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This was so much worse than he’d expected
Jack Taylor flipped through late notices fro his nephew’s tabletop ju to soothe the tired six- the kitchen table of his childhood ho with the kid
He thu but million-dollar problems “Why’d you print all this out?”
His younger sister, Jen, whisked between the refrigerator, the cutting board, and the stove in their father’s kitchen, finishing up their dad’s lunchin a hot skillet, filling the kitchen with an angry sizzle The spicy scent reminded Jack he hadn’t eaten since his last round for two hours, but Jack was already longing for the quiet simplicity of the friendly skies
“Because the last time I worked on e juice all over the keyboard Paper can be replaced a hell of a lot easier than a hard drive”
As if her youngest son felt the rising stress in the roo wail
The bills blurred in front of Jack’s eyes He planted his elbows on the table and rubbed his face with both hands He’d been working seven days a week for months, and he’d been on an Australian jobsite for the last three weeks He was still trying to figure out what day it was
Jack stood and unbuckled the boy fro bundle into his arthe breakfast nook “Man, you’ve got lungs, buddy”
“I shouldn’t have tried to deal with thisme he had it under control, and I’ve been so worried about Dad” She ha board with the butt of the knife before slicing a bevy of veggies “If I didn’t have the boys to take care of, I’d hunt that fucker down myself and slice off his balls”
Standing just over five feet tall with rosy cheeks and a head of blonde curls, Jen ht have looked like a cherub on the outside, but there was a fiercely protective giant inside
“The cops will find Bruce,” he told her “I’ve got a ator, and the forensic accountant Monday It’s a pretty sweet little dreah this”
Since theiron their father and stressing over his declining mental state Her husband traveled almost as much as Jack, which left Jen to tackle her job as a project er for their family firm, Pinnacle Construction, and care for her three little boys ive Jack the ability to help as much as he should
“I admire your dedication to Dad,” he said, “but why don’t you hire so? Maybe have the housekeeper do double duty You’ve already got your hands full”
“Askthe accountant’s report”
Jacob, his oldest nephew at three and a half, sped into the kitchen carrying so noises
His brother, Jahteentoward the baby’s tune “I want it”
James chased Jacob around the butcher block, under the kitchen table, and out the other side Then the tound a figure eight around Jack and Jen Keep-away at its finest
“It’s mine,” James insisted
“Out” Jen ushered the boys toward the living roo to sleep”
The older boys ran off, still fighting Jack slid his hand over Joshua’s bald head “I have no idea how you stay sane, Jen This is murder”
“Who says I do?” She finished chopping a pepper and set down the knife with a heavy sigh “Thanks for co, Jack I kno busy you are”
Seeing her problems firsthand made Jack feel like shit In his defense, his new partnership at the architecture firm had heaped on major responsibilities And Jen had a lotfor the company But Jack could clearly see this was all too much for one person to handle In the last month, Jen had moved her family into their dad’s home to better care for him Since their father’s business partner had disappeared with Pinnacle’s h all sorts of twisted hoops to keep the financial reaper at bay
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around” He kissed Joshua’s head and breathed in his sweet baby scent “Hoas Dad’s visit with the new doctor?”