AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anything else I should know?” I instantly regret the question because there is probably a lot about Ryan’s past that I’d rather not be privy to, namely all of his ex-girlfriends, flings, and whatever sordid affairs he’s had. I’ve seen enough online to make me understand his reference to Brando’s purported murder methods. Oh, and to be clear, my cousin wouldn’t hurt a fly. Okay, maybe he’d swat one of those, but he’s a poet, for goodness’ sake, and helps run an import-export company that sources Fair Trade crafts from South America and helps plant Christian mission bases.
Ryan says, “Just one thing. Chip passed away recently and left me his journal and a pen. Well, a pen with a plume.” Sadness tinges his voice and confusion too.
I extend my hand and give the top of his a squeeze. “I’m sorry.My dad told me but mentioned there wasn’t a regular funeral, otherwise, I would’ve come.
Chip was a mysterious figure and seemed to let the boys run wild all over the island, but they were family. I have no doubt they all loved each other. I never thought about the particulars of his parents’ tragedy because I had one of my own. It was more of awe’re in this together mentality. I didn’t ask him for details, because I didn’t want to have to share my own.
“Miss the ‘ole guy, but you know, we’d all gotten distant over the years. Ironic that his passing brought us back together.”
“You and your brothers had a falling out?” I ask, shocked.
“More or less. We kind of went our separate ways.”
“But you were so close. Like a band or a pack or a team.”
Ryan shrugs. “We drifted. Things changed.”
Compassion runs through me because I can’t fathom not having my sisters in my everyday life, even though we live far apart. However, given this abrupt turn of events with Uncle Eddie, not for long. At least for the summer.
“In January, Chip sent us each an invitation. At least that’s what I thought it was.”
“Like to a birthday party?”
He nods slowly. “I feel dumb now. Didn’t get to say goodbye. Instead, we all showed up for the reading of his will. Well, except Emmie,” he says, referring to his sister. “She wasn’t a part of it.”
I didn’t know the youngest McGregor, mostly because she wasn’t part of her brothers’ shenanigans. Come to think of it, CJ wasn’t always either. Before Magnus graduated, it was the twins and him, then just Ryan and Royal along with my cousin.
“The will was like one big riddle. A mystery.” Ryan flips his phone in my direction and it displays a document that startsLast Will and Testament...
Ryan
CHAPTER 8
Harley squints and then pinches her fingers together to enlarge the text. When we were kids, she wore glasses. Of course, I called her four eyes. But even then, her eyes were like two butterscotch candies. In high school, she must’ve gotten contacts because I never saw them again.
“To the eldest, Magnus, I leave my father’s pocket knife and a pillow. To Twin Royal, I leave the family Bible and a book of matches. To Twin Ryan, I leave my journal and a pen. To Chip Junior, I leave my sextant and the Salty Skeleton.” She shakes her head slowly and passes the phone back to me.
I don’t take it. Same as the first time I heard my grandfather’s will, the words refuse to make sense. It’s like I’m hearing someone speak a foreign language or watching a video with the sound off.
Harley says, “I shouldn’t read it.”
“Please?” I ask because maybe she can help me understand what it means—not the riddles, necessarily, but the loss. She too experienced it recently when her Aunt Martina died who was very much like a mother to her.
“It’s none of my business, Ryan,” she says softly.
“This is the thing I wanted to tell you earlier when I said there aren’t any strings but?—”
She must’ve glimpsed a little beyond what she read aloud because she interrupts and says, “No, this is more like a tangled web.”
I rub my hand down my face. “My sentiments exactly.”
Harley slides my phone toward me. “I’m sorry about this. I know your relationship with Chip was—” She shrugs because like me, like all of us, it’s nearly impossible to define. It was a something-ship but in a different way than the one I share with Harley. “I’m also sorry that this doesn’t seem to provide answers or closure.”
“Nope. Just more questions.”
Ones I have no idea how to answer. It’s great being back with my bros again, but until now, I didn’t realize how much I’d been avoiding, dreading, and feeling weighed down by Chip’s will.
Taking a deep breath, I say, “It’s bad enough he’s gone. Even though we’d grown distant, his larger-than-life personality made it so he was never far from my thoughts. I mean, it was like he was watching every game of mine. I didn’t realize it until it was too late, but I always sensed him with me on the sidelines. His voice in my head, giving me tips. Mostly what not to do, as if he were a football expert.” My scoff is warm-hearted.
