He couldn’t explain the relief he felt hearing that. “Next is Braylon, he runs the legal team for West. He’s married to Lily who works for Laken. That’s the third kid and my sister. Oh and West’s wife worked for Laken too before Samuel was born.”
“They met on a vacation. I read that,” she said.
“Yep. Abby won the trip and West was there after my mother manipulated him into taking a vacation for being a dick to everyone.”
Her lips spread back. “Yikes.”
“He has his moments. It was more like working himself to the bone and ignoring everyone.” He waved his hand and slurped up some pasta to get her to laugh. “This is awesome.”
“Thanks. It’s an easy meal.”
“Easy and great on a cold night like this.” He chewed some more. “Laken is married to Jamie Wilde.”
“I know him,” she said. “Hard not to.”
“Unless you’re not a football fan.”
“I am one,” she said.
“Laken has her hands in every pie of every business that West has. Kind of like she was as a kid. Always nosy. Gets it from my mother.”
“That had to be annoying.”
“Not horribly. Still an age gap so I wasn’t around much. Or they weren’t around me much. After Laken is Foster, whooversees all things tech wise.” No reason to give fancy titles, Saylor probably didn’t care. “Foster is engaged to Charlotte. Elias is next, Fifth Kid Brewing.”
“He went out on his own?”
“He did. The same with me. Not everyone has to work for West—we could if we want— but everyone has to work. Elias is engaged to Phoebe. Everyone so far lives in New York. Elias is in North Carolina an hour from Fayetteville where I’m from and my mother still lives.”
“So that’s five, you’re six and in California. How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight. Ten years younger than West. So I was eight when my father died.”
“A rough age to lose a parent,” she said. “But any age is rough.”
“It is. How old are you?”
“Twenty-six,” she said.
“Good age.”
She laughed. “I guess since it’s the age I am.”
He realized now it had been a stupid comment, but he was used to throwing out silly things. “Nelson, who works with West, is after me. He’s single. The last is Talia; she just got married to Jace. Talia lives in North Carolina and works for West too, but remotely.”
“Got it,” she said. “That’s a lot to remember.”
“That’s nothing. My mother’s brother has nine kids and my father’s brother has four.”
“Does your family not know what birth control is?”
He choked on his next bite of food. “We bust on my mother about that all the time. What about your family?”
“Not much to say. My mother is a district manager for a chain of convenience stores. She works a lot because they are open every day of the year. My father is a truck driver. A regional one,so gone for several days at once and then back home a few days. I’ve got a sister, Sandy.”
“Sandy Beach,” he said, snickering.
“Yeah. Glad it’s not my name. She’s two years younger than me and has three kids from three different daddies and lives with my parents.”
