The Fix (Carolina Connections #1) Read Free Page B

the hell I’m doing and you can’t play your
little ‘Oh, I’m such a right brain person so I couldn’t possibly do anything so
uncreative and logical’ game. I’ll drag you with me kicking and screaming if I
have to.”
    “Oh,
shut up, you pompous turd!” She slapped at my arm. “Have I complained yet? I’m
more than prepared to jump in. I just don’t know where to start. Dad oversees
everything, and I mean everything . Nothing is outside the scope of his
domain.” She sighed. “It’s just a bit overwhelming.”
    She
and I had spent the last few days running back and forth between our dad’s
office and the hospital, and we were anxious, overwhelmed and pretty fucking exhausted.
    So
even though Bailey is usually a pain in the ass, I regretted my earlier tone
and started over, “Okay, I’m sorry. I guess I thought you’d have a better idea
than I would of the best course of action here. I’ve been out of the day-to-day
picture for a couple years now and you’ve been working steadily with him so I
guess I just assumed.” I shrugged.
    “Yeah,
but I’m the design person. I can put together an interior with my eyes closed,
but all the administrative and construction crap is not in my wheelhouse, Nate.
I’ll help where I can but…” She offered a super fake smile and lifted her hands
up in the air. Classic Bailey – trying to be cute.
     “Have
I reminded you yet today that you were a mistake?” I asked, because I’m her
brother and it’s my job.
    “Nate,
I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and crap out a better insult than that.”
    I
laughed. “Okay, that was a good one.”
    “I
know – I’ve been storing them up since you’ve been away. I’ve missed you, you
big butt-head.” She pushed my shoulder. “And I will do my best to help wherever
I can. Deal?”
    “Deal.”
I pushed her right back and she fell off her chair. “Oops.”  
    I
knew she was right and the bulk of the responsibility would have to fall to me.
I’d been working in construction in one manner or another since I was sixteen
and could legally enter a jobsite. Even before that, I had spent many childhood
afternoons on the trailer floor of whatever project site my dad was working at
the time. I built some pretty stellar houses and skyscrapers and, well,
superhero hideouts, using Legos or blocks or whatever else I had on hand.
    My
dad’s company, Built by Murphy , had been started by his father and was
the family’s pride and joy. It was also a legacy that my dad made no secret he
wished to hand down to his two kids when the time came. Unfortunately, none of
us had anticipated that time coming so soon, or so abruptly. Not that any of us
were under the illusion that Riordan Murphy would quietly submit to the laid
back life of a retiree just because he had a major heart attack. But he would
definitely be taking a step back, or several steps if my mom had anything to
say about it. In light of that, someone had to take a step forward, and it
looked like I was the only man for the job.
    Construction
is tough. There’s a reason that most movie scenes involving construction sites occur
during smoke breaks or lunch breaks. It’s hard to glamorize dirt and concrete
dust, let alone try to carry on a conversation through the deafening buzzes and
whirs of heavy equipment and power tools. Hard hats and hard work make you
sweat and they exhaust you by the end of the day. But then you wipe your filthy
face with your even filthier shirt and stand back to take in your work. And that’s when the magic happens, at least for me. The bones of a future house, or the
foundation of a parking structure, or even a whole damn building stand before
you and you know that you built that. You helped lay that floor, you smoothed that concrete, you hung that drywall. Your accomplishment is
self-evident. And, sure, most days you forget to stand back – you’re exhausted
and ready to hit the shower or grab a beer or you have some crappy errand to
run.