Page 39 of Home for Justice
Justice let out a soft giggle, the tension cracking like a shell. The sound rolled through the room like sunshine, and Tyler tucked it away, already knowing it was a sound he’d chase again and again.
She crossed to her father and hugged him tightly. He wrapped an arm around her with a chuckle and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Then she took the casserole from Tyler with a quick smile and disappeared into the kitchen, already chattering about heating instructions and plates.
“I want to step outside,” Tyler said. “Just make sure they’ve actually left.”
She nodded, and he waited until he heard her and Jack talking in the kitchen before he turned and eased the door open. The porch creaked under his feet as he stepped out. Down the walk, Jordy and Debbie were halfway to their old sedan. Jordy turned, saw him, and paused. Debbie didn’t. She slid into the passenger’s seat with a dramatic huff, her door slamming shut in protest.
Jordy came back a few steps, lifting his hands in a false gesture of peace. “I’m sure you’ve got the wrong idea about things,” he began, his gaze shifting from side to side. “I’m not here to cause problems. But this land, and your grandpa’s land… there’s a lot of money tied up in it. Developers want in. There’s talk of condos, retirement communities. They’re gonna come talk to you, I guarantee it. All I’m saying is, you and Jack could make a hell of a lot of money. Especially with his heart problems… he oughta be thinking about a smaller place, something in town.”
Tyler didn’t move, didn’t blink. He let the silence sit until Jordy started to sweat under it. “Mr. McClay,” he said finally, hisvoice low but absolute. “I assure you, I’m well aware of what’s going on in this area. You need to get in that car and drive away because the owner of this property has asked you to leave. And I second that.”
Jordy opened his mouth. Shut it. Opened it again. “Just be smart, young man. That’s all I’m saying. You just need to be smart.”
With that, he turned and stomped down the rest of the walk, yanked open the car door, and slid in beside his wife.
Tyler watched until the taillights disappeared down the lane and out of sight. He had a feeling that Jordy and Debbie weren’t about to give up so easily. Then, with the weight of the moment settling behind him like dust, he stepped back into the house, where warmth, food, and something far more important waited.
17
The topic of Jack’s brother and sister-in-law didn’t come up again during dinner. It hung in the air for a moment, but Jack never brought it up, and Justice didn’t either. Tyler took his cue from them and let it lie. He was quietly impressed with how laid-back Jack seemed, especially after what had to be a frustrating confrontation. The older man had a steel spine under his relaxed manner, and Tyler recognized that kind of grit.
Instead, the conversation moved easily toward safer, warmer ground. Both Jack and Justice commented on how delicious the casserole was, and Jack had gone back for a second helping with an unapologetic grin. Tyler told them about his work on the house, downplaying the progress but earning a laugh as he described getting soaked trying to fix the leaking faucet under the kitchen sink.
“I swear, I’m going to find water spots on the ceiling in the morning,” he joked. “And I’m a grown man who’s been through Army sniper school, trained for every condition under the sun… but I still nearly dislocated something replacing those two toilets. Why the hell can’t they make toilets easier to install?”
Jack roared with laughter, and Justice giggled, her eyes shining.
Once the dishes were cleared and the kitchen wiped down, the three of them drifted into the living room. Jack settled into his worn but well-loved easy chair, while Tyler and Justice took the couch. She sat close enough that their arms touched from shoulder to elbow. Tyler didn’t shift away. Neither did she. He liked that. He liked it more than he wanted to admit out loud just yet.
Neither had proclaimed where they stood in the burgeoning relationship, but he held on to the memory of the kiss on the porch. The look in her eyes. Her closeness now. And he hoped it meant they were gently stepping into something new.
“Tyler,” Jack said, his voice pulling him from thought. “Justice tells me she’s explained our family situation.”
Tyler hesitated just a beat, unsure how much Jack wanted to discuss. But the man’s steady expression and the gentleness in his tone made it easy to be honest. “Yes, sir. She gave me the gist of your brother’s situation.”
Jack nodded slowly, rubbed his hand over his chin, and let out a long breath, not heavy with anger, just tiredness. The kind of tired that came from carrying too many years of the same disappointment.
“There was always something about Jordy,” he began. “Even when we were kids. He was the kind who looked for the easy way out of everything. Schoolwork? He’d find someone else to do it. Sports? He quit if it got too hard. Jobs? Only lasted until he had to break a sweat.”
He paused, his gaze distant for a moment before he continued. “As the older brother, he drove me crazy. I worked hard. Our folks made sure of that. I went to school, did my homework, and helped in the garage after class. Still had time for sports and friends. But it was all balanced, you know? Mom and Dad believed in working hard and loving harder. It’s what built their marriage. And I was lucky enough tofind the same thing with my wife… Justice’s mom. Patty was a beautiful woman. Strong. Believed in effort and laughter in equal measure.”
Tyler looked down at Justice, and his chest clenched gently at the soft smile on her face. “I remember seeing your mom when I was visiting my grandparents.”
She looked up at him, eyes full of emotion. “Mom would’ve been so pleased you’re at your grandparents’ place.”
Jack was warming up now, leaning into the rhythm of the story, his voice steady as he went on. “I did a stint in the Army,” he continued. “And when I came back, I thought Jordy was helping with the family business. But no. He’d married Debbie by then, and… let’s just say my mom, who could like just about anyone, had to try to like her. Jordy never wanted to do real work. Never wanted his hands dirty. He bounced from one thing to the next, and Debbie wasn’t any better.”
Jack sighed and shifted slightly in his chair. “But what really pissed me off was what he asked of our parents.” He turned his head toward Justice. “I won’t get too deep into it, sweetheart. You’ve heard it all before.”
“I’ve told him,” she said softly. “But please don’t get upset talking about Jordy.”
Jack chuckled, the sound warm and light as he looked at her with fatherly affection. “I’m good, sweetheart. I really am.”
He glanced back at Tyler, his voice growing quieter but no less resolute. “What was hard for my parents was that Jordy wanted his inheritance early. And not just a slice. He wanted half of everything right then and there. Dad agreed, then had to get the business and the house appraised, then liquidate assets to pay Jordy out. It put them in a tough spot. It wasn’t just financial. It was emotional, too. Like Jordy didn’t trust that he’d ever get what was coming to him unless he demanded it. Like we’d cheat him.”
Tyler exhaled, his jaw tightening slightly. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy,” he said quietly. “Having to pull together that kind of money… it would’ve forced your parents to split up their legacy just to satisfy one son’s impatience.”
Jack nodded. “It did. And they never said a word about it. They loved him anyway. But I could see it wore on them. And after all that, Jordy still wanted more.”
