Page 30 of Bear's Midlife Bridesmaid
“That was nice of you,” Jace noted when Holly had gone.
“You don’t mind?” Erin asked. “It was just sort of automatic.”
“Of course not. We all take care of each other. The kids around here benefit from that quite a bit. If something comes up, the kids get passed into the waiting hands of the next adult. I don’t need to explain that to you, though. You know how it is.”
“Yeah.” Erin did because her coven took care of the others in the same way. It had a different feel there, though, and that made it seem new.
“Ian, Bailey. There you are.” Jace grinned as his son showed up with a young brunette, and they tookthe lawn chairs next to them. “I hoped you were going to make it.”
“Hey, Dad. Hi, Erin. This is my girlfriend, Bailey.”
There was no end to the new names and faces, but Erin was truly happy to meet them all. Bailey had thick hair, intelligent eyes, and a pretty smile that she constantly aimed toward her boyfriend. “Sorry we’re late. I had a meeting at school about some grants we’re applying for.”
“That’s important stuff,” Jace acknowledged.
“It is,” Bailey nodded, still smiling but serious. “We’ve got some big ideas for research projects regarding squid. There’s so much that we don’t know about them yet, and we could make some really big advances in science, but of course, we’ve got to get the money first.”
Erin listened with interest as Bailey discussed all that she’d been learning. She was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, and that excitement was palpable.
After a few minutes, Jace squeezed her hand. “I’m going to run inside for a moment. Are you good here?”
She had her arm around Ruby and the company of Ian and Bailey. “Sure. I’m fine.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Jace kissed her forehead before stepping into the clanhouse.
“Ian, your dad told me about the business you’d like to start.” Erin was glad she had something to chat with Ian about. She’d been around him a bit on the motor yacht, so at least she knew him a little.
The young man’s face brightened visibly. “He did?”
“Yeah. It sounds like quite the adventure. Sharks, planes, boats, and an expert on board who knows about all the marine wildlife. What more could anyone ask for?” It was a big dream, and Erin truly hoped they could find a way to make it happen.
“Exactly!” Ian nodded with enthusiasm. “It’s the sort of thing I’d happily blow all my money on, so I don’t see why other people wouldn’t. Having someone up in a spotter plane means the passengers would be almost guaranteed to get a good look at a shark. And then having Bailey with us would mean they’d get to explore all sorts of other neat stuff through her eyes.”
“You’re bringing a lot to this, too, Ian,” Bailey reminded him.
“Nah. I’m just driving the boat,” he said, leaving all the admiration for the others.
Erin felt an odd sensation prickle the back of herneck. She turned around, wondering if that was just her bobcat sensing Jace coming back. He was nowhere in sight, and nothing else around them had changed as far as she could tell. She turned her attention back to Ian. “You should give yourself more credit. It’s not like the business would work if you didn’t have a ship and a captain.”
“Not to mention you’re the one who came up with the whole idea in the first place,” Bailey pointed out, nudging him with her shoulder.
“Stop,” Ian said, embarrassed. “We can’t get too enthusiastic until we make it all happen, anyway. It’s going to be a while. Something like this is going to take some major startup funding.”
“We’re going to get that,” Bailey promised. “A grant, a loan, something. I’m in school because I love the ocean and all the life in it, but apparently, I have to learn a lot about money to make it all happen. That meeting I went to tonight was pretty helpful. There are grants out there not just for the school’s research teams, but for small businesses, too. We just might get lucky.”
Ian bobbed his head doubtfully. “Considering I don’t even know how we can afford rent for an apartment, I’m getting a little uncertain about it.”
That was enough to bring even Bailey to a halt.
Ruby squirmed around in Erin’s lap, turning herself so they faced each other. She picked up the sugilite crystal that hung around Erin’s neck, running her tiny fingers over it and studying the swirls of purple.
Erin could see the worry in Ian’s face. It was a look she’d seen every now and then on Jace’s, even when he tried to hide it. “Your father seems to think you can do it,” she said quietly.
“Yeah?” Ian’s brows were still knitted in doubt.
Erin nodded. “He sounded really proud when he was telling me about it, like there’s no doubt in his mind.”
“That’s just how Dad has always been,” Ian replied, although he was smiling now. “He’s been supportive of everything I wanted to do. When I was in grade school and said I wanted to be an NBA player, he installed a basketball hoop in the driveway. Then, in high school, I went through this phase where I thought I wanted to be in a band.”
