Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [86]
Their eyes met as they both came to the same conclusion.
"My grandfather must have worked for Hathaway's," Riley said.
"It sure looks that way. And he obviously knew my grandfather. It's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"
"I've never believed in coincidences." Riley felt sick to his stomach. He glanced over at Paige. "Have you spoken to your grandfather about the dragon?"
She shook her head. "No."
"I think it's time you did."
Chapter Sixteen
The store clerks chatting behind a counter stopped the instant they saw him. Good, but not good enough, Wallace thought. They shouldn't have been wasting time in the first place. Their business was to serve the public, not to entertain each other. He stopped in front of the counter, eyeing the name tag on the younger woman, Megan.
"May I help you, Mr. Hathaway?" she asked nervously, sending a pleading look to her cohort, a man who quickly busied himself with the countertop display.
"What time do you begin work?" he asked. "Ten o'clock."
"What time is it now?"
"Ten thirty."
"Exactly. I assume your duties do not include pointless conversation with other store clerks?"
"No, sir. But there aren't any customers right now."
"Whether there are customers present or not does not mean you should shirk your duties. Am I clear?"
"Yes. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't." He strode briskly away. Now that his presence had been noted in the store, everyone got busy. He walked down the aisles, surveying the displays, making mental notes that he would later dictate to his secretary. He made the same inspection on each subsequent floor, stopping at times to speak to the department managers. Some had been at the store for decades, but he didn't allow any friendliness to creep into his voice. There was a line between them. He liked it that way. lie trusted no one, not even those who reported to him on a daily basis. They served a purpose, but that was the extent of the relationship.
As he headed toward the executive offices, he couldn't help but worry about what would happen to Hathaway's when he was gone. Paige needed to step up to the plate. Maybe she didn't have it in her. He hated the thought of his store going into anyone else's hands, including Victoria's, but he had to admit that so far his granddaughter was a dismal failure as an only heir.
* * *
"Is my grandfather coming in today?" Paige asked, when her grandfather's secretary answered the phone. Although it was Saturday, she expected him to make an appearance. Saturday seemed to be his favorite day for checking up on employees, especially her mother. Victoria acted as if she didn't care and made a point of not coming to work on the weekends, but Paige suspected her mother made sure there was nothing out of order for Wallace to find.
"I expect him any minute," replied Georgia Markham, her grandfather's longtime secretary who always worked on Saturday. "Would you like an appointment?"
"Yes. I mean no. Well, maybe."
"Which is it, dear?"
"I'll check back with you in a few minutes. I'm not sure about my schedule yet." Paige hung up the phone, feeling like a big fat chicken. The man was her grandfather, for heaven's sake. There was no reason to be intimidated by him. Unfortunately, logic did little to dispel the nervous butterflies in her stomach.
Well, it could wait a few more minutes. While she was stalling, she decided to tie up some of the final arrangements for the grand opening party of the Hathaway exhibit at the Asian Art Museum, now only two short weeks away. She updated the response list, reviewed the catering, floral, and photography arrangements, and took another look at the budget. Everything was as it should be. In fact, her assistant had done most of the work, reminding Paige that she wasn't all that vital to the success of the company.
Paige looked up as a knock sounded at the door. "Come in," she called.
Martin walked into the office, dressed in his usual Armani business suit. "Hello, Paige. It's good to see you back at work