Set Up (41 page)

Outside of his office, Noah stopped and faced his grandfather. “You don’t have to do this you know.”

He sighed wearily. “Yes, I do. It’s long overdue.” With a trembling hand, he opened the door.

“Since when does anyone enter my office without kno...?” Zachary’s words caught in his throat as he looked up from his paperwork to find his father entering the room. “Well hello, Father. It’s been quite some time since you’ve paid me a visit.” He motioned to an empty chair. “Have a seat. Do you care for anything to drink? Water, tea...?”

Abe held a hand up to halt his insincere formalities. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call, Zachary.”

“And I assume you’re his backup?” He gave Noah a long steady look. An air of disapproval lingered in the space between them

Noah shrugged. “I’m here because he asked me to be here.”

Zachary leaned back in his chair, and steepled his fingers under his chin. His brow arched. “So what’s on your mind, old man?”

Abe sat on the edge of his chair and glared at his son. “I understand you want to buy the bakery. Is this true?”

He shrugged. “What if I do? What business is it of yours?”

Colour rose in Abe’s face again. “You made it my business when you sent Caleb to the funeral to make my friend Kara an offer. Have you no compassion at all? It was Fred’s funeral, for the love of God.”

Zachary’s mouth twisted in a crooked smile. “So your grandfather’s fighting your battles now?” He glared at Noah disapprovingly, and clicked his tongue.

Noah opened his mouth to reply, only to have his grandfather cut him off.

“This is my battle, not his. You see, Noah still harbours the hope there’s a heart somewhere within you. I, on the other hand, know your heart has ceased to function for a very long time now.”

Zachary’s eyes grew dark, and he straightened in his chair. “Enough of this gibberish. Why don’t you get to the point? I’m a busy man.”

“My point is, I want you to back off. The bakery’s not for sale.”

Zachary chuckled. “I stopped listening to you many years ago. Do you really think I’ll start listening to you now?”

Abe grabbed hold of both arms of the chair and hoisted himself up. He stepped over to the desk and stood directly across from his son. His white knuckles held his weight as he leaned over as far as he possibly could. “You don’t need the bakery. You just want another property on the Steele Monopoly Board. You couldn’t care less that there are real people involved. It’s a family business, and they’re all grieving the loss of Fred. Let it go, Zachary. If you’ve ever loved me...let it go.”

Just then, the door flew open and Caleb lurched into the room. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I had to make a quick stop.” He gasped, attempting to catch his breath. “So what did I miss?” His gaze travelled around the room in search of an answer.

Abe returned to his seat, the color drained from his face.

“My father’s trying to convince me not to buy the bakery.”

“Well, you can scratch Kara off the list of possible contacts to make the sale.” He twisted the cap off a bottle of water and drained half its contents. “She made it very clear, as far as she’s concerned, that there’ll be no sale...something about Fred dying, and her promising to keep the bakery open.” He shrugged.

“And just when did Kara say all of this?” Noah clenched his teeth.

“Today. I went over to....”

Before Caleb finished his sentence, Noah bolted from his chair and lunged at his brother, tackling him to the ground. His fist drew back, ready to meet its mark.

“Stop! I don’t want any more fighting between the two of....” Abe grabbed his chest. His eyes grew big, and he toppled out of his chair onto the floor. His breath came in short, laboured rasps.

Noah rushed to his grandfather’s side. “Gramps, what’s wrong?”

Abe said nothing. His hand clutched his chest. He let out a strangled gasp, and his eyes fluttered shut.

Frantically, Noah looked up to find his father still seated on the other side of the desk and Caleb, righting his chair and straightening his clothes.

“What’s wrong with you two? Can’t you see he’s having a heart attack? Somebody call 9-1-1.”

Zachary and Caleb exchanged a look, but neither moved toward the phone.

Noah grabbed the phone off the corner of the desk and keyed in 9-1-1. “I need an ambulance right away at the Steele Estate. We’re in the office, and I think my grandfather just had a heart attack.”

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

MuseItUp Publishing

14878 James, Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, H9H 1P5

http://www.museituppublishing.com

Edited by B.L. Wilson

Copyedited by Valerie Haley

Layout and Book Production by Lea Schizas

eBook ISBN: 978-1-77127-029-8

First eBook Edition *July 2012

Production by MuseItUp Publishing