Page 30 of All It Takes

“Eight,” I replied.

“Oh, they’re the same age. Perfect,” Phoebe said.

“Tiffany’s bringing him,” I supplied.

“Do you want some hors d’oeuvres?” Phoebe gestured to the platters of appetizers on the sideboard. “We were going to get the buffalo wings, but I thought the nuggets were less messy,” she explained as I perused the food selection.

The assortment included a platter of chicken nuggets with various sauces, another platter of halibut bites and sliders, and a giant tray of nachos. Archer handed me a plate, and we both grabbed a few things to eat. As we walked over to the large sectional sofa, I asked, “And who else is going to be here tonight?”

“Chase and Hallie. Of course, you and Tiffany and Ross. Russell and Paisley said they’d be by. We invited Graham and Madison, but Graham’s daughter has an overnight with a friend, and he point blank told me they were taking the night for themselves.” Archer rolled his eyes at that.

“I think that’s how it goes when you have a kid full-time,” I offered dryly.

We sat down as Phoebe brought over glasses of water, asking if I wanted a beer.

“I’ll take one. I’m driving so no more than that. What do you have?”

“Something from Diamond Creek Brewery.” She brought out a variety six-pack.

“This place is good,” I commented as I made my selection.

“Have you heard?” Phoebe asked as she sat down. “There’s a brewery coming to town.”

“Seriously?” I asked before taking a bite of one of the chicken nuggets. A burst of honey with a spicy hint exploded in my mouth.

Phoebe nodded. “Seriously. I’m not sure who it is, but my mom’s heard about it. They’ve applied for the business license.”

“That’ll be nice. I hope it’s good.”

Just then, the doorbell chimed. Phoebe started to get up, but Archer shook his head, setting his plate on the large square coffee table. “I’ve got it.”

As he stood and crossed the living room to answer the door, Phoebe glanced at me. “How’s it going with Ross?”

I thought for a moment as I finished chewing another bite. “Good, I think. I think all of us, myself and Tiffany included, are still adjusting. I’m not sure what they were thinking. Neither one of us has ever been a parent.”

“But they were your best friends, right?”

She popped a sweet potato fry in her mouth as I replied, “George was my best friend in college. Turns out, Sarah and Tiffany became close when Sarah lived in Willow Brook during high school, and then they went to college together. Sarah transferred to one of those accelerated legal programs, and she and George met after that. They had Ross right after they graduated. Back when he was born, George asked me to be Ross’s godfather. It’s not like I didn’t take it seriously, but I just never expected…” I lifted a hand, palm up, before letting it fall.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. “I get it. If a close friend of mine asked me to be a guardian if something happened, I’d say yes, but I would assume nothing would ever happen.”

“The attorney said they knew I wouldn’t be able to be a full-time parent because of my schedule. It’s just…” I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know anything about this kind of grief. I hope Ross will be okay.”

Archer was saying something at the door, and I heard Tiffany’s voice. Before I even looked in her direction, my pulse skyrocketed. I glanced over quickly before bringing my attention back to Phoebe. “All in all, I feel like he’s still almost in shock. He’s a good kid.”

My eyes were instantly drawn back in the direction of Tiffany as Archer was closing the door. Ross was at her side. My heart clenched for a beat. I could see a hint of uncertainty about him.

“You and Tiffany are both good people. This is a challenge for a gazillion obvious reasons,” Phoebe said as I glanced back at her. “But he’s in good hands.”

“I hope so,” I said.

Just then, Tommy came running down the stairs, skidding to a stop beside Ross. Ross looked a little surprised.

“Hi!” Tommy said

Ross blinked and then smiled slightly. “Hi.”

“Want to play video games?” Tommy asked.

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