"Hey Tins," Mush greeted. "C'mon in," he stepped aside, opening the door wider as he did so. It was always nice to see his niece. Well, any of the kids really, but Tinsely is one of the sweeter, calmer side of the tracks. Which is odd considering who her father is. But that's beside the point. "RIley isn't home yet. She had to grab somethin' from the store but should be back soon. Ethan discovered some new video game and has been locked up in his room ever since. Your Aunt is on the verge of cuttin' the cable." he shook his head as the door closed. "Want somethin' to drink or snack on while you wait?"
"Just a water if you don't mind."
With a nod Mush headed towards the kitchen and got started on that beverage. Tinsley wasn't far behind, but stopped when Dumpling, a cream colored dachshund with the softest coat of fur came running up to her. Naturally she gave the cute dog attention before Dumpling spotted a sunny patch on the floor and proceeded to run and flop down, basking in the warmth. "Hey, Uncle Mush, can I ask you for some advice," Tinsely asked shyly as she sat down on the stool. "It's for a friend," she quickly added when the glass was slid to her. "She's having some boy troubles.
"Hmmm," Mush hummed. "And would this boy your friend is having trouble with name sound like low and again? Low again." he let out a soft laugh. "C'mon kid, it's no secret you like him. Racer would rather live in delusion, but I think he's in shock now. Tinsley choked on her water. It was hard not to laugh at the poor girl's reaction. "So, what's this advice I'm supposed to give."
"How did you know you were in love with Auntie Feisty?"
"There's the million dollar question." he leaned his elbows on the cool counter top. "It happened slowly. At first I saw someone who needed a friend and as time went by I started noticin' the little things about her until one day it hit me. I'll never forget that moment. It had been rainin' all day and when she came home she was wet. While everyone else was worried bout how she was passed curfew and was gonna catch a cold, all I could see was her hair was down. I always wondered what that would look like but I never thought I'd see the day. By that point I was already fightin' what I felt for her, but that night changed everythin'." he smiled fondly at the old memory. Of the day his best friend became more than that. Now look where they are, married with two kids, a dog, and a band of nieces and nephews.
"That's really sweet," Tinsely said after a few quiet moments. "My parents met in a bar."
"Your father got Feisty drunk," Mush reminded. "Luckily he and Al were able to bring her back in one piece, but not before she attempted to strip, then stole my wallet and ran off for street dumplings. She tried to pet a trash panda."
"I thought we were never to speak of that again," Feister grumbled as she entered the kitchen. "Oh yeah Tins, he isn't talkin' your ear off, right?"
"No, not at all, just a friendly chat."
"Yeah see," Mush said as he wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "Just givin' Tins advice is all."
"Tinsely," Feister began in a serious voice, looking the blonde girl in the eyes. "This is the last idiot you want advice from. Your dad is a close second. It was amazing he was able to keep a potted plant alive throughout college and a little afterwards."
"Hey!" Mush protested.
"What advice were you givin' the poor girl."
"The ways of love."
"Is this about the dumb twin?"
"Feisty! That's our nephew."
Feister's face turned serious as she said, "The kid gets smashed into plexi glass and has pucks flying at his head all the time. Plus if you ask me he got Albert's brain cells. Luckily twin one and Nixie got Brooklyn's genetics."
It was at this moment Riley walked in with a plastic bag in tow. Her fawn colored hair was pulled in a side braid while her cheeks were a little pink from the walk back. "Oh good, you're here!" she said. Hooking her arm around Tinsely's she started to pull. "C'mon, I got the good stuff. Tell me everythin'! And don't leave out a single detail!"
"You know it's your actual cousin we're talking about, right?" Tinsley laughed as she let Riley pull her away. Out of everyone in the family, they're without a doubt the closest. Every blonde needs a brunette and vice versa.
"And right now I'm gonna pretend he's not! This was years in the making. C'mon I waited all day for this!"
That was the last thing Mush and Feister heard before the two girls ran into RIley's room. The sound of the door closing echoed from the hallway. After a moment or so, Mush started to laugh, to which Feister smacked him. "What's so funny you idiot."
"I'm just thinkin' bout the look on Race's face when he charged in with a foam dart gun. What was the thought process behind that anyways."
"Laugh while you can Mush brains, that'll be you whenever you catch Riley kissin' a boy." Feister smiled sweetly and walked off.
Mush paused to think for a moment before reality came crashing down. "Hey wait a minute! Feisty is there somethin' you wanna tell me! I swear some bum so much as looked at my daughter weirdly I'll send Ethan and James after him. Too bad the Dasilva twins are eighteen, they were great enforcers."
"You boys and your stupid plan to send the kids in to do you dirty work," Feister heavily sighed as she plopped down on the couch. It was at this moment Dumpling decided she absolutely required more attention. She hopped into Feister's lap, curling up as she did so. "Riley knows how to handle herself if you must know. She has a secret scary side." Feister winked as she petted her beloved dog.
Mush grumbled under his breath as he sat next to her.
With a sigh of relief Brooklyn stepped back to admire her handy work. This one shelf in particular had been giving her a hard time, but finally it was perfect. Since it was a quiet day at Brook's Books, the book shops she proudly owned, she could handle these kinds of things with care. Like how she was finally able to switch out the signs for the small stack of sweet treats that sat behind a glass window at check out. That was the thing she loved about this place, the little handmade touches that felt like her own little nook. It was warm, cozy and inviting, perfect for those who are looking to get away from the sounds of the city, need a place to study or to simply relax.
Over in the corner towards the end of the shelf, Logan sat on the sofa surrounded by boxes and bubble wrap. A box cutter in his hand as he carefully ripped into the stock of the day. Years ago when the shop first opened up when the boys were around seven or so, with Albert on the road during the summer there were times when she needed to bring them to work, so as a way to keep their little hands from getting into trouble she said they could pop all the bubble wrap if they helped her.
They took the deal on the account they get to pick something from the sweet shelf. It was reasonable so ever since then, especially on delivery day they'd both be somewhere helping out. It came in handy when her employees were out for whatever the reason. And it brought in more customers. Mostly of the female variety. Her boys are handsome. Brooklyn has no shame in saying they're nice to look at. Walking over to the couch and asked, "So, what'll it be? Double chocolate chip or fudge brownie with nuts."
"Mom, I'm eighteen, you can't bribe me with sugar anymore," was Logan's reply.
"Eighteen or not, you're still my baby," she ruffled his hair as she sat down. "You've been oddly quiet, are you getting a fever?' she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, to which he jerked away. "Is it girl trouble?"
"Mom," he groaned.
"Don't give me that look. You've always had a special bond with her."
"Ok and? That doesn't mean anything."
"Maybe, maybe not." a small mischievous smile crept onto her lips. But she held back on saying the next line of the song that was now playing in her head. She glanced down a moment, her eyes falling on his knuckles that had little red scratches. She took his hand into hers and rubbed her thumb over the rough patches. "I remember the day you said you wanted to play hockey." she looked back at him. "It was the middle of summer, we were just about to eat dinner when you blurred it out. You didn't back peddle when you started to get questioned. You had said, "baseball is fun, but I love hockey." that was that."
"All dad said was, "Ok cool. Now pass the bread while it's still warm"."
"That night once everyone was tucked, in he said he was proud that you were making your own path and not following his. Ty does the same thing, he doesn't play because of your dad, he does it because he loves it."
"Where are you going with this?"
"There are some things in this world we can't help but love, Logan." she brushed back his hair. "When I moved to lower Manhattan, I wasn't sure how much I believed in romance, or if I'd even get a love story of my own, then I met your father. Skateboard, worn out jeans a t-shirt and a backwards cap. I didn't think he'd be the one I'd end up with but here we are, years later with three amazing kids."
While she had lived in Manhattan since she was sixteen and has somewhat taken on the accent, her native Brooklyn roots are still there, just dancing under her breath, but it comes out more when she's tired, stressed, angry, rambling, or getting sentimental. Maybe that's why his voice is more messed up. He's had many mother son talks like this. And ok, there were times where he told her things nobody else knew. His mother is easy to talk to, she listens and doesn't judge. That's what his father always said, that the first thing he discovered was how caring she is. Not that Logan would ever admit this out loud of course.
"And your point is…"
"You're a handsome boy. You act all tough on the outside but you do have your sweet moments-"
"Mom there's girls here, don't ruin my rep," Logan hissed.
"This-" she touched his face. "Wants any pretty face that'll give you a smile. But this-" she touched his heart. "Wants only one. Yes, there's a chance that may not be Tinsely, now or in the future, but don't fight your feelings. Just ask Uncle Blink, he can tell you all about Uncle Mush and Auntie Feisty's love life. Or any of your uncles really." with one last smile she stood up. "Clean this up, I should go make sure your brother hasn't messed up the register."
"Maybe if you stopped whacking it when it doesn't open you wouldn't have any problem."
"If it works, it works," Brooklyn shrugged. "Holler if you need anything. Or if you see some punk-"
"Lookin' at the special editions like a creeper," Logan finished, trying to contain a smile. His mother, as calm as she may be, goes absolutely feral for her books. Store policy is you break it, you buy it. Especially for the more harder to find editions. Bookworms. Strange breed they are. "What?"
"Nothin', I'm just so proud of you," Brooklyn said. Leaning forward she kissed his head, just because she could.
"Hey mom!" Logan called just as she started to walk away. "Is there any brown sugar cookies left."
"I think there might be." with a wink Brooklyn headed off.
"Ok so, with the total coming out to thirty-five seventeen, including the gift wrap for those two right there, you get a complementary bookmark of your choosing from here-" Tyler gestured to the little stand of colorful bookmarks to his right. "A mini bite sample box or five dollars off your next purchase."
"What would you recommend?" the brunette asked.
"Hmm well, my mom would kill me if I didn't push the bookmark. Clean page team, am I right? But between you and me while the five dollars off is great, the mini bite box is well worth it. What you see here now might not be the same tomorrow. That's the way we like it at Brook's Books. Either way, the money will be donated to the foster kids of New York foundation."
"Sounds interesting."
"Yes my family is very deep in giving back to the next generation." being raised that way their parents and uncles did whatever they could once they were able too. Their dad started a nonprofit organization to help kids in sports who can't afford the things that are needed. It started out with just a mini summer baseball league, but the plan was always to expand. The kids help out sometimes, it didn't matter if they knew how to play or not, just being there with the behind the scene stuff was just as important.
"Mini bites it is then, it's for a good cause."
"Good choice." Tyler smiled as he plucked the pale blue box from the counter and placed it neatly in the bag. "Will there be anything else today?"
"No that's all. Thanks…ummm…"
"Tyler."
Her face seemed to fall. "Seraphina."
And…yeah, his did as well. "Your mom too?"
"Yeah."
"I have a girlfriend, Bridget. But for both our mothers sakes let's pretend we never met."
"Agreed," Seraphina nodded quickly in reply. "Bye Hades."
"See ya Tink." just as she walked out another female walked in. She was wearing faded jeans and some sort of cropped t-shirt. The lavender color brought out the highlights in her fawn colored hair. She had this sweet smile and an unexplainable look in her eye. If Tyler was hooked up to a monitor, his heart rate would sky rocket at the sight of her. "Welcome to Brook's Books. Sorry to be so up front but you look like the kind of girl who loves a good baseball romance. Lucky for you we've got a great selection. That being me." he winked.
"Leave the charm to your brother, Ty." she rolled her eyes as she approached the counter.
"C'mon Bridget, that was smooth."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Bridget replied as she ruffled his hair. "Can you take a break? I've got gummy worms stashed away."
"Keep it in Lazy Lounge," Brooklyn said, just in time to catch the conversation. While food and drink were allowed inside, that only applied to the sitting area, away from the merchandise. After a purchase was made. While returns were accepted within a certain amount of time, any damage such as rips, and or stains of any kind we not allowed. Kind of like a clothing store. If someone wants to vandalize a book then go ahead, she doesn't care as long as said damage happens after it was bought.
"Hi Mrs. Dasilva," Bridget greeted. "Mind if I steal this one for a bit."
"Go ahead, steal him whenever you want. At least one of my boys is man enough to admit he's in love."
"Mom," Tyler groaned when she lovingly patted his cheek.
"I'm your mother, I'm supposed to be happy when my baby boy found himself a wonderful girl. " Bridget giggled while Tyler's face turned a deep red, revealing the practically invisible freckles on his face. "Go on, get high on sugar. Because it's the only high you will ever get. And I swear for the love of books if you actually take death powder and or smoke of any kind, remember I brought you into this world and I will take you out. But not before I beat you with your bat."
"How can you go from - you know what. Never mind, because I will never do either of those things. Believe it or not, I'm the good twin."
"I feel the need to bring up fifth grade."
"What happened in-" Bridget didn't get a chance to finish because Tyler grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her away to the furthest, most closed off corner in the Lazy Lounge before anything else was said. "I love when your cheeks flame up, it brings out those hidden freckles."
Tyler just sighed. Heavily.
Author's note
Yay for some Meyers family cameo! I like to think of Mush as the kind of dad/uncle the kids can comfortably go to for advice, and Feister's, oddly, the calm aunt, unless something really gets her going. Motherhood seemed to have settled her inner fire, it also helps that she grew up with the boys so nothing phases her much these days while Brooklyn is the opposite. But not to worry, Feisty's still fiery as ever, the kids just don't believe the stories when they hear how insane she used to be. I especially enjoyed Brooklyn's moment with her sons, you can kind of see how different the twins are. That's it for now, hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading and I'll see you soon.