“Gloria,” he said as he pulled out a chair.

She nodded and took the seat. As he sat across from her, he thought about the fact that he had never called her Grandmother. Not even when he’d been young. She’d discouraged it from the start.

She shrugged out of her white fur-trimmed coat and set her pale-blue purse on the carpet next to her feet.

“I assume you’re ready to make the transition,” she said.

He nodded. “I’ll be at my office at The Waterfront starting tomorrow.”

She glanced around the spacious office and sniffed. “It’s not as if you’ll miss this place.”

“Of course I will. We started with nothing and built an empire worth millions.” Something a normal person would respect, he thought grimly.

“Oh, yes. Beverages and cookies. Quite the empire,” Gloria said.

Cal had learned there was no point in arguing with her. She saw the world as she wanted to, and from what he could tell, her view was cold and depressing.

“You’re not here to talk about The Daily Grind,” he said. “So why don’t you get to the point?”

“I want to talk about the restaurant,” she said.

“No, you don’t.”

Her dark blue eyes widened slightly. “Excuse me?”

“Tread carefully,” he told her. “There are specific rules in play. If you get in my face about any detail of the restaurant, I quit. I promised you a turnaround in four months, on the condition that you stay away. I meant it. One word of advice, one suggestion and it’s all over.”

“You’d really walk away from your legacy?” she asked, her expression both annoyed and imperious.

“I already have. It’s easier than you’d think.”