“Where’s Theo?” I asked, taking the offered glass.
Steph handed Drew one as well and settled back in her chair with her own. “We were going to bring Emily and Jennie down this weekend, but Emily has a soccer game on Saturday morning and Jennie has a friend’s birthday party. He volunteered to stay home with them, and we’ll all toast your success at Thanksgiving in a few weeks.”
“Babysitting the girls for the weekend?” I asked while Drew spoke at the same time.
“He’s a saint,” Drew said.
“Shut it,” Steph said, brow raised. “They’re his kids too. I love those girls with everything in me, but I’m grateful every day that I married a man who understands that we are equally responsible for parenting, that it isn’t babysitting if he stays home with them. You two are unbelievable at times.”
Drew put his glass down, raising his hands in protest. “Hey, what the hell did I say?”
Steph shook her head as she stretched out her long legs to reach the firepit. While we liked to tease her for being so much shorter than the two of us, her five-foot-ten frame was no slouch. “You two have praised the shit out of Theo since Emily was born. HowluckyI am that he changed her diapers, that he got up in the night to bring her to me when I was nursing, et cetera. A year later, ditto with Jennie, or then it was how great it was that he entertained Emily while I was nursing. I mean, really.”
Drew looked over at me. I shrugged. He bravely, or stupidly, continued the conversation. “So it’s not great that he helped out?”
Steph growled under her breath as she looked at the sky. “You two are such idiots. It’s not helping. They’re his kids too. I mean, am I helping if I take care of them?”
Her words soaked in for a moment, then I murmured, more to myself than anyone else, “No, you’re being a mom.”
“Bingo.” She pointed at me. “So why are dads seen as gods if they do what a mom already does all the time? It’s thankless, I tell you.”
Drew and I looked at each other, then back at Steph. “I’m taking it,” I began, “that this means Theo sent you down here because he recognized you needed a break.”
Steph looked at me, then sat back in her chair, her head nodding in beat to the music. “Yes. Work has been fucking insane. The girls’ schedules are bonkers. Theo has been at the bank late every day for the past two weeks because of some closings he had to get ready. So he sent me, and I gladly took him up on it.” Her head came up so she could regard me with a shrewd look. “Annnnd,” she drew out, “he wants to know as much as I do what is up with Bookstore Ivy as well as”—she turned her look to Drew—“we want to know why baby brother is back for a whole week.” She paused, picked up her glass. “But first, we should probably toast.”
Drew and I picked up our glasses.
Steph stood up, so Drew and I did the same. “Jake, when you first told us about the plans you and Sully had for the brewery, Theo and I were nervous. Small businesses are a ton of work, but you all have succeeded beyond our wildest imaginations. We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see how this place grows in the next five years.”
We brought our glasses together, then took a small sip. This was good shit, not something you were going to down like you were still in college going out to crappy bars.
Steph’s comment took me back to Ivy. Small businesses were a lot of work. Lou had made the offhand comment earlier in the week that Ivy could sell. When I asked, she’d shared the offer on the store. We talked about it more as we made pizza just a few hours ago. She’d gotten an official offer today. I could tell she was leery of selling, and honestly I thought she had something good going. But I knew how much work it was, and I’d had a partner. Hell, now a manager as well. My load was shared; hers was not.
Looking at Steph, I thought of how she and Theo shared the responsibilities that came with parenting. From what I could see, with parenting and with her business, everything rested on Ivy’s shoulders. I was surprised with how much I wanted to help.
Drew cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to the yard and my siblings. “Steph said it all, really. We’re proud of you guys, as much as I hate to admit it when you do good. But Jake, you’ve done good. Now if we can just get you to see the light with Bookstore Ivy, all will be well.”
“To Bookstore Ivy,” Steph crowed, raising her glass. Drew did the same.
I rolled my eyes, but lifted my glass. “Means nothing,” I murmured in reference to my raised glass, even while I wished like hell that she was here.
“Sure, tell yourself whatever you need to,” Drew chortled after taking his sip.
We settled back into our chairs. Steph looked around at the yard, or what she could see in the shadow. Chief came in and out, going wherever his nose led him.
Finally, Steph looked back over to us. “Has Ivy seen your backyard?”
Her comment took me off guard. I mean, what? “Um, I mean, she’s been in my house. The kitchen windows look out on it. Why?”
Steph’s eyes twinkled in the light. “Just saying, this place is barren. Maybe a green witch would relish the chance to get their hands on it, mold it into their own.”
Drew laughed. “Kind of like how Ivy could mold our boy here into the perfect guy while she’s at it.”
Steph nodded. “Hell yeah, one that doesn’t call a father spending time with his kids babysitting.”
Jesus. I tipped my head back ignoring their asses.
“So, Steph, did I text you about the moon water?” Drew asked.
