“What brought this on?” I asked, hoping to stall for time before I had to give him an answer.
He shrugged. “I suppose after the last few months, I realized that I needed to get my affairs in order… so to speak. You both know that Miguel has chosen a different path, and you’re part of the family now. I know I’m not going to live forever, so if anything were to happen to me, I need to plan for the future.
“More important, I need someone on the inside I can trust. And that’s you, Shelby. With your special talents, you’ll be in a perfect position to know the truth about people and make the best decisions about the direction I want the company to take.” He thought it would also take care of me and my family financially.
I swallowed and tried to smile, but couldn’t seem to get my face to cooperate. “Oh… yeah… I can see that… it makes sense that you’d want to name someone… but… are you sure you want it to be me? I mean… I know you’ve had some close calls lately, but I have too. In fact… with all the trouble I get into, you could still outlive me.”
“That’s not going to happen,” he scoffed. “We have both survived because of your mind-reading ability. That gives you an edge, and also makes you the perfect choice as my successor.”
I nodded, but I just didn’t have it in me to accept, no matter what he wanted. What about what I wanted? I kind of liked my life the way it was. “I get that, but I’m not sure it’s something I can do. I have no experience running a business. I’d probably make a mess of it and lose everything you’ve worked so hard for. Maybe you should consider someone else… someone who knows what they’re doing.”
Uncle Joey’s lips thinned. He’d figured I’d hesitate, but this wasn’t something he’d taken lightly. Hadn’t he just told me he was going straight? He thought I’d be pleased.
Oops. “But… I applaud the changes you’re making with the business. I mean… that’s huge, right Chris?” I elbowed my husband, who still sat there in shock.
“Uh… yes. Yes, of course.”
“This isn’t going quite how I expected.” Uncle Joey sighed. “There’s something you both need to understand. I’m not turning the company over to Shelby anytime soon. I just want to have it in place for later, that’s all.”
Hope flooded my heart. “Really? How much later are we talking about?”
“Years… at least nine or ten. Even then, I’m not sure I’ll give it up completely.” Seeing my relief, he continued. “It’s mostly a formality. Chris and I can work out the details, and you can think it over once it’s all spelled out.” That was a concession he’d hoped to avoid, but my reluctance made sense.
“Uh… okay. Sure. That seems fair.” I knew the minute the words were out of my mouth that it was as good as a done deal for Uncle Joey.
His relieved smile lit up his face like he’d just won the jackpot. “Good. And let me just add that you don’t need to worry about your business experience. You wouldn’t be in charge of the day-to-day running of things. You’d only need to check in on the board meetings every once in a while, just to make sure no one had any nefarious activities planned. Basically what you do for me already.”
“Oh… that’s good.” So why was he bringing this up now? Was he really thinking about retiring, even though he said he wasn’t? “But… you’re not going to retire anytime soon, right? I mean… it just wouldn’t be the same without you.”
My declaration softened his heart. Not many people who knew him felt that way. “Thank you, Shelby. That means a lot. But don’t worry, like I said, it’s only a formality.” He waited for my nod before continuing. “There’s also the change to my estate. I don’t know if Chris told you about that?”
“Uh… yes. I thought that was the main reason we were here.”
“So he told you that I want you to be the executor?” I nodded and he continued. “Are you okay with that?”
I shrugged. “I guess. As long as everything’s spelled out in your will, I’ll follow your wishes to the letter.” He nodded, and I caught a hint of underlying worry that sent my heart sputtering. “You’re okay, right? I mean… health-wise?”
That caught him off-guard, and he inhaled sharply. “Of course. Fit as a fiddle.”
“Okay… that’s good.” I tried to pick up if he was hiding something, but his thoughts had shut up tight. What did that mean? He obviously didn’t want me to learn anything, but, did that mean something was wrong? Did he have a health issue he’d just found out about?
“I guess that’s all for now,” he said, glancing at Chris. “Shall we set up a time to go over the paperwork?”
“Yes. I can have the estate plan ready for you, including the business side of it if you want to leave it to Shelby. But I will need more details from you to finish it up.”
“Let’s meet again in a few days. Just let me know when you’re ready.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll get started right away.”
“Good.” Uncle Joey glanced my way. “And you can join us.” I nodded, and he turned to Chris. “I guess that’s all for now.”
Chris stood to leave and shook hands with Uncle Joey. “I’ll be in touch.”
I stood to go with him, but Uncle Joey stopped me. “Can you to stay for a minute longer?” He was thinking about Ramos’s adventure last night, and that he wanted to fill me in.
“Uh… yeah, sure. I can stay.”
Chris had hoped to talk to me about this huge revelation. Now he’d have to wait. But what the hell? Uncle
