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“I’d never not come because Aunt Jolene seems to think she knows what is best for everyone.”
His uncle slapped him on the back and laughed. “She doesn’t just think it, she knows it. You better start to get a big thick skin. She’s on a mission with you.”
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked. Their heads were both down while they filled their plates so that no one could tell they were talking quietly.
“She’s driving me nuts. I can’t decide if I want it to end or continue.”
He lifted his head to catch his uncle’s grin. “It’s going to continue.”
“I figured. Thanks for the warning. I’ll just have to figure out a way to wind her up more. Nothing is more entertaining than Jolene when she needs to spin out.”
“Better you than me,” Ivan said and found Brody to go talk to. He’d stay as far away from his aunt as possible today until it was time for him to take his leave.
* * *
“Didyou get anything out of him?” Jolene asked when Ivan left. Most of the kids were gone at this point.
Nothing she liked better than a holiday with her family, but it was getting tiring too chasing the kids everywhere. She had to stop doing that and let their parents play with them.
“Nothing,” Shay said. The two of them were in the kitchen cleaning up. She’d asked her sister to stay so they could formulate a plan. “We have to talk quietly too. Ethan knows what is going on.”
“Of course he does,” she said. “Our husbands know what I’m doing. Don’t think for one second that Ethan isn’t aware of every step you are making. Even talking in here with me.”
Shay’s shoulders dropped. “I’m in too good of a mood to get upset over this. I don’t want my son mad at me.”
“He’ll never be mad at you. He’s the one that stayed home when Devin went away for years. Ivan is your baby and you’ve always been close.”
“When he was younger. The older he’s gotten he’s closer to Ethan,” Shay complained.
“Don’t get upset with that. You need a daughter. It’s so much nicer at times. Though I do love my boys because Ella and I butt heads a lot.”
“She’s smart like her mother,” Shay said.
“Yes, she is. And Ivan likes being on his own and doing his thing, but he appreciates you still babying him. You say all the time he loves when you bring him food and it has nothing to do with him not wanting to spend money on groceries.”
“I know. We pick on him, but he’s not that bad.” She laughed loudly. “Okay, so he is bad. But they got me that trip to the Keys. I’ve been talking about this for years. Ethan said it was Hope’s idea.”
“That’s right,” Jolene said. “A daughter thinks of those things. Boys just put the money down and go along with it. Or at least that is what happens with my kids most times. Anyway, we know he was in the office earlier this week. He was meeting with Kendra. Did he say anything about it?”
“No,” Shay said. “Not a word. It’s frustrating. I didn’t let on that I knew he was there. He’s on vacation and I asked him if there was anything new going on or if he spent his vacation working for Fierce. He said he was working.”
“He’s going to be a tough nut to crack. I can’t get anything out of Kendra when I’m there either. It is one thing to be shy or quiet, but she’s like a vault when it comes to anything personal.”
“Really?” Shay asked. “How so?”
“She’s good at deflecting. Or giving just enough of an answer you aren’t sure what to say next. I think Ivan is giving me fits, but she might be worse. The only thing she will say much about is her mother.”
“What about her mother?” Shay asked. “Tell me what you know about this girl you are trying to set my son up with.”
Jolene laughed. “It’s taken you long enough to ask.”
“Maybe you aren’t the only one that can play with people,” her sister said as she put more leftover food in containers.
Most of the food had gone home with the kids, but there was some left here for her and Gavin to pick at.
“It’s just Kendra and her mother, Karen. Karen is legally blind. She has some genetic condition.”
“Something that Kendra could have?” Shay asked.
