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“Well, Sam and I agreed we’d raise our kids to be hardworking and independent … and it’s difficult to teach those qualities while living on a trust fund from your mommy and daddy.”
I smile to myself, admiring her gumption. This is not your typical spoiled princess, apparently. I hadn’t realized until this moment how strong-willed and independent Sophie is.
Brooks stops eating abruptly. “Now, those are fighting words. I have worked very hard at being incredibly handsome and smart to earn that trust fund,” he deadpans.
“Smart? You really want to go there?” David heckles him, then turns his attention to Sophie. “I can respect you wanting to make your own way in life … but it’s okay to accept extra help. Especially when you suddenly became a single mom, Soph,” he says gently, his eyes glazed with sympathy.
Sophie rests her chin on the back of her hand. “I know, and I will use my trust fund if I really need to … But I’m thirty years old, David. I don’t want to live with my parents any longer.”
Brooks sits back in his seat now that he has licked his plate clean. “Well, that’s understandable … Heck, I’m only twenty-five and I wouldn’t move back in with Mom and Dad in a million years.”
“Seeing as you graduated from M.I.T. and have a successful business, I truly doubt you’ll ever have to worry about that.” Sophie sighs.
David looks deep in thought. “I’d tell you to buy the house next to mine, but the most annoying person just moved in.”
“Bummer. What’s so annoying about them?”
“What’s not annoying about her? Her personality, her loud music, her plants that creep over onto my side of the fence … oh and her cat.”
Sophie rolls her eyes. “She can’t be that bad.”
“Debatable,” David mutters under his breath.
My mind wanders from the conversation, and I reflect again on my conversation with Emily this morning. A thought pops into my head.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt, “So, I don’t know if you’d be interested, but I converted my basement into an apartment.”
I pause and take in their expressions. Brooks looks amused, Sophie looks interested, and David looks like he wants to punch me? Maybe he’s still thinking about his neighbor’s cat.
“Anyway, my sister has been living there while she was finishing her MBA. But she just got a new job, so she'll be moving out in a few weeks. The apartment has two bedrooms and a kitchenette. I had hoped to hire a new sitter and offer them the apartment. But if you wanted it, I’d give you a discount since I don’t want some random person living down there.”
They all quietly stare at me for a few seconds. Maybe I overstepped.
Finally, Sophie’s face lights up. “That might be perfect, and I could definitely watch Penny for you! Is she going to Heartland again this year?”
“She is, and that would be awesome. I only need a sitter until school starts next month, and then after that, just after school … and once in a while, for my on-call weekends. But if that would be too much, I totally understand. No pressure whatsoever.” I look around the table, then down at Penny, who has finished her food and is playing in the grass near our table.
Sophie smiles. “I think this could work really well. I could even bring her home from school since I teach at Heartland.”
David and Brooks look between us with annoyed, over-protective looks on their faces. I can only assume they’re leery of their sister moving in with me, since they seem to believe I have a history of promiscuous behavior with women.
“Would you want to come over next weekend to check out the apartment, and we could chat about the details?”
She pulls out her phone, ignoring her brothers, who are currently giving me mild stink-eyes. “Yeah! What’s your number, Drew? I’m not sure I have it. I can text you later to set up a day to come over.”
I give her my number and excuse myself to get my daughter some sparklers.
