On Friday, Logan visits me at Blue Moon. We have lunch in my back office.
“This looks very promising.” We’re sitting at my desk, and he’s inspecting the numbers on my laptop’s screen. “I don’t foresee any liquidity problems if you keep up like this.”
I let out a breath of relief, resting my elbows on the desk. As the CFO of Bennett Enterprises
, my brother is a whiz with numbers, and I like picking his brain whenever he has time.
“And if you do have problems, we can always bail you out,” he continues.
“It’s not what I want, you big oaf.”
In the beginning, I tried to do everything on my own, then realized asking my brothers for counsel was a good thing because they’re brilliant. Sure, they often accompany advice with an offer to bail me out should anything go wrong, but I’ve learned how to push against their alpha tendencies without biting their heads off.
They want the best for me and are sometimes overprotective. I want to be independent. We’ll always clash and make up, but that’s what family does.
Taking a spoonful of my tiramisu, I grip the plate possessively because my brother is eyeing it hopefully. He already finished his. While enjoying the exquisite sweetness, I become aware of the tightness in my neck.
“Is there something else on your mind, Alice?” my brother asks. “You look tense.”
I haven’t given him a heads-up that I want to talk about Daniel. He would’ve just worried needlessly.
“I do want to talk to you about Daniel.”
Logan pinches his brows together. “What about him?”
“Well, ever since the incident, I’ve been worrying more than usual about the extreme adventures part of his business.”
“Me too,” Logan says, leaning back in the chair, lacing his fingers on top of his head. My stomach relaxes a tad at his response.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I spent those hours we were waiting for your call researching anything that can go wrong in a situation like Daniel’s. Then I fell into the rabbit hole and read about all kinds of accidents during extreme adventures. It’s a nightmare. Why are you laughing?”
“I did exactly the same thing.”
“Well, we are related.”
“Have you ever talked to Daniel about this?” I continue.
“Nah, I didn’t bring it up. What good would it do? He never listens to what I say.”
I’m silent for a few seconds, waiting for the punch line. Then I realize Logan is serious. Can he really be so far off base?
“I can’t believe you actually believe what you say doesn’t matter to Daniel.”
My big brother actually looks disconcerted. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this look on him.
“We have nearly thirty years of proof that whatever I say goes in one ear and right out the other.”
I shake my head, searching for the best words to explain this to him. “Not true at all. He and Blake look up to you. They always have. I know it’s hard to believe because they crack a joke whenever you say something, even when you’re serious.”
“Especially when I’m serious.”
“Yeah, but look, when Daniel and Blake turned sixteen, I asked them what their aspirations were—basically what they wanted to be when they grew up. They both said they wanted to be like you.”
Logan looks stunned for a brief second. “Were they drunk?”
“Duh! They turned sixteen and smuggled in tequila, and I covered for them.”