“Well, I was planning on going into the office to do that and get a few more things done.”Yep, he really just tried that. Oh, there’s Dad’s eye roll. He got the frownandthe eye roll. Just quit while you’re definitely not ahead, big brother.
“You've got a phone, son, and we have a perfectly good office here. You can go and sit in there if you need quiet. Don't give me any of your bullshit trying to get out of this.” He looks around the table, another wave of disappointment crossing his face. “I don't think you guys understood me. Even if you can’t accept her as a sister, I want you to try and befriendswith the girl. She will be in your lives for the rest of it, and I want her to feel comfortable coming and going as she pleases, not turning down invitations to Christmas and special occasions because the seven of you are childish.”
Poppy hasn’t had a lot to say, but I can see things running through his mind. “Your father’s right. We don’t expect you to embrace her as a sister. That was never our intention, and I think you may find that if you get to know her, she’s a funny, kind, and beautiful person. No matter what life threw at her, she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and just kept going. If you all gave her a chance, she would be able to fill a role each and every one of you have been searching for.” His words are kind of confusing, and when I look around the table, it’s clear I’m not the only one feeling like that. Oliver’s the only one who doesn’t seem as confused as the rest of us, but I can’t imagine what secretheknows that the rest of us don’t.Did something happen between him and Harlow when she spent the day at Neighpalm Ink?
A blinding wave of jealousy courses through me at the thought of Oliver and Harlow, but that soon fades to something else. Clenching my fists under the table, I bite my tongue so that the words I’ve been dying to say don't come flooding out and ruining everything. How is it that even after so many years I still feel this way? Maybe I always will. Maybe it’s time to have another conversation with him and get all of it out in the open.
“Anyway, finish up! When you get a chance, head on out to the arena, please.” Dad’s words are final. Nobody bothers arguing this time, having realized resistance is futile today.
The three older adults leave the table and disappear, leaving me with my siblings. Jacinta starts to grumble the moment they’re out of sight, but Kai holds his hand up, stopping her. “Just fucking stop. I don't want to hear it. Leave me out of anything you have planned because if I don't know I can't tell Harlow.”
“You’d chooseherover me? Someone you don't even know? Wanting to stay out of it is one thing, Kai, but you’d actually give her a heads up?” Jacinta sounds surprised, but I’m not. I know Kai is fed up with the way the others are always chasing off women. He wants a relationship, not just one night stands. Even more than that, he wants a family, but our sister doesn't make it easy for us even if she is right most of the time. It’s not like this is the first time he’s made it clear that he wants no involvement; Jacinta has just always had a way of hearing what she wants and throwing the rest out as she pleases.
“It’s not a matter of choosing her over you. I just want the chance to get to know her. I want to make my own decisions based on my own opinions, not on one you formed in five seconds flat. You saw a beautiful, intelligent woman, and your claws came out. I bet if she wasn't attractive, if she was mousy and quiet, none of you would have looked sideways at her.” He’s angry as his gaze moves from Jacinta to Declan and then lands on Jaxon. Holy shit! The easy going one is losing his shit. Kai’s always so chill and relaxed most of the time; nothing really ever fazes him. To be having this kind of reaction tells me this means more to him than I thought.
Unlike Oliver, the only history I have with Kai is that of a brother. While I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the latter’s clear interest in Harlow, I know I’m not immediately unsettled or uncomfortable in Kai’s. While I’m lost in my own head, the others are still going back and forth, and I tune back in right in time to hear what he’s dishing out to Jaxon.
“And don't get me started withyou. She didn't even know her mother had died when she met you, so she wouldn’t have known who her father was let alone his connection with you. You think too much of yourself, and you always have.”
A scowl crosses Jaxon's face, but he doesn't say anything. Kai stands up from the table, and this time, his gaze includes Oliver, Thomas, and me. “Don't make me choose this time. You might not like what decision I make.” He strides away, each step a thud that telegraphs how unhappy he is with us right now, and nobody tries to stop him.
Thomas leans back in his chair, looking our sister directly in the eye. “Look, I don't want to see this family divided, but the guy’s not wrong. We’re not those led by our dick teenagers anymore, Jacinta. Each and every one of us got burned, and we all learned from our mistakes.”
Tears well in her eyes. I don't think any of us has ever gone against her like this before. That, combined with losing her business, even if it is only temporary, must really be a blow to her confidence. I genuinely feel sorry for her, and it’s obvious Thomas does too. His voice gentles, and he reaches out a hand to grab hold of hers.
“We love that you want to protect us, but you’re going to have to let us make our own mistakes. We’re big boys, and Dad’s not stupid either. You may think that he’s not using his smarts because his emotions are involved, but I guarantee you he is. Not to mention Nana and Poppy have known the girl for years. They wouldn't steer us wrong; both of them are fiercely protective of this family.”
She swallows down her tears and nods, not saying anything else, but I can still see that glint in her eye. I’m not sure if any of this has helped or if it’s just made it worse.
Before I can say anything, my phone rings, a smile crossing my face when I realize it’s Hope, calling me. I didn’t have anything scheduled with her, so I wonder what she could want. Hope and I have been friends since college. In fact, you could say she’s my best friend apart from my brothers. Put together as part of a group project, Hope and I did most of the work and ended up bonding over mutual frustration with our lazy group members. Despite her being one of the only women I trust, neither of us ever felt romantically inclined toward the other. We regularly act as wingmen for the other or rescue one another when dates get too clingy. It’s worked well, and Hope is one of the few females Jacinta accepts and is friendly with as well.
“Morning, Hope, what can I do for you?” I ask, getting up from the table and walking away from my siblings. I’m not sure if that conversation is going to erupt into chaos or not but better to put some space between us.
“Fuck, Den, have you looked at the gossip rags today?” Hope’s question has my heartbeat speeding up as I head back to my room and open up my laptop.
“No, I’ve only just had breakfast. We’ve had some family drama, so I’m a little behind on things. What’s going on? Which one of our highly paid idiots has made a fool of themselves now?”
I swear, managing a record label is like trying to herd cats. Trying to convince our artists to keep all the dramatics behind closed doors is a nightmare. Most are pretty good, but we've got a few who I'm seriously considering dropping thanks to the headaches they regularly cause us.
“Ninja Starfish.” Surprise has me almost pulling the phone from my ear as though a little distance from her words will help it all make sense.
“Really? That’s not who I thought you were going to say at all.” I can’t hide the shock that I feel, and she laughs at it.
“Yeah, it’s not the usual suspects for a change. Turns out that there are more issues than just the members not getting along. Jessie and Cash got into it at a club last night. There are photos of the brawl, and then they were both arrested, but thankfully, no charges were pressed. They were released a few hours later,” Hope explains, the echoey quality to her words telling me she’s on the road with the call on speaker.
“What was the fight about?” I ask as I run my fingers over the keys of my laptop, bringing up the main gossip pages. Sure enough, splashed across the screen are the two members of Ninja Starfish. Can’t see the other three though, so that’s a bit of a relief.
“I’m not a hundred percent sure, but it looks like it’s about a girl.”
“Fuck my life,” I groan, and she just laughs. She’s always been the bright one of the two of us. Even though their drama is as much her headache as it is mine, she has a way of keeping herself smiling no matter what shit she needs to do to keep Neighpalm as clean as possible.
“I'm going to organize a meeting with them later on in the week. Give them a few days to cool down then bring them in to explain their actions and see if we can get to the bottom of it all.”
I run a hand through my hair in frustration while reading the story. Ninja Starfish was put together by a reality TV program that Declan's company ran a few years ago. There’s always been a little tension in the group since they were kind of forced together in the beginning. All five of them auditioned as solo artists and weren't expecting to have to work with others, but I thought they’d become good friends. There have been a few issues recently, but I thought they had sorted through them. I guess I was wrong.
“Yeah, okay, sounds like a plan. I also got a call from Jeremy. He wanted to set something up; the guys have something they want to talk to me about. Do you think you could be available for that too, just in case?”
“Sure, get your PA to send the appointment to my calendar, and I'll work around it,” she tells me. “So... how are things at home?” she asks carefully, her voice lowering at the delicate topic.
