“I mean, the club is called a driver,” I say.
“My kids kick my ass at frisbee golf on the Wii,” he says, scanning the green for his ball with no luck. I think it’s safe to say we aren’t golf men. “I think it’s halftime,” he says, walking over to join me on the couch with a beer.
I rest my case.
“So, how are the kids?” I ask. “I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off ever since Ben got engaged, and I feel like I haven’t seen them in ages.”
“They’re good,” he says. “Feral and growing.” I grin at that.
“I can’t believe Brody is eight,” I say.
“Second grade,” he nods as he swallows a sip of beer. “Evie is going to be in kindergarten.”
“So you did decide to put her in school this coming year,” I say.
Elias runs his hand through his dark, curly hair. It’s longer than mine, wavier too. Elias is thinner and lankier than I am. He is only a couple of years younger; I feel like he looks ten years younger. Crazy considering he’s a dad.
“Oh yeah,” he grins, sucking his teeth. “She’s ready. Heck, she’s been reading Dr. Seuss since she was four.”
“Sounds like she got her brains from Bethany,” I say, and he flips me off. “And a baby on the way,” I add.
“A boy,” he says, and my eyes widen. Elias and Bethany have always been old-school about gender reveals. They like the surprise.
“Another boy?” I ask, sitting up straight. My brother grins goofily from across the table between us.
“Yep.”
“Congrats man, that’s awesome,” I say, clinking my beer glass to his.
“Yeah, it’s wild,” he says.
“So, what made you want to find out?” I ask.
“It was Bethany’s idea. I guess after two kids she realized it’s kind of nice to know what to expect. That and he turned on the camera during the ultrasound and we’ve been to enough pre-natal visits to know what we are looking at.”
“Outdoor plumbing,” I say, and we both laugh.
“You got it,” he says, taking another slug of his beer before refilling it from the tabletop mini-keg. Another reason I love this place. “Yeah, at first Bethany almost cried at the idea of finding out early. It’s like breaking a tradition, you know? She’s also never even wanted to talk about names until she sees the baby’s face. But the second the tech confirmed we were having a boy, Evie blurted out the name Oliver, and that was that.”
“I love it,” I say, still grinning. “I’m happy for you. I almost miss it.”
“Really?”
“Almost…” I say, and we both laugh again.
“Thanks man,” Elias says before turning the conversational wheel in my direction. “So, what’s new with you? Besides micromanaging your son’s wedding.”
“That would be Charlotte,” I say.
“Charlotte?”
“The wedding planner Holly hired.”
“Ah,” he nods. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Because it’s the same name as the girl I hooked up with about a month ago,” I tell him.
“Sweater Dress?” he asks.
