Page 119 of For the Sub

Typical Mame.

“She’s a force of nature,” Brandy observed when they were alone.

That was one way to describe his aunt. “Like a hurricane? Or a tornado?”

Brandy smiled. “You’re lucky to have her in your life.”

“She’s been a constant since my parents died.” And she’d been there for him through everything, standing by his side at the funeral, then again at Eleanor’s gravesite.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Ski accident. Both caught in a backcountry avalanche.”

She winced. “That’s awful.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Softly, she asked, “The years don’t make it easier, though, do they?”

“Not in the least.”

“Any siblings?”

“None.” He considered her. For someone with such a large heart and a handful of pets, she never talked about her family. “How about your parents?”

“I lost my mother when I was young.” She shrugged. “I barely remember her. But my dad…”

He waited, indicating to their server that they’d enjoy a few minutes of privacy.

“Even though his heart was broken and he never really got over it, Dad did everything he could to try to make up for the loss of Mom. Spent every evening and weekend pouring his love into my brother and me. Sports, school clubs, activities…” She took a small sip of her champagne, as if for fortification. “He was everything to me.”

“Was?”

“Died of cancer about two years ago. About the time I broke up with Reyes.”

He winced.

“Our lives have never quite been the same.”

“You’re in touch with your brother?”

“As much as possible. He moved to Alaska, and he lives off the grid.”

“Really?”

“Dad took us camping and fishing a lot. When I got older, he let me stay home, as long as I spent the weekends with friends, and he knew exactly where I was.”

Niles nodded.

“But he and Jamie—that’s my brother—would still go away. Dad always talked about building a cabin in the woods, a place we could continue to gather as a family, somewhere the next generation could return to.” She shrugged. “Like his legacy.”

Niles didn’t recall his parents ever talking in those terms.

They’d been happy to send him to boarding schools so they could get back to their own lives.

They’d missed his graduations, and they’d put in a token appearance at his wedding.

His mom had had little interest in becoming a grandparent, after all, she didn’t want anyone to think she was that old.

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