“No, he let me off at the main entrance. He said he had a meeting with the investors.” She looked as if she’d been about to say more, then thought better of it.

Allison saw Burke frown. She knew he was worried about Garrett’s influence on his impressionable daughter.

Brianna danced around the foot of his bed, to the far side. “Garrett suggested a way I might be able to help you. Since I’m your daughter and over eighteen, you could give me power of attorney, to act in your behalf. That way I could help with your business while you rest and get better? Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Burke’s face was a thundercloud. “If I gave anybody power of attorney, it would be Allison. But I have no intention of doing that. My mind is sound, and I can make my own decisions. If Garrett asks you, you can pass on what I said.”

“All right. I told Garrett you’d probably say no, but he wanted me to ask anyway. So I guess that’s the answer.”

Allison said nothing. She was surprised and flattered that Burke would consider giving her legal power, but he wasn’t helping the situation by pitting his daughter against his wife.

The rising tension in the room eased slightly when a nurse bustled in. “I have orders to help you to the bathroom, Mr. Caldwell,” she said. “Then the physical therapist is coming to get you walking up and down the hall. After that, it’ll be time for a late lunch. Do you want to take it in a chair?”

“Fine.” Burke raised the upper part of the bed so the nurse could help him get up. Pausing, he scowled at his wife and daughter. “I don’t need an audience for this, or for walking down the hall with my damned gown flapping open behind me,” he said. “You two, go get a snack or something. You can come back in about twenty minutes. I should be eating by then.”

Allison didn’t need to be told twice. “Come on, Brianna,” she said. “The cafeteria’s down the hall. I know you just had lunch, but you might want some dessert or a Coke.”

“Whatever.” Brianna shrugged and followed her out of the room. Allison had never felt comfortable with her stepdaughter. In the past, the fact that Brianna was at school most of the time had made things easier. But now that this crisis had thrown them together, they had a common concern—Burke’s recovery. Maybe now they could bury the hatchet. At least it was worth a try.

In the cafeteria, they went through the line. Allison, who hadn’t had anything but coffee all day, ordered a cranberry chicken salad with a wheat roll. Brianna went for a hot fudge sundae. Like Burke, she seemed able to eat anything without gaining an ounce.