Chapter Two
I come to on a gasp and for a second have no fucking clue where I am. Something wet touches my hand and an urgent whine has me raising my head, one eye peeking open. I’ve fallen asleep on the sofa again. Jedi, my chocolate Labrador, nudges me. Dragging a hand down my face, recoiling at the lingering smell of the fish we caught this morning, I roll over and get up.
“Okay,” I pat Jedi’s head and walk to the back door.
He scampers along beside me, his nails clicking against the hardwood floor. The door isn’t locked, which is pretty standard around here. I only lock up if I’m out or at night. Jedi tears down the steps and into the backyard. He runs around in circles, sniffing about before finding a spot to cock his leg. I slip inside, leaving the door open for him.
It’s a nice enough day, the sun is not too hot. Looking at my watch, I curse that I’ve somehow slept for three hours. I hate wasting the day away when I have a shit ton of stuff to get organized for tomorrow.
I’m not concerned about what will happen. I’d talked it through enough times with Acer and things are already finalized. I’d been running the business for the last three years. Tomorrow it will officially be mine.
The tension eases out of my shoulders as I think about how I will change things. I want to expand, take on more staff, because as much as I enjoy what I do, the early mornings and tough manual labor are taking a toll on me. Although I can hardly be classed as old at thirty-four. Still, it will keep my mother from hounding me about working too hard and not having the time to find a wife if I get a little spare time.
Not that I’m looking for a wife, nothing could be further from my mind. I live in a small town and without sounding like a complete ass, the pickings are slim. Women my age are mostly already married with kids, the ones that aren’t, I’ve spent my time with and know there is nothing more there than a mutual good time.
Taking on the business is my focus. If I need sex, my buddies and I go out of town for a night. No big deal if we don’t meet anyone, we still have a blast.
I snatch up my cell phone and see a missed call from mom. I’ll ring her later. Two texts from Sarah, my office manager. A quick glance tells me they’re nothing I need to worry about. There is a voicemail from Larry at the lawyer’s office.
I dial and wait for his message to play as I turn around and watch Jedi come bounding back up the steps. He heads towards me, bumping my spare hand until I stroke his head, tousling his soft ears. He needs his bowl filling and some water. I’m surprised he isn’t barking his head off.
“Okay pal, just let me listen to this,” I say, and he cocks his head at the sound of my voice. He needs a walk too. Shit, falling asleep in the middle of the day is never a good idea.
“Hey, Ben. It’s Larry. We just got a call from the other party. She’s asked to move the meeting forward because of commitments back in New York. It’s okay with everyone here, but just wanted to check in with you. Although,” he chuckles, and I frown. “Stephen already agreed to the time change. So we’re gonna need you at the office at ten in the morning. I hope that isn’t a problem for you. Anyway, I’ll try to call you later to make sure you got this. See you tomorrow.”
“Fuck.”
Jedi cocks his head the other way, his brown eyes fixed on me. Larry doesn’t give two shits that this is a problem for me. They set the meeting for three tomorrow for a reason. I’ll still be out on the water at ten. This is just fucking typical. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself. I lean my ass back against the counter and close my eyes. Okay, how can I work this?
I grab Jedi’s leash and he goes crazy, bouncing around and barking. “Hold still, asshole,” I tell him, clipping the leash to his collar. I swipe up my keys and phone, close and lock the back door, then head out the front. We trot down the steps to the pavement and I head across the street towards the park. I could almost imagine Jedi is smiling the way he is looking about. At least someone is happy.
Taking out my phone, I dial and hope and pray something is about to go right.
“Yo!”
“Denny, I need a favor.”
“Hello to you too. No, how are you Denny? What are you up to, Denny? You’re still my favorite brother, Denny.”
“All that. So, they changed the time of the meeting tomorrow.”
“Why?” my brother asks. He’s eating something, his voice is muffled.
“Because she has pressing matters in New York. I don’t even know why she’s bothering. She doesn’t give a shit about the company, or her dad.”
“So, what time is the meeting?”
I sigh again. We’ve reached the park, so I unclip the leash and let Jedi go. He runs across the grass and throws himself on his back, rolling around in ecstasy. If only life could be that simple for me. “Ten. ”
“Well, that sucks.”
Denny is ten years younger than me. He was the surprise my father never knew he wanted. Or rather, he knew he didn’t want. After already having four boys, another was the last thing dad needed, but everyone loves Denny. I’m the closest in age to him.
Our three other brothers are between thirty-seven and forty-six years old. They’ve all got wives and kids. Denny just graduated college and is back home while looking for work. Hence why he’s the one I’m calling to help.
“Dude, it’s one time, and it should be done within a couple of hours.”
“Yeah, but you need me out on the boat when you go out. That’s like way before ten.”
“I’m glad you can tell the time. Will you do it? Otherwise, I’m gonna have to call the lawyer’s office and give them shit about changing this.” And if I’m being honest, that is more hassle than it’s worth. It’s bad enough what’s coming tomorrow as it is.
“That oughta be fun. You should do that anyway.”
“I don’t want to get into any shit, man. I just want it all finished.”
I whistle when I spot Jedi getting too far away. His head comes up, his ears turned towards me, then he lopes back over, pausing when he sees a couple of little kids playing with a ball. Fortunately, they’re my cousins’ kids and they know Jedi, so I don’t need to worry about him stealing some random kids’ toys. Jasmine notices Jedi and gives him a stroke, then waves over at me, letting me know my dog is good with her and the kids.
Pacing back and forth, one hand clamped at my hip, I wait for it. His counter offer. God forbid Denny does me a favor without asking for some stupid demand in return.
He forgets I was the one who protected him from Jared, Zach, and Lewis when he was growing up. He’d have had way more broken bones and need lifetime therapy if I hadn’t got in between those three and our little brother.
“Loan me the car this weekend. ”
The fucker. I have a 1978 King Cobra Mustang that I spent years rebuilding. It’s my pride and joy. No one drives it. Ever. Especially not Denny, who has already had two ‘accidents’ in dad’s car. I drop the phone from my ear and look up at the sky. It’s like Sophie’s fucking choice right now. My beloved car in his hands makes me break out in a cold sweat.
I should be able to argue the point that the meeting was at three and not let her push anything around. It’s messing with my business, after all. But I don’t want to rock the boat with that either. Despite her being gone for over ten years, she still holds power here.
Putting the phone back to my ear, I tell him, “One time only, and you can’t leave town.”
“You make it sound like I’m a criminal.”
“When it comes to your driving, you are.”
He chuckles. “Okay bro, deal. What time again?”
I take great pleasure in telling him. “I’ll pick you up at three thirty.”
“Son of a bitch,” he groans.
“No take backs,” I laugh for the first time today.
“Are you coming over for dinner tonight?”
I rub a hand over my head. “Nah, I’m tired and I want to be prepared for tomorrow. I already called dad.”
“Chicken,” he makes clucking sounds.
I’m not ashamed to agree. Trying to tell mom I won’t be over for family dinner night is a fate worse than death. Dad assured me he’d make sure she let me off the hook, given they all know how important tomorrow is to me. And what a big thing it could be.
“Save me some leftovers.”
“In your dreams.” He hangs up.
He isn’t wrong. With the four of my brothers, their wives, kids and my parents, the chances of there being any leftovers are slim to none. Which sucks, cos mom’s cooking is by far better than any restaurant I’ve ever been in.
I spend some time with my cousin and play ball with the kids and Jedi before heading back home. I make sure my dog is fed and watered before going back outside and over to my garage. I open it up and flick on the lights. I covered the Mustang up with a tarp because she needs protection.
Yes, I’m an anal dick when it comes to my car. My fists clench at the thought of Denny driving it. There are going to be so many rules, my demands will drive him so mad, he decides not to bother, and he will have already done me the favor by then, so if I piss him off enough, it could work in my favor.
I turn my back on the car and go over to the workbench where the project I started a few weeks ago was waiting. I took this up in the last few months. Not that I am overly creative, but I have a knack for building things, and I love working with wood. I’ve made a few items over the last couple of years, planters for mom’s garden, and some barstools for my friend’s bar, then the odd bookcase or side unit.
From that I’ve had a few people asking me to build stuff they can buy, so I’m branching out into something a little bigger. My sisters-in-law’s friend asked if I could make a table and chairs for her growing family. It was a challenge, doing something this big, but I’m enjoying it. Plus, it will take my mind off what is coming.
Given my work is usually finished by eleven each day, after the four AM starts, I didn’t want to waste my days sleeping. So long as I got to bed at a reasonable hour, I’m good. I’m making a little money out of this side job. And I’m also sounding like an old man.
Shaking my head, I get out the sander, ready to work on these table legs.