“Are you sure about this?” I asked before adding, “Um ... about the retirement?” Couldn’t let them think I was unprepared for the announcement—even if I was.
“Mm-hmm. We’re sure about our retirement, son, just as we are about you leading this family.” The look he gave me almost dared me to refuse. Of course, he knew I wouldn’t, even though it was not going to be easy to deal with my siblings—and Harris. But life isn’t about knowing everything, especially in our business. It’s about how you handle the unknown; how you stare it in the eye, laugh in its face, and conquer it.
“Is this something immediate, LC?” Harris asked. I knew he hoped it wouldn’t be, because that would give him time to manipulate things to his benefit. Despite the fact that my brother-in-law and I worked well together, it didn’t mean I trusted him completely. Maybe it was our matching ambition and intensity that put us naturally at odds.
Harris had made us all a lot of money over the years, but I still questioned my father’s reliance on this dude. He hadn’t done anything to betray the family, and I didn’t have any clear-cut reason to distrust him, so it probably just rubbed off on me from Vegas. He had never trusted Harris, and wasn’t shy about his feelings, despite Harris’s hard work and apparent loyalty to our family. Vegas never told me what his beef with Harris was, but I was pretty sure it had something to do with our sister London.
“No, Harris. We’ll have time before Chippy and I wash our hands entirely of the business, but I felt it was time to let you all know. That way those who may need to step up and pull their weight will have the opportunity to do so. You don’t have anything to worry about, Harris. Orlando may be sitting in my chair, but yours will remain next to it. He’s going to need your advice and counsel.”
“I see. That’s good to know,” Harris replied, adjusting his suit jacket. It had been established that there was still a need for him, and I was sure he’d do all he could to exploit that. Still, my father had made his decision, and the decision was me. I didn’t think it could have been any clearer.
“Congrats, bro,” Junior succinctly uttered. He’d have my back in this. He was too easygoing to want to deal with this leadership shit. As good-natured and gentle as he was, that was what Junior did so well—the not-so-gentle stuff.
“You okay with this, bro?” I whispered. I really didn’t want him to feel as if I were taking him for granted.
“Yeah, you know me,” he said, as expected. “Can’t say the same about the rest of them, though. With them you’re going to have to prove yourself. Maybe even knock a few heads, if you know what I mean.” He let out a chuckle and looked around the room at my other siblings and my brother-in-law.
I already knew where Paris stood in all this. She’d made her position clear, but the rest were riddles, sure not to talk about or reveal their true feelings in front of Momma, Pop, or the outsider at the table. All I had were my assumptions, as Rio, Harris, and London took turns sizing me up the rest of the night.
While they did that, I tried digesting what it was going to mean to head an organization created by the great LC Duncan. What would I do differently once given complete free rein? What I did know was that I had to continue to build the empire my father had worked so hard to establish.
Finally, Harris walked over, extending his hand. “Congratulations, O. How about we sit down at the house with a cocktail and go over your vision for the future? I’ve got some great ideas for expanding in the South and Midwest.”
I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but if he was extending an olive branch, I was going to take it. “Sure, Harris, I’d like that. We’re going to take this family to the next level. You wait and see.”
“We sure are.” He gave me a smile that almost looked like a smirk as he walked back over to my sister. “See you back at the house in, say, an hour?”