Magnum leaned against the doorframe, one ankle crossed over the other and a hand on his hip, sipping an over-sweetened cup of coffee. He could have at least refilled my now empty mug if he insisted on standing there doing nothing but converting oxygen to carbon dioxide.
“Okay. Did you recommend a contractor? That guy who helped with the job over on Alan Street did decent work with the cabinets and plumbing.”
I sighed, pushing the glasses to my forehead and rubbing the crease between my brows. I was eighty-five percent sure he wasn’t purposely being obtuse, but after making a fool of myself in front of Cam and Summer, my patience was razor-thin and in danger of imploding.
“No, I didn’t recommend anyone,” I said, neglecting to tell Magnum about Cam saying he’d foot the bill if I handled the work myself.
Yesterday, my pride got the better of me, and the retort on my lips telling Cam to take a long walk off a short pier wouldn’t come. I’d stared into Summer’s dark eyes, and although her quips annoyed the hell out of me, it was easy to see the overwhelming situation she found herself in—something I’d long since grown accustomed to handling on my own.
Before I knew it, I was back at Mom’s house sketching ideas about how to best accommodate him as he recovers—as if I needed another thing on my plate.
“Well, I can’t spare any guys from my team until after the first of the month. We’re too close to the deadline for the Rickman project, and he just asked for another smart panel to be installed in his garage.” Magnum scratched his chin and then took hisphone from his back pocket, humming as he scrolled through something.
“What do you mean, spare guys from your projects?”
I’d all but forgotten he’d overtaken my door frame, already ten steps ahead of our conversation and well into thinking about the supplies that needed to be ordered for Cam’s upgrades. And how I’d still help Mom train her pups while not neglecting Malibu.
Magnum looked up, tilting his head before turning his phone screen toward me as I scowled, rolling my eyes.Like I could see whatever he was showing me sitting so far away.“Your screen is too small. What am I supposed to be looking at?”
He chuckled, shaking his head as he stepped closer, then lowered himself into the chair in front of my desk. “Just our work calendar, old man. After the first, we’re a little light on projects, so I can spare two, maybe three guys to assist with whatever needs to be done at Mom’s neighbor’s house. She’s talking about Cam, right?”
“Yeah, Cam. Cam and Summer,” I said, pushing my chair away from the desk and crossing one ankle over my knee. I scratched my day-old scruff and sighed, staring at my empty cup of coffee.
Magnum pushed his full mug toward me, and I grunted approval before taking a sip, enjoying the over-sweetened beverage and the mix of caffeine and sugar it flooded my body with.
“Right. With the limited information you’ve shared, I gather, after his heart surgery, things need to be done to his condo to make it more accommodating. Someone—probably our mother—roped you into going over there to check on him, bring him food, or assist her with a prank. You saw the problem and are going to bear the burden of fixing things.”
“That’s not entirely accurate.”
I leaned closer to my desk, propped my elbows on the sturdy cherry wood, rested my forehead on my hands, and counted to five before looking up. Magnum’s lips were pursed, and his shoulders shook from holding back his silent laughter. Part of me wanted to laugh with him, while the rest wanted to junk-punch him.
“Oh, I’ll bet that’s more than accurate, Mav. And I’m sure you already have a plan drawn out.”
That’s it. I need a vacation. Someplace I can be alone. Perhaps the Arctic Circle. Or Albania.
“I may have a couple of rough ideas sketched. It would be pretty similar to the modifications we did at Mom’s house.”
My idea notebook mocked me from the top drawer, and even Malibu, lying quietly in her dog bed in the corner, raised her head and yawned at my predictability.
“Good, I figured as much. Let’s see them.” He motioned to the drawer and stuck his hand toward me, waiting as I sighed loudly before passing it over.
“Who’s Summer?”
Malibu’s head tilted, and she yipped, standing from her bed before padding over to me and crawling underneath the desk to rest her head on my thigh.
“Cam’s daughter,” I answered, vividly remembering the tight purple shorts that hugged her thighs and ass in a way that had me staring like a man starved. My eyes were drawn to her shapely curves and then the rest of me responded to her razor-sharp wit with a large helping of snark. Not just snark—but sarcastic, hilarious comments she made with a straight face and one eyebrow raised, as if she was daring me to go toe to toe with her.
“Ah, yes. The damsel in distress. Struggling to care for her father and just waiting for an older,experiencedman to step in and show her all the ways he can improve her life.”
I rolled my eyes, cracking my knuckles and glaring at my younger brother. Didn’t he have projects to oversee or lighting design upgrades for the newly opened showroom to attend to?
Malibu rubbed her head against my leg, and I scratched under her jaw, earning a lick to my fingers.
“What in the fuck are you blabbing about? Nothing about that woman says damsel. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past that brat to already have a hard hat and sledgehammer, attempting to lower the cabinets herself. Foolish girl.”
“Foolish? You sure sound like you’re ready to step in and save the day, Mav.”
“Ugh, no. More like annoyed that, once again, any semblance of free time I thought I had has gone out the window.”
