Sarah Mayberry - Her Kind of Trouble

Syrie arrived and Jason held fire on whatever it was he was about to say while she distributed the drinks and fries. Once she was gone, Jason took a big mouthful of his beer before eyeing Seth.

“I know you’ve got a lot on your plate at the moment, so this is probably going to seem as though it’s coming out of left field, but Jodie and I talked about it and we decided that we’d leave the decision up to you. If it’s too much, we totally understand, given what you’re taking on. But you’re at the top of our list and we wanted to give you the option.”

Seth was genuinely baffled about where this conversation was going. “You want to tell me what this list is for?”

Jason nodded, smoothing his hands down his thighs, and Seth realized he was nervous. Which made him nervous.

“Okay,” Jason said. “You’ve always been really good with Max and Sam. The best uncle ever, is the way Max puts it. And Jodie and I have started putting things in place for the future in the past few weeks, just in case. Insurance, wills, that kind of thing.”

“Cheery stuff. What brought this on?”

He shrugged. “Jodie saw some movie with her girlfriends a few weeks ago—I don’t know the details, but she’s been freaking out about making sure the boys are looked after if something happens to us. Which is where you come in.”

“Me?”

“Long story short, Jodie and I would really like it if you’d be Max and Sam’s co-guardian in the event that something happened to us.”

For a moment Seth was literally speechless. He’d given his brother’s wife a lot of crap over the years—a reciprocal arrangement that they both mostly enjoyed—although he’d never had anything but the utmost respect for her as a parent. Same for his brother. They loved their kids, were firm but loving, generous but measured, and Seth figured that Sam and Max would be a whole hell of a lot better adjusted than him by the time they were grown men. That Jason and Jodie wanted him to step into their shoes if necessary was both daunting and touching.

He realized Jason was waiting for his response, a small frown between his eyebrows.

“Sorry,” Seth said. “You threw me for a second there. Yes, absolutely. I would happily be guardian to the boys. Whatever you guys need me to do.” There wasn’t a doubt in his mind.

Jason’s expression smoothed out as he sat back in his chair a little. “Good stuff. Great.”

“You didn’t think I’d say no, did you?” Seth was more than a little astonished by the notion.

“No. I know you love the kids. But taking on someone else’s family is a big deal. I wouldn’t blame you for hesitating, given your situation with Lola.”

“Since the odds of anything actually ever happening to you guys is ridiculously small, I’m not going to get too sweaty over it. But you should know that I would do whatever it took to make sure those kids get everything they want and need. As for Lola and the baby...I’d work it out.”

“Good to hear. Thanks, mate. It’s a load off, for sure. I know Jodie will be thrilled to have this all sorted. Assuming, of course, that Vivian is in, too.”

Seth had just taken mouthful of beer and he nearly choked as the meaning of his brother’s words hit home. Because Jason had said “co-guardian,” hadn’t he? Which implied that there was at least one other guardian. And now his brother had mentioned Vivian.

“You’re not seriously thinking of asking Vivian to be guardian, too, are you?” The words were out his mouth before he could think of a better way to phrase his objection.

“Why? You got a problem with Viv?”

“Not with Vivian herself, no. She’s fine—awesome fun—as herself. But as a stand-in mother? Are you sure you’ve really thought this through?”

He didn’t understand how his brother couldn’t see what was so patently clear to him. Vivian was a good-time girl. She’d flitted from career to career for the past ten years, bouncing from the east coast of the U.S. to the west and then back again, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and professional party animals. Jason had regaled Seth with tales of her adventures. And now the guy thought she’d be a reliable substitute for Jodie should the worst happen?

Jason frowned. “She loves the kids. When she was in L.A. she spoke to them once a week on Skype, never fail. And since she’s been back she’s been making up for lost time with them.”

“Right. Until the next shiny, bright thing comes along,” Seth said.

“Viv’s not like that anymore. She’s grown up,” Jason said.

“You need to know that whoever you choose is rock-solid. Utterly reliable. Take it from someone who is dealing with a flaky, unreliable woman every day, it’s a nightmare and you don’t want to be exposing your kids to that kind of uncertainty.” Seth could hear the vehemence in his own tone, but he wasn’t about to apologize for it. This was important.

“I take it you’re having some issues with Lola?” Jason said carefully.

“Yes. Just a few.” It was tempting to spill his guts, but this wasn’t about him and Lola. This was about Sam and Max and doing what was best for them.

“You have my sympathy, but Viv isn’t Lola. How many times have you even been in the same room as Viv over the years anyway? A dozen?”

“Enough to know what I’m talking about.” Enough to know that he knew and understood Vivian far better than Jason ever would. He’d never told his brother about the night of the wedding and those mind-blowing minutes in the limo, and he wasn’t about to now. But as far as he was concerned, that night was the perfect illustration of his worries. Vivian had been having a good time, and she hadn’t stopped for a second to think about what the repercussions of her—their—actions might be. She’d just stripped off her dress and climbed on top because it felt good. From what he’d heard and seen over the years, doing what felt good was her life philosophy. Which was great if you were looking for a hot encounter in the back of a limo, but not so great when you were talking about ferrying kids to soccer practice and worrying about fevers at one o’clock in the morning.

In the back of his head, a voice piped up, pointing out that he’d done all those things in the back of the limo, too, and that he’d pretty much thumbed his nose at convention all his life, lived recklessly, done all the things he’d just accused Vivian of doing, and then some. He ignored it, driven by the anxiety tightening his chest. He couldn’t do anything to alter the situation he was in with Lola, but his brother could definitely dodge this bullet.

He realized that almost every muscle in his body was tense and that he’d shifted to the edge of the chair. The need to reach across the desk and grab his brother by the lapels and shake him until he saw sense was almost impossible to resist.

“I appreciate your concern, but Jodie and I are pretty settled on this,” Jason said evenly.

“Then maybe you need to talk some more. Really think about it.”

“We have thought about it. A lot. That’s why I’m here.” There was a steely note beneath his brother’s words. Despite his calmness, Seth had rattled him.

Good.

It was tempting to push harder, to drive home his point further, but there was a look in his brother’s eyes that told him it was time to back off. He’d issued his warning in the strongest terms possible, done his best to alert his brother to the danger he was courting. The rest was up to him and Jodie.

“As long as you guys are going in with your eyes open. It’s your decision,” Seth said carefully.

“Yeah, it is. Our lawyer will draw up some papers. I’ll get them to you as soon as possible so we can get this wrapped up.”