“You’d be so lucky. I do enjoy an occasional glass of whiskey.”
His eyes brighten at that. He leans toward me. “I’m not supposed to be drinking in my condition, but I have some excellent whiskey. If you sneak it past Mary, we could test it.”
His conspiratorial whisper has me fighting off a smile.
“Listen, Grandpa, I value my life. Mary is scary.”
“Why do you think I’m sacrificing you?”
“How about this? When you’re back on your feet, I’ll bring some of my whiskey—which I guarantee is better than yours—and we’ll drink it together.”
His eyes narrow for one second before he starts to climb out of bed.
“What are you doing?” I whisper frantically.
“Getting healthy enough for a glass of whiskey.”
“You’re supposed to be resting, not drinking whiskey.” I cut my hand through the air. “Are you trying to get me into trouble?”
I point at Mary, who’s in the far corner of the room, reading her book. Luckily, the bedroom is the size of my apartment, so she can’t hear us when we whisper.
With a reluctant sigh, he leans back against the pillows. “Besides your dislike of wine, why else are you up here?”
“I came to make sure you were still healthy and kicking.”
“Oh, are some of the leeches downstairs wanting to dance on my grave?”
I’m taken aback that he knows everyone’s intentions, but my surprise is only momentary. Alexander is not ignorant, and even in the moment when we thought he would pass away, he seemed as sharp as ever. I doubt much sneaks by him.
“Let’s just say, there was a debate between marble and polished wood for the casket.”
He rests his hands on his stomach. “You realize that if I die, Nash gets the majority.”
I snort. “If you think that’s what he wants, you don’t know your grandson very well.”
He harrumphs. “And you think you do, Miss Magnolia, heh? Why don’t you tell me what he wants, then?”
I fold my arms across my chest and do my best to match his scowl. “After you made it through the night on that day I met you, he showed up at my apartment at an ungodly hour and spun me around so fast that I ended up with a case of vertigo. He was over the moon that you’d pulled through.”
He clears his throat and ignores my statement. “Do you know what? I think you’re good for my grandson. He smiles more with you than I’ve ever seen. But how do I know you’re not with him because you think he’ll inherit everything from me?”
Besides the fact that I’m not actually marrying him?“If I were after his five-dollar inheritance, I’d tell him. I like to be upfront about things.”
Alexander laughs.
“Listen, when we get married, we’ll sign a prenup.”Alexander deserves to have peace of mind—even if we’re not actually getting married.
He nods slowly, but I continue before he can speak. “If you think I’m risking my whiskey collection for love”—I click my tongue—“that’s just naive.”
Alexander bursts out in a loud laugh that brings Mary to her feet.
“I like you, Magnolia. You and I will get along just fine. And like I said, you’ll be good for Nash as well.”
“What will be good for me?” Nash’s rumble fills the room.
I jump at the sound and turn to stare as Nash walks in the room. He has an amused smile on his face, and his eyes are dancing. I quickly turn away because it would be awkward to be caught gawking.
“Maybe a swift kick in the pants,” I mutter quietly in response to his question.
