Page 6 of Brandt's Rule

“My luck she’ll like me more, and I don’t want that,” Brandt said.

Remi flashed him a shadowed look.

“Then what do you want, boy? Everybody here got somebody, or at least looking at somebody,” Maverik said, shooting an accusing glance at Barron, “or hoping for somebody, except for you. All you do is grumble, and stay in your damn cave.”

“It’s not a cave! It’s a house, and I like my private time,” Brandt said.

“Never thought I’d see anybody more moody than your Pa. And damn if you’re not it,” Maverik said.

“He can’t help it. Runs in his blood,” Barron said, exchanging his bag of donuts for a burrito and walking away.

“How about everybody just stops focusing on me and we all manage to get some damn work done today?” Brandt snapped, sending out a nudge of his Alpha strength.

Most of them responded by mumbling and nodding, but they all went back to work with their breakfast and coffee in hand. Except for Jobe, and of course, Maverik.

“Don’t quite know what it is they feel when you do whatever you just did, but I’m thinking maybe I should follow suit,” Jobe said.

Brandt smiled and let his rile calm a bit as he sipped some of his coffee and took a bite of one of the donuts. He took a moment to look over the progress they’d made in the last week. Each of the first three of the condo buildings had been finished externally. All they had to do was finish the roofing, then start on the interiors of the buildings. Slowly he realized he still wasn’t alone. He turned and looked over his shoulder as he faced the lone remaining individual watching him as they finished their breakfast. “What, Uncle Maverik?”

Maverik grinned at Brandt with something akin to pride in his eyes. “Just impresses the hell out of me every time you do that. Powerful as all hell. You know that right? Young, you young, but damn, the strength you have boy. Makes me proud.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, what the hell you doing down here? You finished. Get up there and get to roofing.”

“Why don’t you get to roofing?” Brandt countered.

“We all chose jobs for the day before you got here. I did not choose roofing. Benefits of not being late,” Maverik said with an eyebrow wiggle.

Brandt shook his head on the way to his truck to get his tool belt. He strapped it on, checked that all his tools were in their particular loops and pockets, and managed to actually forget that Maverik was still standing to the side finishing off whatever he found in the bags of food the guys had left when they went back to work. He opened the driver’s side door of his truck and reached into the center console to grab his knee pads, then put them on to protect his knees while kneeling all day on the angle of the roof. When he was done he slammed the truck door and walked toward the building right in front of him. He got a few feet past Maverik when Maverik called out to him.

“You still having trouble sleeping, Brandt?” Maverik asked.

Brandt shook his head, but didn’t stop walking.

“Brandt? Son, you alright to be on the roof today?” Maverik asked.

Brandt turned around and looked at Maverik. “I’m not sleeping worth a damn, but I’m okay to be on the roof.”

“Truth?” Maverik asked.

“Truth,” Brandt assured him.

“How ‘bout tomorrow you just sleep in. I’ll oversee things here,” Maverik offered.

“Naw, I got it. I’ll be fine.”

“Same dreams?” Maverik pressed.

“Who knows? Does anybody remember their dreams?” Brandt asked. He turned and walked away, leaving Maverik to wonder just how much Brandt wasn’t admitting. “Thanks for caring, though, Uncle Mav.”

“You know I do!” Maverik called after him.

~~~

“Hey, Tempest?!” Bailey called out as she rushed outside the coffee shop after her.

Tempest had just straddled her bike and pulled on her helmet. She flipped up the dark face shield and smiled at Bailey. “Yes?”

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