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I always figured I’d be a dad one day, but never had any real pull toward fatherhood. Just kinda assumed it was one of those natural steps. You know, meet someone, settle down, get married, have kids. Two months ago, I wasn’t ready for any of that, not even step number one.
“I never really thought I wanted kids until I met Vivi.”
Casey laughs softly beside me. “She’s her own breed, that one. I might be biased, but I think she’s the fucking greatest.”
I couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly. “If my own kids are anything like her, I’ll be one lucky man.”
“They’ll be half Thompson, so, you’re bound to get a little wild in there.” He clears his throat, like his own words just sank in. “I didn’t mean to assume, uh…” He takes a long drag on his cigar, choosing not to finish his sentence.
Grinning at him, I say, “It’s all good, man. Nobody else I’d rather do that shit with than your sister.”
“Your desk is done, and conference table will be ready next weekend.” Casey chuckles, changing the subject. “Wyatt wants a desk now too.”
I laugh, puffing out a ring of smoke. “Yeah, he wants to outfit the whole office now. You’re gonna need another workshop.”
“No kidding.” He scrubs a hand over his jaw. “Going back and forth to my dad’s is a pain in the ass. When I’m teaching, I can use the woodworking space at the college for smaller projects, but then I’m at work a helluva lot more, and don’t see as much of Vivi.”
“You in a condo?”
He nods. “Like to get a house with a yard and a decent workspace, but it’s so damn expensive in Toronto. Still saving.”
“You wanna teach the rest of your life?” I can imagine he makes a decent living as a college professor, but I’m trying to feel out what his long-term plan is.
Casey’s quite for a minute while he thinks. “Nah. I just wanna build, create. I only went into teaching because the income was good and steady, which is what I needed with Vivi. I’ve always wanted to open up my own shop, but Dad says he’s too old for it now.”
“What kinda shop? A space to build and sell your creations?”
“Yeah, but more than that. I’d wanna sell specialty wood so people could DIY their own projects. Hold workshops and shit. It’s fun to see people learn to love it the way I do. The DIY trend is so popular right now.”
“Sounds like you got a pretty solid business plan right there,” I observe. “Sure you even need your dad?”
He laughs, scratching his fingers through the stubble lining his jaw. “Well, I sure as hell can’t pull it off on my own. I’ve got the ideas, I guess, but I don’t really know the first thing about running a business. I also don’t have the kind of money needed to start one.”
I lick my lips, savoring the robust flavor of the full-bodied Nicaraguan I’m inhaling. It’s lush and creamy, with just a hint of sweetness. “So you need a partner?”
“What? No. I mean.” He twists, staring at the side of my face. “What?”
“You wanna go into business together, Casey?” My gaze shifts sideways to watch his reaction. I’m not disappointed.
His jaw drops, cigar tumbling from between his fingers, rolling across the dock as he scrambles to pick it up. “Avery, that’s not what I meant. Shit, I don’t want you to think I was asking you for money. Fuck.” He runs an anxious hand through his messy hair.
“Relax,” I chuckle. Those Thompson siblings are two peas in a pod with their nerves and money guilt. “I’m the one that brought it up. I’d never think that. I’ve seen the stuff you build, Casey. It’s incredible. An art, and you’ve mastered it. You already have a huge customer base. I think you’ve got something here, and it’d be a shame to let it go to waste simply because you can’t afford to start up a business on your own.” After all if my dad hadn’t helped me and Wyatt get started, where would we be right now?
When he doesn’t say anything for a long moment, I add, “I think it’d be a big success, Casey.”
“You really think so?” he asks quietly.
“I really do.”
“So, what? You wanna give me a loan?”
I consider this for a long minute. What do I want? I could give him a loan. Wyatt and I could invest. I know Wyatt would in a heartbeat. He loves Casey’s stuff just as much as I do. Or…
“I wanna be your partner.”
He straightens, spinning to look at me. “What exactly does that mean?”
“We do it all, together. Except the carpentry shit. Unless you wanna teach me. We look for a place together, open the business together. I can help get everything set up and running, and you can run the day-to-day. You’d be in charge of staff, workshops, all that stuff, and I’d handle the money side of it.”
