that references monkeys in any way will go over a treat,” Jodie said. “Also, anything related to pirates. If you can find a pirate monkey, you’ll have hit pay dirt.”
“Pirates and monkeys. That should be enough to get me started.”
Jodie set her plate on the ground and dusted off her skirt. She’d given up her work as an accountant when Max was born, and usually she spent the day in jeans and sweaters, but today she’d clearly gone to a bit of trouble, pairing a short-sleeved cashmere turtleneck with an Asian-print skirt Vivian had sent her.
“I wanted to ask you something important, Viv.”
She looked so serious that sudden dread clutched at Vivian’s stomach. “Okay. Should I be sitting down for this?”
“You’re already sitting down.”
“Good point. Then do I need a box of tissues?”
Jodie smiled. “I really hope not.”
Then Vivian twigged. “Oh, my God, you’re pregnant again!”
Another niece or nephew. Fantastic. And this time she would be here to share the whole experience. She leaned forward to hug her sister but Jodie fended her off with a laugh.
“Will you calm down and let me get a word in sideways? I’m not pregnant. But you’re kind of on the right track. Jason and I have been talking lately, and we realized that now that we have Max and Sam we need to stop living like kids and plan for the future.”
Vivian blinked. She couldn’t think of a single couple who were more grounded, sensible and grown-up than Jodie and Jason. They were both accountants, for Pete’s sake, they managed their finances down to the cent, they had two children, a mortgage, a dog and a family wagon. How much more adult could a person get?
“Sweetie, if you and Jason consider yourselves kids, then I am officially an embryo. No, less than that, I’m the hopeful, horny glint in someone’s eye.”
“It might look like that from the outside, but we don’t have life or disability insurance.... And we haven’t thought about who we’d like to look after the boys if something happened to us.”
Vivian stared at her sister, wondering if she was misinterpreting the hopeful expression on Jodie’s face. Surely she wasn’t asking if Vivian would be willing to step in if Max and Sam needed her to...?
“Jason and I had a big talk about it, and as much as we both love our parents, we think the boys would be better off with someone younger. Dad’s slowing down a lot now, and Jason’s mum adores the kids, but she has a bit of a short fuse when they’re being rowdy. So we wondered how you would feel about being named as guardian to Max and Sam. In case anything, you know, happened.”
Wow. Just...wow.
Vivian blinked away the hot rush of tears. She couldn’t believe this. That her sister—and Jason—trusted her so much. Sure, she knew she’d done a lot to rehabilitate her reputation as the crazy, flighty sister over the years, but for Jodie to trust her with her beloved children...
“Are those happy tears or oh-my-God-get-me-out-of-here-I’m-so-freaked-out tears?” Jodie asked.
“These are happy tears. And the answer is yes. Times a bazillion. I would crawl over broken glass for those boys, and I would be honored to be their guardian,” Vivian said earnestly.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
She was having trouble choking back a wellspring of emotion. “Jodie...I want you to know this means a lot to me. I will not let you down. I will do whatever it takes to make sure Sam and Max are happy and healthy, that they never want for anything.”
“Should anything happen to me and Jason,” Jodie amended with a twinkle in her eye.
“Right. Of course,” Vivian added hastily. “Of course.”
Jodie laughed outright. “Wait till I tell Jason you were ready to drive over and pick the kids up straight away.”
Vivian smiled sheepishly. “An enthusiastic guardian is a good guardian, right?”
“Absolutely. I hope Seth is as happy as you are. I’ll feel so much better having this all settled.”
Vivian frowned. “Seth?”
“Sorry, I should probably explain that, shouldn’t I? We want the two of you to be there for the boys. A male and female influence.”
“Right. Good plan,” Vivian said, even though she was privately boggled at her sister’s choice. Being based overseas, she’d seen Seth only a handful of times in the past ten years, but the family grapevine had kept her up-to-date on the headlines in his life. She knew, for example, that he’d given up on the band seven years ago and had been bumming around in various jobs in the nightclub and bar scene ever since. She knew that he was still a total pants man, showing up with a new girlfriend every six months, without fail. She also knew from the few times they’d been in the same room that he was still charming and cocky and sexy—but none of those characteristics were what she would have chosen for the man who would be guardian to her children.
But they weren’t her children, they were Jodie and Jason’s, and even though it almost killed her to bite her tongue, Vivian did. If they thought he would make a good role model and parental stand-in, then she would bow to their superior judgment. After all, they knew him much better than she did.
“How did he, um, react?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet. Jason’s seeing him tonight after work. He loves the kids, though, so I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. Which is probably just as well, since he’s going to be a father himself, soon.”
Vivian nearly fell off her chair. “What?”
When did this happen? And how come she hadn’t heard about it earlier? Surely if Seth had settled down with one woman long enough to get her pregnant, her sister would have considered it gossip-worthy?
A strange feeling gripped her. A little like vertigo, but not. In her secret heart of hearts, she’d kept a casual eye on Seth, ensuring she knew enough, but not too much about his life. Not because she was interested in him romantically, God forbid, but because he was the male approximation of her on Jason’s side of the family—the younger sibling, a bit of a screwup, never one to color within the lines. In a strange way, he’d become the benchmark for her own success—or not—over the years. As long as he was still single, it was okay that things hadn’t worked out with Franco and she was alone again. As long as Seth was still floating around, trying to find “his” thing, it was okay for her to be doing the same—although that hadn’t been an issue for her for a while now.
But now he was in a relationship, having a kid...? Suddenly she felt left behind. She’d been so sure she’d be the first one to settle down and start a family.
“We found out about it just last week. Personally, I think it’s because he worked out that if he’s going to be hitting me up for babysitting duties, he should probably let me know there’s a niece or nephew on the way.”
Vivian chose her words carefully. “So, have you met his girlfriend?”
“Oh,
