Chapter 5
Brody
‘Hey, Nick, got a question,’ I say, going into my room.
‘You home right now?’ he asks.
‘Yeah. With the snow coming down this fast, there’s no use trying to clear it off.’
‘That makes sense. So what do you need?’
‘I had a question about my plow. There’s something wrong with the controller. It won’t move the blades. I checked all the wires and nothing’s disconnected.’
‘If the connections are good, I don’t know what it could be without looking at it.’
‘And you can’t get here with the storm.’
‘No, and I don’t want you trying to drive here. It’s too dangerous.’
‘I need to fix this. I’ve got people counting on me to show up.’
‘Are you in the truck right now?’
‘No, I’m in the house. I’ll go out there. Hold on.’ I walk through the house to the garage and get in the truck. ‘Okay, I’m looking at the controller.’
Nick tells me some things to try, but none of them work.
‘The thing’s dead,’ I say. ‘I think I need a new controller.’
‘You might. I don’t know what else to try.’
I let out a sigh. ‘What the hell am I going to do? I have customers depending on me. Their contract says I’ll show up. If I don’t, they can cancel.’
‘What contract?’
‘Last fall I wrote up a contract that locks them in for the season. It was to make sure they use me and nobody else.’
‘You wrote a contract and didn’t show me?
’ Nick says, using his annoying big brother tone, the one that implies he knows better than me.
He used to be a lawyer so when it comes to contracts, he does know better than me, but I still don’t like him using that tone.
‘Brody, what the hell? Why didn’t you give it to me to look over? ’
‘Because I didn’t need to. It’s the same contract I use for lawn care, which you already looked at. All I did was add a line about snow removal.’
‘You need more than a line. You need to add language that gets you out of situations like this, ones that are out of your control, like this storm or your equipment breaking.’
He’s right. I should’ve let him read the contract before I gave it to people.
I didn’t because I’m tired of always asking my brothers for help.
Jason helped me buy this house. Nick helps me with legal stuff.
Sawyer promotes my business at his brewery.
It’s great they help me, but I really wanted to do this myself.
I wanted to prove I could have my own business without my family’s help.
‘So what does this mean?’ Nick asks. ‘If you don’t show up to plow their driveway, what happens?’
‘It doesn’t say. The only thing I put in the contract is that I’ll clean off their driveway after three or more inches of snow.’
‘And you didn’t give any timing? Like how long you had to get it done?’
‘No.’
‘Then you might be okay, but you’re leaving a lot up for interpretation. You need to revise that contract today and get it out to your customers. Send it to me and I’ll look it over.’
‘Let me go find it.’ I go in the house, passing Kate, who’s still on the couch.
‘Need some help?’ she asks, noticing me racing around.
‘I’m looking for my laptop. It’s probably in the bedroom.’ I go down to my room and check on top of my dresser, then in my closet.
‘Who are you talking to?’ Nick asks.
‘The girl who’s staying with me.’
‘What girl?’
There’s a knock on my bedroom door and when I look up, I see Kate standing there, holding my laptop. ‘Is this it? It was on the floor by the couch.’
‘Yeah, that’s it.’ I go over and take it from her. ‘Thanks.’
‘You’re welcome.’
She leaves and I shut the door and sit on the bed as I start up the laptop.
‘Is that the girl you’ve been seeing?’ Nick asks.
‘No, it’s a girl I just met.’ I search my laptop for the contract folder. I need to get organized, but I can’t stand office work so I keep putting it off.
‘Some girl you just met is staying at your place?’
‘It’s a long story.’ I find the contract folder and open it. ‘Okay, I found it. I’m emailing it to you.’
‘When did you meet her?’ Nick asks.
‘Who?’
‘The girl who’s staying there.’
‘Like an hour ago. Okay, you should have the file. Just mark it up and send it back. You think people will sign it if they already signed the other one?’
‘Normally I’d say no, but since you’re a Kanfield and almost all your customers are friends with Mom and Dad, then yes, I think they will.
But you can’t be doing this shit again. You aren’t a teenager getting paid a few dollars to shovel sidewalks.
You own a business. You need to treat it that way. ’
‘Yeah, I know,’ I say, rolling my eyes.
‘Hey, I’m not trying to lecture you. I just don’t want something happening to your business because of a mistake that could’ve been avoided.’
He says he’s not lecturing me but that’s what it feels like. It always feels that way with Nick. As the oldest he thinks it’s his job to take care of my brothers and me. I know he’s only trying to help, but sometimes he really gets on my nerves.
‘I should get going,’ I tell him.
‘Before you go, tell me how you met this girl.’
‘I was on my way home when I saw her standing in the road. The freaking highway. In a blizzard. Wearing a white dress. She could’ve got herself killed.’
‘Are you sure this girl should be staying there?’ Nick asks, using that concerned big brother tone again. ‘Is she mentally stable?’
‘She’s not crazy. She got stranded in the storm. Her car went in the ditch and she was trying to flag me down.’
‘While wearing a dress?’
‘It was a wedding dress. She ditched her wedding this morning. Who gets married in the morning? Is that a thing?’
‘Actually, yeah. I went to some morning weddings when I lived in New York. Sometimes in big cities it’s hard to reserve a location at night so people move their wedding to the morning. Where’s this girl from?’
‘Chicago. She was on her way to a cabin up north when she went in the ditch.’
‘And after you found her she asked if she could stay with you?’
‘No. I offered. Nick, I know you don’t trust people after living in New York, but I’m telling you, she’s not crazy. She was just trying to get away for a few days and ended up stuck in a blizzard.’
‘Just be careful, okay? She might seem nice, but you never know what people are hiding.’
‘Yeah, got it,’ I say. Sometimes it’s better to go along with him than try to argue with him.
‘I’ll text you when I send the contract back and we can go over the changes.’
‘Okay, thanks.’ I end the call.
As I’m leaving my room, I notice the door to Kate’s room is closed. I walk up to it and hear her quietly crying. I wonder why she ran away after leaving her wedding. Wouldn’t she want to be with her family at a time like this? Or her friends ?
I go to the living room and see the TV is still on. There’s a basketball game playing so I grab a beer from the fridge and take a seat in the recliner.
As I’m watching the game, I keep thinking about Kate crying in her room. I should leave her alone. I don’t know this girl. I don’t know her story. Like Nick said, maybe she’s crazy. Standing on the highway in a blizzard wearing a wedding dress definitely seems crazy.
‘Shit,’ I say, rubbing my jaw. My gut’s telling me to go knock on her door and ask if I can help, but my head is telling me to leave her alone. I’m more of a go-by-my-gut type of guy so I take a swig of my beer and get up from the chair.
I walk down to her room and knock on the door. ‘Kate?’
She was crying but stops suddenly and says in a fake cheery voice, ‘Yeah?’
‘I was just wondering if you want to come watch the game with me.’
‘Thanks, but I’m not really a basketball fan.’
‘You don’t have to be a fan. It’s just something to do.’
‘I think I’ll just take a nap.’
‘Okay.’ I turn to leave, then hear the door open.
‘Brody?’
I turn back and see Kate standing there, her eyes red from crying. ‘Yeah?’
‘Could I use your phone? Mine’s dead and I don’t have my charger.’
‘You can use mine. It’s in the kitchen.’
‘Yeah, I saw it. It won’t work with my phone. I just need to call my parents and let them know I’m okay.’
I take my phone from my pocket and unlock it. Nick would tell me not to trust her with my phone, but really, what’s she going to do? Look through my photos? My texts? I don’t care. I have nothing to hide.
‘Thanks,’ she says, taking my phone. ‘I’ll make it quick.’
‘No rush. Take all the time you need.’
She nervously looks at the phone as she shuts the door. She must not get along with her parents. Or maybe she made up the parent thing and is really calling her fiancé. Maybe she regrets leaving her wedding and is calling to get back together with him. I hope not. He sounds like an ass.
Why am I even thinking about this? I don’t care what she does. I don’t even know her.
‘Mom, it’s me,’ I hear Kate say as I stand outside her door.
‘No, my phone died and I don’t have a charger.
That’s why I haven’t called. I didn’t make it to the cabin.
The storm got really bad and the car went in a ditch.
’ She listens. ‘Mom, I’m fine. I’m not hurt.
A guy was driving by and picked me up.’ It’s quiet, then Kate says, ‘No, Mom, he’s not going to kill me. ’
I smile as she says it. I can’t believe Kate thought I was dangerous, but if her mom thought that too, I guess it makes sense Kate thinks the same way.
‘I’m staying at his house,’ Kate says. ‘Just until the storm passes.’ She sighs.
‘Yes, I’ll lock my door. Mom, he’s not going to kill me.
He seems like a nice guy.’ Kate sighs again.
‘Mom, please don’t make me talk about this.
I’m not ready. I need more time.’ She pauses.
‘Yes, I know Cam’s a great guy. He’s just not great for me. ’