Page 10 of Summer Holiday Lifeline

“Hey, Bro.” She flopped into the chair across from him, spun the heavy canvas bag and peered inside. “Looks decent.”

He nodded. “Not bad, actually.”

She pulled a change pouch from her purse and dumped the noisy contents onto the table as well. “Tips.”

He poked around in the pile, pushing the loonies and toonies to one side. “People really love you.”

She grinned wide at him. “They really do. And this is only a third. Jake took the rest.” She sighed and settled back in her chair, toeing off her shoes. “They love our little brother more.”

A chill band loosened from around Steven’s chest, as it always did when Steph indicated Jake had had a good day. “Who doesn’t?”

“Right?”

“He’s doing okay?”

A tight expression passed over Stephanie’s face, there and gone in a flash, and she smiled. “Sure. You know, you could walk across the backyard with me and come for supper. He and Lucy invited us both.”

“I ate.”

She eyed the TV dinner box sticking out of the blue bin. “Did you, though?”

“Steph.”

“Fine. But you can still come. They won’t care if you don’t eat.”

“I’m good. Besides, there’s still that stack we cleaned up out front, and I don’t like having empty shelves in the shop, so I want to unpack more romances for that section.”

“Dad’s books have been sitting down there in their musty boxes for a decade. They aren’t going anywhere.”

“Exactly.” He zipped up the deposit bag and pushed it towards her. “All the more reason to get them up here and on a shelf. No one is going to buy them out of the Labyrinth. Can you drop that at the bank at some point?”

She pushed it back at him with one finger. “Why don’t you?”

He gritted his teeth. She knew why. “Becca might be working.”

“So?”

“So it’s awkward. Who likes to see their ex every day?”

“Ignore her. She’s a bi⁠—”

“Don’t do that. She had her reasons for leaving.”

Stephanie snorted. “Because you don’t like extreme sports? Please.”

“It wasn’t just the snowboarding. She likes being out. I don’t.”

“Don’t make her right, Stevie.”

“Right? About what?”

“I know she called you a homebody, but I’m worried it’s going beyond that. This place is closing in around you.”

“No, it isn’t. I’m settling in. I thought you’d be happy about that.”

“There’s a difference between settling in and becoming a recluse.”

“You always bitched at me for not being around right after—” He snapped his mouth shut. “I’m here now. And I know you did all the heavy lifting with Jake at first. I know I didn’t support you like I should have. I can’t go back, but I can make it so you don’t have to worry about the shop at all. I like running it. You can go do your own thing. I know you want that little house down on Riverbend, and your share of the insurance will buy it, but you’ll still have to pay bills. You’ll need a job. Something outside of this place, like you always wanted. Jake doesn’t need you here anymore, and neither do I.”