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I know he’s curious. It’s not like me to just bail on my shift. But I’m not ready to tell him yet. At the end of the day, it’s a decision the three of us brothers will have to make together. But I want to think it over a little more before bringing it to them.

“Great.”

Bryce goes into the storage room, and I grab myself a coffee and newspaper, and sit down on my stool just as my cell phone rings.

It’s Ethan.

“Hey,” I answer.

“How was the party last night?” he asks.

“Great.” I rub my hand over my face remembering where my thoughts went after the party last night. “How was dinner?”

“Great.”

There’s a heavy pause.

I run through all the things I should tell him. That we’re good. That it won’t be like this forever.

“Listen—” I say at the same time that he says, “I need your advice—”

“Oh, what is it?” I ask, relieved that we can get back into friend mode without having the awkward conversation.

“Amelia agreed to let me have the house.”

“Great,” I say, grinding my teeth.

“But she wants the agency in exchange.”

“Okay. So, what’s the problem?”

“The problem?” His voice goes up in volume. “She’s trying to take my job. Without the agency, I have no income! What the hell am I supposed to do?”

I breathe in through my nose, ready for a show down.

“Ethan, do you want to stay married to Amelia?”

“No, of cour—”

“Do you want the house?”

“Yes, bu—”

“Do you want to work side by side with her every day for the next twenty years?”

“No, bu—.” His voice calms down a little.

“Can you afford to buy the house and the business from her?”

There’s a defeated pause on the other end of the line.

“No.”

I wait a few seconds to let my words sink in.

“Give her the business. The house is on your parents’ land, it makes sense for you to keep it. And she lives for that agency, it makes sense for her to keep it. We’ll find you other work.”

Amelia walks in, biting down on her lower lip, like she’s unsure she should be here. She waves hesitantly when she sees me.