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“You are stepping over the line, brother,” Leland defends me. “Lawson, go home or see Massey. I don’t give a shit which one, just walk,” Leland instructs.
“Why me?” He looks offended.
“Because I brought coffee and donuts,” I say smugly.
“Enough!” Leland loses it. “She’s staying because I need to talk to her. Now go!” He points to the door.
Lawson jumps back, then marches out of the shop, glaring at me with such anger. I don’t care though. He should know better than to talk to me like that.
“Thanks for that, Leland, he can be…”
“Shut the hell up and sit!”
“Whoa.” I quickly sit down, holding my hands in the air.
“Sorry.” Leland rubs his hands up and down his face before jutting his fingers through his long hair. He pulls the hairband from his wrist and tosses his hair into a messy bun on his head. “I just got off the phone with the lawyers. There is a company pushing for eminent domain.”
“What’s that?”
“Where the government can come to take our property if it better suits the community.” He drops his head into his hands.
“Why our place? This garage has been here since we were kids. It’s like a local institution.” I can’t believe what I am hearing.
“I don’t know yet, but I need to come up with some more money for the lawyer.”
Biting my lip and looking down at my car, I’m trying to hold back tears. Could we lose this place? “Want me to sell her?”
“Hell no! That is yours,” he quickly responds.
“Okay, but don’t pay me for any work until this is all fixed!”
“Collins, you’ve got to support yourself. You need the paycheck.”
“Listen, I own that little shack. I bought it several years ago for super cheap and have been fixing it up myself. I can make it all work. Got it? You try to give me any sort of money and I’ll shove it…”
“Got it!” He holds his hands up. “Geez, you’re such an asshole today. How did I not know you bought that shack?”
I shrug. “I didn’t want anyone to worry about how I paid for it or how bad of condition it is. Especially you and Lawson. I listen to everything you guys say. Oh, because I fixed it up, I can sell it if we need it. Could probably get a good profit on it for us.”
“Not happening,” Leland firmly states. “I’m not going to have you sell or get rid of anything you’ve worked your ass off to get. I’ve moved our appointments to later this week. We need a couple of days to process this information and to think of a backup plan.”
“Does Lawson know?”
Leland shakes his head. “You know how he is. If he finds out we could lose this place, he is prone to lose his shit. I don’t want him to go into that dark place again.”
“He has to know, Leland. You know he will be more hurt if he comes here and sees a sold sign on the door.”
“Always right, sister. I’ll tell him. Maybe he will surprise us and have a good idea to keep it,” Leland grumbles.
I nod and watch my brother disappear back into his office and shut the door. Hard rock music booms from inside, shaking the windows. With a quick huff, I just head to my girl for some maintenance therapy.
Lost in my own head, I’m sitting on a small wooden bench working on the door when I feel someone take a seat behind me. It’s his clove and peppercorn cologne with a hint of bourbon that interrupts my focus. Gone is the worry of what could happen.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were at work?” He encourages my body to lean back against him. I soak in his scent as it wraps me with comfort.
“I was, but I think I needed more local research.” His hands press against my shoulders with his fingertips, applying pressure with small circles. I groan obnoxiously loud with appreciation. “Collins, why are you so tense?”
“I had a fight with one brother and then the other received a bad call,” I mumble. My head drops forward with every pressed and released circle his fingers make.
