Page 10 of Trouble Me
“Very well, sir. Thank you for asking.” Even after forty years in the states, Abe still held on to his British accent.
Shane ducked his head to hide a smile as he followed behind the older man leading him to his father’s study. He’d always found the formality of coming to his father’s house amusing. It was as though he hadn’t grown up here and run the halls like a banshee with his younger brother.
Before Abe opened the heavy wooden door, he hesitated, then turned to Shane. “I’m not sure how much you’ve been told about the change in your father’s condition over the last few days,” he began.
Shane’s sigh was heavy. “Only what Jenn told me on the phone the other day, which wasn’t much. Last time I talked to him, he sounded worn out.” He rubbed a hand along his chin, his mouth dry. “It’s worrisome.” Shane wasn’t prepared to think about any alternative.
Abe nodded and averted his worried gaze. “Yes, it is. I just wanted to make sure, sir. To give you warning before you see him.”
After opening the door, Abe stepped aside for Shane to walk through. A knot formed in Shane’s stomach that made him ill. At first glance, the room looked the same, with its dark, wood-paneled walls and built-in, book-lined shelving. The sturdy mahogany desk and the oversized, worn black leather chair that sat behind it were familiar. But the room that had once smelled of leather and his father’s cologne now smelled like antiseptic. It was an odor that took Shane back to a hospital room when he was twelve and visiting his sick mother.
In addition to all the things that made the office the quintessential gentleman’s cave, it now included a large recliner for his father’s chemo treatments, IV stands, and various other medical equipment. He paid his doctors and nurses well to take care of him in his own home.
Heavy curtains stood open halfway, revealing the fields surrounding the estate and allowing sunlight to filter into the room. His father reclined in the tan chair, staring out the window while receiving a treatment and sucking on a grape Popsicle.
Something twisted in Shane’s chest at seeing his father looking small and frail in spite of his height. For all of Shane’s life, his father had been an imposing figure. Tall, broad, and with a booming voice that carried through the vineyards, Alan Kavanaugh was larger than life. He was a decent, honorable man who lived for his family, the two sons he’d raised on his own, and the business his family had spent a century making. He was someone Shane had no trouble wanting to emulate, in life and in business.
Too bad he’d failed to follow through so far.
Alan’s gaze slid over to Shane and his eyes lit up. “Shane, my boy. What brings you here?” He motioned to the uncomfortable wingback chair next to his recliner, smiling. “Come, sit.”
“Hey, Dad.” Shane sat down next to his father and leaned his elbows on his thighs. “How are you feeling?”
Alan shrugged. “Okay, at the moment. I have my Popsicles and a view I never seem to grow tired of.”
Shane studied the older man, worry a hard knot in his stomach. Jenn hadn’t exaggerated. His father had seemed to age in just a few days. “What’s going on, Dad?” Shane asked softly.
Alan sighed the sigh of a man who was resigned to something but hated the fact of it. “The chemo is finally kicking my ass. The doctors thought I could sit out a round, but they want me to do more. And I ended up with an infection.” He frowned. “This stuff just seems to snowball. I’m trying not to let the fucking cancer kill me, but in order to get rid of it, I have to do things that make my system vulnerable.” He clenched a fist on the armrest and leaned his head back, his eyes closing.
His father sounded like he was giving up. Fear snaked through Shane and made his blood run cold. The last time fear gripped him that way he was a kid lost in one of the vineyards, thinking he’d never make it home. “You have to keep fighting this, Dad. You can beat it.”
Alan rolled his head to face Shane. “Don’t count me out yet, son. Now,” he sat up straighter in the chair. “Give me a status update on Gold Mountain.” He sucked on the purple icy treat and looked at Shane expectantly.
At that moment, Shane laughed. It was hard to reconcile the sharp president of a worldwide corporation with the man gnawing on something children ate on a hot summer day, purple mouth and all.
Alan’s brows came together in a look that brought Shane’s laughter to a halt, but a smile still on his lips. “Yes, sir. Gold Mountain...” For the next hour, they talked about the area, marketing, budgets, and rehabbing the facility.
“Did you move forward with hiring the director of operations?” Alan asked, shifting positions in his chair.
“I met with three talented candidates and I’ve made my choice.” Shane stood and came to his father’s side. He studied the machine dispensing the lifesaving poison. “Are you okay? Do you need anything? And how the hell long does this treatment take?”
Alan waved away his questions. “I’m fine, and too long. Continue, please.”
Shane sat down on the chair he’d vacated and leaned back, kicking his legs out in front of him. “Okay,” he replied, thinking about Emma, “Like I said, I’ve made my choice. A woman named Emmaline Reynolds. When I get back, I’m extending the offer to her.”
Alan nodded. “Good. We need someone in there to look at the numbers and make sure we stay on track. Especially if we decide to buy some property. It may need some work, and our budgets will need to be in order. I have news on that. But first,” he paused long enough to bite into the Popsicle and swallow. “Tell me about Emmaline.”
This time, it was Shane who shifted in his chair. Where did he start? With the whiskey-colored eyes? Or dark hair shot through with fiery red strands? Or the curves Emma tried to hide under her clothes? He rubbed the back of his neck.
“She’s a local. Grew up in Madison Ridge and owned a marketing firm in Atlanta for several years before selling it two years ago. Prior to that, she worked in several industries, including the food and beverage industry. Passed the background check. Went to a local prestigious business school and has several other letters behind her name that say she’s certified to handle numbers, finance, and all things marketing. She’s sharp, and exactly what we need.”
Before he’d decided to make her the director of operations and extend the job offer to her, he’d thought she was exactly what he needed to end his sex drought. But now he’d gone and made her a KVN employee, Emma was no longer in the running forthatparticular job. He shoved away the thoughts that would get him in nothing but trouble.
Alan narrowed his eyes. “What’s she been doing for the last two years?”
“When I asked her, she said she moved back to Madison Ridge because of family issues.” Shane didn’t mention she waited tables in the town’s diner that probably didn’t pay her much more than minimum wage.
Alan pursed his lips. “What about her references?”
