Tom gazed in his rear-view mirror as he backed up to make a U-turn. He was about a mile or two from Danny and Rachel’s house, so he planned to shoot over there and then head directly to the gym. He was a little put out because it meant he would have to cut his workout short, but really, he had to admit to himself that he just generally resented Danny. For whatever reason, it seemed that anything that had to do with the guy usually turned into some sort of needless problem. His brother owned the company, and so Danny had five shops under him. But everyone knew that the only reason he had so many shops was because he was related to the boss. Behind his back, he was “the Little Brother” to Tony and all the managers, who usually had to suck it up and cover for Danny when he forgot to put in his orders on time, or just didn’t show up for work and stuff like that. On top of that, Danny would always use his trump card as Tony’s brother if he wanted to one-up one of the other employees.

Tony was famous for his common sense, except when it came to Danny. Everybody else knew he couldn’t be trusted, messed around on his beautiful wife, Rachel, and, for a forty-three-year-old man, still acted like a kid. Tom only managed three shops and probably made half the commission Danny made, though he could run rings around him. It just wasn’t fair. When Tony got back, he planned to sit down with him and give him a piece of his mind. Things had better change, or he’d tell Tony to take his dopey Steve’s Sporting Goods job and shove it.

Suddenly Tom laughed out loud to himself, letting out a big, self-deprecating guffaw. A few seconds before Tony’s call, he’d just finished saying his morning prayers. It hadn’t been two minutes since he’d asked for God’s help in being patient and understanding that day—in feeling love for all the good and great people in his life. He’d even specifically mentioned Tony as someone for whom he was grateful. But the first little curve he was thrown, and he was off to the races, wallowing in self-pity, jealousy, and plots of revenge. “Okay, Lord, let’s start this day over,” he said, as he made the turn onto Danny and Rachel’s street.

Little did he know that he was going to need every ounce of God’s grace to cope with the scene he was about to encounter.

CHAPTER 2

A Brother’s Love

God dislikes evil
And no happiness can be built on hate.
Love one another as brothers.
—Josephine Baker