Somebody's Baby by Annie Jones Page A

so. That, coupled with the time Conner was devoting to savoring his first bite of pie, gave Adam time to think things through.
    He’d have to act fast. Make his move before the rest of the family found out how long he’d been in town without telling anyone. That fact would arouse suspicions. He loved his brothers but he would never make the mistake of underestimating them. Conner might have loved them more, but he certainly had not gone easier on them.
    Burke, older than Adam by four years and known by all as Top Dawg, would be the first one to start putting the clues together. A few phone calls to contacts in the business would tell him plenty— contacts, not friends. Top Dawg had many things in life, money, looks, power, brains and the fawning adoration of most of the town of Mt. Knott, but the one thing he did not have was friends. Jason and Cody would neither know nor care about what Adam had in mind. They had long ago given up looking upon the lowly Carolina Crumble Pattie as their livelihood. According to Adam’s sources, they each still held their small percentage of the company stock but did little else except show up for meetings and rubber stamp whatever Burke and Conner asked for. They would be no problem.
    That left Conner.
    The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air and Adam fixed his attention on the man sitting to his right. “Great pie, isn’t it?”
    “Very good.” Conner jabbed his fork toward the half-eaten slab of golden crust and red, juicy cherries dripping in a thick syrup. “You know we could use something like this down at the Crumble. Your brothers keep telling me we need to try new things. Expand the line. Innovate. Burke says we have to do something or—”
    “I’m glad you like it, sir.” Josie finished loading the coffeemaker and pressed a button to start the brewing. It gurgled and grumbled and she turned her back on it to let it do its work. “But I don’t think it would do you much good as a new product because I used—”
    “Because she used to work for you already and you fired her. She has moved on.” Adam lifted a bite of pie up as if offering a toast before he poked it in his mouth.
    Josie gulped in some air. Her eyes got big. The room grew so quiet they could hear the coffee drip, drip, drip into the carafe. She shook her head. “Mr. Burdett, that’s Adam talking, not me. I never said—”
    “I’m sorry about your job, Ms. Redmond. We did what we had to do. Greater good and all. Been a regular struggle to keep the doors open these past few years, even though I haven’t taken a cent out of the company myself, sunk everything right back in hopes of…not that it’s made a difference.”
    Adam frowned. Had his father just apologized? And admitted weakness? And said he hadn’t taken any money out of the company for how long?
    “I absolutely do understand, Mr. Burdett. I am trying to keep my business afloat, as well.” She poured a cup of coffee for Conner. Only Conner.
    “Our layoffs can’t have made that easier.”
    “No, sir.” She pushed the sugar shaker and a bowl of creamer packets toward him. Still offering nothing to Adam.
    “But that’s going to change.” Conner dumped two teaspoons of sugar into the rich dark liquid in his cup.
    “It is?” Josie stood up, still not making a move to get anything for Adam to drink.
    Frustrated, Adam considered getting up to fetch his own coffee, then decided to wait it out, and defiantly broke off a big piece of pie crust and ate it.
    “Of course,” Conner took a sip then beamed a huge smile. “Adam is back. Things are going to turn around now.”
    Adam coughed and covered his mouth to keep pie crust crumbs from spewing everywhere.
    Conner forged ahead without the slightest response to Adam’s reaction. “And to celebrate we’re going to host a barbecue and invite the whole town.”
    “Oh, Mr. Burdett, I think that’s exactly what Mt. Knott needs.” Josie knelt down by Conner’s chair, her