Page 11 of Flirting with the CEO

“Yes. But I don’t want to change our system.”

George narrowed his eyes, then opened his mouth but closed it without saying anything. We agreed on next steps, and then he left the office.

I understood why he thought working together on the formulas would be more advantageous, but I was a hands-on guy. I didn’t like the team hovering around in these early stages.

Shortly before lunch, Darla came into my office again. "Colton, your grandmother is here."

"Show her in, please." I was surprised she'd come to the office. We were supposed to meet at the restaurant for our lunch date.

The door opened wider, and Jeannie Whitley stepped inside. My grandmother was ninety-one, but you wouldn't know it from looking at her. She was agile and sharp and liked to keep me and my brothers on our toes.

I immediately rose from my desk, walking to her and kissing her cheek. "Grandmother, did I get things mixed up? I thought we were meeting at the restaurant."

"Oh, we are," she said. "That's what we agreed on, but honestly, I got bored of shopping, so I figured I'd visit you here in your lair. I haven't been to Whitley Biotech in a long while."

Whitley Biotech was one of the original companies within Whitley Industries that my grandfather started up.

"I can give you a tour. Want to see the lab?"

She waved her hand. "No, I know you don't like many people going into your lab, but I would like to look around the offices for a bit."

"Come on. I'll show you around."

I took her arm, walking with her down the corridor, stepping in front of each office, and giving her a brief explanation of what the team residing there was doing. She smiled and nodded and asked pertinent questions. That was one of the things I loved about Grandmother. She never made small talk. She always had important things to say.

"Oh, you've done such a stellar job," she said as we moved back to my office. "Your grandfather is proud of you, you know?"

"Thank you." That was very important to me. It was one of the big motivators behind everything I did. I wanted both my grandparents to be proud. They deserved to know that all their hard work paid off despite the fact that my father nearly ran everything into the ground.

"Want me to make you a coffee?" I asked her. I had a coffee machine in my office. I consumed so much of it that I didn't want to go to the communal kitchen every time I needed a cup. Besides, that place was more of a gossip center. I took after Grandmother and despised small talk. "We still have time before we have to be at the restaurant."

"Thanks, but I already had two today." She looked around again, then back at me. "You know, your grandfather would probably enjoy it here too," she said. "He's getting bored at home."

"Boring is good," I replied. "It'll keep him sane and safe."

"Well, safe maybe, but I'm not sure about sane. It’s driving him crazy."

Almost a year ago, Grandfather gave us a scare when he took a trip to the emergency room.

His health problems started when our father left us all, years ago. Grandfather had been retired by that time, but he came back to work, overseeing Whitley Industries right up until he had a heart attack. Doctors absolutely forbade him from working again after that, and he slipped back into retirement. My brothers and I did our best, taking the reins of the companies as we grew older. The only business that didn't have a Whitley leading it until recently was the advertising branch. It nearly went bankrupt. Grandfather decided to run it himself for a while, right up until his health scare. After that, my brother Jake moved from New York to Boston and took it over. Ever since, we'd made sure Grandfather had absolutely nothing to worry about. But the man didn't know how to take it easy. Of course he was bored. I would be too.

"Ready to go to lunch?" I asked. "I'm sure they can accommodate us earlier."

"Oh no, it's fine. I don't have to rush. I like being out of the house. I’m so glad that you're making time for the family now, Colton. We’ve missed you, you know."

I sensed her starting to guilt-trip me, but where could she possibly go with this?

"I apologize that I've been absent these past few years, but you know how I am when I'm working."

"Colton, you'll always have work. Especially with what you do. It'll always be easier to prioritize the development of a new product over your personal life."

"I'm getting better at balancing it," I said even though I wasn't.

Sometimes you had to tell people what they needed to hear. I didn't want Grandmother to worry about me.

"Your brothers have been so much happier lately."

I narrowed my eyes. I was starting to suspect where she was going with this.

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