Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Bennett
“How big you making this thing?” I ask Brantley as we wade in the water of the lake, setting poles for her dock.
“Sutton wants it big enough to be able to set up a table with an umbrella and chairs. She said when she has all the girls over they need a space to lay out, and then sit around a table to enjoy margarita night.”
“Margarita night near a lake, sounds like a disaster in the making. Maybe we should build guard rails too.”
He smiles, then nods in agreement.
“So Sutton said you were over at Lexi’s a few nights ago, pretty late.”
There is never a moment that goes untold and unshared. I swear all of them have a group chat where they share all the details of their lives all day long.
“Yeah,” I finally reply as I continue to square up the poles.
“How did that go?”
“Fine.” I know he already knows, I can tell by the smirk on his face. I figure he’s got some wiseass comment coming, so I wait for it.
“We should go out one more, then eight poles wide, then two out for the docking of the fishing boat.”
I continue working, my head down, but my guard up. I am fully aware of him watching me, I can see it out of the corner of my eye.
“Why you so quiet?” I glance up to see him watching me. “Your girdle too tight?”
“For the record I was only the fucking maid once,” I huff and he instantly bursts out laughing.
“I walked into that night completely unprepared. Goldfish and Old Maid, until then I’d never heard of Old Maid. What the fuck kind of game is that shit?”
His laughter echoes over the lake. “But did you have a good night?”
“It was interesting,” I say, getting lost in the memories of that night.
Seeing Lexi so relaxed, laughing to the point she snorted.
Falling to the side, tears rolling down her face.
“I’d do it all over again and end up as that maid if it meant I got to see her smile like she did.
Hours, I got to see the old Lexi, the one before that asshole managed to take something from her.
All I’ve wanted is for that part of her to return. ”
“You thought about my offer?”
“Not so sure I want to look out my back door and see your ugly mug every day,” I reply with a grin and rope off the next pole. “But yeah, I have.”
One thing Brantley said from the beginning was that he bought this land big enough so that I could build on it too. My brother is a true family man, his idea of perfection is having us all close. I think he’d set my parents up here too if they’d agree to it.
“And?” he pushes a little more.
“You have to let me pay you back for the piece of land I build on.”
His brows furrow and I can tell he wants to argue.
“We have that land appraised and I pay for it, that’s the only way I’m doing it.”
“But that isn’t what I intended.” He is also the man that wants to take care of everyone else.
He is the most loyal and dedicated man I know.
It tore us apart to be at odds over Sutton, and I’m glad we were able to make it through.
Finn may be my best friend, but my brother, he’s a part of me, when he hurts, I hurt.
When we are at odds, I feel like a part of me is missing.
“I got the land for next to nothing,” he clarifies. “I can’t have you paying what it appraises for Bennett that would be more than I paid.”
“Okay then we take what you paid and divvy it up, if I take half, I pay you half. If I take a third, then that’s what I pay. It’s the only way I’ll do this. You have Suttons and one day a family to take care of. I wouldn’t feel right taking it for nothing.”
“But you’re my family too.”
“Exactly, that’s why you are going to be right there helping me build each and every day.”
His smile widens. “So we doing this?”
“Yeah, we’re doing this.” It’s been on my mind for weeks, knowing that if I was serious about showing Lexi I’m over the running around and making poor choices, I needed to get my shit straight. It was time to get out of the tiny ass apartment and start building a future.
“So after this deck, we need to jump on over to the other side and build yours too,” Brantley says with pride and it’s crazy how me committing to building has him whistling happily while continuing to work.