I made up my mind to call home as soon as I could. After dinner, I sat at my desk and fired up my laptop. Mom answered the call almost immediately, and her face filled the screen.
“Max? Is that you?”
I let out a little laugh. She always started calls with the same question, like clockwork. “Hi, Mom.”
“How are you, honey?” She turned away from the camera. “Allen! Mitchell! Max is calling!”
“Mitch is there, too?” My brother Mitch was only a few years younger than me and a perpetual bachelor.
Mom nodded as they came into view. “He came for dinner. Say hello, you two.”
Both Mitch and my dad waved and said their greetings as commanded by my mom.
“How’s work going, honey? Tell us everything.” Mom’s smile was bright as she settled in to hear me talk.
“Things are going really well,” I said. “The house we’re restoring is beautiful, and the construction team is doing really great work. It’s going to be a masterpiece when it’s done, really it is.”
Dad leaned forward. “What are they working on? Did the house need a lot of work?”
“Oh man, you wouldn’t believe it. It pretty much needed to be gutted and started fresh. Asbestos was everywhere, and lead paint, too. The plaster walls were falling apart. We needed a new roof, siding, some of the windows were starting to rot out. Even the porch needed to be rebuilt.”
Dad nodded along as I spoke. “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you then.”
I half shrugged. “I’m not exactly doing the construction. But the employees are doing a great job of showing up, doing great camera work, and making my job look really easy.”
“That’s because your jobiseasy,” Mitch retorted. That was rich coming from a guy who ran a team of security guards that were mostly bouncers and mall cops.
When I flipped him off, my mother chimed in. “Hey, mister.”
Despite the fact that I was thirty-two, my mom still felt the need to chastise me for swearing or being impolite. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Speaking of the crew, how is everyone?” Dad asked.
“Good, everyone’s good. Sterling and I are living together in this great little rental the network found for us. It’s a nice change of pace, instead of being put up in a hotel. That gets lonely.”
Mom cleared her throat. “Andareyou lonely?”
I knew what she was asking. Mom was ready for both of her kids to settle down and get married, or at least have a partner. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck. “Mom, if you’re asking if I have a boyfriend, the answer is no.”
“What, no hot construction worker has caught your eye?” Mitch smirked at me.
My stomach flipped and twisted thinking of Jake, but I wasn’t sure how much I should tell them. We hadn’t exactly agreed to be exclusive or put a label on it. It had only been a couple of days. The thought of Jake seeing other people heated my blood, though, and not in a sexy way. A jealous knot settled in my chest as I thought about it. I took a deep breath and shrugged again, trying hard to make it look as casual as possible.
“There is one guy. He’s great, but… you know.”
“What?” Mom frowned.
Mitch had no problem piping up, though. “Not a big enough dick?”
Mom slapped him on the arm. “Mitchell, that’s enough of that.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s only been a few days. He’s just… new at everything. He’s not exactly out yet. I don’t know if he even knows what he wants.”
Dad nodded and hummed thoughtfully. “I’m sure it’ll all work out for the best. Just be honest about whatyouwant and the rest will follow.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
We chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up, Dad’s words still echoing in my mind. I needed to tell Jake how I felt,but I didn’t want to rush him or scare him off.Just be honest, Dad had said. That much I could do.
