A frown crosses my face along with a nearly painful sigh. “She’s going to be harder to convince, but she’s distracted for now. I say we just run interference. Eventually, she’s going to come around. She did with Hope, and she will with Harlow in the end too. In any case, I’ve already drawn a line with her. She knows I won’t actively stop her, but I’m also not going to help her. I just need to keep it a bit more under wraps if I’m giving Harlow a real chance.”I’m trying to sound confident, but we both know our sister really is a loose cannon. Mom did a real job on her.
Declan stands up and gestures to the door. “Shall we head down and wait for the police? Probably should call the legal department too, and you need to find a temp. Preferably one with a bald spot and a beer belly.”
My big brother just can’t help himself; he has to feel like he’s got a handle on everything, or he spirals. I completely understand how he feels, so I’m happy to let him share the burden if it makes him feel more in control.
“I’ve called HR but forgot to ask for a temp.” I grab my cell phone out of my desk drawer. “I’ll call legal on the way down to security.” Stepping away from the desk, I take one last glance at the billboard, and with that image fixed in my mind, I follow my brother out of my office to deal with what’s hopefully my last mistake.
Chapter Seventeen
Harlow
Hitting the button for the Couture level, we head down one floor, and when the doors open, I gently assist Hope out of the elevator. A sudden snort, definitely not the quiet kind, has me looking up at her. She’s staring at my hand on her arm, a bemused and amused smile on her lips. I raise an eyebrow before removing my hand. “Sorry,” I mutter a little defensively.
“Oh no, it’s fine. It’s just that I had four foster brothers in one of the houses I grew up in, and that little scrap was nothing compared to the brawls we all got into when I was a kid.”
A horrified grimace must cross my face because she is quick to reassure me. “Not that they beat me or anything. We’d wrestle, and things would devolve from there, so I learned very quickly to hold my own. The dirty moves they taught me definitely helped too. Raquel didn't stand a chance!” She tries to straighten herself out, but it doesn't make her look less disheveled.
“Hope, my goodness! What on earth happened to you, child?” Nana comes rushing over, frowning in concern, but Hope just brushes her off.
“Just taking out the trash, Grace. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go and raid the Wardrobe, then I have a few things to attend to. I’ll leave Harlow in your capable hands.” She turns and tugs me into her, hugging me tightly before pulling away again.
“Thank you for being concerned. Don't forget to call me tomorrow! We’ll have dinner and drinks, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Nana raises her eyebrows at this, and Hope puts her hands on her hips. “Harlow needs to know everything, and I’m a neutral party who can tell her without it looking like I’m taking sides.” Nana’s eyes soften, her shoulders relaxing in a sign of trust.
“Yes, dear, that… that would be wonderful, thank you.”
With one last smile and a wave goodbye, Hope disappears down another hallway, looking for a change of clothes, I guess.
“Brad tells me you’re having lunch with him.” Nana eyes sparkle with joy, not looking disappointed in the least that she and I won’t be spending the time together. “Come on, I’ll show you where he had it set up.” She follows the same path as Hope, bypassing the receptionist with a smile. We pass a couple doors before she pushes one open and steps through into a tropical garden delight.
“Holy crap!” The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them, but Nana just laughs.
“How do you get everything to grow so well inside?”
The room is wall to wall plants. Hanging baskets, pots, plant walls, and an actual garden bed in the middle. The room has floor to ceiling windows that let through so much natural light. The room is also a little humid, so I’m assuming the lights above us are heat lamps and grow lights to help achieve this tropical look. Somewhere beyond the foliage, there’s the faint trickle of some kind of water, and I’m so tempted to explore and find the source.
“Come on.” Nana leads the way through the room, along the clear path laid out before us. Stepping around one large pot, the area opens out to a clearing. There’s a table and chairs set for lunch, and Dad is waiting for me with a smile as big as Nana’s. He stands up as we approach, coming around and giving us both kisses on our cheeks.
“Perfect timing! Lunch has just been delivered.” He waves a hand at the table which is covered in a spread of meats, cheese, and crackers. There are a couple of salads and a basket of bread as well.
My stomach rumbles at the sight of all that delicious-looking food, earning an exchange of amused glances between Nana and Dad. I blush a little but shrug my shoulders. I’m starving, and there’s no point in denying it.
“Are you joining us, Mom?” Dad asks her, but she shakes her head.
“No, I’ll leave the two of you to it. I’m going to check on Hope... make sure she’s okay and find out what it was all about.”
Dad frowns in confusion, so I help him out. “I’ll tell you all about it while we have lunch,” I assure him, and his frown clears.
Waving goodbye, Nana leaves as we sit down to lunch. Nerves roll across my skin followed by excitement. This is the first real alone time we’ve had, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know my dad. Everything I’ve seen so far shows me he’s a caring and fair man who loves his family. I’m dying to see if that’s the truth or all just an act. My mother could show a loving and caring side in front of the right people when needed, so I’m reserving my judgment until I can see for myself and make my own decisions.
“What would you like to drink?” Dad asks as I study what he has to offer. “There’s water and soda, or I can probably find a bottle of wine somewhere.” He starts to stand up, but I hold up a hand, stopping him.
“Soda is fine, thanks, Dad.” He hands me a can to drink, and we're quiet as we help ourselves to all the food.
“So how has your morning been? Getting a feel for how everything works around here?” Dad asks once we’ve finished serving ourselves.
“Yes, it’s been really good. Hope has been so kind, and having that”—I gesture to the tablet she gave me—“is going to make keeping up to date on everything Neighpalm-related easy.” While I can feel an easy smile on my face when I mention Hope, there’s no denying some of it dims when I mention the rest.
