Chapter Eight

      Jace arrived a few minutes early, so he sat near the restaurant’s window to enjoy the outside view. It was a beautiful summer day with a little breeze to offset the hot temperature. Traffic hadn’t been so bad coming from the office, and he had the opportunity to familiarize himself with the roads that hadn’t been there the last time he’d been in Charlottesville. It was progress that he appreciated, since they helped eliminate traffic buildup on the expressway, which was something he was used to in Los Angeles.

      His thoughts shifted to the office he’d left. It surprised him that Freeman had suddenly decided that Jace, Caden and Dalton were the best thing for Granger Aeronautics and that he would be happy to work with the three any way he could. Jace shook his head. Did the man really have a choice?

      On another note, someone had spread the rumor that the company was in financial straits, and employees were beginning to worry. Several who had worked for Granger for years, some before the day Jace was born, had cornered him in the hall and requested a private meeting. They had assured him he would have their loyalty the same way his grandfather had had through the years. He appreciated that. One even went so far as to warn him to keep an eye on Freeman.

      Jace’s main concern was dealing with rumor control, since it was sending a panic wave through the company that the doors could be closing within a few months. Their biggest client was the federal government, and the last thing Granger Aeronautics needed was for the government to have a reason not to renew their contracts.

      He took time to glance at the reports he’d reviewed right before leaving the office and noted they had not gotten as many jobs from the government as they had in the past, which was probably one of the main reasons for the decline in revenue. Over the coming weeks, he would have to roll up his sleeves and dive into every aspect of Granger Aeronautics to figure out why.

      Jace rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he hadn’t bitten off more than he could chew. Over the years, his grandfather had kept him abreast of things going on in the company...although the old man had never told him about the recent turn of events in the company’s financial situation. But Jace was aware of their clients, the people depending on their products, and he wanted to make sure they were kept happy.

      Granger Aeronautics had been one of the leading employers in Charlottesville for years. His great-grandfather, Sutton Granger, had been a Tuskegee Airman during the Second World War. At the end of the war, he and a fellow airman mechanic, Aaron Mann, had basically risked everything they had to form Granger-Mann Aerospace, located in Birmingham, Alabama.

      Aaron Mann died unexpectedly in a boating accident, and since his family wanted no part of the company, Sutton bought them out and changed the name to Granger Aeronautics. A year later, the company moved to Charlottesville.

      Jace knew the history; they all did. Their grandfather had drilled it into them and so had their father...although not quite as hard. He’d known it had been a disappointment to Richard when none of his grandsons had shown interest in continuing the legacy, but Jace figured their grandfather had known why, although he might not have agreed with it. It hadn’t come as any surprise to the old man that Jace, Caden and Dalton had wanted to move as far away from Charlottesville as possible. Their teen years after their father’s death hadn’t been easy, and the town had made it downright difficult at times. They had become known as the sons of a convicted killer.

      Richard had planned to retire and leave things in his son’s capable hands before the murder happened. When Sheppard had been convicted, retirement had no longer been an option for Richard. He had worked tirelessly for the next fifteen years to keep the company afloat—for his grandsons, and for the return of his only son.

      Jace, of all people, knew that his grandfather never gave up hope that one day the verdict would be overturned and Sheppard would walk out of prison a free man. When Sheppard had entered prison fifteen years ago, he had started positive programs for the inmates such as Toastmasters, Future Leaders of Tomorrow and the GED program. His efforts had been successful and were recognized by the media and even the governor.

      Five years ago, upon the recommendation of the warden, the governor had approved Sheppard’s transfer to Delvers, a prison that housed less-serious offenders. For the past five years, Sheppard had worked closely with the warden as a trustee, initiating various projects to ensure that the less-serious offenders didn’t become serious offenders in the future.

      Jace was not surprised. His father was a born leader who cared for others, which is why he knew that his father was not responsible for his mother’s death, not even as the crime of passion the prosecution had made it out to be.

      “Jace Granger?”

      He looked up into a very attractive face. The first thing he noticed was her eyes. They were oval-shaped and a deep, dark chocolate. Beautiful. And so were her other features. “Yes, I’m Jace Granger,” he said, standing.

      She extended her hand to him. “I’m Shana Bradford.

      * * *

      Shana sipped her wine and recalled the stats Greta had provided on the man sitting across from her, Jace Granger. He was a thirty-one-year-old divorcé and attorney with a government agency in Los Angeles. He was highly respected