swallow. „I want to introduce you to my family.“
Pru considered that „You make it sound as though you’ll be introducing me to the Spanish Inquisition.
Have you got a bunch of Aunt Wilhelminas in your family?“
„Believe me,“ McCord said bluntly, „Aunt Wilhelmina is a pussycat compared to my relatives. At least your aunt never actually disinherited you and informed you she thought you were dishonorable, disloyal and disgusting.“
„I’m not sure I like the alliteration. That’s a lot of dises. Disinherited, dishonorable, disloyal and disgusting.“ Pru was amazed. „What kind of family have you got, anyway?“
„A very proud, very stubborn, very unforgiving one. Also, a very wealthy one. My father made his money early on in California real estate. I grew up on a farm that just happened to be in the middle of Orange County. Twenty years ago my father sold the land to real-estate developers for a fortune. My father is a very shrewd man. As it happened, he had a natural flair for making money with land. He converted the profits from the farm into a very successful real-estate development company, which promptly invested in more land. After that, there was no stopping him. Officially he’s still president of McCord Enterprises, but he’s turned the day-to-day running of the operation over to my younger brother, Kyle. Kyle is shaping up to be even shrewder and more successful than my father. McCord Enterprises is growing by leaps and bounds.“
Pru’s eyes widened. „Are both your parents alive?“
„Very much alive.“ McCord took another sip of coffee. „So is my brother Kyle and his wife Carrie.
Kyle is doing the McCords proud.“
The way he said that caught Pru’s attention. „Was that supposed to be your job? Before you got, uh, disinherited?“
„I’m the oldest son,“ McCord said without any inflection. „My father always assumed I’d step into his shoes. Even after I insisted on majoring in agricultural sciences, he still had hopes. I…tried to please him for a few years.“
Pru tipped her head to one side and tapped one fingernail lightly on the tablecloth. „Lucky for you, you got kicked out of the family fold, hmm?“
It was McCord’s turn to look surprised. „Why do you say that?“
„It saved you from having to become a full-time corporate executive and follow in your father’s footsteps. I can’t imagine a worse fate for you, McCord. You need to be able to deal with more fundamental things.“ She smiled faintly. „You’re a farmer at heart. If s hard enough for you and J.P. to do the kind of socializing and entertaining required for Arlington Foundation business as it is. I can’t imagine you trapped behind a desk all day, too. If you’d taken over the reins of your dad’s firm, you would have been stuck in a fancy corporate office. The closest you would have got to the land was going out on a golf course.“
McCord continued to stare at her for a long moment, and then a slow grin appeared on his face. „You’
re right, you know. It would have been a disaster. I didn’t realize it myself until after I was banished.“
„Were you actually banished, McCord?“
„Not officially. My parents just made it clear I was a grave disappointment to them and unworthy of my name and heritage. I seem to recall saying something at the time to the effect that people who had been growing beans for a living less than twenty years ago didn’t have to be overly concerned about names and heritages. The argument deteriorated rapidly after that. It ended with me walking out of their lives. I took the Ferrari and what I had in the bank and that was it.“
„What on earth did you do to alienate your family so completely?“ Pru couldn’t imagine any father being less than proud of a son like Case McCord.
„If s a long, dull story, Pru.“ McCord withdrew emotionally from the conversation. It was as though a shutter had been lowered to conceal his eyes. Once again they
Pru considered that „You make it sound as though you’ll be introducing me to the Spanish Inquisition.
Have you got a bunch of Aunt Wilhelminas in your family?“
„Believe me,“ McCord said bluntly, „Aunt Wilhelmina is a pussycat compared to my relatives. At least your aunt never actually disinherited you and informed you she thought you were dishonorable, disloyal and disgusting.“
„I’m not sure I like the alliteration. That’s a lot of dises. Disinherited, dishonorable, disloyal and disgusting.“ Pru was amazed. „What kind of family have you got, anyway?“
„A very proud, very stubborn, very unforgiving one. Also, a very wealthy one. My father made his money early on in California real estate. I grew up on a farm that just happened to be in the middle of Orange County. Twenty years ago my father sold the land to real-estate developers for a fortune. My father is a very shrewd man. As it happened, he had a natural flair for making money with land. He converted the profits from the farm into a very successful real-estate development company, which promptly invested in more land. After that, there was no stopping him. Officially he’s still president of McCord Enterprises, but he’s turned the day-to-day running of the operation over to my younger brother, Kyle. Kyle is shaping up to be even shrewder and more successful than my father. McCord Enterprises is growing by leaps and bounds.“
Pru’s eyes widened. „Are both your parents alive?“
„Very much alive.“ McCord took another sip of coffee. „So is my brother Kyle and his wife Carrie.
Kyle is doing the McCords proud.“
The way he said that caught Pru’s attention. „Was that supposed to be your job? Before you got, uh, disinherited?“
„I’m the oldest son,“ McCord said without any inflection. „My father always assumed I’d step into his shoes. Even after I insisted on majoring in agricultural sciences, he still had hopes. I…tried to please him for a few years.“
Pru tipped her head to one side and tapped one fingernail lightly on the tablecloth. „Lucky for you, you got kicked out of the family fold, hmm?“
It was McCord’s turn to look surprised. „Why do you say that?“
„It saved you from having to become a full-time corporate executive and follow in your father’s footsteps. I can’t imagine a worse fate for you, McCord. You need to be able to deal with more fundamental things.“ She smiled faintly. „You’re a farmer at heart. If s hard enough for you and J.P. to do the kind of socializing and entertaining required for Arlington Foundation business as it is. I can’t imagine you trapped behind a desk all day, too. If you’d taken over the reins of your dad’s firm, you would have been stuck in a fancy corporate office. The closest you would have got to the land was going out on a golf course.“
McCord continued to stare at her for a long moment, and then a slow grin appeared on his face. „You’
re right, you know. It would have been a disaster. I didn’t realize it myself until after I was banished.“
„Were you actually banished, McCord?“
„Not officially. My parents just made it clear I was a grave disappointment to them and unworthy of my name and heritage. I seem to recall saying something at the time to the effect that people who had been growing beans for a living less than twenty years ago didn’t have to be overly concerned about names and heritages. The argument deteriorated rapidly after that. It ended with me walking out of their lives. I took the Ferrari and what I had in the bank and that was it.“
„What on earth did you do to alienate your family so completely?“ Pru couldn’t imagine any father being less than proud of a son like Case McCord.
„If s a long, dull story, Pru.“ McCord withdrew emotionally from the conversation. It was as though a shutter had been lowered to conceal his eyes. Once again they
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