of sorts since Joe’s son Nathan had left for the summer. The two of them were maybe even closer than Mike and Joe or Morgan and Kate, who’d been best friends since elementary school.
For a blissful hour or so everything was fine. Normal. Happy.
“This was a good idea, kid.” Mike gave Landry credit where it was due as he polished off another slice of pizza.
They were laughing as Abby ignored them and focused on her phone instead. Kate shot him a warning glance, but Mike shook his head no, subtly. Hell, their daughter was probably texting Nathan. So he left her alone. One meal in peace was worth a hell of a lot to him these days.
“Dad?” Abby asked around a mouth full of gooey cheese, surprising him.
“Yeah?” He looked up and the last bit of crust became awfully hard to swallow. Fine lines creased the perfect, smooth skin between her eyebrows. They were even more pronounced than they would have been otherwise since she’d recently become obsessed with watching videos online about shaping and makeup and all sorts of things he wasn’t ready to deal with in regards to his baby girl just yet. Kate permitted her to test out stuff in the house, but it was still a shock to see her looking so damn grown up. And now, worried. “What’s wrong?”
“You better call Uncle Joe. Nathan said something bad happened and everyone is freaking out.”
“Bad? What kind of bad?” Kate stood up straight and then turned a bit ashen before sinking back into her chair.
Damn it. Everything was falling apart.
“An accident.” Landry was looking at the hand-me-down phone he’d talked Mike into activating so he could stay in touch with Klea and Nathan now that Joe’s kids were out of their area code. “Somebody got hurt. Not Uncle Joe. Somebody who works for him.”
“Shit!” Mike stood from the table, his chair scraping on the floor as he jammed his hand into his pocket. But just as he touched his own phone, it began to buzz beneath his fingers. He hauled it out and went onto the patio to talk in case he had to shield the kids from something gruesome. Hopefully Nathan wouldn’t text them pictures before he could find out if everyone was okay. Physically and beyond.
Bad shit could go down on a construction site. They’d been lucky to avoid anything serious at Powertools the past twenty years, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen to anyone at any time.
And Joe was new to this…
It was a lot of responsibility to be the one shouldering that burden. Mike knew that all too well. Maybe he could lend some support, even from far away.
“What happened?” Mike barked as he connected the call from Joe.
“I should have been paying more attention. I didn’t see they were working close enough to get crossed up. The roofing framers, I mean. Adam got tangled in Cole’s pneumatic hose and fell from the second story while carrying some trusses. Looks like he fractured his tibia and maybe screwed up his kneecap too. I watched him fall like some shit out of The Matrix, except I couldn’t get there in time. But fuck, it could have been worse. So much worse. And it would have been my fault.”
“No, it wouldn’t have been. That’s not your job.”
“To take on everyone’s issues? Accept blame for whatever happens? Could have fooled me. The buck stops with the foreman, doesn’t it? At least it does when you’re the one running things. I don’t know that I’m cut out to be one of those. I’m not you.” Joe sounded miserable.
Was that what he did? Mike wasn’t sure. He did his best for the guys, and the woman, in his crew. Not to mention the rest of their lovers and kids when they were outside of work. But right now he couldn’t do shit to protect Joe or help him carry the burden he knew was heavy as fuck. As much as he wished he could take charge and solve the problem or, hell, even just hug the guy…
His arms weren’t long enough to reach.
“If I could do this for you, I would.” Mike pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You can’t. I signed up for this, and if I don’t follow through I’m going to let Eli and Uncle Tom and the rest of the Hot Rods down. On the other hand, if I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, someone could literally die—” Joe cut off with