Chapter Twenty-Five
", good lookin', whatcha got cookin'," I sang as I walked into Leah's office early the next morning. I stopped as soon as she looked up at me. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips curled into a weak smile before she turned back to the computer and continued typing. I quickly toned it down and asked, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, fine," she nodded without looking at me. "Just a lot of stuff to take care of this morning. Did you need something?"
"I just wanted to touch base and talk about the construction," I said as I tried to figure out what was going on with Leah. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Jack," she said tersely. "If you want to talk about the project, I'll be done in a few minutes and can meet you out in the warehouse."
"All right, I'll be waiting," I said, backing out of the room confused.
The construction project was moving quickly and the warehouse team was helpful in answering my questions. I took a look at Leah's new office and found that the crew was nearly done with it. I pulled out my phone and called Norma and told her to have the furniture brought in that afternoon once the crew was done with the finishing touches.
The new office had been done in light wood and cool calm tones of green and cream. I'd picked out furniture that would complement the colors as well as be functional. I hoped that Leah would like the overall effect. I walked across the room and pushed open the door leading to the fully outfitted bathroom and found Riley curled up in the shower stall reading a book.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here," I said hearing my voice echo off the tile walls.
"Huh?" Riley looked up confused. "Oh, well, it was the only place where things were quiet."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Dunno, just trying to stay out of the way," she shrugged as she put her finger in the book to hold her place and sat up. She seemed more withdrawn since the day before.
"You okay?" I asked, remembering what it was like to be that age and have adults constantly badgering me.
"Fine," she shrugged again looking down at the book in her lap.
"You sure? You seem kind of quiet," I said in a casual tone.
"Just a lot of stuff going on, that's all," she said quietly.
"Well, I don't want to pry, but if you need someone to talk to, my door is open and I'm happy to listen," I said, turning to leave the bathroom. "Just do me a favor, and don't let the work crew mess this up too much, okay? I want it to look nice for Leah when she comes down to see it."
"Jack?" Riley called just as I walked out the door.
"Yeah?" I said, turning to look back at her. She looked small and miserable as she bit her lip.
"Never mind," she said.
"Okay, well, the offer stands," I said before exiting the new office. I wondered what was going on with her and Leah, but I knew better than to push.
*
afternoon, my brother called to ask what I was doing to ensure that Baby Steps would turn a profit.
"What are you talking about, Lincoln?" I asked, irritated that he was checking up on me again.
"I'm talking about the fact that the company now needs to turn a profit to cover not only the yearly shareholders' profit, but also the loan you took out to renovate the warehouse," he said sounding annoyed.
"Don't talk down to me, brother," I shot back. "I know what I'm doing."
"Do you now? I had no idea that you knew so much about the baby supply business," he said doing his best to convey surprise. It always irritated me the way that Lincoln could turn anything I did into a way to cut me down and show my weaknesses.
"I'm positioning us to take on new clients and increase our shipments over the next nine months," I said, maintaining a calm I didn't feel. "You of all people should know that it takes time to build new business and then turn it into regular dividends."
"I'm not sure about that," he said smugly. "I've always had the good fortune to be productive from the start of any project."
"Yes, well, that's how it goes when daddy holds your hand and walks you right into the vault full of cash, now isn't it?" I replied coolly. I could hear my brother inhale sharply on the other end, and I knew I'd hit a nerve.
"I've earned my success on my own," he growled. "You know that."
"Yes, well, I'm doing this on my own, too," I said. "Is there anything else you need, Lincoln?"
My brother was silent on the other end as I held my breath, hoping that he wasn't waiting to drop another bomb. After what felt like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than 30 seconds, I took a deep breath and said, "No? Well, then I've got a lot of work to do, so I'm going to let you go."
Lincoln said nothing before hanging up the phone. The smashing sound on the other end let me know that while this battle might have been won, the war was far from over.