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her anger at her dad’s logic, but it reflected his sense of entitlement, which infuriated her. He wasn’t a bad man, though; in fact he was a good one. Quite generous with his wealth, he supported local causes like children’s basketball leagues and the animal shelter, his employees had good salaries and health-care benefits, and he was a fair employer.
    “Dad, do you really think that’s right?”
    “Sunshine, it doesn’t matter what I think. It’s the way it is. And if I don’t buy the licenses, someone else will. Then they’ll be making all the money and I won’t. It doesn’t matter if they’re wearing casual clothes to work. They’re still going to happy hour afterward, and booze is always going to be a moneymaker.”
    It was pointless to argue, and besides, this trip was supposed to be a happy one. She decided to change the subject. “I don’t suppose you can get out for nine holes before I report for duty with Mom?”
    Shaking his head he frowned. “Not today. But let’s get some lunch. I won fifty bucks on the Yankees game last night.”
    Alex smiled. Her dad had always been a gambler, and while he’d probably lost more than he’d won over the years, he’d always spoiled her and Andrew with the winnings. “And how is Mr. Merck?” Alex asked as they stood to leave. Mr. Merck was a friend of her dad’s, a jolly man who owned the largest bakery around, as evidenced by his enormous waistline. He also ran an illegal gambling operation.
    “Not so good. He hasn’t recovered from his bypass and was forced to turn the business over to Greg.”
    “It’s too bad about Mr. Merck. But I’m sure Greg will do well.” Greg Merck was two years older than she, but they’d grown up at the country club together, playing tennis and golf in the mornings and attempting to drown each other at the pool in the afternoons. A dozen of them were in that age group, a year or two older and younger than Alex. The parents were all friends and the kids got along as well. Alex was sure the Mercks would be there to celebrate her mother’s milestone.
    “Shall we invite your mother to lunch?” he asked as he guided her from his office.
    “Let’s just make it a special date for us, Dad.”
    Her car knew the way to the country club, and they took a table on the massive covered patio overlooking the eighteenth green. On the way they were greeted by a dozen members, most of them women who were friends of her mom or whose husbands did business with her dad. He’d grown up here, as she had, and served on the board, and knew everyone.
    “I love it here,” Alex said as she wistfully looked out at the golf course and to the forest beyond, the hills slowly rising, blending into the Endless Mountains in the distance. A group was teeing off on a picturesque hole that climbed the mountainside, its green carved into the trees at the end of the fairway. She loved that hole and all of them at Mountain Meadows.
    “You could be the pro here, Alex, if you just said the word.”
    She laughed. “I couldn’t kiss that many asses, Dad.”
    He laughed, and as the waiter took his order, Alex watched a beautiful drive sail down the middle of the fairway. She was itching to play. Maybe she could talk her mom into it, after the party.
    Their lunch was pleasant, and after promising to see each other at home later, they went their separate ways. As expected, her mother was delighted to see her. She quickly put Alex to work taking care of the little things that needed to be done for the party. And what a party it was. Rather than lawn tents, the catering company actually set up a series of gazebos on the back lawn, some designated for the service of food and cocktails, others with bench-style seating and tables to allow people to eat without fear of attack from insects in the grass or the sun overhead.
    Alex saw people she hadn’t seen in years—the parents of her friends, local doctors and lawyers, a judge, a congressman, businessmen and