A Little Surprise For The Boss

Quinn had been silent most of the way home. When she finally spoke, her question, coming out of the cab’s darkness, caught Buck off guard.

“She’s old,” he said. “She can’t see very well, and sometimes her thoughts get confused. It’s sad, but it happens to some old people. That’s why she’s at Canyon Shadows, so the nurses can take care of her.”

“But who’s Steve?” Quinn persisted. “Is he somebody who looks like you?”

Buck tapped the brake as a mule deer bounded through the headlights and vanished into the brush on the far side of the road.

“Steve was Terri’s brother and my best friend. He died in the war. It was a long time ago, before you were born. But his grandmother doesn’t remember that.”

“How did he die?”

“He was a soldier. He got shot.” Buck struggled to block the images that flashed through his mind. He wished his daughter would talk about something else.

“That’s sad.” Quinn’s profile was a dark silhouette against the side window. “Where did they bury him?”

“Right here in Porter Hollow. His grave is in the cemetery.” Buck pressed the remote button to open the wrought iron gate to his property. “What would you like to do tomorrow, besides clothes shopping with Terri?”

“I want to go to the cemetery.”

“What on earth for?” Buck bit back a curse as he gunned the Hummer up the steep driveway to the house. He knew Quinn was curious. But there was nothing in the cemetery he cared to show her, let alone see again himself.

“I’ve never been to a cemetery. I want to see what it’s like. I want to see your mother’s grave—she’d be my grandma if she was alive. And I want to see where Steve is buried.”

“Maybe Terri can take you after you go shopping.” It was the coward’s way out to dump this on Terri, but Buck really couldn’t go himself. He had some wealthy clients from Dubai coming in this afternoon to raft the Grand Canyon. He wanted to greet them personally and make sure everything was up to their standard of luxury. He’d been weighing the idea of building a second resort in the southeast corner of the state, near Moab, with access to Arches and Monument Valley. So far it was just a dream, but if he decided to go ahead, a hefty infusion of Dubai cash could make it happen sooner.

If nothing else came of it, at least he’d have an excuse not to visit the cemetery and relive the past with Quinn.

“What else would you like to do?” he asked his daughter. “I can have Terri line up anything you’d like. Oh, and I’ve asked Mrs. Calloway to be on hand while you’re here. She can take you if you want to go somewhere.”

“Daddy, I’m nine years old!” Quinn stormed. “I’m not a baby, and I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Well, you do need to eat, and Mrs. Calloway’s a good cook.”

“That still doesn’t mean I have to be babysat. Mrs. Calloway won’t let me out of her sight. She’s a nice lady, but she drives me crazy. She even sits right by the pool when I’m in the water. Last year I asked her if she could swim. She shook her head. If she had to rescue me, she’d probably drown.”

“Mrs. Calloway is just doing her job,” Buck said. “The agreement I have with your mother says that while you’re here you have to be supervised.”

“Why can’t I just hang out with Terri?”

Buck ignored the slight jolt triggered by the mention of Terri’s name. He wondered what she’d thought when she’d discovered the new tires on her Jeep. He’d done it in the spirit of helping her out, but would she see it that way? Maybe he should have left well enough alone.

“Terri has to work,” he said. “I need her help in the office.”

“Then why can’t I hang out with you?” Quinn asked. “You’re the boss. Nobody tells you when you have to work.”

“The boss has to work the hardest of all. That’s why he’s the boss. I’ll be busy all day tomorrow. But Terri will pick you up in the afternoon. You’ll be fine.”

“Sure.” Quinn sighed like a deflating balloon and slumped in the seat. She was silent till the Hummer pulled into the driveway and stopped. Buck had barely switched off the engine when she opened the door, piled out of the vehicle and ran to the fence, where Murphy was waiting to welcome her with barks and whimpers of joy.

“Hi, Murphy!” She reached her small hands through the chain links to pet the huge dog, whose wagging tail could have felled a forest of small trees. “How’ve you been, boy? Hey, I can hang out with you, can’t I? At least somebody’s got time for me!”

Giving Buck a meaningful scowl, she stalked onto the porch and waited for her father to unlock the front door.

* * *

The next morning Terri came in early, opened the door to Buck’s private office and left something on his desk. He wouldn’t be happy when he found it, but she was braced for the storm. If the boss man didn’t like it, he could fire her.