Chapter 35
Gage
I kept an eye on Logan as I drove. My heart broke seeing his open grief.
He was suffering, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do or say to make the situation better.
I wanted to support him, like he’d supported me, until he could get his feet back under him.
I’d rally his friends, too. Logan’s support network was vast, and it was time to call in the cavalry.
Logan pulled himself together enough, at least, to notify his siblings. He called one on the drive to his house. I wasn’t sure who, but I knew the conversation was emotionally charged but short.
Once Logan was home, he squirreled himself into a corner of the couch, clutched one of the pillows, sucked in a breath, then called another brother.
I didn’t want to hover, he needed some privacy, so I stepped into the kitchen to make my own phone call. I could see Logan from this angle and respond if he needed me.
First person I called was Riggs, who needed to know I’d definitely be out of the office for the rest of the day.
Riggs answered with his usual efficiency. “I cannot handle any more emergencies this morning, so unless something is actively on fire, it will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Riggs, I need to be out of office today, maybe tomorrow as well.”
A brief pause. “What is on fire?”
“Logan’s grandfather died on Saturday. He was informed about an hour ago.”
“Two fucking days later?!”
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god.”
“Gets worse. It was a law firm who told him. They thought he already knew and called to tell him what he inherited.”
“I am so utterly livid on his behalf. I don’t care what kind of bad blood is in the family, if someone is actively dying, you tell people and let them say their goodbyes!”
“I’m with you, man. It’s beyond shitty.”
“I’ll tell everyone here, don’t worry, and take both today and tomorrow off, sounds like he needs you right now, since he can’t rely upon any support from that asshole family of his. Wait, does Erin know yet?”
“Not yet. He wants to wait until she’s back at the house and tell her face-to-face.”
“I guess that would go over better.”
“Riggs, let me ask you something. I’m a petty, petty man, so I know how I’d feel, but you’re more logical.
If, say, someone had this pretty amazing thing you desperately wanted as a kid, and you asked to inherit it as a young adult but were told you weren’t worthy of it—which naturally would be hurtful—but when that relative died, they left it to you in their will, how would you feel about it? ”
Riggs sat on my question for a second. “So to unravel that run-on sentence, the bar Logan wanted to take over from his grandfather was left to him in the will?”
“I didn’t realize you knew about that. Yes, correct.”
“Logan told me something of his journey of owning Blackbird, and he mentioned it sort of in passing. Did that man seriously leave the bar to Logan without trying to reconnect with him first, or anything? Not even a damn letter to go with it?”
“Not that I know of. Logan didn’t mention anything about a letter.”
“Okay, I see the situation, and frankly? I’d be livid.”
“I know why I’d be mad, but I’m curious on your take.”
“Because it was never about the bar itself. It could have been anything, any business. Logan wanted it because it was part of his grandfather’s life.
He wanted to share that, to work alongside the man, to invest in something his grandfather loved.
That’s what he was truly robbed of. Being given the bar now is kind of a slap in the face, in my opinion.
‘Here, I don’t need it anymore, I guess you can have it now. ’ That kind of feeling.”
Spelled out in such a way, I understood Logan’s feelings better.
It felt like a slap in the face, even to me.
“The part that pissed me off was someone trying to hand over something that was denied without even a conversation. People trying to foist a responsibility off on me burns my gonads, as you know. I didn’t think about the emotional angle. ”
“Logan’s not the type to covet what someone else has, either. That’s not what he was truly after. His grandfather was too blind to see that. Even in death, the man didn’t get it.”
“Clearly.” Oh, Logan had hung up and now just sat there, staring blankly forward. “I’m going to hop off.”
“Keep me posted. Tell Logan we’ll all attend the funeral to support him, if he wants us to.”
“Will do.”
I ended the call and returned to the couch, taking a seat next to Logan. “Taking a break?”
“Two of my brothers can’t answer their phones during work unless they’re on a lunch break,” he explained tonelessly. He still sat there, staring blindly forward, and he seemed…lost. Like he had no idea what to do next or how to process any of this shit. “I have to wait an hour to call them.”
“Ah. I just told Riggs I’m out of the office today and tomorrow. He asked me to pass along that all of my crew will attend the funeral if you want their support.”
Logan turned his head and regarded me for a long moment. “Your friends are so damn cool.”
“I happen to think so.”
“Tell him yes. I should tell my friends too. I just…” He blew out a breath. “Repeating it, over and over, makes it more real. I need a second.”
“Take your time. In fact, I’ve got Si’s number, how about I call him and let him spread the word?”
Logan looked relieved at my suggestion. “Please, and thank you.”
Gently, I asked him, “Was there anything else left to you? A letter, perhaps? Anything?”
Logan shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. The lawyer said he’d email me paperwork and stuff, but he didn’t mention anything other than the bar. Why?”
“I’d hoped a letter explaining why he left you the bar might help you.”
Logan snorted, but there was no amusement in the sound.
“No, Gage. He didn’t leave it to me for altruistic reasons or to try to right a wrong.
He left it to me because he only had one biological son, who he despised.
For good reason, granted. He left me the bar to screw over his own kid and because he knew that I, at least, would know how to run it.
To keep his legacy going. That’s all this is. ”
Fuck. No wonder he looked mad as hell. It seemed Riggs’s theory wasn’t wrong, although I wished it had been.
If I could feel the secondhand burn from this inheritance, Logan must have felt like someone had poured lava down his throat.
I put an arm around his shoulders, wanting to comfort him somehow. “You sound sure.”
“Because I am. This was something else I realized in therapy.” He leaned sideways, settling his head on my shoulder.
“Any decent grandparent would have taken me on. I mean, Grandma did, and she’s the reason I pulled through without landing in prison.
But it would have been so much better if Grandfather had actively stepped up, told his son to go to hell, and been the father figure his grandsons needed.
If he’d done that, we’d have been better teens and not so dysfunctional of a family.
But all he did was limit contact with my father.
Like that solved anything. I realized after the fact, the man I idolized didn’t care much for me.
It’s why he wouldn’t invest anything into me.
Even leaving me the bar in death isn’t a pat on the back. It’s a last resort.”
I smoothed a hand up and down his arm, offering what comfort I could.
I wished, more than anything, I could take all his grief off his shoulders.
Even half of it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible.
I’d do what I could to support and comfort him, but it felt so inadequate compared to the pain he carried.
“I don’t know what to do about the bar,” he whispered. “I don’t want it. But unfortunately, that damned old man was right to leave it to me. No one else has an interest in it besides my father, and he’s a horrible person to have as a boss. The bar would go under within a year from bad management.”
“Can you manage both bars?”
“Yeah. I mean, there’s good managers for both bars, it’s not like I have to live at either of them. I’d need to split time between them, make sure my managers are keeping on top of things, but it’s doable. Without sacrificing my social life, that is.”
“Then I say, let it ride for a while. Step over there, tell the employees what’s going on, but that nothing’s going to change for a while. Just to keep doing their jobs. You can decide what to do about it when grief and pain aren’t overwhelming you.”
He turned his head to rest against the crook of my neck, almost burrowing in. “Smart. That’s smart. I’ll do so, but not today.”
“Sounds good.” He had enough on his plate, emotionally speaking. Besides, the bar wasn’t legally his yet anyway.
We sat on the couch for a long time, cuddling. I wished for a necromancer so I could raise the grandfather and then read him the riot act. He’d had a grandson this amazing yet chose to treat him like some kind of afterthought?
With that attitude, I could see why Logan’s father turned out to be an asshole. Assholes begat assholes. Logan just broke the cycle, was all.
The front door started vibrating under urgent knocking. “LOGAN!”
Oh! Grandma was here. I popped up and immediately let her in. “Come in, Grandma. Did you hear already?”
“I got his voicemail,” she answered, pushing past me. “Logan, honey, I am so sorry.”
Logan reached for her, and she sat right next to him, hugging him hard.
Thankful, I let her take over for a minute and stepped back into the kitchen to give them some privacy.
I might have been overthinking this, but I didn’t want Logan to feel the need to censor himself because I was in the room.
Grief should be allowed to pour out without boundaries.
I called Si, since I’d promised. He answered quickly, although there was a lot of background noise. Sounded like a radio and power tools going off.
“Hey, Gage. Didn’t expect you to call.”
“Hi, Si. I’m unfortunately calling with bad news.” I explained the situation to him, short and sweet.
Si whistled low and long. “Shiiiiiiiit.”
“About the size of it, yeah.”
“And literally no one in the family outside his parents knew?”
“Apparently not, as he’s called several siblings, and they didn’t know. His maternal grandmother just flew through the door. Not even she knew.” I’d expected that, because if she had known, we’d have heard on Saturday. Grandma was very much on her grandchildren’s side.
“Fuck, this is so messed up. You said funeral’s on Friday?”
“That’s what the law office said. It would mean a lot to Logan if everyone came to support him.”
“You can bet we’ll be there. Text me the deets when you get ’em, I’ll post it in the group chat.”
“Thanks, Si. He’s just…Having to explain over and over is wearing him down. And he’s adamant about calling his brothers and telling them.”
“Yeah, man, of course. I’m not upset he didn’t call me. Grateful as hell you called me and told me what went down. Also pissed as hell at his parents. I’m going to flatten all four tires and put instant mashed potatoes in their yard before it rains, see if I don’t.”
I grinned at the suggestion. “Do three tires, though.”
“Eh?”
“Insurance reasons.”
Si busted out laughing. “Gage, I’m proud to know you.”
“Thanks, I do try. Oh, Grandma’s waving me in, I’ll text you.”
“Sure, sure.”
I disconnected the call and returned to the living room. Grandma was standing, already grabbing her purse. “Gage, I think Erin should be here. I’m going to call her.”
“Sure.”
Logan’s phone beeped, and he looked at the screen before laughing. The sound was watery, nowhere near its usual volume or strength, but seeing him laugh at all was a relief.
“Why did Si just text me marbles in the gas tank?”
“He’s absolutely pissed with your parents and has things he’s going to do in revenge,” I explained. “Add marbles on to the list of instant mashed potatoes in the yard before it rains and three flat tires.”
Logan’s expression softened. “I really do have the best friends.”
“Wouldn’t marbles in a gas tank destroy the car?” I was all right with it, if they did.
“No, car still runs, but you can’t get the marbles out, and it makes an ungodly racket as you drive.”
A sly grin stole over my face. Damn, Si knew things. “Remind me not to piss Si off.”
“It’s a poor life decision, for sure.” Logan looked up at me. “I might be able to eat.”
“Sure, what do you want?”
“Lee’s?”
Fried chicken and biscuits, eh? “I’ll go pick it up. Unless you want to go with me?”
“I…No. No, I better call my other brothers. They’re the last two.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes, then.”
If Logan could be startled into a laugh, even during the height of emotions, he’d be all right in the long run. I just needed to support him past this hurdle. And maybe help Si buy some marbles.