“Well, dear, when you’ve got enough money, you can make anything happen. Us Summers just like to use those powers for good… for the most part.” Nana pats my hand and gives me one of those teasing winks of hers. “But Hope actually recommended this company—someone she knows from when she was younger. She said that they did good work but were struggling because one of the owners has a police record. Such a sad story, one of those situations where he did something stupid as a teenager, and now it’s impacting the rest of his life. You might have realized this about your father, perhaps not, but Brad loves supporting the underdog, so he hired them on the spot. They’ve been working relentlessly since they got an idea of what needed to be done.”
“And how did they know what to build?” My curiosity has been overwhelming me, my brain whirling when I think about inspectors and permits and safety standards that will all need to be signed off on. From my perspective, it’s this daunting mountain to climb, with my dream right there, balancing on the peak so far out of reach.
“Do you remember that zoo that rejected you?” she asks as we continue around the other side of the house away from all the horse yards.
“The MacGinty Sanctuary?”
“Yes. Turns out we’ve actually donated to it on a regular basis, so Brad called and asked to speak to their head veterinarian and zoologist. He offered them both jobs at the new soon-to-be open Neighpalm Sanctuary, and they jumped on it. Apparently, the director is hard to work for, so they both wanted out. It was perfect timing. Of course, it will all be subject to your approval. Right now, we have them on a three-month contract to start, like all of our new staff, so if you don't like them, we can reassess. I’m pretty sure the place across the road is going to need some major maintenance before it’s ready to reopen anyway.”
I really have no idea what to say at this point. Growing up with the Bostons put me on the fringes of seeing what life was like when you were wealthy, but this is nuts. I mean, I can’t say I’m not happy to benefit from it right now, but it’s still kind of mindblowing to see the power of wealth when you come from a world where the things you want take time.
”Close your mouth, dear. You’ll catch a fly that way. Anyway, the head zoologist sat down and created a rough sketch of what we needed. The guys worked hard for the last day and two nights to do it for you. They are lovely young men. A little like my boys, in that all four of them grew up together in the same foster home. In fact, Brad is really impressed with their work. I daresay he’s been inspired by them, really, and he’s already looking at the option to make them a business offer. Right now, the rough idea would be to put their business under the Neighpalm banner. They’d get to control everything, including what business to take on and such, while retaining all earnings, but they’d get the Neighpalm name to help them. The only stipulation is that they prioritize the construction of the zoo first.”
We round the final corner of the house, and I stumble to a stop. The area is filled with the noise of hammers banging, nail guns firing, and some kind of power tool squealing. Men are everywhere, attaching steel mesh to the structure in front of me. It looks like it’s sixty feet by sixty feet, the back third covered by a roof, and there’s a wall sectioning it off from the outside area. There’s a release door in the wall, so I’m assuming that’s for access to night quarters.
“Holy shit!” The words slip out, and Nana laughs as we catch up to Dad and Poppy.
“Yeah, they’ve done amazing work, haven’t they? They were a real find. I’m not sure why Hope hasn't suggested them in the past. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the boys.” Dad leads the way over to a group of men standing around an open truck bed not far from the construction.
“Guys, this is my daughter Harlow. Harlow, this is Miles, Wyatt, Ethan, and Parker.” He points to each one individually so we can shake hands and exchange greetings. Miles is tall, with close-cropped black hair, dark eyes. He’s swarthy and exotic-looking, with broad shoulders and nicely defined arms that are shown off by hisMcCallister Constructiont-shirt. Wyatt and Ethan are blond-haired, blue-eyed identical twins that have made an effort to look different. Ethan’s hair is curly and tousled, while Wyatt has a crew cut. Ethan is also smiling at me despite Wyatt’s more serious, closed-off expression. I recognize the look, having had my own issues socializing with strangers, so I respect it, giving him a simple nod as opposed to returning Ethan’s enthusiastic handshake. The last one, Parker, has chocolate-brown hair that falls to just above his shoulders and green eyes. There’s a smattering of freckles across his cheeks. He’s taller and leaner than the other three, but he’s not lacking in the muscle department either. They just look like they could be from swimming or running as opposed to lifting. My guess is they’re all around my age.
The rest of them are waiting on Dad to say something else, but Parker is studying me like he’s trying to figure something out. “Are you really in a relationship with all of the Summers boys, or was that a load of shit the media made up?” The words blurt out quickly, like he’s trying to finish the question before someone slaps their hand across his mouth. For a second, I’m not sure what to do, but there was no judgment in his question, simply curiosity. That noted, I go with the amusement that’s threatening to make me laugh.
When the other brothers stare at him with disbelief, Ethan smacking him on the back of the head, I can’t hold back a snort. “What the hell, man? You don’t ask those kinds of questions.”
Nana, Poppy, and Dad are all having their own issues with laughter, but Parker’s starting to look like he’s worried. Poor guy probably thinks he’s just jeopardized their job security. Wanting the men to calm down, I wave a hand at them all.
“Don’t stress about it. I’d prefer people ask rather than talk shit behind my back. You’ll find all of us are like that, and it’s the right way to go about dealing with the Summers. Yes, I am.”
“And that works?” Miles asks thoughtfully, and there’s something in his eyes that makes me think this is important. He’s going to put some kind of weight behind my answer even though it makes absolutely zero sense to me.
“It sure does. It’s a work in progress, obviously, but none of us have any complaints at the moment.”
“I’m sure there won’t be either,” Nana chimes in, her eyes narrowed at the brothers. Oh, I know that look. They better watch out because Grace Summers has her scheming hat on. Yep, they’re definitely on her list of victims. Maybe I can at least delay the torture if I distract her.
“I can’t believe how much you guys have done in forty-eight hours.” Is it the most foolproof change of subject? Oh, god no. Nana is a dog with a bone when she gets an idea in her head. But right now, it’s the best I can do.
“Shall we take the tour?” Miles hands me a hard hat before offering them to the others. Dad takes one, but Poppy and Nana decline.
“I’ll look once it’s all finished. I’m going to head back into the house. I want to talk to Jacinta about some of the things that have been happening at Neighpalm Couture this week. Then, when Declan gets back, I want tiger cub snuggles,” Nana tells me before dropping a kiss on the cheek.
“And I’ve got a meeting to finalize a few arrangements for the fundraising gala that’s in two weeks,” Poppy explains. “So I’ll catch up with you a little later.”
I watch with a small smile on my face as the two of them stroll away hand in hand. “That right there is relationship goals 101,” I tell Dad while Miles directs us to the enclosure.
“It sure is. Though I might have done some meddling and invited an extra guest to the gala that neither of them know about—Dad’s best friend from before they were married.”
I think back to the story Nana told me on our first plane trip, and a grin spreads across my face. “Damn, Dad, I didn't know you had any of Nana’s meddling genes. Good for you. I can’t wait to see their faces! Does this stem from your own newfound happiness? Are you officially part of a throuple?” I keep my voice down, not wanting to share anything he may want to keep private for now.
Dad wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes. “You worry about your relationship, and I’ll worry about mine. Though I will say it’s a relief that all of you are happy and accepting of it.”
“Dad, you deserve all the happiness you can get, and if Molly and Emma can give that to you, I’m all for it.”
By the time we finish that exchange, we’ve reached the back of the enclosure. There’s a man installing a security camera at the back door. He nods as we pass him and enter the enclosure.
“So, as you can see, this is the back area.” Miles takes charge and gestures around the space. We’re standing in a corridor, and against the far wall, there’s a stainless steel bench with a sink, some cupboards above and below, and a door next to it. “We followed the layout that the zoologist gave us fairly closely since this is something none of us have ever done before.”
“Yeah, the thought of fucking up has been in the back of my mind the whole time. I’ve been a bit of a perfectionist, riding the workers’ asses to get it right,” grumbles Wyatt—the first words he’s said since we were introduced. “Nothing like the threat of a jaguar escaping to keep you from fucking up.”
