“Just don’t die. I’d hate having to train another successor.”
“We wouldn’t that.” Drake propped his head on his fist. “I’ve seen my second cousins fight. Not a brain cell between them.”
“Sometimes I don’t know how you’ve survived this long,” our uncle muttered, rising to join our grandfather. “Good luck, Aileen. I hope you succeed.”
I cocked my head. “Are you saying that because you actually want me to survive or are you just afraid of what dad will do if you follow through?”
My uncle didn’t answer, knocking his knuckles on the table in goodbye.
A second later, Caroline joined us at our table. “That’s quite the family you have there. A real tangled web.”
She didn’t seem to notice my glare, her forehead creased in thought for a moment before she shrugged.
“Who needs a drink?” Her hand was already in the air before either of us could form a response. “Barkeep. A round.”
twenty-three
“Don’t look so worried,cousin dearest. Pawpaw and dad come on a little strong but family means everything to them,” Drake drawled.
“You heard them. I’m not exactly family. Adopted remember?”
“Doesn’t matter. Family is family. No matter how it came about.”
How very enlightened of them. If it was true.
“You call him Pawpaw?” I asked.
“He’s my grandfather. What else would I call him?”
“Not Pawpaw.”
Somehow, I couldn’t reconcile the stern, reserved man I’d just met with that term.
I nudged Jenna as a waiter approached carrying a tray of drinks. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Jenna reached for a glass first, practically snatching it out of the waiter’s hand. “Nope. Can’t think of anything.”
She drained half the drink in one gulp.
“I suggest you think again.”
I wanted to know what Drake’s dad was talking about. I wasn’t leaving this bar until I had answers.
Jenna set her glass down with a thunk. “Leave it, Aileen.”
“I don’t think I will. You don’t know how dangerous these people can be.”
If she did, she would run for the hills. The sad thing was, I included myself in that assessment of people to steer clear of.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?”
Jenna’s expression was firm as she met my gaze. “Yes, I do.”
I slumped in my chair. “You have no clue.”
“Even if I don’t, it’s my life. You don’t get to tell me how to live it.”
