lasttime his grandfather had been worried, Chase had been seventeen and had failedto call and say that he’d be late arriving home one night.“What are you worried about? Have I made a mistake of some sort?”

“No, no, it’s me who’s screwed up.” Hisgrandfather exhaled a sigh.

“You’re not ill, are you?”

Leroy produced a reassuring smile, and with aslight shake of his head said, “It’s nothing like that. I’m fit as a fiddle.Unlike my Heidi, I’ve got quite a few years left in me. Someone has to be therefor the grandkids your dad and mom never got to enjoy.”

Chase frowned. He knew his grandfather missedhis wife and son, but he’d never seen the old man like this. He seemedvulnerable. He never revealed weakness.

Leroy was a tough, self-made man. He didn’tcrack under pressure. But he appeared to be doing so now. He’d become nostalgicand reminiscent. Maybe that occurred when you hit eighty. Chase didn’t know.

The only thing he was certain of was that hisstomach had become unsettled, the turkey sitting like a lead weight. Somethingwas wrong. He sensed a problem, knew it instinctively, as he had that day longago when his grandparents had come to tell him his mother and father were dead.

The knowledge that whatever this was couldn’tbe as severe as that announcement didn’t necessarily provide comfort.

Leroy sighed. “I’ve been unfair to you, Chase.I realized that a few months ago. You’ve always done everything I’ve asked ofyou.”

“It’s been no problem,” Chase assured him. “Ihaven’t minded.”

Leroy exhaled again, as if the conversationpained him. He shifted, lowering the footrest and leaning forward to plant bothfeet on the floor. He clasped his hands together. “Yes, itis a problem. One I should have stopped long ago. You should have had thefreedom to make your own choices. You’ve been trapped into an endless cycle ofmeeting my expectations.”

Chase’s forehead creased. “You’ve lost me. Idon’t meet your expectations?”

“Of course you do. You exceed them, actually.No grandfather could be prouder.”

“So what’s this about?”

“I’ve spent the last few months contemplatingmy mortality. I’ve always said I’d step down when I hit eighty, but I’ve had achange of heart. I think I’ll stay another year.”

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