Free Shades of Fortune by Stephen; Birmingham

interesting news for you,” he says, “if we can get back to business for a minute.”
    â€œOh? What’s that?” The tears and the anger are gone now, and she sits up straight.
    â€œNaturally, I didn’t want to mention this at dinner. But I’ve found out who’s been buying up our Miray stock in big units, forcing the price up.”
    â€œWho is it?”
    â€œIt’s not one of the funds, as we thought. It’s an individual.”
    â€œWho, Badger?”
    â€œMr. Michael Horowitz. Himself.”
    She stiffens slightly. “You’re sure.”
    â€œFound out this afternoon. One of his partners plays squash at the Racquet Club. He just casually mentioned it—as though he assumed I knew. I don’t envy that partner’s future with Horowitz if Horowitz learns he let the cat out of the bag.”
    â€œNo. Don’t tell anyone. I don’t even want to know your friend’s name.”
    â€œHe’s got over four percent of us already.”
    â€œAt five percent—”
    â€œRight. SEC regulations require that he make a public announcement. But what puzzles me is why? Why would a real estate guy who’s got hotels and co-ops and casinos in Atlantic City want to get into the cosmetics business? Is it the old green-mail, do you think? Driving the price of our stock up to the point where we’ll have to pay his price to get it back? Or do I detect a not-so-friendly takeover attempt in the making? Or what?”
    â€œMichael Horowitz,” she says. “Again. I should have guessed.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, ‘again’?”
    â€œFirst it was Grandpa’s Florida house he wanted. Now it’s this.”
    â€œThe house was a perfectly friendly sale. This isn’t. This is back-door stuff. This is sneaky.”
    â€œHe seems to want to buy up whatever belongs to the Myersons. Isn’t that pretty clear?”
    â€œBut why, I wonder?”
    At first she doesn’t answer him. Then she says, “Personal reasons. Jealousy, perhaps.”
    â€œ Jealousy? ”
    â€œMaybe he sees us as old Jewish money. He’s new Jewish money. His father was a caterer in Queens. Something like that.” She laughs briefly. “Isn’t it silly? My Grandpa Adolph started out as a housepainter in the Bronx!”
    â€œHow well do you know this guy, Mom?”
    â€œKnow him? Well, I know him. Everybody knows Michael Horowitz if they’ve spent five minutes in New York.”
    â€œThen why not call him, Mom? Set up a meeting. See what’s on his mind. Confront the guy with what we know. You’re always at your best at a high-noon shoot-out.”
    She shudders. “Oh, please,” she says. “Haven’t we had enough talk tonight about shooting—about guns and killing?”
    â€œSorry,” he says easily. “Unfortunate metaphor. But I do think this guy Horowitz is becoming a threat that our company is going to have to face.”
    â€œYes,” she says. “Yes, I’ll call him.”
    â€œThey say he’s tough.”
    â€œ I’m tough,” she says.
    He laughs. “Good girl! Your halo’s back in place.”
    She is silent for a moment. Then she says quietly, “This means it’s even more important for the perfume to be a success, doesn’t it.”
    â€œOf course. If we’re going to fight a takeover, we’ll need to fight from strength.”
    â€œSuddenly, the future of this company—your future, my future—and your future is even more important than mine—all depends on the success of a, a silly little fragrance!”
    â€œNot a silly little fragrance. A fifty-million-dollar fragrance. A very important fragrance.”
    â€œWell, it got off to a pretty rocky start tonight, didn’t it?”
    â€œTonight was just family.”
    â€œOh, Badger,” she says, “it will succeed, won’t it? It