Blatantly watchingme, not the work.
I no sooner get the burnt out spark plug replaced and the car running, all in complete silence, when there’s a lone shriek that echoes out over the placid lake, quickly followed by several others.
I start running towards the commotion. The group is all gathered around the entrance of what appears to be a dining hall. Brooks is leading the charge armed with a push broom, like a jousting lance, pointed inside.
“Everyone stay calm!” he shouts over them. “You’re just going to scare it more!”
“Scare what?” I bellow over the commotion, and all eyes spin from the door to me. Everyone goes quiet.
“A raccoon must have gotten in here over the winter and taken up shelter,” Brooks sighs, still gripping the handle of the broom tightly.
“It could be rabid!” Petro offers, unhelpfully.
I grunt. “Well, why don’t you all get out of the way, so he doesn’t go on the offense?” I start to shoulder past the gaping teenagers and pull up beside Brooks. “Look at it, it’s just a baby. He probably just got in and couldn’t find a way back out,” I reassure them.
Seeing that the critter is obviously just spooked by all the racket, I shoo them off and prop open the double doors. I join them further up the hill and watch as the young raccoon hesitantly peeks out before scampering out of the building. He heads off towards the woods, in the opposite direction from the cabins or any other facilities—I surmise he’ll be too scared to try to repeat the offense.
When it appears the coast is clear, I go in and inspect the damage. Never having been here before, I’m not sure what sort of disarray the building was left in at the end of the season, but it’s clear the raccoon had its pick of potential entry places. The building itself could use some repairs.
“Fantastic,” Brooks groans sardonically, resting his hands on his hips and surveying the room with me. “Add this to the list of things we need to get done before the campers get here.”
“Shouldn’t this have been done before now?” Kai snarks, swaggering in next.
My jaw ticks at the barb. More precisely, the way Brooks' eyes flashed hurt at the question. Again, not sure why I’m taking personal offense to the statement, but I can’t seem to shake this feeling of protectiveness I feel for Brooks, though I barely know him.
“Been a little busy, Kai,” Brooks explains. “The end of the school year is always a lot of running around for Morgan and me. I don’t have the bandwidth to be a parent, ride-share, booster supporter, and play handyman at the same time, sorry.”
Remembering when Kai first showed up, he said something about keeping an eye on his investment. “Are you the other owner?” I ask him.
He nods. “I am, and I’m sticking around this summer to make sure that this place is even worth holding onto anymore.”
The hurt in Brooks’ eyes at that statement is now totally evident. My jaw clenches again, and I’m not sure why I’m even so invested in this. I came to drop Colt off. I should be nearly back in Ternbay right now, but here I am, feeling compelled, for some reason, to stay and help.
Probably because I know a fucking bully when I see one.
“You ever get your hands dirty around here, pretty boy?” I snap at Kai.
Brooks emits a choked sound beside me, but I’m too busy glaring eye daggers at Kai to look. Kai’s jaw drops. “I—uh—I… no, I just provide part of the funding,” he stammers.
I spin to Brooks. “You have any tools around here? Spare lumber?”
He nods. “In the maintenance shed.”
What I’m about to do next is surely going to piss Colt off, because he’d love for me to just up and leave, but I don’t give a shit.
I jut my chin at Kai and his sleek get-up. “I’d get changed, if I were you. Wouldn’t want you to get sawdust on those loafers of yours. You and I? We’re going to get this building battened down.”
Kai’s head swings over his shoulders, both ways, like he’s looking to see who else I could possibly be barking orders at. When he spots no one, he presses one of his hands—which don’t look like they’ve ever swung a hammer before, by the way—to his chest. “Me? You want…me…to help you make repairs?”
“You just said you’re part owner,” I remind him. “Either help out, or keep your criticism to a minimum.”
Kaiscowls at me, but out of my periphery, I see Brooks covering a smirk with his fist and his shoulders shake a little, like he’s holding back a full-blown laugh. Kai spins on the heels of his very expensive looking loafers, and stalks off—fists balled at his sides.
When I turn to face Brooks, he softly places his hand on my arm and looks me in the eyes. Goosebumps erupt at the point of his touch, and I hope he isn’t observant enough to notice. “Thank you,” he breathes out, grinning at me and giving me a glimpse of those dimples I saw earlier. “My ex…he can be a little inconsiderate at times.”
Hisex? Kai—that snaky shit—is Brooks’ ex?
That means Brooks is at least bi, then, since he has a daughter, right? Oh, man. I take a peek at Brooks’ ring finger and find it naked. Fuuuuck, the nervousness, the blushing, the oversharing—Brooks was flustered for a totally different reason than I thought...
