Page 48 of Love Is Brewing

He laughed. “Yeah, I know. Not a big deal but still. I’m sort of dating someone.”

“Ahhh,” Foster said. “Got it. If Talia knows, she’ll tell Mom. Mom is normally the last to know.”

“That’s right,” he said. “I didn’t tell Talia anything. I got a text and suppose I smiled or something. She guessed.”

“And you weren’t smart enough to lie?” Foster asked.

“I’m not you,” he said. “I don’t tell people to mind their own business either.”

Foster laughed on the other end.

His once grouchy brother could still be that way but wasn’t as much now that Charlotte was in his life.

“You should learn to do that more,” Foster said. “Are you going to tell me much about her?”

“Her name is Phoebe. Her parents own a big law firm in Charlotte and she opened a satellite office here the first of the year.”

“Working fast then,” Foster said. “It’s only a few weeks into the year.”

He explained how they met. “It was funny,” he said. “In one week we kept running into each other.”

“Not hard there,” Foster said.

“No,” he said. “But then I found out it’s Ben Kelly’s sister. Mason Fierce’s brewmaster.”

“Wow,” Foster said. “Not sure what to think about how small the world is.”

“I know,” he said. “And if Mom heard she’d be talking about some kind of fate shit like she did with all of you.”

“You’re never going to change her,” Foster said. “You deal with Mom the most and know how to handle her.”

“I do,” he said. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know so I don’t get shit from anyone else about being Mom’s favorite and her knowing before them.”

“Got it,” Foster said. “How is it going with Talia?”

“It’s been three days. Not even three full days.”

“She still showed up though,” Foster said.

“She did. She’s got a good idea. I should say a good heart. I want to see what she can do with this and then if it works I might talk to her about something else with West.”

“Don’t be picking her career for her,” Foster said. “She needs to do that on her own.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not picking it. I’m seeing how she does. I’m encouraging her and then I’ll talk to her more. If it’s a good thing, West needs to know anyway.”

“Tell me what it is,” Foster said. “I can’t see her wanting a brewing career.”

“No,” he said. He explained it to his brother. “West donates to charities. We all do things. Talia has to think big. Maybe this is something West would be interested in. Some foundation or something.”

“I see where you’re going,” Foster said. “But let Talia figure it out. Not you. You don’t have to solve this for her. You always complained in the past that you’ve had to deal with her the most.”

He had and felt bad about it now. “She was a pain in the ass, but she has matured a lot.”

“I saw it too,” Foster said. “Give her time. And go spend some time with Phoebe.”

“You’re giving me dating advice?” he asked. “Now I know the world is spinning and flipping out of control.”

“Ass,” Foster said. “Just do it.”

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