“No hard feelings,” Annabel said. “Or rather, I hope you don’t have hard feelings, because we really would like to get to know you. I mean, you’re our sister.”
I was really, really tempted to sit down again, or maybe fake a faint, like one of those women in the historical romances I liked. But my curiosity somehow overpowered my shock and the years of bitterness that had made me hate my father and resent the other life that I knew, deep down, he must have had.
Here was a big part of that other life. My stepsiblings. Two of them, anyway.
“I — I’m — I’m not going to say I’ve never had hard feelings,” I admitted. “But I don’t have any hard feelings againstyou.How — how do you feel about all this?” I gestured to the circus tent and the oak-studded tropical jungle.
Annabel chuckled. “Bless your heart, Kayla, but I’m glad Dad left you something, and I’m glad you’re doing something with it. Honestly, I don’t think I’d have the fortitude.”
A half smile touched my lips. I liked Annabel’s forthrightness. “Well, that’s something. Are you really here to work on this? I thought you had a company to run.”
“I told Landon I’d like to help out. This might not be the best way I can help you — I can probably donate some skilled labor when you really get into the renovation — but for now, I thought this might be a nice way to meet.”
“And SpaceX owed me a day off,” Andy said. “I didn’t want to be left out.”
“Oh, cool. You work for them?” I asked.
“I’m an engineer. Love it, but it’s a ton of hours.”
“Rocket launches are one of the coolest things about living here, aren’t they?” I was genuinely excited.
Everyone agreed with me, and the ice thawed noticeably between us as we talked about launches we’d seen and how Andy got into the space business. After a few minutes, Landon got them going on clearing a couple of overgrown paths, and I went back to trying to train the honeysuckle into a hedge while Landon used the chainsaw to cut down small nuisance trees.
It was hard to talk during all the noise, so I got into my lopping. By the time Landon’s saw stopped, I’d drifted a ways away from my stepsiblings, and he wandered over to me.
“So where’s my other stepbrother?” I asked him in a low voice. “And why didn’t you tell me they were coming?”
“I hope you’re not angry, and I’m sorry for springing them on you, but they’re actually really cool people, and I wanted you to meet them. I thought it might be better this way. Anyway, it’s no surprise they’re cool if they’re related to you.”
“Ha. Flattery will get you everywhere.” I stopped lopping, wiped my brow with the back of my arm and squinted at him in the dappled sunlight. “I’m also related to Junior, who Gary said was a tool.”
“He is a tool,” Landon said, and I laughed. “Not sure if you want to hear this…”
“What?”
“Max Junior is apparently pissed you got the house. He wanted it, once he found out you got it. Apparently none of them knew their dad even owned this place.”
“Why in the hell would Junior want this money-sucking black hole?”
“I think he’s the type who wants All The Things.”
“Well, he’s getting my job, apparently. The one I applied for.”
“Has Marla sent you his reel yet?” Landon asked.
“It wasn’t in my email this morning.” I shrugged. “Not that it matters.”
“It matters,” Landon said. “What you want matters. I’m mighty curious myself about his heretofore unknown video talents.”
“Oh my God,” I said, looking over Landon’s shoulder. “Is that him?”
We and my stepsiblings all looked up at the new arrival, a guy in a slick suit with a product-enhanced haircut who stepped out of a Porsche SUV and surveyed the grounds.
For the record, if I could ever afford a Porsche instead of my ancient Toyota, a hand-me-down from Aunt Ginny, it would be a goddamn sports car. A Porsche SUV?What’s the point of that?
Anyway, it was clear Max Junior was not dressed for gardening.
He strolled over, exchanged muted greetings with his siblings and Landon, then scanned me with an unmistakable look of judgment on his face.
