“Hal, what’s going on? What’s this mess? Why are you in my house?” I asked, trying to keep my cool, though my temper was spiking fast.

Sigrid, my wife, scanned our living room and rolled her eyes. In that moment, I knew I had to fix this, or I’d be facing a very upset wife.

My brother glanced up, all casual, like I hadn’t just caught him in the act.

“Hey, Alden,” he said. “Mom and Dad thought it’d be fine if I stayed here while you were gone. You’ve got all this room, and it’s not like you’re using it, right? You and Sigrid are always working or off traveling.”

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around his nerve.