“Thanks, but no. I’ll just do the walkthrough and make a few more notes. I had some ideas last night.”
“Ok, just remember the herd of deer haven't been rounded up yet. Harlow said she and Chuck are going to do it when she gets back. They’ve got some quarter horses who are trained for cutting, and they said it would be fun.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a fencing contractor coming in to do a deer-safe perimeter around one of the very back paddocks that has a small section of forest as well as some open grazing land in it. I thought that would be perfect for them. He said it should only take a day or two if he brings enough crew.” Although he looks pleased by the prospect, there’s definitely some skepticism there. Poor guy isn’t used to what kind of doors and possibilities open when you’re attached to the Summers name.
“It’s amazing what you can get done with enough money, isn’t it?”
His eyes widen. “You're not wrong. When your dad gave me the budget for the job, I just about fell off my chair, but then again, you guys travel to work in a helicopter, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised.” He doesn't sound bitter or anything like a lot of people do when they’re talking about what we do with our money. That’s certainly a plus for him. With Dad making Hope part of our family, she’s suddenly become a more than lucrative partner for anyone she chooses to date. “But I've also come to realize how hard you all work, too."
“Oh, speaking of helicopter...” I turn and point to the front of the property. “We’re going to need a section of that cleared so a helicopter can land. When you contract a company to do the landscaping, can you mention that to them?”
He takes out his phone and makes a couple of notes. “Yeah, sure. That big section over there should work.” He points to the same place I had been thinking. “But we may have to clear a couple more trees away, there and there.” I wince slightly when I see where he’s gesturing. One of them is a weeping willow, and I know how much Harlow loves them. At least there are a few more on the property, so hopefully she won’t be too upset.
“Okay, if that needs to happen, then it needs to happen. I’ll leave you to it. Have you got all our contacts in case you can’t get hold of Harlow?”
He chuckles, putting his phone back in his pocket. “Grace made sure that I did last night. I now have Harlow, all of your siblings, your dad, Grace, and Howard’s numbers.”
“Okay, great. Listen, I’m going to give you Hope’s too because if you can’t get one of us, then she will be the next best option.” Do I really need to do this? No. Honestly, I want to test the waters because she’s my best friend. I just want her to be happy.
He flinches when I say her name and won’t meet my eye. “I already have it,” he grinds out. “I had to deal with her when we were having the new logo designed.” I can see by his reaction he’s not as unaffected by Hope as he pretends.
Hmm, I wonder how that went, especially considering his phrasing doesn’t go unnoticed. She hasn't mentioned anything to me, so I’ll have to do some digging. It’s not like her to not tell me everything.
“Okay, good. She’s moving into Dad’s house in the next day or two, so you should be able to find her at home if you can't get one of us.”
This gets his attention, and his head swings to look at me.”She’s moving into your dad’s place?”
“Well, yes, Dad adopted her. She’s a Summers now. Where else would she live?”
“She's a grown ass adult too, so it wouldn't be strange for her to stay in her own place,” he snaps, but his face pales as if he just realized what he said and who he said it to. “Shit, sorry.”
“We’re a close-knit family. We like to be in one another's pockets. If it gets to be too much for you, just let us know, and I’ll talk to Dad about finding you somewhere else to live. I know Nana didn’t really give you an option.”
He sighs heavily. “We’ll be at the B&B for a little longer since we paid up for a month before Grace offered us room. That will hopefully give us some time to get used to the idea. I know you know that we have a somewhat shaky history with Hope, but I don't want to cause any problems between you.”
“That’s between the five of you, and as long as you don’t go out of your way to hurt her now, I won’t get involved. However, youdohave to face the reality that she’s now a formal part of the family that you’ve agreed to tie yourselves to. Have you thought about having an open conversation between the five of you? It might go a long way in making your lives a little less tense.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “I’m not sure it will make a difference, to be honest. Anyway, I better let you get back to work. I’ll catch up with you later.” With a wave, he heads off around the house, not giving me a chance to respond.
“Well, okay then. I guess he doesn’t want to talk about it,” I mutter to myself.
ChapterFour
Oliver
Ithought Holden would be right behind me, but he still hasn’t come back by the time I pour our coffee. Leaving both mugs on the kitchen counter, I decide to poke around a little. This kitchen is industrial-sized, big enough to run a restaurant out of, but it was probably needed given how much the count entertained. There’s a large walk-in pantry that stretches back far enough to get lost, with a couple of rows of shelves that are holding lots of empty labeled containers. The trust must have had it cleaned out once the count had been declared missing. If we’re going to move in, we’re going to have to do a big grocery order. Maybe I should start a list of things we need. The rest of them are very good at eating the food Mrs. Heyton makes, but they likely won’t think about keeping stock of supplies.
Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I make note of the labels, but I doubt I’ve even touched the surface. I think we’re eventually going to need a housekeeper like Mrs. Heyton. This house is so big despite seven of us living here, and our schedules will be all over the place. We won’t need a whole slew of staff, but we’ve grown up with the ease of having at least one person to take care of those things. It’s not like we’re incapable of it, but it’s definitely not the first thing that’ll be on our minds. Not to mention a baby will be joining our lives and routine in a few months. Consistency will benefit her and us as we sort out how to be parents.
Stepping back out of the pantry, I move to the walk-in fridge and use a big pot to prop the door open. I don’t want to get locked inside; god knows Holden would never let me live that down.
Once I’m sure the pot will hold, I start poking around. I think Emma said there was another door further back that leads to a freezer. I need an idea about how much space we have before I start ordering groceries… And, okay, I might also be pretty curious.
Sure enough, at the back of the fridge, there’s another door with a handle. A wave of stale air hits me in the face, making me cough a little, when I push it down and step inside. I guess there was no need for the cleaning service to come in and do anything since it was emptied out. I decide to keep playing ‘better safe than sorry’ by propping a canister in the doorway before I move further into the space.
Like the fridge, it isn't cold, and it’s empty except for some shelves and hooks for hanging cuts of meat. I’m just about to turn and head back out when a little flashing light catches my eye. Walking to the back wall, I bend down and move aside the little shelf that’s in front of it. There’s another keypad like the others that have been placed around the house. If this freezer was full and this shelf had things on it, no one would have noticed it at all.
A little thrill of excitement runs through me as I consider that I may have discovered something new. Emma never mentioned this during her tour, so there’s a decent chance that she has no idea it exists. Running my hand across the wall, I can’t even feel a seam for a door, so maybe there’s nothing there. What could the panel be for then?
