“Have you checked on her?” Sawyer asked as he stopped at the table, glancing into the living room.
“No. Dad just called and asked me to come over. Told me he’d feed me if I stayed here. Said she was sleepin’,” Brendon replied, looking up at Sawyer for the first time.
“I was sleepin’,” Lorrie’s soft voice came from the living room.
Sawyer looked up to see his mother coming toward them, wrapped in her favorite pink terry-cloth bathrobe and sporting matching slippers on her feet.
“Sorry. Did we wake you?” Sawyer glanced down at Buster and then back up to his mother.
Lorrie merely smiled.
“You all right?” Sawyer asked, meeting her halfway, hugging her, and planting a kiss on her cheek.
“I’m great. It’s your father who’s so panicky,” Lorrie said with a smile. Her voice sounded rough, like she’d had a coughing spell or two.
“That’s Dad for ya,” Sawyer said. “Want me to make you some tea?”
“No, honey,” Lorrie said as though the notion was preposterous. “I can make my own tea.”
“Sit,” Sawyer ordered, pulling out a chair at the table. “I’ll make your tea.”
Lorrie lowered herself into her seat, glaring up at Sawyer as she did, but he noticed she didn’t make too much of a fuss. She wasn’t feeling well, that much he was sure of. That didn’t stop her from leaning over and giving her grandpuppies—as she referred to the dogs—some love.
“Where’s your father?” Lorrie asked Brendon.
Brendon continued to watch the dogs as though he didn’t want to look at people, which concerned Sawyer a bit. It wasn’t a secret that Brendon had been a little screwed up since Braydon had hauled ass out of town and stayed gone for a solid three months before finally coming back. Sawyer didn’t know the whole story, but whatever it was, Brendon wasn’t over it entirely. His moods were still up and down these days, but mostly down. Considering Braydon and Jessie were now in the process of establishing a relationship—without Brendon—Sawyer had to believe that was part of it.
“He went to get food. Said somethin’ about pickin’ up chicken noodle soup for you.”
Sawyer stood at the stove, waiting for the water in the teakettle to boil while he watched his mother. He noticed how her eyes softened when Brendon told her where Curtis had gone. Those two were something else. Sometimes Sawyer had a difficult time understanding how two people could spend the majority of their lives together and still appear as though they never wanted to spend a minute apart.
After a few minutes, the kettle began to whistle and Sawyer went to work getting his mother’s tea ready.
“Have you been back to the hospital today?” Lorrie asked.
Sawyer glanced over to see she was looking at him.
“I have not. Figured they’d want a little privacy. They’re comin’ home tomorrow,” Sawyer told her.
“That’s what I heard. Mom and baby are doin’ well. I hope I can get to feelin’ better so I can go see Kate,” Lorrie said.
“I’m sure they’re gonna need some help around there. Travis is gonna be a nutcase by the time the week is up.”
Lorrie chuckled, reaching for the mug of tea when Sawyer set it on the table in front of her. He then took one of the vacant chairs at the table and studied his brother for a moment.
“So what’s got your boxers all pinched up?”
Brendon lifted his gaze and glared at Sawyer.
“I’m good,” Brendon told him, and Sawyer saw it for the lie it was.
“Jared’s gonna be out of town for a few days. I’m gonna head things up at the shop. You cool with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Brendon asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Thought maybe you’d like to be the boss for a few days,” Sawyer mentioned.
“Oh, hell no. Sorry, Ma,” Brendon said quickly. “No way. Not me.”
“How come? You gonna spend the rest of your life bein’ a foreman?”
“That’s the plan.”
Sawyer noticed Lorrie was watching them both intently, following their conversation silently.
“Well, if you wanna give it a shot, just let me know. I’m actually kinda glad to be back for a few days.”
“Back where?” Curtis’s voice boomed in the otherwise quiet house as he walked in the back door.
Sawyer peered over his shoulder to see his father carrying two plastic sacks. He immediately got to his feet to help him.
“I didn’t know you were gonna be here, boy,” Curtis told him.