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Kirk
Hey, little lady. I sure am. Hope you’re keeping the couch warm for me. Can’t wait to share it with you.
I smile to myself. Keeping the couch warm isn’t the only thing he’s going to be busy with this weekend. Blake is going to have a sleepover at Brook’s so they can feed the animals in the morning, so that will mean Kirk and I will have the whole night together. Finally.
I swallow hard.
Should I be more excited?
I mean, Kirk is a great guy. He can be very sweet and attentive, and he’s attractive. He mostly says and does all the right things. He is a busy guy, but he listens and doesn’t make everything all about him. He can be serious, and not make everything into a joke like a certain ex-husband I know, and he’s reliable.
Why I’m thinking about Brook while getting excited about sleeping with my boyfriend, is anyone’s guess. It’s not my fault Brook was acting weird all morning.
I know when he’s got something on his mind but won’t say it. What does the man take me for? I spent almost a decade of my life with him and I’ve known him since we were kids. I know him better than anyone.
Come to think of it, he has been acting weird ever since I brought the subject of Kirk up. Brook just acts chilly all the time about it. And that’s not like him. He never cared in the past, and I know he’s been with other women. I didn’t hold it against him or judge him for it. Granted, at first I was a little hurt… then I remembered I wasn’t married to him anymore and it was his right to do whatever he wanted. It wasn’t up to me anymore. So I blocked it out.
I just… I don’t know. It feels like things are going at a steady pace and I should be feeling a little more excited about the prospect of me and Kirk. Not thinking about Brooklyn and where we went wrong. He’s making me crazy! And he kept looking at me weird, too. With those big, adorable puppy eyes I used to love. I thought I understood the inner workings of this man's mind, but clearly I don’t. Clearly I’m fooling myself if I thought I ever could. But he has to get used to the fact that Kirk and I are together; if that’s what all his nonsense this morning was about. Which, I can’t see how. Brook hasn’t cared in the past what I do. Maybe that’s because I’m a creature of habit and slightly predictable, therefore he hasn’t had to think about it. But that’s not his job anymore. He may not be enthusiastic about Kirk. If anything, he was annoyed he was coming, but that’s his issue that he will have to deal with.
Yeah, something is definitely up with my ex-husband, and I’m going to get to the bottom of what it is.
Brooklyn
“So think about sustainable packaging made from recycled coffee husks printed with planet friendly ink — all environmentally safe and kind to the earth. Then we launch our new innovative flavors like chocolate and coffee; a spiced up mocha with undertones of raisins and currents, or coffee and hazelnut laced with vanilla; essentially we know it as Tiramisu.” I point to the whiteboard. “We make the blends a specialty line to see how it goes, and if it takes off, we can only add more to the range or tweak it as we see fit. The surveys Beau sent out all came back with the same tell-tailing information: the younger crowd wants something new. Something different.”
Gray sits with his arms folded over his chest, approval written all over his face from his grin. He helped me with the marketing strategy to really sell it to Dad and Gabe. I know how stubborn they both are, and it’s a risk to the Bassett Brothers label if this were to go pear shaped. I have, however, got samples of every single blend I’ve been curating over the last few months for them to taste. It’s been stashed down in the vault where only Gray knew about it.
I’ll be waiting for Gabe to chastise me about what I’m doing making my own Moonshine while on the job, but I don’t care what he says. When they taste it, they’ll understand, too.
The silence is also deafening.
“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Gray says, clapping his hands. “The Australian and European markets are interested, and I’ve got some costs right here.” He leans forward and slides the folder across the table. “That’s a detailed snapshot including packaging, labels and printing, along with ingredients and suppliers.”
Gray’s always been more articulate than me. He’s used to selling and knows the strategies, however, he insisted that I take the lead as it would be more authentic.
Dad clears his throat, propping his glasses on the end of his nose. “That’s quite a speech,” he says. “Though, I knew you were up to something down there, you’re not as discreet as you like to think you are.”
“I thought me and Gray did a pretty good job?” I glance at my eldest brother and he raises his hands.
“Don’t look at me. I just pitched the idea, you’re the brains of the operation.”
“I bet it’s the first time he’s been called that,” Beau chuckles.
“Now, now, boys, play nice.” Georgia blows on her coffee. “I am a little miffed though that you didn’t let me in on the secret.”
I know my other siblings are all for the idea, but it isn’t their approval I need; it’s Gabriel’s. And everyone knows he’s a task master.
I start to pass around the samples. I’m eager like a little school boy. Gray has, of course, already tried the flavors and he loves them.
Once all the glasses are passed around, everyone waits for Dad to smell and taste his three samples.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous about anything in my life, though it makes me feel better when I glance at Uncle Jack, his eyebrows arched upward and he’s making an appreciative sound in his throat. He seems pleasantly surprised by what he’s tasting.
We all watch as Dad tastes the Tiramisu. He takes his sweet time, but finally he looks up at me and says, “It’s good, son, real good.” He looks at his brother. “What do you think, Jack?”
“Spot on.” Uncle Jack nods. “I can’t fault it. It’s bold on the first sip, but smooths out and softens on the aftertaste.”
Gabe follows suit and I wait again, wondering what fault he’s going to pick with it.
