Silent Run

ridiculous birthday parties of yours. They're so distasteful," Victoria said with a frustrated shake of her head. "It's been twenty-two years. Don't you think --"
    "No, I don't think," David said, cutting her off. "If you don't want to go to the cemetery, then Paige and I will go on our own. Right, Paige?"
    Paige looked from one to the other, feeling very much like a wishbone. But she couldn't say no to her father. Elizabeth's annual birthday party was one of the few occasions they always spent together. "Of course."
    The phone on her desk rang. Paige pushed the button for the intercom, grateful for the distraction.
    "Mrs. Delaney is on line one," her secretary said.
    "Thanks, Monica." She put the phone on speaker. "Hello, Mrs. Delaney. I'm glad you called. We'd love to talk to you about your dragon."
    "I'm so excited," Nan said. "It's been such an incredible day. I can't tell you."
    Paige smiled at the enthusiasm in the older woman's voice. "I'm sure it has been. We're hoping we might persuade you to bring the dragon down to the store tomorrow so we can take a look at it. Maybe first thing in the morning?"
    "The morning is out, I'm afraid. Riley can't drive me until tomorrow afternoon."
    "That will be fine. In fact, we have a wonderful tea. I don't know if you've heard of it, but --"
    "Oh, yes, yes, I have heard of it," Nan said. "I've heard it's fantastic."
    "Good, because we'd like to treat you and a friend or a family member to tea and a private appraisal. What do you say?"
    "That sounds terrific," Nan replied.
    "Good, why don't we --"
    "Just a second," Nan said. There was a rustling, then a male voice came over the speaker.
    "Miss Hathaway, I'm Riley McAllister, Mrs. Delaney's grandson. We'll be entertaining offers from numerous dealers, you understand," he said in a brusque voice.
    "Of course, but I hope you'll give us a chance to make you an offer after we verify the authenticity of your piece."
    "Since your store has had people calling my grandmother all day long, I'm fairly certain we have the real thing. But we will not be making any decisions without doing considerable research into the company making the offer. The House of Hathaway isn't the only game in town. And I will not allow my grandmother to be taken advantage of."
    Paige frowned, not caring for the implication. The House of Hathaway had an impeccable reputation, certainly not one of taking advantage of little old ladies.
    "My grandmother will bring the dragon in tomorrow," Mr. McAllister continued. "She'll be coming with a friend and myself. We'll be there at three o'clock."
    "That sounds --" The dial tone cut off her reply. "Well, that was rude," she said, pressing the button to disconnect the call.
    "Why did you suggest the tea?" her father asked, irritated. "That's not until the afternoon."
    "She said she couldn't do it in the morning."
    "I just hope that doesn't mean she's taking the dragon somewhere else. I want that dragon, whatever it costs," he said.
    "Don't be absurd, David," Victoria replied. "We don't have an unlimited budget. Need I remind you of that?"
    "Need I remind you that I make the buying decisions?" David looked Victoria straight in the eye. "Don't get in my way, Vicky, not on this." And with that, he turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving Paige alone with her mother.
    "Always so dramatic," Victoria murmured.
    "Why do you think this dragon is so important to Dad?" Paige asked.
    "I have no idea. What's important to your father has been a mystery to me for some time." She paused. "Keep me informed about the dragon, won't you?"
    "Why?"
    "Because I run the company."
    "I've never known you to care about an old statue."
    "I care about everything that concerns this store, especially things that make your father believe he has a blank check."
    Paige frowned as her mother left the office, shutting the door behind her. It had been a long time since both her parents had been interested in the same thing. That couldn't possibly be good.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Barbara Freethy is a #1 NY Times Bestselling Author, a distinction she received for her novel, SUMMER SECRETS. Her 28 novels range from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction and several other titles have appeared at #1 on the Barnes and Noble Top 100 bestsellers, including DON'T SAY A WORD and ALL SHE EVER WANTED, and other titles have made appearances on the NYT and USA Today Bestseller Lists, including DANIEL'S GIFT and SOME KIND OF