Ken crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, thinking of moving Brad and Valerie out of the guest house on their parents’ property and into their new home. “Tuesday, right?”
“Yeah, but we hired movers. I won’t need help with the move. I need help with painting and landscaping.”
“You’re not hiring painters?” Jon asked.
“No. You see, my wife is an interior designer. There’s something with colors and fabric and whatever that makes her happy.”
Ken chuckled because Brad sounded very long-suffering. However, Ken knew Brad would lasso the moon if Valerie ever asked. “Yeah, you got it rough.” He straightened. “I’m hungry.”
Ken rode with Brad so he wouldn’t have to haul the trailer to the restaurant. They all agreed on Chinese. Soon, they sat around the table sipping hot tea and munching deep-fried noodles while waiting on their entrees.
“So, the weekend in New York?” Brad asked Jon. “Did you see Alex?”
Fiddling with the rolled-up silverware, Jon said, “Not sure if I’m really ready to talk about that yet. However, I need to go back there again Thursday morning. I’ll fly back that same night.”
“Day trip?” Brad asked.
“Yeah,” Jon confirmed.
That surprised Ken. Jon had spent so much time away from home the last few years and for the last month had talked only of coming home and staying home. The thought that a woman could interfere with that plan really piqued his curiosity. “You’ve lost it for this girl.”
Jon made eye contact and nodded. “There’s more, but I’m not ready to share.”
Ken respected that. He had to process things for a long time before he ever wanted to discuss anything. He rarely wanted to talk at all, even with family.
Brad moved his teacup as the waitress placed an appetizer platter in the center of the table. “We’re here when you’re ready, bro.” He looked at Ken. “Where is the house?”
Ken pulled a crumpled receipt out of his pocket. He had scribbled the address in pencil on the back. “Ivey Lane? Ivey with ane, which is weird.”
Jon frowned. “Don’t know it. Where is it at?”
Brad’s eyes widened. “That’s on the way into my neighborhood. I wonder how close your house is to mine.”
Ken thought about the maps he’d looked at. “It’s too new of an address. Doesn’t show up anywhere. I have basic directions.”
Jon chuckled. “I can’t believe you bought it without even inspecting the site.”
“I saw pictures.” Ken slipped the paper back into his pocket. “Besides, what does it matter? It’s the shell of a house. There’s nothing they’ve started I can’t fix. And I have nothing but time.”
They bowed their heads and asked God to bless their food and fellowship, then they filled their little appetizer plates with miniature spring rolls and barbecued chicken wings.
“I’ve been home for two weeks, and I’m already missing the barbecue brisket in Nashville.”
Ken’s mouth watered at the thought of the restaurant Jon had discovered. Well, he overstated the place by calling it a restaurant. In reality, it was a shack with a smokehouse attached that only took takeout orders. However, he’d never tasted better barbecue in his life. “Be worth taking a job in Nashville for two years to eat that every night.”
Jon shook his head. “You can have it, brother. I’m home.”
Ken looked at Brad. “How is Valerie feeling?”
Immediately, his brother’s face softened then transformed into a grin. Ken felt a tug in his heart, a desire to have a wife who brought that same look to his own face. “She’s very tired. I’m trying to get her to go part-time at work so she can get more rest, but a lot of her projects are at critical stages. I think she wants to get everything into a good stopping place before she has the baby.”
“I think that’s marvelous,” Jon said.
Brad had loved Valerie from the moment his hormones started flowing. When he and Valerie got married, Ken watched contentment come over his brother he had never seen before, much less experienced for himself.
“February seems so far away. I mean, it’s July.”
Brad shrugged. “It’s kinda rushing at me, bro.
