After their long weekend, they had a stretch of good weather, allowing them to get a lot of work done, and prep a lot for less intensive work to be done on any workable winter days.
Sunshine, blue skies, and the scent of autumn wafting through the air. Why, it practically spoke perfection, Jason told his brothers one evening at their cabin.
Josh groaned and rolled his eyes.
Jeremy laughed at Josh.
"Give me sunshine and clean dry air," Josh told him. "Lots of work going out and money coming in."
"Joshua, you have no poetry in your soul."
"Yeah, I do, and that's where I keep it. Has no place in business."
"Y-you sound like St-tempel."
"You want your face smushed? Not that that's the insult you seem to think. He's a good businessman, when he isn't sidetracked by get rich fast schemes."
"Now, Josh, those dealings are secret and we don't know nothing about them."
"At least not until he tries to underpay us to get his money back."
"He hasn't succeeded yet."
"He's come close. Why don't you worry about the poetry in his soul?"
"He's not my brother."
Jason was pleased with his brothers. Every day, they – all three of them – were getting stronger as a team working together. Well, maybe not every day. Age and experience differences led to sometimes opposing viewpoints on new (or old) ideas; ways of getting things done.
That was why it was good that there were three of them. One on each end of every innovation, one in the middle acting as a balance. No, that wasn't the right imagery. The third had to throw his weight to one side or the other of the scale, or they'd not get anything done.
He'd been impressed with Jeremy's handling of the inevitable teasing after his shortened trip. He hadn't asked for Jason's help, which was more of a relief than Jason liked to admit. As a brother, if Jeremy had asked, Jason would have been right to say something to the men; as a boss, that was one of the wrongest things to do. Thank goodness he hadn't had to sweat that decision out.
Whether it had been from Jeremy's own personality, or from whatever advice Josh might have given, Jeremy had endured and handled the matter. It had probably been a combination of all the factors. Jeremy had alternately pretended not to hear, blushed, laughed, muttered to himself and thrown murderous looks, but the best – and, Jason suspected, final – act had been as they were leaving today. Someone had said something, and Josh had elbowed Jeremy.
Jeremy had glanced at Josh, his eyes sparkling, then turned, taking a few backward steps, to answer back – "Wouldn't you like to know?" before laughing and skipping ahead of his brothers.
"That's the idea," the heckler returned, while the rest of the men booed or laughed at the smart-aleck response.
"And that should be that," Josh had muttered. All indications were that both brothers had agreed with him.
"Dishes or fires, Jason?" Josh asked, pulling him back into the moment."Jeremy's cooking so he can go for a swim before the night feeders start prowling."
"Good lord, isn't the water getting cold for that? I'll take care of the fire, Josh." They both would have been astonished if he'd volunteered for dishes. It was a temptation to shock them.
"N-not on sunshine d-days. It feels g-good to lay on top of the w-water."
"Mm. The idea has appeal, I admit. Too chilly for me, though."
Jeremy looked relieved. Fifteen/sixteen did prefer privacy more than brotherly bonding, as a rule. He hadn't shown any reaction other than a quick glance.
Jason laughed out loud at himself and his "evil" thoughts of startling his brothers with unusual behaviors. It was fun to tease them, every now and then.
"We're doing good, brothers," he said, before stepping out to bring in firewood. He couldn't remember a time when things had gone so well for so long.
Finally.