Page 4 of Daddy’s Little Secret

“Chuck, as you said, you’re my best friend and business partner.” I still had a hard time accepting the second. He thought raising my brothers was monumental? Having someone add you as an equal to their business was just as big. “I’m sorry. Guess I have a lot to make up to you as well. I’ve been thinking about going to a Lactin Brotherhood meeting with you. That is, if the offer’s still open?”

Chuck smiled. “It’s always open to you, my brother.” The camera bell chimed, letting us know someone was here. Chuck peeked at the app. “Game on.”

We answered the door before he rang the bell. “Afternoon, Gil.” Chuck shook his hand first, then I did. “Thanks for reaching out.”

“As the mayor of Taylor Ridge, we’d like to welcome your business to our neck of the woods. I wanted to meet as soon as possible and just happened to be in Phoenix visiting family when I saw the approval for your business license come through.”

“Excellent.” Chuck and I were all smiles. We hoped it would be easier than some of the local towns had been to get licensed. “It’s such an honor to have the good news delivered by the mayor himself,” Chuck said. “Have a seat.” When Chuck renovated his home, he turned the extra bedroom into an office and extended the room out enough to house a proper set-up. Meeting table that seated six included.

“Let me cut to the chase. The locals have been begging us to find a new handyman and contracting service they can trust. The last guy.” He shook his head. “Let’s just say he wasn’t a good fit, and Judy couldn’t say enough about you and your family.” Judy ran the cat rescue Chuck and Tae got their cats from, and Tae volunteered there as well when they were up at the cabins.

“Judy is wonderful,” Chuck said. “Tae adores her and really enjoys his volunteer time.”

“Well, she mentioned you fixed a few things for her and discussed building an all-weather structure on her property to allow for more space for her rescue.” Getting my general contractor’s license was one of the smartest choices I’d made. With it, we would take Ashwood to the next level.

“We have, but we’re waiting on the license to go through before giving her a formal bid.” Had we gone about this the wrong way. “Have we done something wrong?” I asked. If there was a protocol we’d missed, it would be best to fix it up front.

“No, quite the opposite, Oscar. Once word got around, when the city council met about approving a new business in town, the meeting room filled to capacity. It would appear you’ll have your hand full for a while helping our lovely locals out, and I’d like to make sure that Ashwood is up for the task.”

“We are. Emergencies handled first, of course,” Chuck assured him.

“Some projects will be discreet and may require an NDA be signed.” Mayor Gil raised a brow. “Lifestyle NDA, of course.”

“Understood,” Chuck said. “We’ve signed a similar agreement at the club.” Nothing more needed to be said, we were on the same page.

“Excellent. We’ll post your information on the town website. Are one of you planning to live in town or did you have other employees in the vicinity already?”

Chuck and I had already discussed this, but I didn’t have a chance to speak to Trey about it. Given yesterday’s events, that was a non-issue. “I will be along with my partner, Trey, who also works for Ashwood.” I hadn’t said anything to Trey about the possibility. Given the importance of this morning’s meeting, I didn’t want to get his hopes up if there was an issue with our license.

“Gentlemen, welcome to the Taylor Ridge family. My assistant, Joan, will email you the onboarding packet, listing the discounts the local shops offer. Including the hardware store and lumber yard.” This business endeavor was looking better by the minute.

Gil shook our hands again, then we walked him to the door. “Should we tell the boys now?” Chuck asked as soon as the door shut.

“I have a question before we do. How quickly do you want us up there?” I’d have to cancel my lease and donate most of the old-ass furniture I still have that has seen better days. There was more to coordinate than I’d thought.

“I’d say as soon as possible. Most of what we’ve got going on in the Valley are small projects Tae and I can knock out. If you get busy, it should be easy for us to get up there to help you guys. Plus, already having our houses done was a smart move.” No kidding, or it’d be rental city for Trey and me. Something I’ve had more than enough of. It was time for me and my boy to settle down in our own space.

“Perfect. Looks like we hired the newbies just in time. We can be up there permanently this weekend.” So far, we’ve made wise decisions for Ashwood. The guys in Phoenix we’d onboarded were doing great and had taken a ton of work off my and Chuck’s hands.

“Are you as excited as I am? Think Trey will have a problem leaving his grandmother?”

I took a moment to think about that, then it hit me. “Not if she can come up too. Maybe she and your mom could get to know each other.” Trey would be one happy boy with both grandmas up there to spoil him.

“Boys, can you come out here, please,” Chuck hollered down the hallway. Seconds later, the pitter-patter of excited feed echoed down the hall and they hit the tiles. “No running, please.” He gestured to the couch. “Have a seat, your Daddies need to talk to you.” Both boys’ faces fell as they looked at each other.

“Are we in trouble, Daddy?” Tae asked. His bottom lip was on the verge of quivering.

“No, sweetheart, you’re not, and Daddy’s sorry he scared you. This is actually something big. Business big and really good.” That perked them right up. “Your Daddies not only just got their business license approved for Taylor Ridge, but they asked if either of us were willing to move up there given all the work there is for us. Your friend Judy had a hand in that, Tae.”

“Judy’s the best. Are we moving, Daddy?” Tae asked.

“Not yet.” Chuck nodded at me.

“We are,” I said. Trey’s face lit up, and the smile I’d missed this morning appeared.

“For reals, Daddy?” he asked me.

“For reals, Angel.”