“Thanks, Mom.” Macie stood and sat next to Mary. “For the new furniture. For everything.”
Mary’s sad smile turned brighter. “You’re going to be in debt for a long time, kiddo. This,” she gestured around the room, “isn’t much, but I wanted your adult life to start on the right foot.”
Macie pulled her mother into a hug. “Thanks to you, it will.”
CHAPTER NINE
The doctors sent his father home earlier than Zac had expected. Bed rest and meds, along with a follow-up with his regular doctor. Diagnosis: indigestion. No signs of a heart attack, but something wasn’t right. His blood pressure was out of control and his cholesterol too high for someone who had taken good care of himself. Nothing had come up before his gall bladder surgery. Amanda freaked out. His little sisters did, too. Taylor’s unwarranted guilt covered her face. She’d started CPR while his father was still conscious. Zac hugged her and told her she still did the right thing because most people wouldn’t even have a clue how to do CPR. The ER doctor called it a symptom of growing older.
“What’s going on?” Zac asked when they finally had a moment alone. Amanda had taken the girls outside to the pool to relax. Zac was grateful for the time alone with his dad. There was more going on than just indigestion. His dad’s health scared him.
He bristled as he adjusted in his recliner. “Thought I was having a heart attack. Couldn’t breathe. My heart raced. I thought I was dying.”
“The doctors said you’ve been under a lot of stress?”
His father shrugged. “Just work. Nothing to worry about.”
“Dad, I’m starting full-time Monday. If there’s something worrying you, it’s going to affect me, too.” Zac cringed at how that sounded. “And look at how Amanda flipped. You scared the girls out of their minds. It’s messing with your health, tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s just some stupid in-fighting on the board. They want to go public and then sell out to one of the national firms.” His breath hitched and he closed his eyes. “I’m fighting them with everything I’ve got, but they’re going to win. Everything I’ve worked for, gone by their greed.”
“Sounds like you’ve given up. That’s not like you.”
His father’s eyes shot open and glared at him. “No, I haven’t. I’m not going to, either. But they’re forcing my hand. It’s going to get dirty.”
Zac smiled. “Then let it. I’ve got your back, Dad. Just tell me the plan.”
“We need to get the employees on my side. Going public will hurt them the most. The board will claim it will help by creating stock options they can buy into, but the reality is the stock options will be gobbled up by the board then sold to the highest bidder. I didn’t start this company to hand it over to someone with more money.” He shook his head. “That sounds crazy even to me.”
Zac laughed under his breath. “I get it, Dad. You told me you started it to help people not end up in shitty situations when they’re in their eighties.”
“Like your grandparents and great-grandparents.”
Zac simply nodded. His dad’s father had been boisterous and fun-loving until a stroke set him in a wheelchair. He ended up in a nursing home away from his family. It sucked the life out of him and he died after six months. He was only sixty-four. His grandmother gave up after that and ended up in the same place, dying after a year. His great-grandparents lived in a hovel of an apartment after they lost their house. They hadn’t saved for their retirement, only for their kids to go to college.
“I’ve always emphasized caring about the person investing and not the profit. Making sure they’re getting what they need out of it.” His father sat up. “A corporate buyout would ruin that. I’d have to start over. And we could do that, but it would be a lot of work and I’m not sure I’m ready for such a commitment. I want to save what I’ve built.”
Zac patted his Dad on the arm. “If you have to start over, most of your investors will come with you.”
“That’s the only plus side.” His father sighed and stared out the window overlooking the pool. Zac’s sisters jumped in, splashing each other while Amanda sunned herself. “I wanted to spend more time with my family. Retirement in five years. Handing the reins of a solid company over to you. Send the girls to whatever college they want. Take Amanda around the world without worrying about work. But this fight might take it out of me. That’s what scares me the most.”
“Don’t worry, Dad.” Zac clamped his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Let me fight. You just pull the strings.”
“They’ll listen to you.”
I’ll make sure of it, Dad. Zac sipped his soda and knew where, or rather who, to start with. He may be a ‘new employee’ on Monday, but Zac spent every summer interning at the office since he was sixteen. He knew the major players. He knew the lines dividing the office. He also knew who was the best person at spreading gossip: his father’s secretary Maureen. That was where he’d start.
MACIE SETTLED INTO the wingback after work on Sunday and finally succeeded in hacking someone’s Wi-Fi. Her internet would be set up on Monday, until then she needed a connection. The signal was weak, but it was a signal nonetheless. All she wanted to do was
