Hearts Aligned

Chapter 2

Chris

"How far behind do you think we are on the Sander's project?"

I looked up from some papers I was reviewing and peered at my business partner, Alex. "Well, good morning to you, too, brother. Did you leave your basic manners back at home, or are you just being a jackass this morning?"

An evil grin lit up his face. "Maybe I'm just tired because your sister kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning." His eyebrows lifted up and down a couple of times.

I crumpled up the wrapper from the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich I grabbed on the way in to work and threw it at him. "So, ass it is." I screwed up my nose, not caring to picture my baby sister in any form of intimacy, even though I completely approved of her choice for a husband.

Alex collapsed in the leather chair on the opposite side of my desk and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Actually, the twins are both sick, and when we'd finally get one settled, the other would throw up. I don't think Kayla or I got to sleep until a couple of hours before dawn."

I cringed. "Same thing Aiden had last week?"

Alex nodded and leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. "Seems to be. Which hopefully means it'll all be over in the next twelve hours."

When my sister had first introduced me to Alex, I had my doubts about what she was getting herself into. I was very protective of her, especially after she'd been so crushed by a previous relationship that she'd moved away to start over. So it came as a surprise when she called to tell me that not only had she been dating a man for a couple of months without telling me, but he was raising his five-year-old nephew, Aiden. Aiden was the son of Alex's twin sister, Mia, and his best friend, Brandon. They'd been killed in a car accident months before he met Kayla. I'd been skeptical about her leaping into a premade family, but Alex had proven himself over and over. I knew he loved my sister like she deserved. Aiden adored her, too, and despite the tragic circumstances that drew the three of them together, they formed a tight-knit family, and Alex and Kayla had since almost doubled their family size with the birth of twins, Hope and Melody, a little over a year after they were married.

I nodded sympathetically. "Hopefully, the baby won't get it. Or you guys. I heard that stomach bug is pretty contagious. But better now than over the holidays next week."

He grunted in what I thought was a reply, but then again, it might have been a snore.

Not only had Alex become a member of my family, but he'd also become one of my best friends and a business partner. After the twins had been born, I decided to sell my parent's house that I'd been living in after their deaths a few years earlier. I loved living near the beach, but now the hours separating me from Kayla's family felt longer than ever. I burned up the miles on my car driving to Charlotte several times a month, and with memories of Lissa haunting me at every turn, it felt right to make a big change. When Alex mentioned something about striking out and starting up his own architectural business, I knew the time had come.

We talked about a joint opportunity. He'd be the design side, and I'd be the construction side. It had taken hours of constant work and networking to build our reputation and hire the people we each needed to be successful, but just over a year later, it was finally paying off. There was a lot of opportunity for what we offered, and our reputation quickly grew. We stuck to the residential side of buildings, but split our attention between new builds as well as the three R's: renovations, remodels, and restoration, which made up the large part of our business. Lately, the unusual amount of rain we'd been having had slowed down one of our latest housing projects, so I pulled a few people off the new construction and focused them on an interior project to keep our timeline moving along.

My cell rang on my desk, causing Alex to startle and shift in his chair while looking at me with sheepish eyes. I gave him a stern look and mouthed, "Go home" while I accepted the call on my phone.

"Matthews." I huffed. I listened closely as one of our on-site managers, Fred, described an incident that had taken place at one of our upscale kitchen renovation projects. Hearing the name of the individual who'd caused other problems, I propped my elbow on my desk and massaged my temple with my fingers. It took all I had not to yell and remind Fred about workplace safety and liability. He knew. Just like I knew that sometimes every precaution could be taken and shit still happened. But dealing with this was not something I needed today, especially with Alex dead on his feet. After assuring Fred I'd take care of everything, I hung up and sighed.

"Problems?" Alex's eyes shifted to my phone where I'd tossed it in my agitation.

I blew out a long breath. "One of the interns, Josh, was hurt at a site today. I need to head down to the hospital and start on the paperwork we'll have to file for insurance."

He leaned forward in his chair, bracing his arms on his legs. "But he's okay?" Alex's pointed look and question made me realize what an ass I sounded like; more concerned with the problem then the kid himself. Just with this particular kid, I was fast reaching my maximum tolerance level.

I nodded. "Yeah. He tripped over some cords he didn't secure and pulled a table full of equipment down on himself. This isn't the first incidence with him. I don't know how many times he has to be reminded that a few extra minutes in the beginning will save time later."

Yawning, Alex stood. "As long as he's okay, he'll learn. Do you want me to go for you?"

"No. He's my problem. You go home and get some rest. You're dead on your feet, so you're no good here. Work from home this afternoon if you're up to it, but make sure my nieces are taken care of. Good thing about bachelorhood is no one is waiting for me at home." Even as I said the words, I recognized how hollow they sounded.

He arched an eyebrow at me. "Not even Tanya?"

I cringed, remembering my promise to Tanya. "Not yet. Maybe soon, though."

Alex studied me for a few seconds as if searching for some other truth behind my words. I did my best to look unconcerned until he finally shrugged, turned and headed for my office door. "Make sure to let me know how Josh is."

"I will. Oh, and Alex?"

He turned and waited for me to continue.

"Next time, try using a mirror to get dressed if Kayla isn't around to help you." I gestured toward his feet.

I waited for him to notice the two different shoes he wore and grinned devilishly when he shot me his middle finger and walked out.