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He laughed. “Next is Elias. He has the brewery. As you can tell, the three after West all work for him directly out of his corporate offices. Elias wanted to brew, West found a struggling brewery close to home and acquired it.”
She grinned. “I’m sure there is more to it than that.”
“Not really,” he said. “They were willing to sell for the right price. This way everything was set up for Elias to get to work. He scrapped their brew. He wanted no part of it. He had his own. Those who had jobs already could stay and change or go and he’d hire new. He’s thriving doing things his way, even if West didn’t agree at first.”
“Did they butt heads?”
“Nope,” he said. “West is smart that way. He had faith in Elias and let him do what he did best. If sales showed otherwise, West would step in, but my little brother is killing it.”
“Are any of you little because you’re pretty tall?”
She was guessing he was a few inches over six feet. “The girls are on the smaller side, but the guys are all over six feet. Some have more muscle than others. I think Elias and Rowan are the biggest, but they don’t sit at a desk.”
“Rowan?” she asked. The names were all on the different side.
“He is sibling number six and lives in California. He’s a true surfer dude and even has his own business. He’s a surf shaper in Long Beach.”
“Surf shaper?” she asked.
“He does custom surfboards. He’s got a huge following and pros use his equipment. If you don’t surf, it’s hard to keep up.”
“I don’t,” she said. “I’m not much of a swimmer.”
She’d never learned and it was one of those fears. She thought living on the lake with her sister, she’d learn, but she just couldn’t. She always stayed in standing distance when she was floating in the sun on a tube.
“The last of the boys is Nelson. He’s twenty-four and on the cocky side. He has his MBA and wants to be West when he grows up. He has no home base and goes where West puts him. He’s got a lot of growing up to do though. When I left from our lunch yesterday it was Nelson running his mouth while trying to get some information for West on one of the businesses in Utah.”
She cringed over the comment about Nelson needing some growing up to do. The guy was the same age as her.
“Not everyone is like that at twenty-four,” she said.
“No,” he said. “I wasn’t and neither were any of my other siblings. Part of Nelson’s problem is, he just really wants West’s attention.”
“And West is busy?” she asked.
“It’s complicated. We all have to work our way up. Nelson just wants it handed to him and he’s got to learn it’s not that easy. Must be the last two of the bunch. Talia is the baby and just graduated from college in May. She hasn’t figured out what she wants to do right now. She’s still living at home and has some jewelry and accessory lines on Etsy. West will give her a chance somewhere but not until she comes up with a business plan.”
Lilian started to laugh. “I think I’ve got a good head on my shoulders though you might not think that with everything that’s happened. But I couldn’t come up with a business plan.”
He grinned, then turned when their drinks were brought in with a basket of bread and a Caprese salad. They hadn’t ordered any food yet. She hadn’t even looked at the menu.
“This is my normal starter,” he said. “They know that here. Thanks.”
“Do you want to hear the specials?” the server said.
She listened and decided to order the fried fish. It sounded awesome and like nothing she’d make for herself. Braylon got some complicated burger. She was happy they were eating like this over the steaks and seafood dishes. They looked good, but she’d never order something that expensive.
When they were left alone, Braylon said, “West wouldn’t hold Talia’s feet to the fire. She knows some of what she wants to do, but she has to have a plan. Wanting to move out of the house and expecting West or my mother to pay her bills isn’t a plan.”
“But you said he supports your family?” she asked.
“He does. He paid for everyone’s education. He paid off our student loans. He didn’t always have this wealth. Nelson and Talia got the most and you can almost see it in their actions. They don’t know what the rest of us had to do to get here.”
She could imagine that the youngest two had cars and anything they wanted. She was just lucky that her student loans were on the low end because she got so much financial aid. She might have been able to pay them off having lived with Quinn, but she needed to put money away for this move too so she split her money the best she could.
“That’s nice of him,” she said. “I bet your mother is very proud of all of you. And your father would be thrilled too.”
“We like to think he is,” he said. “Tell me about your siblings. It’s your turn.”
