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I took a sip of my tea. I didn’t like thinking about Kellan in charge. Was he smart? Yeah. Was he capable? He sure was. Did he dream about being the man on top? That he most certainly did.
Something about it, however, set me ill at ease. Being at the top came with an extra level of danger and that was one thing I didn’t want to see my little brother saddled with.
“There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about, Ma,” I said, doing a quick subject change. “I’m having a guest over tomorrow and promised her that I’d make some dinner. Wanted to see if you had that recipe for the Irish stew you always made when we were kids, the one with the Guinness in it.”
Ma let out another quick laugh that made it clear she understood that I was changing the subject.
“Guinness stew, eh?” she asked. “Aye, I think I might be able to scare up a recipe.” She bounded out of her chair and headed into the nearby kitchen, opening one of the drawers and yanking out her trusty wooden container of recipes she’d had since Kellen and I were kids.
“How did you even get away with feeding two boys Guinness stew when we were that age? Making sure we got into our Irish heritage nice and early by getting us soused?” I flashed her a grin, letting Ma know that I was only messing about.
“The alcohol cooks out, you daft boy,” she said with a grin of her own. Ma came over to me, the notecard covered with her handwriting in her grasp. “Now, before I give this over to you, I’ve got one question.”
“What’s that, Ma?”
She held the card over my head, yanking it away as I reached for it.
“I want you to tell me about this woman you’re cooking for. You really think that you’re going to drop a detail like that in front of your mother and not have her pounce on it? In your dreams, boy!”
She laughed as she slipped into the seat across from me.
“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you about her.”
With that, I went into it. I told Ma about Claire, filling her in on her profession and, within reason, the way we’d met.
“A lawyer, huh?” she asked. “And an Irish one?”
“Irish-American,” I said. “Not from the old country like us.”
“Still not bad.” She sat back, crossing her arms over her chest, the recipe card held firmly between two fingers. “You ask me, it’s about time for you to start settling down. You’ve been wanting out of this life for a while, lad. And now, the stars seem to be lining up for you.”
“The stars are lining up? How do you figure?”
“Well, you’ve got a woman for one.”
“A woman that I’ve been on two dates with.”
“Please. I saw the way your face lit up when you were talking about her. Not a doubt in my mind that there’s something special happening between the two of you. You don’t need to date someone for a damn year before you know how you feel. Modern nonsense.”
“I like her. That’s… that’s all I can say for now.”
Another laugh. “That’s all youwantto say for now. But we’ll see what the future has in store.”
“And what other stars are lining up?”
“Well, may he get well soon, but Eddie’s out of the picture, leaving you in charge, which means you can make some big calls in the organization. Then, you’ve got a little brother who’d love nothing more than to be the man on top.”
“Alright. So, what’ve you got in mind?”
“Why, do I need to spell it out for you, lad? Retire, put your brother in charge, and start a new life with this woman!”
It was my turn to laugh. “God, Ma, you say it like it’s so simple.”
“That’s because itisthat simple. Who’s going to stop you if you put your little brother in charge and step away from the life?”
“No one, I suppose. But Kellan, I can’t just—”
“I know what you’re going to say, boy, and it’s bullshite. You want to look after your little brother. That’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong. But Kellan’s not a child. He’s a grown man, and what’s more, he’s got a knack for this kind of life, wild though he may be.”
