Page 94 of More Than Pen Pals

“Like running Diego Sanchez’s foundation?”

“Like running Diego Sanchez’s foundation. Not that it exists yet.”

“It will,” I say. “I haven’t spent much time with him, but I already know he’s a good man, and I think Bobby Jacobs is, too. Diego will want to put his own stamp on the project, but I’m certain he’ll be on board.”

Ash shrugs. “That doesn’t mean he would hire me.”

“You hit it off with Bobby at the game, as well as Diego’s cousins. I’m taking that as a good sign they’d consider you for the position.”

“Maybe so. I’m also fluent in Spanish, which is helpful.”

“How did you become fluent?”

“I minored in it and spent some of my college summers in Spanish-speaking countries. I hoped it would come in useful someday in my work.”

“Sounds like it might.” I’m in awe that he had the foresight to make that decision when he was seventeen years old.

We eat chips in silence for a minute. I love that the silence doesn’t feel awkward. It’s not that we can’t think of anything to say. I’m processing what he told me, and he might be, too.

“How do you think your father will react to you leaving the firm?” I finally ask.

His eyes turn sad for the first time since I walked into Randall’s apartment earlier. “He won’t be happy, but I don’t know exactly what he would do.”

“Would he disown you?” I pray the answer is no, but I’m afraid it won’t be.

“I don’t think Mom would let him. She’s the only person who has any influence over him. But he would try to make life miserable for me. He would undoubtedly kick me out of the pool house. It’s about time for me to get my own place, anyway, but I’d like to stay at least until Sonya goes off to college next year. She’s going to be lost when Tonya leaves for Duke in August. The two of them have always been inseparable.”

I squeeze his hand. “You love your sisters a lot, don’t you?”

“More than anything.” He doesn’t seem at all ashamed of the fact.

“I love that about you.”

“I’m sure you feel the same about Shannon and Cynthia.”

“I do.” Though I’m not nearly as close to my little sister as Ash seems to be to his.

Our food arrives, and we finally let go of each other’s hands so we can dig in.

“What would Randall do if he left the firm?” I ask.

“Probably something to do with rescuing people—firefighter, paramedic, something like that. You saw how fast he swooped in to save you from choking to death the other day.”

“He’d be okay with making a lot less money?” I feel weird asking, but I don’t want any topics to be off limits between us, so I might as well begin as I want to continue.

“That’s the tricky part. He’s not a saver like I am, and our parents didn’t set us up with trust funds. Dad wants us to work for our money, which is one of the few things I appreciate about him. I’ve been trying to convince Randall that if he ever wants to leave law, he needs to start saving up so he can afford to do so. I haven’t been successful yet.”

“You sure you’re not the big brother?” I ask. It rather seems like it.

“In many ways, it feels like I am. But in other ways, not as much.” He doesn’t elaborate on what those ways are, and it doesn’t feel like something I should push him to share with me. He has been surprisingly open so far, so if there’s something he’s not ready to talk about, I won’t force it. He’ll tell me in his own time.

“It sounds to me like you’re an excellent big brother to all three of your siblings.” I point a tortilla chip at him. “Now, let’s stop being serious and talk about silly stuff. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor and why?”

forty-six

The restaurant is only a few blocks from Leslie’s apartment, so I walk her home. She stops by the outside door of the building to say goodnight, but I’m not having it.

“I’m walking you all the way to your door. You never know who might be lurking in the stairwell.”

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