Chapter 5
“Text Leslie on my phone and tell her we’re on our way to pick up Conner,” Owen instructed his brother.
“I’m surprised you still have her number,” Elias said, scrolling through the names and typing out the message.
“I didn’t. She left it on the fridge and frostily pointed out hers never changed,” he admitted with a chuckle. “She’s still feisty.”
Elias laughed. “Awww, you’ve grown more sensitive in your old age. You used to call her a pain in the ass before you rammed your tongue down her throat.”
“Shut up,” Owen ordered, giving Elias a brotherly punch on the arm.
“Tell me about yourself,” Owen prompted. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a hacker. I help companies get their data back when someone tries to hold them hostage,” Elias said, glancing out the window.
“There’s a degree for hackers?” Owen asked in surprise.
“Not exactly,” Elias said, shrugging. “I went to school for programming and Cybersecurity. I started hanging around a couple of friends who liked to have contests to see who could break into a company’s back door first.”
“It’s illegal,” Owen said in a fatherly tone.
“Companies pay people to do it to test their own security. The payments can be phenomenal,” Elias said. “It allows me to work from home.”
“Then why did you say you lived in a studio and can barely afford rent?” he questioned his brother, raising a brow.
“Sometimes, I help people. Those who get a tough break and can’t seem to snap out of it,” Elias said quietly, making Owen wonder if his brother tended to toe the line.
His phone buzzed, and Elias read. “Leslie will have him ready.”
“Good. He seems like a nice kid. Let’s not try to pester him too much. We’ll take Conner to a place where kids enjoy eating,” he said, thinking about where to go.
“How about Pete’s Pizza or Duke’s Burgers?” Elias suggested.
“We’ll ask him. After all, I want him to feel comfortable with us,” Owen said, turning into Leslie’s driveway.
She still lived in her childhood home. He didn’t know if her parents still lived there with her.
What about her husband? The old wooden swing sat on the front porch where they spent many of their summer nights when he brought her home from their dates.
Putting the truck in park, he recalled how she always ran out of the house to greet him with a wide smile. Their world revolved around each other, and the pain of walking away washed over him again, making him rub his chest.
Leslie walked out, placing an arm around Conner’s shoulders. She handed him some money, which he stuffed into his front pocket. He gazed up at her and asked her something. By the way she shook her head and peered uneasily at the truck, Owen guessed she didn’t like Conner’s question.
Nodding to his brother, they got out of the truck and greeted them. Elias grinned and hugged Leslie like a long-lost sister while Owen stood there feeling jealous and uncomfortable.
Leslie beamed as she cupped Elias’ face in a motherly fashion. “How are you?” she asked sweetly.
“I’m fine,” he assured her before letting go of her and turning to Conner.
“Hey, little brother, I’m Elias. Owen bragged about meeting you first. Let me assure you, you’ve met the best brother, right here,” he said, pointing to his chest.
Conner laughed and glanced nervously in Owen’s direction. Great, he’s only known you for fifteen minutes, and you already make him uncomfortable.
Owen nodded to Leslie. “I’ll have him home by eight. Do we need to worry about allergies?”
“Nope, he’ll eat anything,” Leslie said, ruffling Conner’s hair.
“Mooom, stop it,” he said, brushing his hair to the side.
“Be on your best behavior,” she reminded him.
“Come on, Conner. I’ll let you ride shotgun,” Elias said, already making friends with the kid.
“He calls you mom?” Owen asked, watching the boy climb into the truck.
“He picked it up from my son. Since I stayed here and helped raise him, it’s only natural he calls me his mother,” she said coldly. “Jeremiah didn’t see any harm in it since the boys played together all the time.”
Owen swallowed, wanting to ask how her husband felt, but he didn't want to risk his teeth.
“I’ll be sure to have him home on time,” he said before climbing into his truck.
“Since we haven’t lived here in a good while, where’s a good place to eat?” Owen turned to his little brother.
“Bubbas,” Conner replied without thinking.
Owen plugged the directions into his GPS and drove toward the restaurant.
“What do you like to do for fun?” Elias asked.
“Me and Tucker like to hike the trails and go fishing,” Conner answered. “What do you like to do?”
“I play on my computer a lot, but I do love catching me a few bass and grilling them over a fire,” Elias told him.
“Yeah, Mom, Tucker, and me liked to go camping with Dad. He knew the best fishing spots. He even rigged a rope swing for us to jump into the lake,” Conner said.
“Mom said we can do it again before I leave if she thinks one of my brothers can take good care of me. She says it’s a hard decision because she loves me.
If I go with one of you, can I come back and see them? ”
Owen glanced in the back at his brother and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Oh, yeah,” Elias reassured him. “Leslie’s practically family. You have five brothers excited to have you. It’ll be a hard choice. What did Dad tell you about us?”
“He said he’s proud of all of you. Dad said he made lots of mistakes, but he loved you as much as me,” Conner said sadly. “Do ya miss him? You never came to visit us.”
“We live far away,” Owen said, glancing at him. “We didn’t know about you until recently. Do you want to stay with Leslie or return home? We have some arrangements to make for Dad’s funeral. We don’t want you to feel left out.”
“Mom said my Dad didn’t suffer. She said he won’t look like himself when I see him. He’ll live in my memories, and it’s how I’ll picture him. I’ve never gone to a funeral before. Tucker says it’s all right to cry cause it’s my dad.”
Elias’ eyes met Owen’s in the rear-view mirror. It didn’t feel like they knew the man Conner spoke about, but he felt grateful Leslie explained everything to him.
“How about you let us make decisions about the funeral, and you can help us with the gathering afterward?” Owen compromised.
“Dad only wanted the family to come. Mom said we’ll have lunch catered, and I can get to know all my brothers,” he said.
“Did I get the right place?” Owen asked, staring at the steakhouse.
“Oh, yeah. Mom said you might ask me where I want to go. She said if I went here, you’ll buy me the biggest steak here because you’ll feel bad about missing me all these years.”
Elias slapped his knee and laughed.
“I think she got you, Owen.”
“It seems she did,” Owen said, turning the engine off. “Let’s go inside and order the biggest steak,” he told Conner while shaking his head at Elias.
They entered the restaurant with a western theme, and a hostess directed them to their booth. Country music played in the background as she passed them menus.
“A server will be right with you,” she said before walking away.
A minute later, the server brought glasses of water to the table.
“I’m Misty. I’ll give you a few moments to read the menu, and I’ll be back to take your orders. May I get you anything to drink?”
“May I have a soda, please?” Conner asked politely.
“I’m good with water,” Owen pointed to his glass before perusing the menu.
“Me, too,” Elias chimed in.
Owen watched Conner’s expression grow concerned as he read the menu. He moved his fingers as if he counted money in his head.
“Order whatever you like. It’s not every day we get a new brother,” Owen reassured him.
“The biggest steak costs thirty-five dollars. May I please order two smaller ones and get a dessert?” he asked.
Curious, Owen leaned forward. “Why do you need two steaks when you can have a giant one?”
“Because I feel bad about Tucker not coming. We don’t eat steak very much. This way, he can have his own. Mom will say she doesn’t want anything, but she loves strawberry shortcake,” he explained as he pulled money from his pocket.
“She gave me money in case you didn’t want to pay. Do I have enough to cover tax and tip?” Conner asked, hopefully.
His heart sank. Owen never thought to include Leslie’s family. Did they have a hard time making ends meet? He recalled the old truck she drove and guessed they most likely didn’t. She mustn’t have thought much of him if she sent the kid with money to buy his own food.
“Put your money away, son. I’ll cover it,” he offered. Knowing Leslie loved steak with sweet potatoes and corn on the cob, he said, “Why don’t we order everyone a steak and take it to them? We can place it while we finish, and it’ll still be hot by the time we make it back.”
Conner’s eyes lit up. “Awesome, I can’t wait to see Tucker’s face.”
“Pick out a dessert for each one of you,” Elias encouraged. “What about Tucker’s dad?”
Shrugging, Conner said, “I don’t know. He doesn’t live with them.”
The server returned and took their orders.
“When will my other brothers show up?” Conner asked.
“Probably in a couple of days,” Owen said. “Do you need anything else from the house before I take you back to Leslie’s?”
“Nah, she takes me every day. When Dad dropped me off, he told her not to come for a few days. It made her mad. They argued outside on the porch. Then, when she brought me home, I found him,” Conner whispered.
“Do you know what happened to him?” Elias asked gently.
“No,” Conner said, picking up his napkin and putting it in his lap. “Mom told me to turn my head away, and she cried when she called the police. I heard her tell one of her friends the ambulance people told her he suffered a heart attack.”
Sensing the conversation felt too heavy for the young boy, Owen changed the subject. “What kind of dessert did you pick? I’m getting chocolate cake. When Elias and my brothers got to pick, we always chose different ones and then shared.”
“I’m your brother,” Conner said. “And Elias. We can share three kinds,” he exclaimed.
Elias chuckled and gazed at Owen, both recalling one of the few good memories of their childhood.
He didn’t understand why his dad left Conner with Leslie or why they fought.
It seemed the young boy thrived under his father’s and Leslie’s care.
Questions formed in his mind, and it seemed like the only person who knew the truth had brilliant green eyes and brown hair.
Exactly like the woman he dreamed of for the past ten years.