Nobody’s Hero (3 page)

Chapter Four

Coincidence was one thing, but this had to be some sort of cosmic joke. He should have seen it, shouldn’t he? The photos and Mr. Ortega’s smile. If he’d paid attention, he could have prepared himself. Instead the shock of it scrambled his brains.

“Hey.” It was the only word he could force out.

“You know each other?” Mr. Ortega glanced between Brad and Danny.

Brad stared at Danny. What would he say? Had Danny told his dad about meeting the gay guy at the truck stop last night? God, it would make Brad sound like some kind of pervert trolling for tricks.
Wait.
Danny had asked him out and Brad had shot him down. Was he pissed?

“We ran into each other last night,” Danny said casually, his smile displaying the overlapping teeth.

He searched Danny’s face, waiting. He desperately needed this job.

Danny ducked as Ray tried to smack him with the bleached jeans. Brad took a moment to pull himself together. Maybe if he got the job, he and Danny could talk later about what had happened. Maybe he could convince Danny to keep quiet about the details.

Mr. Ortega rubbed the bridge of nose and sighed. “Do I want to know what’s going on?”

“Nope.” Danny smiled. “I think it’s safer all the way around if you don’t.”

“He bleached my jeans!” Ray apparently didn’t share his brother’s sensibilities.

Mr. Ortega shook his head and looked at Danny, who shrugged. “He deserved it.”

“Excellent,” Mr. Ortega said, standing up a half an hour later. “I feel good about this. I’ve got some paperwork you’ll need to fill out, and then we’re set. When do you want to start?”

The tension that had tightened Brad’s body for the last few days relaxed. He’d gotten the job. “I can start whenever you need me to. I could start today if you wanted.” It wasn’t like he had anything else planned. Spending the rest of the afternoon in his truck didn’t appeal to him at all.

Mr. Ortega seemed pleased with his enthusiasm. “I don’t have anyone to work with you today, and we don’t work on Sundays unless we’re behind schedule. Monday will be soon enough. I think for the first couple of days, until you get a feel for the town, you should come here in the morning. You can go to the worksite with either me or Daniel—who, I take it, you know?” he said, gesturing to the door where the two guys had collided.

Mr. Ortega paused to take a sip of his coffee. “He’s working with me this summer too. As I said, he’s also a student at Carleton. Just finished his first year. He can help you get acquainted with the town and the campus so you’ll have a head start when the fall semester begins.”

Brad nodded, trying hard to rein in the new stampede of worries. He hadn’t had time to come to terms with Danny being related to his new boss, and now Danny worked for the company too? Ride with Danny? See him every day? How was that supposed to work? If Danny was pissed at him for the night before, it would make things awkward as hell.

What if Danny wasn’t angry? If he still wanted to get together? Hooking up with the boss’s son was an epically bad idea, and Brad couldn’t afford to screw up his life yet again. He needed to get his shit together and make enough money to live through the summer until his scholarships processed.

Mr. Ortega rifled through a couple of files on his desk and came up with some forms. He handed them, an old metal clipboard and, after digging through a drawer, a black pen to Brad.

“The first form is a basic questionnaire for the personnel file and then the W2. Gotta get the taxes worked out. The second page is a list of safety equipment you’ll need—safety glasses, steel-toed boots and a few other things. The last is a breakdown of expectations, pay rate and schedule, and company mission statement.”

“Great.” Brad glanced through the stack of papers in his hand and tried to line them up on the clipboard. His heart sank when he read the list of safety equipment. There was no way he’d be able to afford all of this, not without tapping into his trust fund, which absolutely wasn’t happening. Even the money couldn’t make him face his family again.

Mr. Ortega handed him a blue note card. “You’ll need to get a physical and we do random, mandatory drug testing. Go to the clinic here and you can get it taken care of first thing Monday.”

Brad looked at the card, his mind still focused on the safety equipment. “Uh, Mr. Ortega—”

“Please, I told you, call me Hector,” Mr. Ortega interrupted.

Licking his lips, Brad continued, “Hector. Ah, I don’t think I’ll be able to afford most of the safety equipment.”
Or any of it.
“Is there work I could do until the first paycheck? Something not requiring the safety equipment? Filing or office work? I’ll be sure to get everything after the first check.”

Mr. Ortega considered him for a moment. Brad held his breath, hoping he hadn’t ruined things. Finally Mr. Ortega nodded, as though he’d come to a decision. “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll provide the safety glasses, hard hat and gloves. We can deduct the cost from your pay over the course of several weeks. What size shoe do you wear?”

“Eleven.”

“Perfect. My son-in-law is also an eleven. He doesn’t work much on-site anymore. He handles more of the marketing and business aspects of the company. You can wear his boots until you are able to get your own. I’ll have him bring them by tomorrow so they’ll be here when you stop by on Monday.”

Was this guy for real? The whole thing was too good to be true. Brad had learned a long time ago to look for the shit-storm hiding behind any silver lining. “If you’re sure.”

With a dismissive wave, Mr. Ortega said, “Absolutely. Frankie won’t mind at all.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it. You have no idea.”

He patted Brad’s shoulder. “We’ve all been there.”

Brad pulled out the forms and began filling in the blank fields. Almost right away he ran into a roadblock. Why were things so freaking complicated? “Mr. Ortega?” He glanced up to where his new boss was clipping a blueprint onto a slanted display table.

At his arched brow, Brad said, “I mean, Hector. I have another question.”

“Shoot,” the older man said.

“Can I fill in the address portion later? I haven’t found a place to stay yet. I was going to head to the campus this afternoon and look for a sublet for the summer.”

Mr. Ortega stroked his chin.

Brad’s guts twisted. Mr. Ortega was going to reconsider hiring him. He hadn’t even been part of the team for five minutes and already he was causing more trouble than he was worth.

“We have a small efficiency apartment above the garage.”

“Oh, I couldn’t—”

“Sure you could. We usually have a summer worker staying there. And it’s not a handout. You’d have to pay rent, but it’s a lot cheaper than anything you’ll find near campus. Two hundred bucks a month. The place is pretty basic. It’s got a bathroom, a dorm-sized fridge and a microwave. It doesn’t have a stove, but if you need to cook something, you can come down to the main house and let my wife Anna know.”

It was perfect. The fear of too-good-to-be-true offers almost had him saying no, but the alternative—sleeping in his truck for the next week or two until he had enough money to try to get something less cramped—kept his mouth closed.

Sucking in a breath, Brad thrust his hand out to Mr. Ortega. “If you’re sure, that’d be great. I really appreciate it.”

“Good!” Mr. Ortega shook Brad’s hand then stepped forward and threw his arm across Brad’s shoulders. “Let’s go take a look at the place. Make sure you don’t need anything.”

And that, it seemed, was that.

They’d only made it a few feet when the phone at Mr. Ortega’s belt rang. He pulled it free of its holster and glanced at the display. “I’ve got to take this.” Tapping the screen he answered the call. “Hey, Pat, give me a second, okay?” After muting his phone he bellowed, “Danny!”

Brad jumped.

Danny yelled “Yeah?” from another part of the house.

Does this family have any other volume?

“Come here!”

A moment later, Danny jogged into the hall, a muffin wrapped in a paper towel held in one hand. “What’s up?” He looked between his father and Brad.

“I’ve got to take this call. Brad’s going to be staying in the garage apartment for the summer. Can you take him up and make sure everything is there? Help him haul in any stuff he has too, would you?” Without waiting to make sure Danny agreed, Mr. Ortega turned and headed back to his office, already talking into the phone.

Brad braced himself before turning his attention to Danny.

The guy leaned against the wall, nibbling at the muffin. “I didn’t think I’d see you again. Let alone here, of all places.”

As though it hadn’t nearly sent him into a panic attack, Brad shrugged. “Strange coincidence.”

“Or fate.” Danny pushed himself away from the wall and indicated they should continue on.

Before they’d gotten far, a squealing toddler dashed into the hall, a tan-and-white terrier at her heels. She careened into Brad’s legs and wrapped her chubby arms around his knees. She craned her neck to look up at him. She said something in a language he suspected was supposed to be English, but it could have been Romulan. Or maybe Elvish. He held his hands away from his body to keep from accidentally touching her and jerked his eyes to Danny for some kind of clue as to how he was supposed to react.

“My niece, Veronica. She wants you to protect her from Pepé.” Danny pulled the girl away from Brad and settled her on his own hip. She leaned away from him and held her arms out to Brad.

“Pepé?” Brad was completely lost.

“Pepé, the dog,” Danny said, adjusting his grip on his squirming niece, who was still pulling away from him. “I think she wants you to hold her.”

Pepé yipped and sat on his haunches, furry tail wagging furiously.

“Ah...okay.” Brad studied the toddler and tried to determine the best way to hold her without breaking her. The second he put his arms out, she launched herself out of her uncle’s arms and into his. Brad grunted at the unexpected weight. She was more solid than she looked. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs gripped him at his waist.

Brightly colored cartoon character barrettes decorated her black hair. Large eyes, nearly as dark as her hair, dominated her chubby face. She was simultaneously adorable and terrifying. Growing up, it had just been him and his older brother. There weren’t even any cousins, so he’d never been around babies.

Danny looked on with a smirk.

She giggled and cuddled close, resting her head on his shoulder. The scent of soap and maple syrup enveloped him, oddly comforting. “Here.” He tried to hand Veronica back to Danny. She tightened around him like a boa constrictor.

Danny stepped forward. He reached over and tried to pull her away from Brad. “Veronica,” he said in a firm voice, “go back to the kitchen.
Abuelita
will be looking for you and I’ve got to show Brad around.”

Her bottom lip stuck out, but she relaxed her hold on Brad’s neck and let her uncle set her on the floor. The terrier, apparently happy to have someone on his level again, jumped up, his whole body quivering in excitement, then raced around Veronica’s legs. His long pink tongue darted out, catching the toddler on her ear. She squealed and raced to the other side of the house.

“Sorry about that,” Danny said, stepping aside and gesturing Brad to follow him. “Mamá watches some of the grandkids a few days a week.”

“No problem.” Brad trailed behind Danny, racking his brain for a way to say what needed to be said.

They passed the living room again, but instead of heading straight on toward the front of the house and the door, they followed a connecting door into a dining room. The farther they went, the stronger the scents of apples, cinnamon and brewing coffee grew. Brad’s mouth watered, even though he’d already had a muffin and a glass of orange juice.

The dining room led to a huge kitchen bursting with color. Dark reds and golds on walls and blue floor tiles painted with flowers. A short, plump woman with shoulder-length curls had a phone perched between her ear and shoulder. Her hands were busy kneading dough on the counter and flour dusted her arms up to the elbows. She let loose a rapid stream of Spanish as she slammed the dough onto the yellow counter.

At Brad and Danny’s entrance she looked over and waved in acknowledgment before saying goodbye. “Danny,” she said, “grab the phone for me.”

Unlike her husband or son, whose accents were mild, she had one thick enough it took Brad a minute to understand what she’d said.

Danny grabbed the phone and set it on the counter a safe distance away from the flour. “Mamá, this is Brad. Papá hired him for the summer and is going to rent him the garage apartment.”

“Hello, Mrs. Ortega.” Brad held out his hand.

She didn’t have the same outgoing personality her son and husband had, but there was a pure mom-vibe that made him immediately comfortable. She couldn’t have been more than five foot two, but there was a no-nonsense attitude about her. He figured she could probably accomplish anything she put her mind to, including riding herd on some forty-odd relatives at a family gathering.

She looked up at him with a warm smile. “Welcome,” she said, reaching for a towel, wiping her hands. She shook his hand with a strong grip.

“Call me Anna. You let me know if you need anything, yes?” Her chocolate-dark eyes assessed him. “You are too skinny. You need to eat more.”

“Thank you.” Brad took his hand back.

“I’m going to show him the apartment and help him get settled,” Danny said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Wait,” Mrs. Ortega said. “I have food.”

Brad didn’t know what that meant, but by the indulgent look on his face, Danny did. Brad glanced between the two Ortegas and rolled the employment papers nervously in his hands.

Mrs. Ortega went to a cupboard and pulled out a plastic grocery bag, then went to the freezer and started filling it with an assortment of containers. With each one she announced its contents—
frijoles
,
empanadas—
before setting it in the bag. She moved on to the pantry and pulled out a loaf of bread, some individual boxes of cereal and a package of tortillas. She pulled out a couple of gallon-size resealable bags, then filled one with half a dozen fresh muffins. In the other one, she put a bunch of grapes. She handed the bags to Brad.