“No, it’s okay. I’m divorced, and unfortunately, my ex didn't want children. I would have loved a house full of ‘em, but I guess it’s too late for me now.” Studying her, I decide she can’t be much older than early forties. I’m about to say there’s still a chance, but I can see a blush on her cheeks and a slight sheen to her eyes with her admission. I didn't mean to make her upset, so I quickly change the subject.
“Will you come to dinner tonight as a thank you?” I look to Dad for an okay, and he eagerly jumps in.Best wingwoman ever.
“Yes, please do! I wouldn't want to think what could have happened if you hadn't been around.” She laughs and rolls her eyes, all signs of discomfort gone.
“Well, she would have called you, of course.” He looks kind of sheepish but doesn't say anything. He just ushers her in the direction of the golf cart. Turning back toward us, he shouts, “Kai, you and Harlow can jump in the cart. Thomas and Holden, you can walk back.”
Turning, I see that Kai is now back up top and organizing his gear. He quickly piles it onto the seat between us and sits down next to me, his body all too close to mine. As the golf cart takes off up the path through the zoo, its quiet humming is the only noise to be heard. Thomas and Holden wave goodbye, the two being surprisingly good natured about needing to walk back on their own. I just nod my head in return. I appreciate their help in getting me out of there, but I’m not ready to make overtures toward them just yet. Who knows if they’re genuine or not, and my sense of self-preservation says we need to look before we leap.
Chapter Eleven
Kai
During the ride back to the house in the golf cart, Harlow is quiet and subdued. Up front, Dad and his new friend Emma are chatting casually about various things, but I can’t bring myself to pay too much attention. Though Ididnotice how animated Dad had become before my attention was drawn back to Harlow. Honestly, it’s about time the man had some companionship. Maybe the siblings and I can play the wingmen and help this happen. Maybe I won’t mention it to Jacinta quite yet. Wouldn't want her to get her panties in a bunch and chase her off before Dad even gets a chance to get to know her.
My focus now locked on the gorgeous woman next to me, I can’t help but study her face out of the corner of my eye. Although she apologized for trespassing, she had still looked thrilled at having been able to explore the place.
“Did you record everything?" I ask her, gesturing to the GoPro on her chest. Deep in thought, she jumps, startled by my question, but her face lights up with a huge smile.
“Yes, I did. I’m so excited to watch it back and see all the things I missed out on the first time round. I’m just disappointed I didn't have a chance to look inside the house.”
“Well, I can fix that,” Emma calls back over her shoulder, her eyes on the driveway, dodging the worst of the potholes as she heads back toward our place. “Why don't you come over later in the week, and I’ll give you the grand tour? We’ll have to do it during the day because there’s no power in the main house, but I promise it will be worth it. The house is amazing.”
“Really, you can get in? And you’d letmein?” Harlow's voice rises in excitement, and I smother a smile at how cute she looks, her eyes wide and sparkling.
“Yes, of course, I have a key in case the estate sends a cleaner or needs maintenance done inside the house.”
“And do you know the history of the place? Can you tell me all about what kind of animals he had in that zoo? Is there a record somewhere? Or maybe some old staff members I can speak to? Surely something that big would need a team to take care of it, right?”
Her questions pour out one after the other, and she’s practically bouncing on the seat, but before Emma can answer, Dad is holding up his hand to Harlow.
“Whoa, sweetie, slow down.” The little cart is approaching the house now, having traveled quite quickly up our maintained driveway unlike the one in the other estate. “I’m sure Emma will share everything she knows with you in due time. Let’s not harass her as soon as she’s helped you out of a sticky situation.” A gentle pink starts to color Harlow’s cheeks, the firmness of Dad’s words adding a little more embarrassment to her likely bruised ego.
“Yeah, you’re right, Dad. Again, I’m so sorry, Emma, and thank you for helping me out. It’s such a shame you didn’t see who pushed me in.”
My heartbeat increases again with that reminder; I’d temporarily put it out of my mind that she hadn't gotten down there on her own. "Did you really not see or hear anything?” I ask her, and she frowns as she thinks about it.
“No, I really didn’t. I was so caught up in my head, speculating about the big pond and imagining what the whole place looked like, that I didn't notice a thing. I guess I could have captured something on this.” She points to the camera strapped across her chest, drawing my eyes to her rounded breasts which are made even more obvious by the harness. Clearing my throat, I drag my eyes back to hers, the cheeky raised eyebrow and amusement sparkling in her eyes telling me that she knows exactly what I was focusing on. Thank fuck she didn’t get offended. I’m really happy being the one person she seems to trust at the moment, apart from Dad and the grandparents.
“I’ll help you go through the footage when we get back. I mean, if you’d be okay with that,” I offer, and she smiles her thanks.
“That’s a great idea,” Dad says, turning in his seat as he’s speaking. “Even though we have Dec’s production team, Kai does a lot of the editing for the sports teams’ videos himself. He’s got a real eye for detail. If anyone is going to see anything, he would. That being said, Declan’s another good one to ask too.” Harlow cringes a bit at that, and Dad holds up his hands, eyes widening as if he’s worried it’s now his turn to piss her off. “No pressure, just a suggestion.” Her cringe turns to a small grateful smile, and he turns back around.
“You know he’s really making a real effort for you,” I whisper quietly in her ear.
Her eyebrows turn down in confusion again, and I nod toward Dad. "The man’s the CEO of one of the largest companies in all of America; he’s used to getting his own way no matter what. The fact that he’s letting you move at your own pace and not forcing us all together says heaps. He’s not a man who's used to hearing no, though heisgetting better as he gets older, more mellow so to speak.”
Her frown clears, and her eyes widen in understanding. The next few moments, the two of us just face forward, quietly spending time with one another while Dad and Emma have a hushed conversation. Suddenly, they break off, Emma calling over her shoulder again as we approach the house.
“Harlow, I know how excited you are for that video footage, but I’m going to have to ask you to keep it private and not post it anywhere online. Otherwise, I’m going to have to get the estate lawyers involved.” There’s a firmness to her comment that hints at her being just as confident in her requests being followed as Dad is. Even though he owns a giant company and she’s the caretaker for an abandoned house, it looks like she’s got as much of a strong sense of backbone as he does.
“The estate has made a huge effort to keep the fact that it’s vacant out of the press, squashing any aspiring news reporters that might poke around. They don’t want hoards of explorers arriving on the doorstep, and I think that strategy is one of the reasons it’s in such good condition. They still live in hope that the count will return or an heir will come forward.”
My dad's head turns quickly to look at her, his eyes blinking in an odd way that seems almost… suspicious.Well, that’s a little odd. I frown at his reaction; my father usually has an extremely good poker face, so something she said must have surprised him.
Harlow’s easy smile drops at the request not to post the footage anywhere, but there’s a slight slump to her shoulders that tells me she’s going to go along with it. I’m pretty sure she had her heart set on putting it on YouTube. “Okay, Emma, I won’t post it anywhere. I wouldn't want to cause the estate any harm. There will be no need to involve lawyers.” I can hear how disappointed she is, so I reach out and give her hand a quick squeeze, surprised when she doesn’t immediately pull away.
The cart comes to a halt directly in front of the large house, and she turns the thing off, the humming noise dying and bringing back the sounds of nature. A horse whinnies somewhere behind the house, and a bird swoops down in front of the cart to land on the large fountain in the middle of the circle.
