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“They’re ten.”
“You’re taking them all by yourself?” he asks, looking surprised.
“Yes. I’m fully capable. Born and raised Alaskan here. Plus, I was a Girl Scout a long time ago.”
“Oh, I loved the campouts.” Sabrina smiles, sipping her wine. “So much fun. If I didn’t have to work, I might’ve asked to go with you.”
“I know, me too. Although I worry about getting it all set up okay, once that’s done, I’ll be fine. Plus, they have other parents, so I won’t really be on my own.”
“Is it the whole troop going?” Van asks, a crease along his forehead signaling his worry.
“Yeah.”
“All women?”
My eyes narrow. “No, dads go too.”
Sabrina nods. “Yeah, my dad took me.”
“You should go with her,” Van says to Lance.
Lance points at himself, eyes wide. Him setting up a tent and eating hot dogs and s’mores?
I laugh. “Yeah, no.”
Lance’s expression clearly says he wants me to shut the fuck up. “I wish, but I’m in New York this weekend at a charity gala.”
“Man, you live the life,” Sabrina says.
“It’s what a degree in hospitality will get you.” He smiles.
“Along with a granddad who already built an empire,” I say good-naturedly.
“And I’m so different than you how?” Lance raises one eyebrow.
“I’m not worth billions.” I take another sip of my beer.
“Bailey Timber is a big company and could be even bigger if the family hadn’t agreed to halt the growth years ago.”
I tilt my head at Lance and give him a look that says we should not be discussing family business in front of other people, but Lance shakes his head and sips his wine.
For the rest of the dinner, we engage in polite conversation. Sabrina is really nice even though I wanted to scratch her eyes out when I saw Van put his hand on the small of her back. I really need to figure out exactly what I feel for him and what I want to do about it.
As I hug Lance while we all say goodbye to one another, I whisper, “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“That’s what cousins slash best friends are supposed to do.” He squeezes me tight. “If you need to talk, I’m here day and night.”
“I know.”
He pulls back and glances at Van walking Sabrina to her car. “Eventually, the day will come though, you know.”
My forehead wrinkles. “What?”
“When you’ll be too weak to fight.”
“Stop being cryptic. What are you saying?”
He looks at Van again, who’s now waiting for me to walk to our apartment together. “If it’s not him, it’ll be someone else. At some point you’ll tire of fighting a connection that’s clearly there. Sawyer would want you to move on, Brin. It’s been long enough. You were clearly jealous tonight. Dig deep and figure out why that was and address it. Don’t ignore it and let another four years pass you by.”
