Page 18 of The Biggest Secret
I feel so stupid. I knew his family would have stepped up to help me. Dom and I would have been first priority with them.
But I needed us to be Adam’s first priority.
Chapter Fourteen
Adam
I’m sweating my balls off. It’s only eleven in the morning and the humidity is a killer. I’m on my third job site this morning. Things were running smoothly until I got to the demo on Dew Drop. Billy called to say there was an issue with materials, so I quickly drove over here to see what’s going on.
“What do you mean it never arrived?”
“Just what I said. I know you pre-ordered the tile for the upstairs bathroom. I called them three days ago to make sure we were set to receive it today, and they confirmed it. But when I got here this morning, I got a call saying it was still backordered and would be another two weeks.”
“Fuck,” I breathe out. Bobby already has contracts on this house. It’s supposed to close in two weeks, and now this is going to set everyone back. We can’t complete the tilework, which sets back the movers andthe moving date, which sets back the closing date, which tramples everyone’s commissions for the month.
And it’s going to be my company holding up the process. This does not look good.
“Didn’t we have extras of this same tile from the renovation on Ivy Court?” I ask.
Billy shrugs. “If we did, it’d be back at your garage. Want to take a ride and check it out?”
“Yeah, we have to get something going.” I call to the rest of the crew that we’ll be back in twenty minutes, praying there is extra tiles in storage.
We’re driving back to my house; Billy is rambling on about some date he took out last night. Always a one off for him. There’s only been one girl I’ve seen him with more than once. He brought her to an NFL game once when Jackson gave us tickets. But just as fast as we noticed it was more than a one-time deal, she was gone. He’s made it difficult for the rest of us, my mom pressuring us to ‘bring home a good girl’. Thank God for Chessy and Gage.
Christ. Did I really just say that?
At least mom’s been sidetracked with wedding talk and has left me alone.
I got the usual pity eyes from her at the game, after seeing Chelsea. I couldn’t even go into it with her, and I’m glad she hasn’t tried to call this morning. Yet. I know she won’t let me rest for long.
“Anyway, yeah, bro, she was all into it. I thought she may have thrown my back out, but … Hey, who’s at Chess’s old house?”
Turning down our block, I see a couple cars at Francesca’s old house. It’s been sitting empty for a few months since she moved in with Jackson. I’ve been too busy to list it with Bobby, so it’s become a storage hall, holding Chess’s stuff that she didn’t move across the street and acting as a placeholder for all things wedding.
“That’s Chess’s car. And Farrah’s. Maybe they’re bringing more stuff over for the wedding.” I pull into my driveway, two doors down from them and we both jump out of my truck and head into the garage. “I know I placed the boxes in the back corner here. What was the name of the tile again?” I ask.
“Alaskan white marble,” Billy replies. I give him shit but he knows his stuff. His attention to detail is outstanding, and he’s a hard worker. Once you corral him, he’ll work twelve hours straight if I let him. I’m glad he took the opportunity that was presented to him. Even though it was a forced employment, it worked out for him, all of us really, in the end.
The last thing I wanted was to lose my brother.
“Jackpot!” I yell. At least something is going right today. I begin counting, “We’ve got six boxes. Think we can make it work?”
“Sure thing. The square footage in that upstairs bathroom is slightly less than downstairs, and we were able to do that one in eight boxes. I think we’ll be fine.” We begin loading them into the back of my truck. Movement catches my eye again. There’s a lot of women over at my sister’s old house. We get the boxes in the back of my pickup and climb back in. “Come on, let’s stop real quick and see what they’re up to.”
We back out and drive the two hundred feet to her driveway, park and get out. As we walk up the front walk, Britt opens the door.
“Uh, hey guys! What’s going on?” Is it me or does she look nervous to see us. Weird.
“Hey, Britt, nothing. Just had to stop and grab some tile from my garage. What are you guys doing here? My sister stashing more wedding shit?” I laugh and continue walking, thinking she’s going to move so we can walk through the door, but I pull up short when I see she’s not budging. “Britt? Let us in, I want to grab some water bottles.”
“I’ll get them!” she says hurriedly, then shuts the door on us.
“What the fuck? That’s weird, even for Britt,” Billy says.
Shaking my head, I reach out and turn the knob and it does nothing. “She locked the door.” I bang on it. “Sissy! What the fuck’s going on in there?” I yell.
Farrah comes to the door next, opens it and steps out quickly shutting it behind her. “What’s up guys?” She leans against the door, looking nowhere near comfortable.
