Dalton scratched his head. “Oh, yeah. What a nightmare. I kept telling him we needed to do redwood maple, but he was stuck on some cheap Trex imitation wood. Does he think we’re, like, fucking Home Depot or something? Of course, I refused until he agreed to let me show him how the redwood would look.”

Tristan ground his teeth, reminding her of Cal’s habit. He practically hissed the words out. “You can’t refuse a client because you don’t like their choices! I was just negotiating a property and ready to close with a huge profit margin. Until Sandy Harper walked in and said her client refused. When I asked why, she said her father has a pile of wood and no deck and she didn’t trust me. What the hell did you do, Dalton?”

Dalton narrowed his gaze. “I ordered the sample so I could show him how it would look. He’s gonna love it and book me for the job. I planned to go out there tomorrow. I’ll handle it.”

Tristan raked his fingers through his hair. The strands fell back in perfect precision. So different from Cal’s, who always had hat head or looked like he had rolled right out of bed. Of course, it made him look so sexy, she hid his combs. “You always say you’ll handle it,” Tristan said bitterly. “You’re not Michelangelo, and sometimes you need to suck it up and do what the client wants.”

“Even if it’s wrong? If I didn’t think he’d go for the redwood, I would’ve shut my mouth and given him the Trex. He doesn’t want the Trex. He wants to be impressed and in love with his new deck. When did that become wrong? I do my job with pride.”

“I’d rather you do your job and get paid.”

Dalton shook his head in disgust. “Why are you buying property anyway, dude? That’s not your role here. Your ass should be in this house with Morgan and me to get this done in time. Instead, you’re playing real estate games, and you’re no Million Dollar Listing agent. You’re not even half as good-looking and you have a hell of a lot less money.”

Morgan bit her lip and tried to step in. “Umm, guys, how about we talk about this later? We’re tired, it’s hot, and it’s been a long day.”

“Are you kidding me? That show is a joke. I could outsell any of those agents, because I know how to redo a property. I pull my weight on this project every day. Is it wrong that I’m the only one who can see the future? Securing this property means we’ll be renovating the project, then we can sell it for a huge profit. Sticking with only building is a mistake.”

“We’re not even gonna be here next year, dude!” Dalton yelled. “I thought the plan was we get in and get out. Cal wants this company, not us.”

“Cal isn’t capable of running this company the way I can. He’s not Dad. I’ve been thinking about this problem for a long time and finally came to a decision.” His jaw clenched. “I want to run Pierce Brothers. I think it’s time for a change around here.”

The silence was deafening. Dalton stared in shock at his brother. “You never wanted Pierce Brothers.”

Tristan’s eyes turned cold. “Yes, I did. I was pushed out and decided not to fight. But this time I’m not giving up. The company needs a visionary, and Cal isn’t ready to make the changes.”

Dalton took a step back. “You’d turn on him?” he asked. “On me?”

“I’m not turning on anyone. I’m just claiming what’s been mine all along.”

“Is that how you see it, little brother?”

The familiar voice rang through the air. Cal stood framed by the doorway, his gaze expressionless as he took in the exchange. Dalton muttered a curse. Emotions swirled and crested in the room, and raw masculine energy pressed down upon Morgan. This was a testosterone battle way out of her league. Still, she needed to try.

Pasting a smile on her face, she stepped forward. “Cal, I just think things got a bit out of control. Maybe we can take a break. Regroup. Let’s quit for the day.”

“I appreciate your trying to help, Morgan. I really do. But I think it’s best if you leave now.”

She glanced back and forth between the three of them. Half of her stubbornly refused to leave him, but this was a family crisis they needed to solve themselves. There must be a way for them to find each other again. Maybe if she left, the fight would turn and they’d make up. Maybe they could be a family once more.

“Will you be all right?”

Another man might have mocked her or beat his chest in masculine outrage at such a question. Cal only smiled, the last bit of warmth in the room. “Yes. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”

“Okay.” She paused. “I know you have issues. I know it’s not my business. But family is special. You don’t choose blood, so it’s not supposed to be easy. You understand each other in ways no one else could. Just . . . give each other a chance. For all of your sakes.”

Morgan walked out and left them alone.

Cal heard her words, and his gut lurched. She sounded just like Mom. Always trying to stop the bickering and remind them of what was important. Yet, here he stood, listening to his middle brother plan to cut him out and leave him behind. Had it really come to this?

Especially this week. God, not this week.

Six years and it still felt like yesterday. Six years ago, his mother had died in that car crash and changed everything. His brothers were finally together, yet so far apart, they hadn’t even mentioned the date to one another. Grief beat in his bones, and he desperately fought back. Not now. The anniversary was always painful, but this year all the memories were close to the surface, ready to draw blood. He just had to keep it together a little while longer.

Cal dragged in a breath and faced his own personal firing squad.

Tristan, never one to hide, met his gaze head-on. A crazy flash of respect trickled through Cal. Even now, pitted against each other, he managed to be proud of who Tristan had grown up to be. A man who had carved out his own future. Still, there was a darkness in Tristan that bothered him. A sad place he couldn’t seem to reach, as if the best parts of his life were already behind him and he’d accepted it without a fight. “I don’t want to make this a TV drama of the week, Cal. I was going to talk to you anyway.”

Cal walked into the shell of a house that wasn’t his and leaned against the new island Dalton had finished. “Seems like a good time now.”