Page 14 of Twin Babies For The Grump

Chapter Five

Owen

It’sfine.

Nothing is wrong with Tiff. We’re both busy people, running full-time businesses. The fact that Dad passed away suddenly doesn’t mean anything. A few missed phone calls aren’t a sign that something has gone wrong with Tiff, too.

Despite telling myself this, the day seems to drag out forever. I snatch my phone, dropping down onto the black leather and silver bar stool at my island counter.

“Tiff,” I say, the moment that the video starts up. “And Josh!”

Her husband, Josh, is visible in the background. He turns at the sound of his name, offering an almost sheepish smile. “Sorry,” he says. “Be out of the shot in a moment.”

And then he steps away from view. I can make out a kitchen behind them. It looks homey enough not to be part of their work, but that’s pretty hard to tell.

“I’m sorry,” says Tiff, with a sympathetic-looking smile. “I know we had plans. But we had a huge issue at Silver Lock, you know, the place out in Grandview?”

“I don’t know how you two can run those things out of state. It’d drive me nuts not to be there in person for everything,” I say, with a shake of the head. “I tried going remote a while ago and I just couldn’t do it.”

“It’s easier when you actually trust your staff,” she points out, but I don’t want to go there.

“Still had an issue,” I counter.

“Arson,” says Tiffany. “We’re actually going there this time, to handle the paperwork for the insurance company.”

“To Michigan?” I ask, frowning.

“But what about Dad?”

“We’ll be back for the funeral,” promises Tiff, her eyes going a little bit misty. “I know it’s a lot to ask, Owen, but can you just—”

My frown cuts even more deeply across my face. “You want me to handle all of that shit? Fuck, Tiff, seriously?”

I’ve had a funeral coordinator putting things together for me. I’ve been so upset, I just couldn’t bring myself to handle it on my own, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things that Tiff and I have to do in person.

“I know, it’s a lot to ask. And it probably makes me sound awful, too. But we can’t lose the insurance claim for this, or we’re going to be out the whole building. And Silver Lock has some of our highest sales,” insists Tiff. “If we lose it now, we could be in hot water for years to come.”

My first instinct is to just offer my sister a buy-out for it. I take the building, she keeps the money, and then she can open up elsewhere. But I know Tiffany. She’s as proud and strong-headed as I am.

Lips pursing, I say, “Fine.”

“Really?”

“Sure. But that’s not the only thing we needed to talk about,” I say. “We’ve got the winery to handle.”

Tiff’s shoulders drop. “I know. I can’t imagine that… They’re both gone. Do you remember spending our summers out there after we moved out?”

“I remember you spending your summer there,” I tease. “I had the full experience, year-round, for twice as long.”

Tiff laughs. “You did, didn’t you? Then maybe this is meant to be, Owen.”

“Hey, don’t you start using fate against me,” I scold, putting a full stop to that. “I’m the only person that can decide when something’s my fate.”

“Isn’t that technically the opposite of believing in fate?”

“You just don’t get it,” I say, but there’s no sharpness to the words. It’s been a constant back and forth between us since I was sixteen and first learned about how fate was said to steer you. If something was meant to happen, then it would.

The world would tell you where you should be, what you should do.

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