Chapter 4 #2
I give a rueful shake of my head. The twins only discovered they had a cousin last year, but it took no time whatsoever for them to warm up to Jamie.
I think partly because of how close they’ve always been with Blake, and partly because Jamie’s just the kind of guy you can’t help getting along with.
And I think the fact that Jamie treats them like “mates,” as he would say, rather than kids probably helps a lot.
The train pulls in at our station and I let Ava move ahead of me before following with her suitcase.
“Come on, let’s get to Blake’s.”
When we get to the house, I see there have been a flutter of arrivals in my absence. I passed Shay and Jamie on my way out the door earlier, but now Joel is here and so is my mother.
As Ava and I enter the living room, I’m not entirely surprise to find Sunny dominating the conversation, pressing one of her points of passion: the absurdity of the Thanksgiving holiday.
It’s a spiel Blake and I have been subjected to many times over the years, and I can’t help giving a wry shake of my head as I see Jamie nodding a little too enthusiastically in response to Sunny’s comment about how the money “wasted” on the parade each year could be better spent preserving what little Native land and culture still exists in the country.
“Oh look, Damon and Ava are here,” Blake interrupts loudly.
My mother immediately breaks off from her conversation and turns toward us, a huge smile plastered across her face. “Damey Duck!”
I wince at the old nickname, noticing Owen and Jamie both sniggering in the background as Sunny rushes forward and wraps her arms around me, far more enthusiastically than I’d anticipated.
“Hey, Sunny,” I say a little awkwardly, patting her back.
She lets go and steps back a little, gazing fondly up at me.
“You look wonderful, darling,” she gushes.
“The single life suits you, I see. I hope you’re taking the opportunity to get out and explore all the joys casual sex has to offer.
You never really gave yourself the opportunity to sow any oats before you settled down,” she says with a look that borders on derisive, before lighting up again.
“But now you have all the time in the world. I bet the women are just falling all over themselves, my handsome boy.”
She reaches up to give my cheek a fond stroke, making me even more exasperated.
Two seconds in her presence and I’m reminded why I haven’t sought her out before now.
I find Blake’s gaze on the other side of the room.
“You wonder why I was putting this off? Well, this is why,” I grumble with a gesture to our mother.
Blake offers a wry smile. “I wasn’t wondering. I just suggested you should rip off the band-aid.”
I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head in frustration. It’s going to be a long fucking day if we’re only five minutes in and Sunny’s already getting under my skin.
“Um, can we maybe not talk about Dad and all his oat-sewing?” Ava asks, her face screwed up in distaste.
Sunny sighs, casting my daughter a wry smile. “Ava, my darling, it’s nothing to feel awkward about. Your father’s single now. You should be happy for him to live a healthy, fulfilling life.”
“I’m with Ava,” I mutter. “Let’s just not.” It would be disconcerting at the best of times but given the current state of my sex life I’d prefer to avoid this topic like the plague.
Sunny shrugs and sighs. “If that’s what you want, darling.
” Moving closer to Ava, she reaches for the long strands of bright blonde hair currently falling around my daughter’s shoulders.
“My goodness, this hair is just beautiful. You know, I used to have hair like this at your age, although I imagine you’re using something a bit more sophisticated than lemon juice.
” She lets out a tinkling laugh and carefully sets Ava’s hair back in place.
“I can’t believe how much you and Joel have grown. ”
“That tends to happen to children when you don’t see them for ten years.” The words fly out of my mouth before I can help it. I see Blake shoot me a concerned glance, but fortunately no one else seems to have noticed the barb,
“Oh yeah, that trip to Disneyland,” Ava says, her face lighting up. “I remember Joel and I really wanted toys from the gift shop but you said it was just overpriced junk that we’d grow out of, so you bought us cameras instead so we could take pictures of the holiday. I still have mine, I love it!”
Sunny beams. “Oh, I’m so glad.”
I shake my head ruefully. Those fucking cameras.
Admittedly, the kids did get way more use out of them than any theme park junk, but for a solid six months after we got home it felt like our whole house was wired for CCTV and the twins were the ones in charge of monitoring everything.
Privacy does not exist when you live with two eight-year-olds who are both obsessed with their new digital cameras.
“Hey, Ava…” Joel calls as he crosses the room toward us. “Oh, hey, Dad,” he says to me as though just realizing I’m there. He absently holds a fist out and I give it a bump, trying not to roll my eyes.
“Hey, loser—how’s Princeton?” Ava asks fondly, giving Joel a gentle nudge on the shoulder.
Joel offers a wry smirk. “The same as it was when you asked me last weekend. But I checked my stock portfolio yesterday after my econ class—”
“Mate, you have a stock portfolio?” Jamie asks incredulously. “Isn’t that a bit…grown up for a freshman?”
“Sunny did it for us,” Joel explains.
“I’d have set one up for you as well, my darling, but I didn’t know you existed,” she says to Jamie rather airily. “I think the trust Blake has for you is more than adequate, though.”
“Yeah, I think we’ll make do,” Shay says dryly.
“What’s this ‘we’? You haven’t put a ring on it yet, babe,” Jamie teases, holding up his empty ring finger.
Shay grins back. “You haven’t inherited it yet, red.”
“It’s not an inheritance,” Blake corrects. “It’s a trust fund.”
Shay’s brows draw together. “What’s the difference?”
“Well, I have to die for him to inherit. The trust fund is all set up and ready, and he’ll get access once he turns twenty-eight.”
“So….if you die Jamie will get even more money?” Shay ventures.
Blake narrows his eyes at Shay. “Why do you look so thoughtful right now?”
“So…the stocks?” Ava asks, no doubt wanting to get back onto a topic that actually concerns her.
Joel nods. “Yeah. Did you know there’s like eighty grand in there?”
I almost fall over from the shock of those words. “There’s what?”
Joel gives a little head shake. “No, sorry—it’s about eighty grand worth of stocks.”
Ava’s jaw is practically on the carpet. “Holy shit. So can we sell them and get the money?”
Sunny laughs softly. “No, my darling. I was going to let you have access at twenty-one, but I’m following Blake’s lead now—you can access it once you’re twenty-eight.”
Ava scowls at my brother. “Blake.”
He holds up his hands. “Hey, it wasn’t my call. But if it helps, they’ll be worth more once the recession’s over, so waiting longer is a good thing.”
Still feeling completely floored, I finally manage to find my voice. “How is there that much in there?”
My mother is many things, but an economics genius is not one of them. She can’t have been day trading for the past eighteen years to get the best possible result for the portfolios.
Sunny gives a casual shrug, smiling brightly.
“Well, I’ve been buying stocks for them every birthday and Christmas since they were born.
And there’s been the odd special occasion here and there—graduation and such.
I know it’s not the most exciting of gifts, but you two had everything you could ever want already, so I thought giving you something you could use in the future would be better. ”
They didn’t have their grandmother, I think a little bitterly, but manage to keep the remark to myself this time.
I still don’t quite understand the whole stock portfolio thing—investing in the market isn’t something I’ve ever had an interest in—so even with the regular “presents” I’m still not sure how the value has gotten so high.
But I’m glad the kids won’t have access to it for quite some time.
Hopefully by twenty-eight they’ll be mature enough to use the money sensibly.
“So…can we buy stocks for the portfolio if we want to?” Ava asks curiously. “Or do we need to wait until we’re twenty-eight for that too?”
Sunny looks thoughtful for a moment, before her expression forms into a wry smile. “You know what? Why don’t we save all this for another time—I’m sure we’re boring the pants off Jamie right now.”
“Yep. I’m literally about to take my trousers off I’m so bored right now,” Jamie says with a chuckle.
“Maybe we should go to one of the bathrooms and then I can literally take your trousers off,” Shay suggests with a quirk of one eyebrow.
“If either of you go to the bathroom, you won’t be allowed back in this house,” Blake grumbles.
Jamie’s brows shoot up. “That doesn’t seem very hospitable. What if I need to have a piss?”
Shay nods. “I also need to piss.” Then more quietly, to Jamie, he says, “Which bathroom has the lube in the soap dispenser?”
Jamie shrugs. “Pretty sure they all do.”
And in spite of Blake and Owen’s protests, the pair head off for one of the many bathrooms so they can relieve themselves.
I shake my head in exasperation, letting out a sigh. That’s exactly the influence I need around my teenage kids.
“You know, I think it’s very sensible of you to keep lube so close at hand,” Sunny says, because she’s Sunny so of course she’s going to have a comment for that. “That’s something you should remember, Damon.”
I jolt at the sound of my name. “Excuse me?” Jesus Christ, does she know something? And what could she even know? There hasn’t been any call for lube use yet.
Wait…what the fuck? Yet?
“Women around your age often have trouble in that area,” she clarifies with a shrug. “I’m sure it would be appreciated if you came prepared… You know, I actually have a wonderful organic—”
“Okay, I think I need a drink,” I announce, finally managing to break away from my mother’s orbit and stalk out of the living room.