Page 52 of Pain in the Axe
“We’re here to help you,” Jude said.
I nodded in agreement. Cole was the youngest and technically my half-brother. I was eleven when my parents divorced and dad married Cole’s mom. Growing up, he was around, and my mother had done more for him than his own had. But there was a strange separation between him and the rest of us. He’d always been Dad’s favorite—the hockey star, the untouchable kid who got everything he ever wanted.
I’d resented him for a long time, but it had recently become clear just how much he’d suffered too. So I was working on it. Engaging with him, supporting him, and giving him the same brotherly support and care I gave the other four bozos. I was the oldest brother; it was my job to make sure they were all okay.
Finn asked him a million questions about the festival, and then the conversation turned to the old inn. A couple of buyers were engaged in a bidding war over the property, and it was the talk of the town. Reopening would help reestablish Lovewell as a tourist destination, which would, in turn, dramatically change things here. Lovewell had declined as the timber industry did, but lately, our community had begun to level out.
“Have you heard from Noah?” Finn asked Jude. While Noah had been distant for years, he and Jude had that strange connection that only twins shared. Noah had headed out west at eighteen, and he rarely visited.
Jude shook his head. “It’s been a couple of weeks. I’ve been feeling off, like something might be wrong.”
“Should we be worried?”
“Not yet. It’s wildfire season, so he’s dealing with a heightened level of stress. That could be it. He’s off the grid a lot, and reception is tough. I’ll give him a few days and then call his unit chief if I need to.”
Noah was the family daredevil. He’d never met a risk he wouldn’t take, and he’d followed those instincts out west. In thewinter, he worked in wilderness search and rescue, rappelling out of helicopters to rescue people from avalanches. In the summer, he fought wildfires. I was proud of him, but he still scared the shit out of me.
After a second round of beers and a pizza delivery, Finn decided to butt his nose back into my business again.
“Can we circle back to Gus, guys?”
Cole and Jude looked up from where they were stuffing their faces.
Finn raised his brows. “He has an ex-wife.”
I kept my mouth shut and focused on my own pizza.
“And he’s clearly still in love with her,” Jude added.
“How does that even work?” Cole mused.
Despite my attempts to ignore them, the three of them stared at me. Fuck them for knowing how to get under my skin. Even baby Thor loudly sucked on his pacifier, waiting for my answer.
I did not want to talk about this anymore. I thought we’d just shoot the shit, and I’d go home.
“Gentlemen,” I said simply. “It’s not complicated.”
“Yes, it is. She’s back. What does that mean?” Finn asked. “Are you interested? Is she?” His questions hit me rapid fire and I wasn’t ready to even begin to think about the answers.
Annoyed, I gritted out, “I don’t know, okay? All I know is she’s here. And I want to find out. See what could be.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell us you were married?”
I ran my hand down my beard. The shorter hair was strange. I liked it, though. As always, Becca was right. I’d needed to clean myself up.
“I was twenty. I was in technical school in Heartsborough.”
Jude nodded. “I remember that.”
“Dad thought it would be helpful to have an electrician on staff. Said it would be a way for me to contribute to the company.” I’d been living in the tiny apartment above Dad’sgarage, trying to learn how to be a man and mostly failing. “Chloe worked at the coffee shop. I’d go there every day just to stare at her, working up the courage to talk to her.”
The baby fussed in Finn’s arms, distracting me.
“She-Ra,” Finn said, using the nickname he’d given Adele. He stood and bounced his son. “Thor’s hungry, and you need to hear this story.”
A minute later, Adele appeared, her tiny dog nipping at her heels, and cooed at their son, who was fussing a little louder now. “Go get my chair. I’ve got to feed him.”
Finn passed the baby off to her, then hustled out of the room. A minute later, he was back, carrying the rocking chair I’d made when the baby was born.
