As the elevator came to a stop, Valerie checked her watch. Shifting the roll of plans in her arm so she could adjust the strap of the bag over her shoulder, she nodded hello to a coworker and stepped out onto the top floor. Through the glass wall, she could see most of the team already gathered.

She rushed into the room just seconds before the scheduled start time and slipped into a chair at the end of the table closest to the door. When she settled in, she looked up and caught Brad staring at her. She smiled in greeting, but he didn’t smile back. He looked away and spoke to the man at his right. Valerie recognized the man as the developer of the hospital Dixon Brothers had contracted to design and build.

Since she had taken over from another architect upon coming to the Atlanta office, she’d had no interaction with the team about this project specifically, and spent the first part of the meeting making notes, catching up, garnering an understanding of the scope of the work and what tasks she would need to perform. She made a note to arrange a meeting directly with the owner to discuss color needs, design desires, and concepts. That meeting could happen much later than right now, of course. However, she hoped she could come out of this meeting with enough information to start putting together a package for bidders.

She noticed her name on the agenda right about the time Brad asked, “Valerie, do you have anything for Mr. Cooper?”

Looking at Mr. Cooper, she said, “I know there was another architect in my place before today. Did the two of you agree on any specific design needs?”

He spun his chair so he faced her directly. “We agreed that the meeting could come later in the process.”

She nodded. “Very good. I want to go ahead and set that up with you. I have a lot of experience in medical facilities and understand the psychology behind the colors needed for the different rooms, etc. If you have an idea of what you want, design-wise, for the interior, I can give you preliminary concepts very quickly.”

“I’ll get with you before I leave.”

Brad met her eyes, nodded, and turned to Jon. “What kind of time line will we need from finalized plans to breaking ground?”

“Six weeks.”

“That seems optimistic,” Brad observed.

Jon cleared his throat and sat forward. “Conservative, actually. Once we have the final plans in hand, we’ll need at least two weeks to advertise the bid and prepare to receive bids, and then two more weeks before bid day. From there….”

Valerie listened to Jon speak with half an ear while she made notes in her tablet. As she finished her to-do list, the meeting ended and she stayed in her chair, waiting for the room to clear so she could corner Mr. Cooper and schedule a meeting directly with him.

While she sat there, a reminder of a meeting in fifteen minutes vibrated from her phone. She swiped the screen of her tablet to pull up the details and see what kind of mental shift she needed to make.

“How’s it going?”

She glanced up, expecting to see Brad, but instead found his brother. “Good, just a little overwhelmed. I was handed this project two days ago and didn’t realize the owner would be in this meeting today.”

Jon tapped the top of the specification book. “This isn’t even the right project.” He laughed.

“I know,” she said with a smile. “That’s the next meeting. I need to sit down and seriously organize the projects I have. I don’t want to drop any balls, but I don’t think I could be handed another one.” She gestured with her chin toward the head of the table where Brad and Mr. Cooper spoke with Philip. “What about you? I didn’t realize you were staying in Atlanta.”

He shifted so his hip propped against the table. “I have no desire to stay in Atlanta. I want to get far away and stay there as long as possible. However, until a project comes up, I’m kinda stuck. I teased Brad about trying to get rid of me. I’m afraid I gave the impression I want to stay.” He picked up a paperclip from the center of the table and gradually unbent it. “I love my family like nothing else. But, after my trip to Egypt, I very much desire to create my own identity away from them.”

“I’m sure there are specifics that pertain to you and not to me. But just know that I understand what you’re saying so much more than you probably even realize,” Valerie said. With his raised eyebrow, she laughed. “Of course, I’m not a triplet, so maybe I don’t completely understand.” She stood as Philip left the conference room. “Excuse me,” she murmured to Jon, and made her way to the head of the table. “Mr. Cooper, do you have a minute now to schedule a meeting?”

Brad checked the time. “We’re on our way to talk to the soil testing company.”

He said it without emotion, and without room for any kind of argument. When she looked at his face, she watched his lips tighten and his eyes slightly narrow. Frowning, she wondered at the entirely out of character but clearly hostile attitude. Mr. Cooper kept her from having to ask. “It will only take a sec to check my calendar, Brad,” he said, pulling his phone out of a clip on his belt. “Is there a day you have in mind?”

Valerie smiled, her calendar already pulled up on her phone. “I have a staff meeting Monday mornings at nine.”

They worked through dates until they found one that gave them a full two hours to work together. She held out her hand and he took it in his firm grip. “Thanks, Mr. Cooper. I look forward to meeting with you then.”

“Likewise,” he said with a wink, and turned back to Brad. “Ready to go find out what kind of soil we have to work with?”

When Brad left without even a goodbye, she frowned at the door. What in the world was wrong with him?

Deciding she couldn’t worry about his particular mood, she gathered the set of plans and specifications she’d brought into the room with her and carried them over to the conference room next door. Even though the two conference rooms shared a media wall that retracted, she had to exit the room, enter the main floor, and then enter the adjacent room through another door. The other three walls of each room were made of glass and looked out on the cubicle work areas of the floor with hallways on either end of the rooms and the elevator area. Controls in the room would allow the walls to become opaque if needed.

When she entered the second conference room, she saw half the team there. After greeting everyone, she went to the computer and accessed her file for her time of presentation. Syncing her tablet to the presentation, she finally sat back down in her seat, ready and waiting for her turn to present.

Brad shifted his weight and lifted the granite countertop. “There,” Ken said, leaning down to look directly at the bubble in the level. “Just hold that.”

Instead of replying, Brad grunted. He had a good stance with this angle, so the slab didn’t feel too heavy.

“Okay, good,” Ken said, sliding the level into his tool belt.

Brad very gently released his hold on the slab of granite. He ran his palm over the smooth surface. “Nice. Beautiful.”

“I agree. Got it for a steal, too. Someone miscut it for another job. So, I just had to custom build the cabinets around it.”

Brad stood back and looked at the kitchen. Visually, he couldn’t see anything different between the cabinets on this side of the kitchen and the ones on the other side. “How far off scope are you?”

“Three-quarters of an inch. Easy fix.”

Brad looked around the room. “What else?”

Ken shrugged. “Post-construction cleaning. We’re done. House goes on the market as soon as the landscaper lays sod and the cleaning crew makes it shine.”

The front door opened, and Jon walked in. “Hey,” he said, “landscaper Billy followed me in from the highway and the sky is quickly turning black. Do you want us to help him?”

“It’ll go faster.”

Brad followed his brothers outside and lifted a hand in greeting to Billy. He looked up at the dark sky and felt the cool breeze against the heat of the day. In the background, he could hear the forklift removing the pallets of sod from the back of Billy’s truck. “We have to hurry if this is going down,” he said.

“That’s why I headed over,” Billy said.

Jon and Ken grabbed a roll of sod and carried it to the edge of the house. Ken picked up the heavy rake and started raking right in front of the roll. As he worked backward, Jon slowly unrolled it. Brad walked over to the pallet and he and Billy picked up the next roll.

By the time they made it to the edge of the property, the wind had increased a good twenty miles per hour. Debris flew around them and big, heavy raindrops had started to fall. Ken gestured toward the house. “You go on in,” he said. “Billy and I got this last one.”

Brad followed Jon onto the porch where they watched as Billy efficiently raked the ground as Ken unrolled the sod behind him. Brad rubbed his forearm, noticing the dirt smear in the sweat. “That’s harder work than I remember.”

“Too busy wearing ties,” Jon smirked.

“Yeah.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So, what’s going on, brother?”

Jon raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you seem a little on-edge. Almost hostile, but not quite.”

Jon pursed his lips and nodded, then looked up at the sky. “Tell you the truth, Brad, inside, I kinda feel like that sky looks.”

Brad followed his gaze and saw the dark clouds high in the sky, and lighter colored clouds moving fast with the wind. Trees shook and bent and twisted with the force of the gale. Thunder rumbled a little louder than the last time. As Brad watched, a sudden bolt of lightning lit up the sky, momentarily leaving an imprint on his vision when he blinked.

“Do you have some idea what it is you’re seeking?”

Jon walked along the porch, stopping to look in the window. Manufacturer labels and construction dust clung to the glass. Brad couldn’t tell if he looked into the living room or if he stared at his own reflection. “Meaning, I think. Every year, we go to these places where people live in such horrible conditions, in pain, in need….” His voice trailed off and he rubbed the back of his neck. When he looked at Brad, his eyes were as stormy as the sky. “I just don’t understand what’s going on with the world. How can God be so removed from it?”

Brad opened his mouth to offer encouragement, but Jon held up a hand and stopped him before he could start. “I don’t need platitudes, brother. I already know everything you can possibly say to me. It doesn’t chill what’s going on in my heart and mind. What I saw….” He let out a breath. “I just need to work it out myself.”

Brad swallowed and nodded. “How can I help? What can I do?”

Jon shook his head. “Nothing. But, thanks. I mean it.” He lifted his chin in Brad’s direction. “Now, give. What’s going on with you and Valerie?”

“Nothing.”

Like a shark, Jon smelled blood in the water. “Aw, come on, now. Saw you finally went on that second date with her after prom. Only took about twenty years. Good for you. I take it you proposed. I hear spring weddings are nice. Now, I give good toasts, so obviously I’ll be your best man. Ken would make an adorable ring bearer.”

He didn’t think he needed to burden Jon with his own inner turmoil. So, he said, “The date was great, but there’s nothing going on. I think what I wanted in high school doesn’t exist anymore.”

Jon stared at him for a long time before he said, “Well, no kidding, Brad. I imagine a lot has changed inside both of you since high school.”

“More than I can talk about now.” He looked at his watch. “Did you get my email about our mission trip this year?”

“Yes, sir, boss man. When the big boss man personally sends us little peons an email, we read them right away.” Jon grinned at his own wit. “Has Ken weighed in?”

Brad had researched possible projects for them to do on their annual birthday trip and found three options. An earthquake in Alaska changed his original plans, though, and he’d sent that information to his brothers with the suggestion of possibly going there.

“Ken would rather go to the panhandle of Florida. So much rebuilding needed after last year’s hurricane.”

“Yeah. And because Florida’s a day’s drive but Alaska would require a flight.”

Brad nodded. “I know that. You know that. I don’t know if he knows that.”

With a booming laugh, Jon slapped Brad on the shoulder. “Let’s give him a break this year and head down to Florida. We’ll even let him drive.”

Brad couldn’t help but smile. “Fair enough.” He looked at his watch. “I need to head home before I get caught too much in this storm.” He held his hand out and Jon immediately took it. “See you, brother.”

“Yeah. I’m going to hang out with Ken. Probably sleep here tonight.”

He blew a sharp whistle toward Ken as he walked to his truck, pulling the keys out of his jeans pocket. Ken looked up and yelled, “Thanks! See you at church!”

Instead of fighting the wind with his voice, he just gave him a thumbs up and fought to get his door open. As he backed out of the yard, he saw Billy run to his truck and Ken dash to the porch seconds before the sky opened up and a hard rain fell, almost blinding him through his windshield.