When he got there, he bypassed his office on the eighth floor where the residential division lived and headed straight for the tenth floor and the commercial project managers’ offices. A clerk hopped in the elevator before the door shut and said, “Good morning, Mr. Dixon.”
Most people at their offices couldn’t tell the Dixon brothers apart. By the end of the day, they stood separate by their clothes. Most of the time, Ken enjoyed that anonymity. Despite that, the fact that Daisy had always been able to tell him apart from his brothers pleased him on some fundamental level that he couldn’t name, generating a feeling for which he had no words to explain.
He went straight to Jon’s office and walked in without knocking. His brother smiled as he set his phone down. “Yo, bro.”
Like Ken, Jon wore his wavy brown hair short. Today he wore a blue collared shirt with a gray striped tie that he’d loosened at the neck.
The project managers did not have huge offices. The intent of the room was to provide quiet and privacy. He had room for a plans table, a couple of bookshelves, and two chairs in front of his desk. If he wanted a meeting with more than two people, he’d have to go to a conference room.
Ken’s office was much bigger because he ran an entire department. He briefly wondered if Jon knew Brad planned to promote him soon.
“Yo, yourself.” Ken threw himself into the chair across from Jon’s desk. He decided to just go straight to the issue at hand. “So, here’s some news. Daisy Ruiz canceled our second date tonight.”
“She figured out what a big fat nerd you are already, huh? Smart girl. Did you wear your ComicCon shirt on the first date or something?”
Ken felt his heart twist in his chest. Could that explain things? Had she classified him as a huge nerd? Jon’s face fell as if he realized his teasing hurt him. “Why?”
“No idea. She suddenly had other plans.”
Jon waited. Finally, he asked, “Did you agree on a different night?”
“Tried. Got a ‘we’ll see’.” He rubbed at his eyes, exhaustion draining him. “I’m trying to nail down where I went wrong. We had a great time the other day. Been going over it in my mind. Did I say something or do something…?”
Jon leaned forward. “You’ve never really done a lot of dating, I know. It’s hard to figure women out, brother. Really kind of impossible.” Ken felt a little knee-jerk objection to the words but then realized that Jon spoke the truth. Brad had pined for his love, Valerie, and never wanted to date. Jon had dated and played and had fun, and never wanted to settle down. Ken wanted a woman who appreciated him and understood the way he thought but never really pursued any kind of relationship. He told himself he found contentment inside his own skin, in the quiet of his own mind, and had no need to make space for anyone else. His family could fill any other kind of need he had. But, spending time with Daisy the other night really opened a well in his heart that he didn’t know existed, and he suddenly realized how very alone he was all the time. Jon continued. “Why don’t you go see her in person? Let her look you in the eye and tell you what day works for her? It’s easy to hide behind a text message.”
Ken stared at him, processing the idea. Finally, he stood and slapped the top of Jon’s desk. “I think I’ll do that.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d go right now, but I have a one o’clock.”
Jon stood and quickly dashed out a text before slipping his phone into his pocket. “Eat yet? Want to grab something?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.” Ken gestured at the job binder on Jon’s desk. “That job in Marietta will keep you local for a couple of years.”
“I know. It’s time. I’m trying to convince the girl I had in Nashville to move here and keep working as my assistant.”
Jon had mentioned his Nashville assistant before. Ken had met her on the two occasions he’d gone to the job site. He knew she had a lot of natural talent for administrative organization. “What’s stopping her?”
Jon shrugged and opened his office door. “Youth. Fear of the unknown. She’s only twenty.”
They walked along the corridor, passing the project managers’ offices on one side and the sea of cubicles of assistants and junior project managers on the other. He couldn’t imagine turning down such a good job without having a good reason. “Great opportunity.”
Once in the elevator, Ken crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. He had something else he wanted to talk to Jon about. “We’re selling this apartment building next month. Closing on the sixteenth.”
“Wow. You’ve been there for a couple of years.”
“A lot of work. Probably would have been easier to knock it down and start fresh.”
“I know. I helped here and there, but just seeing the difference is awesome.”
The elevator stopped, and they stepped out into the busy lobby. Ken gestured toward the cafe, and Jon nodded. Ken thought about the news given on Wednesday. Brad and Valerie were going to have a baby. The thought filled him with all sorts of excitement and love. He couldn’t believe a baby Brad would soon enter the world. “Brad won’t be up for another big project. I’m trying to decide what I want to do next. Would you be interested in going in on an apartment with me?”
He stared at the menu. The eggplant sandwich looked good. While Jon processed what he asked, he went ahead and ordered. After they both paid and stepped back to wait on their food, Jon finally said, “I don’t know. I might want to build a house.”
With relief, Ken slapped him on the shoulder and nodded. “I’m swinging toward a house, too. But I didn’t want to have you expecting an apartment.”
“Nah, man. I think I just want to slowly build, take my time. Maybe by the time I finish, I’ll have someone to share it with.”
Ken pondered those words as they waited for their orders. “I know what you mean,” Ken admitted. “Thirty-two years old. Mom and dad were married twelve years already by our age.”
“Can’t rush God’s timing.”
