Page 22 of The Paradise Problem

“Correct. Alex is the oldest. He’s married to Blaire. They have four children—Reagan, Lincoln, Nixon, and GW.”

Anna smacks my shoulder. “Look at you! Did you just make your first joke?”

“I wish.”

I give her a second to absorb this. “How old are these kids?” she asks.

“Reagan is twelve, Linc is eight, Nix is five, and GW is two. They’re cool kids.”

“And Alex does what?”

“He’s the chief financial officer for Weston Foods,” I say. “Blaire is the former head of HR but quit when she got pregnant. They were married soon after.”

“The CFO was banging the head of HR? Escandaloso!”

I sigh. “Yes.”

“Okay, what are they like?”

Shrugging, I tell her, “Alex is weak and insecure.”

“Wow, straight into the deep end.”

“There’s no point sugarcoating it. His only goal in life is pleasing our father.”

“I would never have guessed any of you have daddy issues.”

I choose to ignore this. In fact, Anna couldn’t guess the half of it. “Blaire had it mostly together until she had three kids under the age of ten and another on the way. Now I think all she wants in life is a girls’ trip where she has accidental sex with a waiter. Or several waiters. Don’t be surprised if she asks us for a threesome.”

Anna leans in. “Okay, and how should I answer?”

I ignore this, too. “You already know Jake.”

“Jake Weston. Youngest son. Happy drunk. Charms everyone. Slept with my friend Isabelle in college. Reviews were mixed.”

“He’s CMO, head of marketing for Weston Foods now.”

“Jake? C-suite? Man, there’s a bell curve for everything.”

This makes me laugh. “Just remember, he’s the only one who knows the truth about us.”

“Can I be honest? That feels dangerous. He’s got a streak of Satan in him.”

“I know. I made sure to compensate him for his cooperation on this trip.”

“He’s as rich as you. What on earth did you give him?”

“My Warriors season tickets. Courtside.”

Anna whistles. “Let’s hope that’s enough to keep him silent.”

“If it’s not, I’ll kill him.”

I feel her looking at me for a quiet beat. “I think you’re joking. I’m not sure.” Anna downs the rest of her prosecco. “A hint of danger. I like it.”

“And Charlotte,” I say, thinking. “Charlie is the baby of the family and absolutely a daddy’s girl. She went through a rebellious phase in high school, but she met Kellan—”

“Is now a good time to discuss how you looked at me like I was lobotomized when I thought your name was West Weston and yet a man named Kellan McKellan actually exists and will soon be your relative?”

---