Dripping sweat and chugging water from a metal canister, I peel my ass off the house and meet the farmer halfway.
I walk past him and stroll around his trailer, examining the load he brought over. This is some quality lumber, and as much as I want to prove that I can do this on my own, that I don’t need anybody’s help, I’d be an idiot not to take it.
“I could use this, actually,” I admit reluctantly, hating to take a handout from my brother. “I was planning to head into town to see what the hardware store had in stock later today, so if you don’t need this, I’ll take it off your hands. How much?”
“Nothing, man. It was just sitting in the barn.”
We argue about the payment, but before I know it, we’re unloading the lumber and Walker has weasled his way into helping.
My oldest brother may have visited me once in prison, but he’s still on my shitlist. Especially considering how quickly he wrote me off after I got arrested. He’s the only person I told the truth…and he didn’t believe me. He knows me better than anyone and yet, he thought I was lying.
Me and him? We used to be the tightest. That’s why his betrayal hurt more than Cannon’s or Jude’s. I mean, if he didn’t believe me, who the heck would?
I battle myself internally until finally, I push my resentment aside and focus on the task at hand. I’m out of jail now and that’s all that counts. Let bygones be bygones.
The afternoon is awkward, but tensions thaw the longer we work. I suppose working yourself to the point of exhaustion does wonders to ease your pent-up bitterness, too.
After we have half the porch measured, cut, and nailed down, we drop to the ground.
“Is it ever gonna rain or what?” Walker looks up at the sky with a creased brow. “This is the driest spring for as long as I can remember.”
I make a sound in my chest. “Must be hard on the crops, huh?”
“I’m using every irrigation technique in my bag of tricks but the crops are just waiting for it to come pouring down from the heavens, man.”
“I can imagine.” Crescent Harbor and the neighboring communities rely heavily on small farms like Walker’s for fresh produce. “Don’t let it get to you. It’s gotta rain eventually.”
My brother yawns loud enough to make Callie giggle. “Christ, I’m so tired,” he complains.
“Long nights with the twins?” I ask.
He nods. “During the night, I actually enjoy getting up with the babies. It’s the only one-on-one time I get without one of Penny’s friends trying to steal my kids. But those nights sure catch up with me during the day.”
I grin. My grumpy big brother is a dad now. It’s kind of nice, being able to bond with him over this stuff. “Ha. I remember those days. They go quick. Too quick. Cherish them.”
“Parenting is so damn weird. It’s like the best and worst, most exciting and most terrifying thing ever, all rolled into one.”
I nod. I know exactly what he means. The emotional highs. The physical lows. We were still going through a lot of sleepless nights with Callie when I went away. She was only two at that time. I wish that I hadn’t missed out on so much time with my child, during those crucial years. I promise myself that, next time, I won’t miss a single day.
Next time?! Jesus. Do I even want more kids in the future? I used to. It’s been a while since I allowed myself to contemplate that question. Once upon a time, I wanted a houseful of children with Gabby. I was sure it was going to happen. But that was long, long ago and a lot has changed since then.
“So, I heard you stopped by Kingston Realties the other day,” Walker says awkwardly.
“And I heard you signed over your shares to our power-hungry brother,” I snipe back.
“Don’t be like that,” Walker growls. “We all did what we had to do.”
“You did what you had to do?” I laugh bitterly. “You guys practically ousted me from the family company when I wasn’t there to defend my position. You and I both know it wasn’t right. That’s not how it should have been handled.” I launch my empty water bottle at a tree. It bounces off and rolls down the driveway. My daughter pins me with a cautious stare. Shit. I really need to keep my temper under control.
Years ago, Dad and Gramps transferred all shareholdings in Kingston Realties to my three brothers and me. We were equal owners together. Twenty-five percent each. That seemed fair to me. But while I was in jail, Cannon cooked up some scheme to have our brothers sell their shares to him. Now, he owns seventy-five percent of the company. I’m the minority shareholder. I have no say-so. My hands are tied.
Walker shakes his head. “Bro, Cannon had to make some major sacrifices to save the company.”
“Bullshit. Cannon screwed me over. He shouldn’t have pushed me out.”
Walker lets out a heavy sigh, and I know he’s about to play peacekeeper. “Listen—if he hadn’t intervened, the whole company would have been dismantled. All of your work. Dad’s work. Gramps’s work. It would have been for nothing.”
I grunt, leveling him with a look that calls bullshit. “Dad gave me a quick rundown of the legal changes in the company back during one of our parents’ monthly visits. I think he would have said something if our business was crumbling.”
“You know Lexi?” Walker ignores my outburst.
“The nanny’s sister,” I grumble.
A blitz of sensations comes rushing in alongside the memory of Jessa. Her feverish kisses. Her unquenchable sighs. Her exploring hands. I can’t get any of it out of my mind.
The worst part is how mean I’ve been
