“Gotta get those shored up,” he said nonchalantly, as if such a complicated repair could be done with a hammer and a few nails. “And the walls replastered and the ceiling cracks smoothed out—shoot. You name it, it needs fixing. Plus old wiring and antique plumbing and all that to deal with too. Gets expensive. But I don’t have to tell you that.”

“No.” Parr’s expertise told him what the renovation would cost. A lot.

“Going to be worth every penny, though,” Bobby Joe said. “They don’t build ’em like this anymore. I want to be able to make the right impression on the right people.”

“Are you up for this kind of commitment? You were doing all right without any office at all.”

Bobby Joe stuck his hands in his pants pockets and paced nervously. “I guess. Flipping houses made me money but it’s not what I see myself doing for the rest of my life.”

Interesting comment, considering he still hadn’t repaid the thousands of dollars Parr had staked him. Or even mentioned it.

“You know best.” Parr moved to a window whose deep, low sill was wide enough to sit on. The sunlight pouring in felt good against his back. He clasped his hands together and rested his arms on his knees, leaning forward.

“Which brings me to the big question,” Bobby Joe said.

Parr’s dark gaze followed him as he paced. When his brother didn’t look directly at him, he took that as a warning.

“Ask away,” Parr said quietly.

“I gotta borrow more money.”

That wasn’t a question. More like a statement.

“I’ll have to look over my finances. I’m not sure I’ll be able to help you right now.”

Bobby Joe’s jaw set in a hard line. “Why not?”

Parr gave a low laugh. “Listen, Bobby Joe. You don’t get to question how I run my business or if I can swing a personal loan for you out of my cash reserve. If you need money, it’s going to be the other way around. Full disclosure.”

“We’re brothers. Don’t you trust me?”

“Business is business. You’d do well to remember that.”

Bobby Joe’s face showed his anger. Parr kept a lid on his—just barely. He should have known that he was going to be hit up for major money the second he saw the gold lettering and fancy script that spelled out his brother’s full name on the window glass.

There were other reasons he didn’t want to fight about this. Not here and not now, anyway. He rose and looked into the next room. “Can we continue the tour?” Parr asked. “I haven’t seen the second floor.”

“Sure,” Bobby snapped. “It’s the same layout as the ground floor, but why not. I know you’re thorough.”