“I deny her nothing. She wants a Snickers, she gets a Snickers.”
“Well, Uncle Jake, next time she’s wound for sound, YOU get to chase her around until the sugar rush wears off.”
“Deal,” he chuckles. “Wanna meet at the bakery for lunch? Bean and I will stop by a drive thru and grab some lunch and meet you there.”
“Sounds good,” I say as I rinse my coffee cup out in the sink. “I should get lunch at noon today. I don’t think Mr. Andrews has any luncheons on the calendar.”
“Still going okay with him?”
“Yep. I just wish I was doing something, oh I don’t know, less boring? He’s a wonderful ol’ man but I’m bored stiff by eleven o’clock and looking for stuff to do.”
“Do you still want to get into the bakery with Mom?”
“I think so. I love to bake. She just doesn’t have the hours to keep me full-time. And with Brooklyn, I have to have full-time with benefits.”
“She’s not gonna run the bakery forever. When she’s ready to give it up, I’m sure she’d love to have you step in and take her place.”
“I hope so. I don’t have anything saved for it, though. I need to start putting back a little more money each paycheck. I’ll never get to the point where I can buy the business if I don’t start saving now.”
“You know I’ll help you out, Ave. Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you or help you get it.”
“I know you will, and I appreciate it more than you could possibly know. But this is something I’m going to need to do myself. Save my own money. Get my own loans. Pay my own bills. I don’t need you running around cleaning up my messes anymore.”
“That’s what big brothers are for. We do the things we need to so we can make sure you are never without or hurting.”
“You, Nate, Will, and Trav are the best big brothers anyone could ever ask for. You guys all do anything you can for me, and I appreciate it so much. But sometimes, I just need you to hold my hand and let me make my own mistakes. I need you to trust me that I will be able to take care of myself and make my own decisions.”
“I can’t sit by and watch you hurt. Not happening. Don’t ask me to do it. I won’t do it, Avery.”
I sigh as I realize we’re just having the same argument we’ve had since I was in junior high. Jake loves so fiercely and will do anything in his power to protect those he loves, even at his own expense. I lean forward on my tiptoes and pull him down by his shoulders to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Jake.”
He throws his arms around me and squeezes the air out of me in a tight bear hug. “I love you, too, Ave. I will kill anyone who hurts you,” he says with a straight face though I can see the twinkle in his eyes. I laugh and swat at his chest.
When he releases me from his tight embrace, I head into the living room to say good-bye to Brooklyn. She is organizing all her dollies on the couch, lining them all up by size.
“Uncle Jake, the dollies are weady!” I give her a big hug and kiss and tell them I’ll see them at lunch. On my way out the door, I glance back to see Jake sitting on the floor in front of the couch, holding three different dolls in the crook of his arm. Though he’s trying to act like a big tough guy, I see the big smile spread across his face. If the guys at work could see him now…
*****
It’s a surprisingly busy morning at the Law Office of Andrews & Levine. Mr. Andrews had two phone calls from previous clients that he didn’t want to turn over to his son-in-law so both of those appointments were made for the afternoon. The phones were pretty busy and the mail was on the heavy side today. So when I looked up and saw it was already almost noon, I was ready for a brief reprieve.
I grab my purse out of my desk drawer and head to Mr. Andrews’ office. “I’m heading to lunch. Want me to bring you something back?”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m going to meet my wife and daughter next door at the restaurant. If I can get my son-in-law off the phone long enough to join us, then he’ll be there too.”
“Well, I’ll be back at one then,” I say as I turn to head out the door.
Since I don’t have to pick up food, I walk the two blocks from the law office to the bakery. When I walk in, there’s a pretty big line at the counter. I wave at my mom and her part-timer, Sandra, and head towards the back table which we dubbed “Reserved for Family”. My head is down, checking my text messages on my phone when I hear, “Mommy! We picked Maddox up!” I stop walking and look up from my phone. Sure enough, Jake, Brooklyn, and Maddox are all sitting around the table.