Page 122 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

“Good thing for that,” she said. “I couldn’t handle more than one guy at a time and I wouldn’t let anyone else have someone like you.”

“As I said before, no one has thought of me as a keeper other than you.”

“And as I’ve said, that is a good thing.”

She put the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“I am. We shouldn’t test it any more than we have and get this baby back. Actually,” she said, “why don’t we bring it back to your place? I’ll follow you just in case.”

He thought for a second. “I’d like that.”

34

ACCEPTED HIS INHERITANCE

“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays,” Kelsey said the following Friday night. The holiday was next week.

Van had worked his last shift yesterday and was officially unemployed.

Not really.

He had a job.

He had businesses.

He got a monthly “stipend” deposited each month and had since he’d accepted his inheritance.

It just didn’t feel like a paycheck to him even though it was a shit ton more than he made as a detective working crazy overtime.

He got monthly rent from multiple properties he hadn’t touched either. His property manager was getting paid out of that money that Kyle was handling.

He supposed he needed to look at that too. Did he need to pay someone to do what he could be doing right now?

His properties were rented out. Everyone seemed happy. There were no issues that he knew of and he could handle collecting the rent.

Another thing to add to his list of ongoing worries and thoughts.

“I’m surprised your mother is cooking and not Duke,” he said. He’d spent the last decade alone for holidays.

He didn’t think much of them coming up until Kelsey mentioned last week she expected them to spend it together.

He guessed he didn’t have much of a choice when it was put that way.

It’s not like he had work as an excuse.

“Don’t say that in front of her. If you think I can lose my temper, you haven’t seen who I learned it from,” she said, giving a mock shiver.

“Why?” he asked.

“My mother hates it when we act like she can’t cook. She reminds everyone she taught Duke. She really did. It’s just Duke is a natural. But he’s working anyway. He’ll work eleven until five. I think they are closing at six that night and the last meals they are serving are at five. My mother will cook and we’ll eat around six. Hadley’s is closed so she won’t be working.”

“Do you make anything to bring?” he asked.

“I’ll bring snacks,” she said. “I know it’s not traditional, but I used to bring cookies. Hadley is a baker and she does that, so no reason for me to bring sweets. My mother does the meal and me snacks. Easy snacks. Unless you have anything up your sleeve?”

“Nope,” he said. “But I’ll help any way I can.”

“You always do,” she said. “But it’s just us. No one else. My grandparents all passed years ago. My mother has a sister, but she doesn’t live around here. Even if they did, they don’t like coming to the island. When we had Thanksgiving in Boston, my aunt and uncle would come with my cousins, but it’s been years.”

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