Page 119 of An Engagement for Erica

“That’s not your concern,” Kristi said.

“Okay,” he said. “How many are left?Ifmeans it could be someone else.”

It was almost as if she was caught in a lie. “There is one other person.”

“Then I’d advise you to shake that person down too,” he said. “And decide what you’re going to do about this child too. This meeting is done.”

He picked up his phone and walked out of the room. There was a security officer waiting in the hall far enough away to not hear what was said.

“Would you like me to escort her out?”

“Please do,” he said and went back to his office.

Rather than go back to work, he grabbed his keys and told Alice he’d be back soon.

There was only one person he could talk to about this and he wasn’t going to do it on the phone where someone in the building could hear.

“Tucker,” Michael said to him when he walked in the front door. “Your grandfather said it sounded urgent.”

“I should have called you first to find out if he’s in a good spot today to talk.”

“He’s in a good spot,” Michael said. “Mentally, he’s there and stronger daily. Is everything okay with the business?”

He snorted. “You’d know if it wasn’t, I’m sure.”

“It’s not the way you think,” Michael said, smirking.

He wasn’t so sure he believed that.

“Is my grandfather in the back or his room?”

“He’s in the family room. He doesn’t like staying in bed for anything more than sleeping.”

“That’s good,” he said. “I’m glad.”

“What did your father do from his grave this time?” his grandfather asked when he walked into the back room.

His grandfather was dressed in tan cotton pants and a navy button-down shirt, looking about as normal as he always had.

Aside from the walker and wheelchair in the room, with his grandfather sitting there, not much looked off.

He couldn’t express how relieved he was when he was about to drop this news down as he was having second thoughts on the drive over.

Maybe he overreacted again.

“One of his lady friends just paid me a visit at work. She was looking for Dad and when she was told he was dead, she wanted to see me.”

“Let me guess,” his grandfather said. “She says she’s pregnant with his kid?”

“Has this happened before?” he asked. His grandfather didn’t appear to be too shocked over it.

“It’s happened in the past a time or two. Why do you think his will was worded the way it was? Your father didn’t want to deal with it any more than I did.”

“Have there been any other children? Do I have a half-sibling out there?”

It’s not something he’d ever considered and wasn’t sure how he felt hearing this now.

“Not that I’m aware of,” his grandfather said. “I told your father to get himself fixed years ago and it wouldn’t be a problem.”

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