22. Jeremy #2
“All right, big brother. Then shouldn’t you be setting the example by not getting stone drunk in the middle of the day.”
“It’s almost bedtime.”
“No, it’s not even 12:30pm.”
“Well, shit.” He goes quiet for a few minutes and I busy myself stacking the dishwasher.
“Still there?”
“Yeah. Should I phone Tracey and give her a piece of my mind? Cheating cunt.”
I wince. “Maybe not. Wait until you’re sober.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the smarter one. Don’t tell Mom.”
I roll my eyes. He’s not making any sense at all.
“Where are you, Jerry?”
“I’m at . . . work. Remember, I got a new job?”
“Oh. The gigolo place.”
I whip a dishcloth down on the bench. “That better not be what you’re planning to tell people.”
He giggles, a strange sound coming from a grown man, let alone my serious bro. “Calm your panties. I ain’t got nobody to tell nothing anymore. You should see the way my phone blew up from all my so-called friends. Like a fucking war zone.”
I lean against the bench and sigh. I didn’t spend much time in his circles, but the few times I met his friends, they all seemed like Tracey’s kind of people. “You don’t need them. You’ve got me.”
“Thank God for little Jerry sweeping up my shit.”
I can’t tell if he’s mad or not. “What about your work?”
“Dunno.”
My breath catches. “What do you mean, you don’t know? You haven’t been in?”
“No, they keep trying to ring me. Little shits can’t do anything without me there.”
“Fuck, Joel,” I hiss. “Drink two glasses of water, eat something, and go to bed.”
“Sure, Mom. When you coming home?”
“Umm, not sure. Two days?”
“Need your bed, I suppose. I’ll go—”
I grind the heel of my palm into my forehead. “Just . . . just stay there, okay? Don’t go anywhere. I’ll pick up a trundle bed on my way home.”
“Huh? Tonight?”
“No, in two days.”
“Oh. Where’s the cheese?” Water runs in the background, and suddenly the line thumps. “Oh shit, not the phone!”
The connection clicks off.
I drag my phone away from my ear and wipe a faint sheen of sweat off the protector. Part of me wants to run home right this second and make sure he’s taken care of. But both my heart and duty are here in this house.
I’ve never felt so torn.
The oven timer dings.
“At least he’s eating,” I mutter as I get the steaming muffins out. “Or trying to.”
While I wait for the pans to cool, I ring my brother’s business office.
A woman answers with a stressed tone. “Williams’ Electrical. How can I help you?”
“Hi. This is Joel’s brother, Jeremy.”
“Oh!” her voice cracks. “Do you happen to know where Joel is?”
“Yeah, he’s . . .” Is there even a word that covers it? “Sick,” I settle for. Heartsick is true, at least. “He’s very sick. And he also broke his phone so can’t receive any calls.”
“Gosh, that sounds hectic. Phew, okay.” Her breath rattles over the receiver. “We were getting real worried when we didn’t hear from him. I’ve got customers calling all over the place with unfinished jobs.”
“That sounds difficult. Have you got technicians who can get out there?”
“Yes, but they can’t cover all the jobs.”
“Okay, good.” I scratch my head. This isn’t really my thing, but I’ve heard Jeremy managing his business over the phone enough times.
“I suggest you call all the waiting clients and let them know you’re short staffed due to unforeseen reasons.
Offer them a 10% discount if they can wait two weeks, and if they don’t want that, offer them the contact details of three other electricians.
Any new jobs, book four to six weeks out. ”
“He’ll take that long to recover? Is it serious?” The worry in her voice sounds like more than just professional concern. Joel has good people around him, even if he’s forgotten it momentarily.
“I’m not sure, to be honest. But let’s give him some breathing room just in case.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m glad you called, Mr Williams.”
“My pleasure, I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner.”
“Before you go, there’s a couple of issues around the office I’m not sure what to do about. Can you help?” She describes a few maintenance issues that, while not urgent, could be holding them back.
“Text me a list and some photos. I’ll come by in two to three days after I’ve talked with Jeremy.”
“Thanks so much! That’s a weight off my mind.”
Off her mind perhaps but added to mine. I’ve never known my brother to fall apart so much he’d abandon his business. That’s his pride and joy. Which shows how much of an impact his fiancé had on his life.
I collect some hot muffins in a basket and cover the rest with a tea towel. After letting Mr Shares back into the house and refilling his water dish, I pad down the hall to the nest.
When I set the muffins down beside the nest, Willow mutters under her breath and rolls onto her back, flaxen hair tangling around her throat. Her lids flicker as if she’s dreaming. I reach out to stroke her head and she relaxes.
A spasm runs through my heart. It’s no mystery really, how a woman could steal a man’s heart and then totally destroy it. Seems we Williams boys love hard and fast.
This woman isn’t mine to love.
The real problem is, my heart doesn’t know that.