His silk striped pajamas looked like they had been worn for days. His cheeks were sallow. His voice scratchy and soft.
“I think you need to rest some more. Can’t you reschedule the meeting?” I pleaded, surprised at the rising panic in my chest.
His knuckles turned white as he pivoted toward me without letting go of the arch. “Business continues whether I have a cold or not.”
“It’s not a cold,” I argued. “You can barely stand.”
He closed his eyes. But before he could fire back at me, I saw his knees buckle. I rushed toward him. “Dad!” I caught him before he slumped to the floor.
He groaned. It took all my strength to maneuver him back to the bed.
“Just leave me alone, Kennedy.” He swatted at me when I pulled the comforter to his chest.
I placed my hands on my hips. “You need to cancel the meeting. I need to call a doctor for you.”
His tired eyes lifted. “I can’t cancel the meeting.”
“You can’t see anyone like this. They’ll take one look at you and think you’re on your deathbed.”
Something in his eyes shifted and I felt the zing again. What the hell was going on?
“You’re still a child.” Insulting me wasn’t going to work.
“Far from it. What can I do to convince you to stay in bed, or at least call a doctor?” He didn’t have the strength to make it to the shower. He would collapse before taking the first step on the staircase.
He grumbled and coughed again. I waited.
“You say you’re not a child. Prove it.” His voice was strained, but it was still sharp.
I folded my arms. “What does that mean? Anyone would take one look at you and tell you the same thing I’m telling you. You should not work today. Probably not for a while. You can call me names. I’m not wrong. You have to cancel the meeting. Reschedule it.”
“This is why you’re a child,” he seethed. “You don’t understand what’s behind everything I do.”
“Enlighten me.”
“Our name is our legacy. I’ve tried to teach you that since you were born. We have our name. Sometimes that’s all we have.” He reached for a glass of water. “You take the meeting.”
I blinked. “What?”
He nodded. “It’s time you start training. I let you go to college. I’ve let you have a regular life. But our expansion in New Orleans needs complete focus. We could do this together, Kennedy.”
I had never been privy to his business plans.
“What’s the meeting about?” I dragged a chair across the floor to sit close to him.
“One of the well-established families has made an invitation. It would be suicide to reschedule.”
“You’re trying to impress them, or they are trying to impress you?”
He growled. “Are you able to take this seriously?”
“Yes, of course I am. I’m just trying to understand all the angles.”
“At least you’ve learned to size up the competition.”
“If I take this meeting for you, will you promise to rest?” I asked. “Otherwise, I’m not doing it and I’ll call an ambulance if I have to.” It was the first time I had threatened my father with something I could actually follow through on.
“No ambulance.” His eyes hardened. “Yes, I’ll stay here. You go. Take the meeting.”
“We have a deal.” I smiled softly. He closed his eyes from exhaustion. Had he been suffering up here for days while I lounged at the pool and went boutique shopping? When did he acquire all the pill bottles? I thought about my conversation with Kimble a few days ago.
“Good.” He nodded. “I’m going to tell you exactly what to say.”
“You don’t trust me to handle the meeting on my own?”
He glared at me. “I will give you the script.”
“Fine,” I relented. “Tell me what to say.”
“Kimble will take you to and from the meeting. You stay exactly twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes?” I questioned.
“Yes. It shows interest, but it also shows you are busy. Your time is valuable, Kennedy.”
I nodded. “Okay, got it. In and out in twenty minutes.” The meeting seemed more doable. The time limit took the edge off.
“Do not mention my health.” It was a warning.
“I won’t, but what do you want me to say when I show up instead of you? I think it will be obvious something is wrong.”
I could tell he was thinking through the strategy. He wouldn’t want to insult the family. He wouldn’t want to be caught in a lie.
“Tell them I was called to Philadelphia for a family emergency that couldn’t be helped.”
I peered at him. “What was it?”
“What?”
“The emergency,” I pressed.
He waved his hand in the air. “He won’t ask.”
I didn’t believe him. People were curious. They always had questions, and more questions on top of those.
“All right. What is the meeting about? What do we need to discuss?” I was concerned about this part.
“It’s only an introduction. A family meeting. Have a drink. Tell him you love New Orleans. We’re happy here and glad to be out of Philadelphia. Make my apologies for not being able to make it. That’s all. Nothing more. Twenty minutes. And come straight here when it’s over.”
I nodded. “Okay. I think I can do that. What’s his name?” I asked.
My father sighed. “Raphael Corban.”
My stomach rose high into my chest. “Corban?”
“Yes. This meeting is important. Did you meet him at his daughter’s engagement party?” His hand slid off the bed. I lifted it and placed it next to his waist. He was too weak to talk much longer.
“Not exactly, but I did see him.” I thought about how to twist the truth.
But he started to drift in and out of sleep. I was glad the coughing had stopped.
“What time?” I whispered.
“Kimble has the details.”
I stood from the chair and returned it next to the wall. I backed away from the bed, watching my father sleep. I didn’t know how much time I had before my meeting with the king of New Orleans. The certainty I had that I could take the appointment evaporated when I realized it was
