Envy(98)

He winked and Noah wanted to kill him.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a dinner date.”

He turned and headed for the door. Noah blinked the pulsing red lights out of his vision and followed. “Not to worry, Morris. I’ll get the signatures.”

Blume said, “I never worry.”

He opened the door, then paused and turned back to Noah. “One of their signatures would probably be sufficient. Either your father-in-law’s or your wife’s.” He mulled it over for several seconds, then nodded. “Yes. I’d feel protected with only one in addition to yours.”

“You keep the antitrust thugs off our backs,” Noah said stiffly. “Leave the Matherlys to me.”

“Gladly. Between the two, I’d rather take on the federal government.” His grin made him look like a leering skull recently exhumed. “Call me when you have that signature. Only when you have it, all right? My time is extremely valuable, and this has taken far too long already.”

Then he was gone.


* * *


An hour later, Noah entered Daniel’s home study. Seared by Blume’s parting shot, he had deliberated for only a few minutes before deciding which Matherly to approach.

He hadn’t spoken to Maris in more than a week. She was still pissed over Nadia. The power-of-attorney document was hardly an olive branch to hold out to her. Besides, she had recently revealed a stubborn streak he hadn’t known she had.

Daniel was the weaker of them. He had earned his spurs years ago, but age had dulled them. He was no longer the formidable force he’d been. Tired and in declining health, he wasn’t as obstinate as he once was. If he put up any resistance at all, Noah was confident of his ability to wear him down.

Maxine answered the door and told him that Daniel was in his study. “He went in there immediately after dinner. Said he was going to read for a while before bedtime.”

Sure enough, when Noah went in, an open book was resting on Daniel’s lap. But his head was bowed low over his chest, and for a second Noah feared the old bastard had died. That’s the way his luck had been running lately. “Daniel?”

He raised his head. “Hello, Noah. I was just reading.”

“Do you always snore when you read?”

“Tell me I wasn’t drooling, too.”

“Not that I saw.”

“Good. Have a seat. Drink?”

“No, thanks.”

On the way over, an unpleasant thought had crossed Noah’s mind. What if Maris had told her father about his affair with Nadia? Maybe she had confided in Daniel before running off to Georgia. To crown a totally shitty day, all he needed was for his father-in-law to accuse him of adultery and order him from his house. But the old man was behaving normally.

Noah sat down on the love seat. “I’m sorry to disturb you. But Maris will call later, and I’ll be required to give her a full report, right down to what you ate for dinner.”

“Grilled sole, brown rice, and steamed vegetables.”

“A menu she’ll approve. She also put me in charge of keeping you company while she’s away.”

Daniel snorted. “I don’t need a baby-sitter.”

“I agree. But please go along with me or I’ll catch hell when she returns.” He set his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “What say we go to the country tomorrow for the weekend? Get in some fishing. Relaxation. I could use it, God knows.”

“I rarely go up there anymore.”

“Before she left, I ran the idea past Maris, and it met with wholehearted approval. I think she feels guilty for not taking you to the farm more often. If we go, it will alleviate her guilt and give her peace of mind knowing that you’re enjoying yourself.”

Daniel pondered it for a moment. Noah said no more. He couldn’t push too hard or the old man would become suspicious. He’d made his pitch; it was time to shut up and let Daniel make his decision.

“What time tomorrow?”

Noah’s tension eased and he smiled. “I have a breakfast meeting that would be difficult to reschedule. We could leave right after.”

“That doesn’t give Maxine much time to—”

“Actually, Daniel, I was thinking that we could go alone. Really bach it.” He glanced over his shoulder as though to assure himself that the housekeeper wasn’t eavesdropping. Lowering his voice, he said, “If Maxine goes, she’ll fuss over you like a mother hen. You’ll be accounting to her for every drink, every fat gram. Forget puffing your pipe.”

“She nags worse than a wife, and everything I do will be reported straight to Maris.”

“Sometimes we men must take a stand.”

“Hear, hear.”

“So, are we all set?”

“I am if you are.”

“Great!” He stood and crossed the room to shake Daniel’s hand. “I’ll be over in the morning around ten. Pack light. I’ll call the grocer up there and have him deliver food and drink to the house, so it’ll be well stocked when we arrive.” As he moved toward the door, he spoke over his shoulder. “I’ll even volunteer to break the news to Maxine that she’s not invited.”





Chapter 22


While Maris studied his manuscript, Parker studied her.