The Other Brother Read Online Free

He'd apparently been dissatisfied with the amount of food inside, because when Gabriel came home the next day, the refrigerator was stocked with enough provisions to feed a family of five, and a note attached to the door said, "My boy has to eat well."
    Gabriel appreciated his father's concern, but he often thought Pops went too far. He was a thirty-year-old man, for God's sake. When was Pops going to realize that and stop intervening whenever he hit a pothole in his life?
    "I've never let you fail," Pops said. "Is that a true statement?"
    Gabriel wanted to tell his father to back off, but he couldn't. He loved his dad, and his father only wanted the best for him. He didn't want to spurn his father's assistance and hurt his feelings.
    Gabriel summoned a smile. "That's true"
    Pops squeezed his shoulder. "Anyway, why are you hanging around here? It's your birthday your thirtieth birthday. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"
    "I've got work to do, Pops. I've got another meeting at eleven; then I need to put in a call to-"
    "All that can wait, man. I'm not asking you to take off. As your boss, I'm ordering you" He grinned. "My boy's not gonna spend his thirtieth birthday working all day."
    "Well, if you say so. Thanks"
    "You've earned it, son"
    Pops's words echoed in Gabriel's thoughts as he walked to his office to retrieve his belongings. You've earned it, son.
    Had he really earned anything? Or had he only been lucky to be born into the right family?
    His executive assistant was an elegant, silver-haired black woman affectionately known as Miss Angie. She smiled at him as he passed by.
    "Someone's got a delivery from a certain young lady," Miss Angie said.
    "Is that so? Let me check it out" He walked inside his office. It was a cavernous space, clean and orderly, full of polished mahogany furniture, comfortable leather chairs, vibrant art work, and lush plants. Pops had hired an interior decorator for him.
    A vase full of colorful lilies, tulips, and roses stood on the large desk. A Mylar balloon announcing HAPPY BIRTHDAY! floated above the bouquet.
    He read the card attached to the vase.
    Happy Birthday, Babyface, the card read. It was signed, Love, Dana.
    She'd had flowers delivered to his job. His fiancee sure knew how to surprise him.
    He called Dana's number, but got her voice mail. Dana was a pediatrics resident at Emory and probably was in the midst of making her rounds. He left her a message asking her to call him back on his cell phone.
    As he left, he told Miss Angie he was going home for the day and asked her to reschedule his meetings.
    "T.L. already told me," she said.
    "Oh, okay."
    Pops was always one step ahead of him.
    "Have a great birthday," Miss Angie said. "Tell Dana I said hi."
    When Gabriel pushed through the glass double doors to exit the building, the rain was coming down harder. He opened his umbrella.
    Reid Construction was headquartered in a sprawling, slate-gray, two-story building on a hundred-acre plot of land located near Cascade Road in southwest Atlanta. Lots of big windows, shady trees, and meticulous landscaping lent the headquarters an air of quiet professionalism.
    The vast parking lot, full at this time of morning, offered three reserved spaces in the row nearest the entrance. The first slot, for the CEO, was occupied by his father's black Mercedes-Benz S600 sedan; the second one, vacant, was for the chief financial officer, who was out on vacation; the third spot was for the vice president of operations, Gabriel. Rain drummed against his white Lincoln Navigator.
    Driving away from the building, windshield wipers clicking across the glass, Gabriel switched on the radio. On V-103, a news reporter talked about a forecast for heavy rains and potential flooding, and cautioned drivers to slow down.
    Slow down yeah, right, Gabriel thought. You'd have a better chance of negotiating world peace than you would convincing Atlanta drivers to slow down.
    He switched to another station. Jill