Noah scrunched his eyes, brought his phone closer to his face. Leaning against his truck, he typed his response.
Noah
WTF?
Josh
That’s how I text with my fingers crossed.
Noah laughed out loud. Shit. He had a good assistant. He absolutely did not feel like laughing or even smiling right now, but Josh had found a way. Weird how he’d gone his whole life thinking he had more than enough people in his circle. Now that it’d expanded considerably, he wondered how it would feel without them. Thinking of being without Grace made him feel like he was putting on a sandy wet suit. Inside out and backward.
Noah
Gotta go. Thanks for the laugh.
He got into his truck, headed to the highway, replaying the meetings in his mind. When they used the line “We’ve decided to go in another direction,” it translated to “We found someone to give us a better interest rate, cut a better deal.” The question was, who was cutting the deals, because what Noah offered was pretty great. He was trying to establish himself here in a multitude of ways, but he had a strong reputation and, truthfully, thought it would be easier.
In New York, he’d had his hands in corporate and personal real estate. He flipped properties, invested capital, acted as a liaison for purchases. Since coming to LA, his focus had shifted, downsized in a sense. He’d lost three out of four of the investment property bids he’d made. He wasn’t even sure if he was pissed about the opportunities so much as that he kept losing.
He was working on a proposal to build a new community center between San Verde and Harlow Beach. He’d always wanted to find a way to honor his grandfather’s vision. Under his father’s watchful eye and tight fist, he hadn’t been able to. That was pulling his attention hard right now, but it shouldn’t be impacting his sales pitch for investments. Something else was going on.
His phone rang as he hit the highway. Seeing the ocean to his left filled him with a sense of calm. Tapping the Bluetooth, he answered.
“Hey. It’s Wes. What are you up to?”
“Heading out to golf with Sergio-stick-up-his-ass.”
“I was going to ask how that was going. Not well, I take it?”
“I don’t know. I’m completely off my game.”
“Weird. I know he’s looking for people to invest with.” As usual, Wes’s tone was thoughtful.
Noah spoke before he could change his mind. “Maybe I read him wrong. Instead of pitching things I normally would, I’ve asked for help funding a community center.”
Silence. He gripped the wheel tighter.
“That’s unexpected.”
Right. Because he was the family fun guy. Not responsible like Chris or logical like Wes. He was impulsive, acted on his gut.I can be more than that.He started to say that but Wes spoke.
“Why wouldn’t you talk to Chris and me about this? It’s an opportunity to add to our portfolio—we could think about starting a nonprofit. But more than that, it reminds me of something Gramps would do.”
Like he’d punched him in the solar plexus, his brother’s words stole his breath. Why hadn’t he trusted them enough to open up?
“I don’t know. You guys are always saying shit like I’m flighty and less reliable. I want this. It’s not a whim.”
“Jesus, Noah. You’re in my face all the time about being a nerd. Last week you texted that my longest relationship was with my Switch console.”
Noah laughed, remembering the text.
“Okay, fine.But I didn’t want to joke about this.”
“I saw the magazine.” It was a quick shift in topics but Noah rolled with it.
“And?”
“Clearly you’re finding your passion. You look and sound different. The house is gorgeous. As is Grace, but that’s beside the point. We bug you because we’re your brothers, same as you do. But we have your back and you know it. The house, the community center… you’re doing what you wanted. You’re finding your own path.”
