Free Breeding Ground by Sally Wright Page A

been Office Manager for five years. I’m the one with the degree in business, and yet you consult Spencer more than you do me, and he’s just the Production Manager.”
    Alice wanted to say,
You think design and production are less critical than the office?
But she didn’t say anything. She folded her hands on her desk for a minute. Then leaned back and pulled her suit coat together, and crossed her arms across her waist. “May I ask you a personal question?”
    â€œYes.” Richard didn’t look at his mother. He stared at the wall to her left.
    â€œIs this you asking, or Lily?”
    Richard flushed, and his narrow shoulders squeezed even closer together before he said, “I don’t know what you mean,” in a higher than normal voice.
    â€œLily’s been dropping hints for quite awhile. I get the impression she thinks I should retire too. That she’d do a much better job than I do at Personnel and Public Relations, and that running event planning at the country club palled for her a long time ago.”
    â€œShe’s talented. She’d be wonderful at it.”
    â€œI think we should discuss this another time, when we can talk in real depth.”
    â€œI was hoping we could—”
    â€œBlue Grass Horse Vans is a small family business, Richard. We can’t promote like a big business. There’re very few layers between the men building trailers and the CEO, which your father and I think is the way it should be. Opportunities are limited. And have to be seen to be hard-earned, especially with family members. I’m sorry we can’t discuss this properly now. I’ve got an appointment in five minutes.”
    â€œI had to bring it up. You must be able to see that.” Richard still hadn’t looked his mother in the eye, not for more than a second, and he gripped the arms of his chair again, while his soft pale face turned toward the door as though he’d rather be anywhere else. “The accounting department needs another vertical file.”
    â€œI’ll get one ordered this week.”
    â€œGood. I also wanted to let you know I’ll be taking Friday off to attend a model train meeting up in Cincinnati.”
    â€œSo you’re taking a day of vacation?”
    â€œOf course. Heaven forbid I should break the rules.”
    â€œThat’s right, because—”
    â€œIt’s a meeting of the whole Eastern Division of the national organization, and the presentations should be really good.” He was interested now, and easier with himself, talking about what he loved.
    Alice saw it, the way she always had, and told him she hoped he had fun.
    After he’d left she sighed and closed her eyes, then put on her glasses and went back to redrawing the convention booth counter, till a deep voice said, “Alice?” from just inside her door.
    She looked up at her younger son – tall, broad-shouldered and smiling at her, as he sat down by her desk. She said, “You’re looking pleased about something, Spence.”
    â€œMaybe. Except you know me. Never satisfied.”
    â€œYes, I do.” She laughed, and set her glasses on her desk. “So what’re you thinking about this time?”
    â€œThe morning meetings.” Spencer was leaning back in his chair, his strong-looking legs set squarely in front of him, his hands behind his head. “What do you think about tightening them up?”
    â€œYou think they ramble, do you?” She was smiling when she asked, smoothing the tracing paper on top of the plan as though she liked the feel.
    â€œYeah, I believe they do.”
    â€œWe started them when your dad and I were working here alone. Going over the mail, and what had to be done that day. But the business is so much more complex now, I s’ppose it makes sense that they’d need more structure.”
    â€œThe whole staff is in there. That’s a big commitment of time and