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“The Gerome Glandman? I didn’t get a good look at him. What’s the story there exactly?”
“Family feud. Bad blood.” Again, my tone is one of finality, but Lally doesn’t let it go.
“To recap, your grandfather, Chip, left you and your brothers with a great adventure. Not only did you each get a property with instructions to revitalize it, but if you forfeit, the fortune goes to that man, Gerome Glandman.”
I arch an eyebrow. She’s astute. “He was briefly married to my Aunt Lorena, Chip’s sister—they had different fathers. She stood to receive a massive inheritance and when that happened, Glandman used all her money to build his empire, as he called it, and destroyed hers.”
“Why did she let him?”
“We don’t know.”
“Oh. That changes the gameboard.”
“Does it?”
“He has a stake, after all, as someone who was related to you by marriage.”
“So far, he hasn’t made a move. Hasn’t even acknowledged Chip’s death. Typical Glandman.”
“There’s also the treasure hunt, unless that was just something to distract you from losing Chip. One last great adventure to remember him by.”
“I thought of that, but no, he was too clever. He’d built up the lost crown of tears too big over the years for it to be a distraction, a dead end.”
“So, you think the lost crown of tears is out there somewhere, waiting to be found?”
I grunt in affirmation. And I’m starting to think Glandman does too. As we cross the causeway above the sparkling blue sea hiding its treasure, I add, “Or not wanting to be found. There was also this, in the will, ‘The youngest would sooner dive than the shallowest go deep. But neither will find what they seek without the strongest softening and the cleverest humbling.’”
“That’s intense. So, the shallowest would be Ryan, the cleverest, Royal, and the youngest, CJ.”
We pass the sign, welcoming us to Coco Key, someplace I didn’t think I’d ever return to—especially not on the brink of engagement. I’m still wondering what brought Lally here, of all places.
“So, you’re the strong one and your grandfather instructed you to soften.”
“It makes a strange sort of sense, considering he left me a pillow.” I park in front of her house where we left the dogs who probably need to go out.
Lally laughs and it turns my dreary thoughts sunny. “Anything else?”
“He left me a knife,” I add as we get out of the truck.
“That’s an opposite object in some ways. Kind of like you.” She laces her arms around my chest, hugging me. “The toughest, strongest man I’ve ever met, but you also have a secret soft spot right here.” She points at my heart.
“Only for you.” But as soon as the words are out, that stupid red flag lifts. Instead of the stirring I’ve felt, something stutters. I’m getting so close to asking her the big question, but a few smaller ones back up behind it. They’re dumb and probably don’t matter. But they’re there, nonetheless. And I have one for myself. Can I handle marriage? Can I be the strong man she thinks I am?
Her pink-stained lips quirk. Then in one swift motion, she leaps into my arms, wrapping her legs around me. I have to grip the backs of her thighs, otherwise, she’ll fall. Yes, I have to. The red flag warns me not to. That she should remain standing in front of me. She’s too close. She should move ten feet away. Twenty.
But I love having her close. The flare inside burns. Ignoring the flag, I lean in and kiss her madly. This is the real treasure. But I can’t forget about the one that’s potentially somewhere on this island.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” she breathes.
“Kiss?”
“Yes, but I mean jump into a man’s arms and have him be able to support me. If you haven’t noticed, I’m on the taller side.”
“I have noticed and I love every inch of you.” My ears heat. I saidI love youin Brazilian and almost said it in English. But not quite.
The dogs bark from inside the house.
With Lally still in my arms and taking powerful strides, I walk up the path toward the house.
