Mind Games

“She is,” Rem confirmed. Then grabbed a glass and downed it before going to the door. He shoved the screen open. “Hey, Grammie, Ty’s got something needs put together at his place. Thea and I are going down to give him a hand with it. We’re all done here.”

“That’s fine. You leave this boy with me. We haven’t finished our visit. Have we, Bray?”

“Uh-uh. I stay with Grammie. Bye!”

“But—”

“You’re doing her a favor.” Rem slapped Ty on the shoulder. “Got tools? Besides a screwdriver?”

“Not to speak of.”

“Mine are in my truck. We’ll ride down in it.”

* * *

They took over. And after a short period of bafflement, gratitude took over. They obviously knew what to do, how to do it, so delegated him as whatever came just below apprentice.

More, they clearly enjoyed the work, and beyond that, working with each other. As he carted precut lumber, tools, hardware, he tried to come up with a project he and his sister or his brother had done together.

And couldn’t come up with one.

They got along fine, he reminded himself. But it seemed to him Thea and Rem shared a different kind of bond.

Not so surprising, really, he decided, considering how and when they’d lost their parents.

After a couple hours, Ty could see the bones of it, and concluded Bray would have started high school, possibly graduated, before he’d have finished it.

“I didn’t realize it was so … much. He’s just one kid.”

“You’re going to have more coming around once they see this. Got this little rock wall going, the swings and slide. Got your pretend grill down here—once we get to it. And that majorly cool upper deck clubhouse.”

Grinning at it, Rem swiped sweat off his forehead with his forearm. “I’d’ve been all over this as a kid. Hell, I’m going to be all over it now.”

“He’s going to love it,” Thea confirmed. “And it’s good and sturdy. And here comes the lucky boy now, so you can get his opinion.”

Bray’s squeal said it all as he raced ahead of Lucy. “Wanna swing!”

“Not yet. It’s not ready.”

“Made progress.” Lucy set a picnic basket on Miss Leona’s old picnic table. “And isn’t that going to be something? What a good daddy you’ve got. We figured it was time for the construction crew to take a lunch break, didn’t we, Bray?”

“I had ham and biscuits and pie!”

“And we’ve got more.”

“Perfect timing.” So declaring, Rem set down his drill, winked at Bray. “If you talk Grammie into helping, we’ll have you swinging by suppertime.”

Somehow, they did.

With the three of them working, and his minimal help and steady supply of cold drinks, Bray had his debut swing by suppertime. He followed that up by clambering like a monkey up the little rock wall, hauling himself onto the upper deck and into the clubhouse, wheeing his way down the slide.

Almost as giddy as his son, Ty took pictures with his phone.

“One more favor? Could you all stand over there, in front of it? Crew shot.”

After they posed for him, he tucked his phone away. “I’m never going to be able to thank you enough.”

Thea glanced back to where Bray came down the slide again, laughing all the way.