Authors: Sandi Perry
She
looked
at
him
silently
for
a
few
beats
and
then
shook
her
head.
“I've
been
meaning
to
Google
you.
So,
your
family
really
does
have
money?”
He
nodded.
“The
Coventrys
are
an
old-moneyed
family
with
deep
roots
in
the
South.
My
daddy
used
to
say
that
money
grew
on
trees,
and
I
believed
him.”
“So
you
meant
it
when
you
said
back
at
the
office
that
you
could
start
your
own
thing.”
“Yes,”
he
replied.
“I
may
sound
flip
about
a
lot
of
things,
but
no
one
could
ever
accuse
me
of
being
a
liar—or
a
fool.”
“So,
why
work
for
my
father,
why
not
try
your
own
hand
at
it?”
“Well,
first
off,
I
didn’t
know
a
thing
about
running
a
company
a
few
years
ago.
And
secondly,
Daddy’s
money
comes
at
a
steep
price.”
She
nodded,
“It
usually
does.
I
don’t
think
family
and
business
mix.”
“Is
that
why
you
opted
out
of
joining
the
business?"
Alex
asked.
"You
obviously
have
a
very
sharp
business
mind;
you
seem
to
have
grasped
a
lot
about
the
business
in
a
short
amount
of
time.”
“I
don’t
think
my
relationship
with
my
father
could
have
survived
had
we
worked
together.
My
father
and
I
went
toe
to
toe
on
a
lot
of
things.
That
would
have
been
a
disastrous
mix
in
business.
My
father
was
used
to
being
unchallenged
in
our
home.
When
I
was
old
enough
to
talk,
I
started
to
face
up
to
him
and
haven’t
stopped
since.
Well,
up
until
a
few
weeks
ago,
I
guess.”
Alex
nodded.
“Right.
That
is
tough;
the
suddenness
of
the
whole
thing.”
“You
know,
I’m
kind
of
glad
it
happened
that
way.”
When
she
noted
Alex’s
surprised
expression
she
hurried
to
explain.
“My
father
was
always
such
a
presence
in
a
room;
my
mother
learned
early
on
that
he
cast
a
large
shadow
and
found
that
the
house
remained
peaceful
if
she
stood
one
step
behind
him.
He
commanded
a
lot
of
respect
and
attention.
I
would
have
hated
to
watch
someone
with
such
zest
wither
away
through
a
prolonged
illness.
He’ll
always
remain
vibrant
and
alive
in
my
mind.”
“Well,
it
seems
like
you’ve
gotten
much
of
your
father’s
strength
of
character.”
“I’m
like
him
in
a
lot
of
ways—that’s
why
we
clashed
so
much.
But
it’s
my
mother
I
really
admire.
Marriages
followed
a
different
formula
thirty-five
years
ago.
She
deferred
to
my
father
in
family
decisions,
even
though
her
advice
and
counsel
many
times
would
have
been
more
reasonable.
She
is
smart
and
talented,
a
gifted
artisan,
who
allowed
her
needs
to
sit
in
the
background
while
she
put
her
energy
into
her
home
and
family.
That’s
probably
why
I’m
self-centered;
I
never
want
to
abdicate
my
control
to
a
man
like
she
did.”
She
shrugged,
suddenly
uncomfortable
for
having
spoken
so
easily
and
openly
to
him.
He
was
smiling
and
shaking
his
head.
“We
couldn’t
come
from
more
dissimilar
backgrounds.
In
my
house,
my
mother
is
in
charge
and
my
father
is
so
crazy
about
her,
that
he
lovingly
steps
aside
and
lets
the
spotlight
stay
directly
on
her.
It’s
a
fascinating
dynamic.
They
grew
up
together
and
were
childhood
sweethearts.
They
have
a
beautiful,
crazy
bond
that
seems
to
have
worked
for
all
these
years.
I
think
you’ll
really
enjoy
meeting
them.
There
are
all
different
types
of
marriages,
just
like
there
are
all
different
types
of
people.
You
should
keep
an
open
mind
toward
the
institution.”
“That’s
not
what
I
would
have
expected
you
to
say.
Here
you
are,
thirty-four,
maybe
thirty-five?”
He
nodded.
“And
unattached,”
she
finished.
“As
soon
as
I
feel
more
settled
in
my
career,
I’ll
marry.”
Allison
studied
his
profile
as
he
looked
out
over
the
brightly
lit
city.
He'd
tossed
off
those
last
words
with
such
ease,
as
if
he
was
saying,
“please
pass
the
mustard”
with
the
confidence
of
a
man
who
knows
exactly
where
he’s
headed.
Allison
followed
his
line
of
sight
and
steeled
herself
for
the
landing.
She
admired
his
matter-of-fact
approach
to
life;
he
was
non-judgmental
and
easy
to
talk
to—maybe
he
was
right,
and
she
was
starting
to
like
him.
The
plane
dipped
a
little
as
it
began
its
descent.
She
gasped
and
Alex
turned
toward
her
with
concern.