I was staying at Father’s farm and leaving early enough to avoid him as his hangovers wore off. This morning, however, he anticipated this and must have suffered the shakes all night in order to be sober enough to confront me.
“Worth, I want to talk to you.” It was a royal order, not a request.
“Good morning, Father. You’re up early.”
He ignored my bait and took a deep sip of strong coffee as his hand shook somewhat. “I’ve been hearing things about you and I’m not entirely happy,” he began.
“I’m sorry, Father, but I earned the title of black sheep a long time ago and thought that had taken some of the pressure off your expectations.”
“Worth…” he warned, his voice growling.
“Father, let’s dispense with the subterfuge, shall we? I know I’m the eldest and your namesake, but Linc was always your favorite. He was athletic, smart, went by the rules. He did everything you wanted him to. He made you proud. I don’t. It’s that simple. I know there isn’t a day that goes by that you don’t wish it had been me under that car and not him.”
It took him a second too long to meet my eyes. “Not true, Worth. I’m proud of you.”
“Father, the time for bullshit has passed. Don’t pander to me. I’m a man on my own now and like it or not, this is who I’ve turned out to be. It might be better for both of us, not to mention Mother, if you just accept that and leave me alone. I won’t embarrass you, but I have my own way of doing things.”
“Just because you’ve finally gotten access to your grandfather’s trust doesn’t give you any call to speak to me that way.” I looked at him and imagined that I would look like him some day. Perhaps I would have. Perhaps I would have been shaking in the glare of morning sunlight, my eyes bloodshot and my voice a fraction of the volume it once generated. He was aging and I was seeing myself as I would be in thirty years. I didn’t like it, not one bit. Auggie would change all that for me. I was certain of it.
“No, sir, it does not. But what it does do is take me out from beneath your heavy thumb and all the judgment that comes with it.”
He sat back in his chair, sizing me up. He had finally arrived at the realization that he’d lost control and he was mentally maneuvering for his best advantage. I let him, it kept him busy.
“What’s this I hear you’re seeing the Langford girl?” he began.
Jesus, as if I didn’t know where that had come from. I had it figured out the moment Auggie had told me of the picture. “Father, do you seriously want to go there? Old secrets? Indiscretions? You want it public that you shared her with Jervis, for Christ’s sake?”
I thought he was having a heart attack. His face grew red and mottled and his breathing became staggered. Fury set in on his features. He was not a man who was often called to task. I knew I had him exactly where I wanted him.
“You keep your nose out of what doesn’t concern you, young man,” he threatened.
“Or what? You’ll disinherit me? I don’t need your money. You’ll tell Mother? I dare say the revelations will be more devastating for your team, than mine. You’ll keep me from Auggie? I’m over twenty-one, Father, and so is she. If you do anything at all, you’ll force my hand. Your time is done, old man. I’m running my own show now.” I could hardly believe the words that came spilling out of my mouth. I had never dared to speak to him that way, and he was reeling from the impact.
“Oh, by the way…” I said as I turned to leave the house, perhaps for the last time. “I’m moving out. Someone will come to collect my things, so you needn’t lock me out like you did when I was twelve and ran away from home to keep you from horsewhipping me. Oh, and Jervis…he’s out. He’ll be announcing his retirement today and I’m taking over the clinic.”
“You won’t get away with this high-handedness, Worth,” he threatened again.
“I already have. I learned from the best.”
***
Right on cue, Jervis called a meeting of the staff and announced he’d be retiring, effective immediately and that I would be buying the practice. Worried faces looked toward me, but I nodded in reassurance. “You’ll all be staying on,” I said and then my face went back into business mode. I knew the staff was used to getting away with more with Jervis as captain. They knew I was no-nonsense and I fully expected several resignation letters on my desk by the end of the day. That would be fine. I was going to remake this practice into something that had never been done before. As a matter of fact, I’d gotten the idea from Auggie.
Jeremy checked in and we closeted ourselves in my office to draw up the plans. Aside from relocating some internal walls, and then the complete updating of the décor, there was little for him to do. I would handle the rest.
I called a sign company and arranged for the clinic to now be called “LaViere Clinic.” It was yet another tribute to the new concept I was putting in place.
Finally, the architect showed up and we went over the plans for the property. I told her I would have ultimate approval over everything but that in the meantime, she should contact Auggie for details. She nodded, a bit confused. “Let me spell it out for you, Ms. Dexter. Let her pick out the carpet and wall colors and such frippery but when it comes to any major decisions, you are to confer with me directly. Is that understood?” She nodded and when she left, I phoned Auggie.
“Hello, baby,” I began, and I knew this instantly put her on alert as I wasn’t exactly given to using terms of endearment.
“What’s going on? I’ve hardly heard from you.”
“Actually, quite a bit, really. I’m on my way over to pick you up because I have so much to tell you. You available?”
“Please… rescue me, yes. Mother is on a rampage over something and I can hear her shrieking your name throughout the house. I don’t know what you’ve done, but I think I’d better go. I’ll be watching for you from the window. Don’t bother coming to the door, just wait at the end of the drive. The mood Mother is in, she’s liable to shoot you.”
I chuckled as I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. No one asked where I was going or when I would be back. I knew to let the dust settle and then come in and clean up. Everything I’d been planning was now coming about.
True to her word, Auggie met me at the end of the drive. We drove back to town and found a quiet little coffee house where no one was likely to know us. Settled at the table with coffee and cake, I began to open the door to her new world and let her look inside.
“So, what on earth have you been up to?” she asked.
“Well, first, let me ask how it’s going with the foundation?” I pre-empted her.
She cocked her head and looked at me oddly. She knew my tactics well enough by now but decided to let me do it my way. “It’s fine,” she began. “Actually, it’s moving quite quickly. Brandon has the paperwork filed and we’ve already been granted tax-exempt status.”