Page 7 of Rescue
I feel like I’ve gotten a lot accomplished when I finally come to a stopping point. I skim through the organized stack of papers that Janis leaves on my desk each day. Willa Collins, Ms. Mabel’s daughter is our business accountant and takes care of the books. I email her our daily financial statements, and somehow she keeps everything organized for when time tax season rolls around. I finish up my end of the day duties so that I can get out of here.
It’s just after 5 when I grab my keys to head home. Janis has already left for the day since she comes in early. I stop by the front desk and chat with a couple of our employees for a few minutes, making sure everything is going well, but I’m distracted by my growling stomach, so I don’t linger for long.
The drive home is routine, though I do note that the lights are on at Mabel’s Manor which is uncommon for this time of evening. I hope that means someone will be opening the cafe in the morning.
When I pull into the driveway, I head inside and go straight to the shower. It's a habit I picked up back when I worked on the sales floor all day unloading trucks and loading customers’ cars all day. I don’t usually work up a sweat anymore now that I’ve taken over as the general manager. Dad isn’t there every day, but he still consults on most major business decisions.
Once I’m finished with my shower I consider calling one of my brothers to see if they want to have dinner, but decide on my solitude instead. I pull a beer and a steak I picked up earlier this week out of the fridge. It’s been sitting in marinade since last night so it’s ready to go. I head outside and fire up the grill. A steak is just what I need after a long day of work.
I crack open the beer and drink it while I watch the steak cook. There’s a slight snap of cold in the air signaling the end of summer. I consider going in to get a jacket but decide against it. I've always been more comfortable out in the cold than inside cooped up. I hated when Mom would call me in for dinner in the evenings as a kid and spent most of my time as a teenager and young adult practicing in below freezing temps and frigid wind chills. A lot of things are different now, but one thing that hasn't changed is how much I welcome the cold winter months.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts when my phone starts playing Hey Ya. I roll my eyes and answer, “I’m going to get you back for this shit. When did you even get your hands on my phone?”
I hear laughter on the other end of the phone and it takes at least 30 seconds before my dingus brother Bryant finally answers, “Come on! You loved Gangnam Style when it first came out!”
“Pretty sure that was you. I remember you and Brody practicing that dance for a solid week,” I say.
“We only did that for the talent show!” I hear Brody yell from somewhere in the background.
“Like that makes it better? What talent were you pretending to have, Bro?” I ask laughing. The twins are a constant source of entertainment.
“Dude, whatever talent gets the ladies, obviously,” Bryant says as if I’m the one not getting it. “Anyways, what are you doing tonight? We just called Mason and he’s too busy working on a project to be bothered.”
“So, I’m your last resort, huh?” I ask ribbing him lightheartedly. I know they don’t really prefer Mason to me, Mason is quiet and prefers to keep to himself for the most part. He’ll make an exception for his family, but that’s about it these days.
“Come on, man! We’re hungry! We’ve got a couple steaks. Can we come throw them on your grill?” Bryant says as if they don’t have their own grill and their own house to relax at. I know this is really just an excuse to come hang out with me.
“Sure, come on, grill’s already hot,” I say, kissing my peaceful evening alone goodbye.
