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"Kylian."
She guffaws, almost spitting out her food. "That didn't take much thought."
"I didn't need to think. I know it, we all know it.Heknows it. He would be the most annoying. Matthias has gone extreme camping, he has the best survival skills, Damien would just shut the fuck up and collect all the resources we had and build a little encampment for us, and I would be smart enough to listen to what they told me to do and do it. Kylian would constantly be whining about why there wasn't turn down service and A/C. It would be merciful to all of us to eat him first."
She giggles, and reaches over for a piece of dried mango and holds it up to my mouth. "Remind me not to go camping with you guys."
I bite down on the mango and squeeze my arms around her waist. "Me Tarzan. You Luna. You're safe with me."
She looks back at me and raises an eyebrow. "I mean... I've seen your brothers, though. I'm not complaining about being stranded alone with you all."
"Ahem. And just what are you saying?"
"A girl can dream," she sighs, and adopts a far away look in her eyes.
"I will eat them all before the lay a single hand on you," I growl, wrapping my legs around her, and nuzzle her neck. The warmth in the chest spreading to the rest of my body.
I'm not sure we're out of the woods yet, but at least she seems to be giving me a chance.
She lets me hold her for a few seconds and then wriggles out of my arms, stretching out to grab the bowl of chips, unsuccessfully. I reach it for her, and lay it on the floor by her feet. She gives me a little kiss as a thank you, and grabs a handful and leans back against me.
"If you could have a ten minute conversation with your grandfather right now, what would you say to him?"
The question is like a fist around my heart.
It's been something I've been thinking about for a while, especially after Ernest's passing. So many questions about what I should do about Baxter, about the future of the company, about my asshole uncle and what the hell my grandfather was thinking when he didn't just kick him out of the company.
But in the end, all those things are... unimportant. Because I really just want to know one thing.
"I would want to know if he was proud of me."
She pulls my arms tighter around her stomach, hugging it to her. "Oh, Kingsley."
"He died over five years ago now. I was thirty-six when he died. I had been director of the Europe and UK region of Baxter for five years. And I thought I knew what I was doing. But I watch Kylian who is only thirty-four and he's been head of the Asian region since he was twenty-nine, and it's like he was born doing it. But he still makes mistakes. I can't remember all the mistakes I made at his age. And I just wonder if my grandfather saw me now, if he thinks I am living up to what he saw in me, if he would be proud of how I have protected what he entrusted to me."
"Honey, I can't imagine that he wouldn't be."
I breathe out, shaking my head. "I don't know. I'm supposed to be CEO in two months. And I feel like I'm not ready."
"You're going to be better than Gerry ever was."
"I don't want to be better than that deadbeat. I want people to think that even if I wasn't Martin Baxter's grandson, that I am the best person for the job."
Her head leans back against my shoulder, her hand coming to cradle my face. "The fact that you even care about that, tells me so much about what a good job you're going to do."
"I hope so. God, I hope so, Luna."
We sit in the quiet, thinking about the people we've lost for a moment. And I don't tell her, that I wish he could've met her.And if he'd be just as happy for me that I'd learned to open myself up to let someone like her into my life.
"Do you have any questions for me?" she asks a minute later.
I pick up a chip out of her lap and chew on it, while I think.
"Let's see, have you given any more thought about going to work for Hamilton Group?"
She nods. "Yup. You're right. We should've brought lawyers into draw up a contract about these questions."
"You don't have to answer."
