He heard her sharp intake of breath, and then she said, “You always seem to know exactly what to say, and yet you actually say so little over the course of the day.”
He didn’t even know what that meant. “You free to share a meal anytime the next few days?”
“My brother leaves tomorrow. He’d love to see you. Can you come to my parents for dinner tonight?”
“Love to, but I have family dinner.” He contemplated his schedule. “How about breakfast tomorrow?”
She paused momentarily, then said, “Breakfast would be great. Would you like to come to my place?”
“Seven okay?”
“Hmm, let me check with my brother. He’s still on central time. But I know they are planning to be on the road by two. I have to be at church by ten for the Bible study, so earlier is better.”
“Let me know. I have a nine o’clock at my office, so I need to leave your house by eight-thirty.”
“I will get up with you later this afternoon.” She paused. “Ken? You make me happy.”
He felt the corner of his mouth twitch. “Likewise. Bye.”
He tried to focus on the pile of work on his desk, even though he had no desire to track expenses, log hours, write memos, or approve accounting requests. All of that just got in the way of him wearing a tool belt around his waist and holding a hammer in his hand.
When the time had come for his father to contemplate retirement, he knew he needed to appoint one of the three of them as his replacement as the CEO of Dixon Contracting and Design. He pulled all three of them into his office and said that he would leave it up to God by having them draw straws.
If they didn’t know him as well as they did, they would have thought he was joking. Instead, they gathered around him as he held three straws in his hand, and they each drew one. The relief Ken felt at Brad pulling that short straw had nearly brought tears to his eyes. The thought that a single decision of which straw to pick stood between him and a lifetime with a tie around his neck in an office day after day, hour after hour, would have driven him completely insane.
He believed sincerely, as did his father and brothers, that God had directed that exchange. Everyone knew Brad was the fit for CEO, but their dad wanted to make sure none of them thought he had played favorites.
Even though he wouldn’t have chosen it for himself, Brad had embraced his role and new responsibilities with perfection. In the time since Valerie had come home and come back to him, he had only gotten better at his job.
As the director of residential building, Ken loved building communities. He loved planning shopping and transportation, dining, and entertainment. They had bought several hundred acres outside of Columbus, Georgia, where they built a community of one-bedroom townhomes to three-bedroom houses, with a Main Street that had little shops and restaurants all along it. They’d sold every unit halfway through construction.
The final house closed three months ago, and the last time Ken drove through there, the Main Street bustled with activity looking much like the architect’s concept drawings. He looked forward to taking part in more communities like that.
But he also enjoyed the mansions. He loved the intricate detail that went into the woodwork and the quality of the expensive materials that went into the construction.
Ken knew Brad planned to put Jon in charge of the commercial side of the corporation. Jon would build schools and malls and civic centers and airports and parking decks. He wondered if Jon knew about that yet.
Deciding the paperwork wouldn’t go away unless he did something about it, he woke up his computer and grabbed the first stack out of his in-box. Twenty minutes later, while he read an interoffice memo from an in-house architect, Toby tapped on his door. He called out, “Enter.”
“I’m back from lunch. Do you have anything specific you need me to do before I get back to what I was doing before lunch?” Toby asked.
He gestured at his out-box. “There’s some sensitive accounting stuff in there. Can you get that over to them?”
“You got it.” He left the office, and Ken looked at the clock, then at his in-box, and performed a mental calculation. He had another good hour of work left to do before he could escape to a jobsite. Maybe by then, it would have cooled off a bit outside. Sitting here thinking about it wouldn’t get the work done. He refocused his attention on the memo and grabbed his tablet to make some notations.
Kenpulled into the circular drive at his parents’ urban castle, the shadows of the turrets darkening the cab of his truck. He remembered classmates had teased him all through middle and high school for living in the castle his father had built for his mother. Their jealously had never bothered Ken in the least. His father built it in a show of love for his mother, fulfilling a promise he’d made to her in high school. Nothing embarrassed him about that.
He had arrived last. Brad’s truck and Jon’s truck had already claimed the prime parking spots.
His parents had Wednesday meals with the family most weeks. He hadn’t seen Jon since he left him and Alex at Jon’s office door after lunch today. He hoped he had a moment to speak to Jon privately and find out what happened with Alex, and if he could personally do anything do to help her.
Ken walked into the dining room and found both of his brothers already there. Brad and Jon both gave him mildly curious looks. “Mom said dinner. Not something I’m willing to turn down.”
“It’s great you’re here,” Jon said. “It’s your turn to do the dishes.”
Ken snorted. “You wish.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I actually keep a list.” He didn’t keep a list, but he may have to start now that Jon was home.
Brad laughed. “You would.”
