“Well, that’s settled then. You’re thrilled, Dad’s thrilled, and all of us are thrilled.” The four of us laugh. “Do you two need help moving?”
They shake their heads. “No, Brad is going to come with us. Most of the furniture will stay in the house, so we’re just going to bring a few personal items,” Emma explains, and Nana leans in.
“You two will be the ladies of this house now, which means if you want to change anything, don’t be afraid to speak up.”
“But what about—”
Nana doesn’t even let Molly finish her sentence.“I only decorated this house for Brad. I am quite happy in our suite in our wing, so you need to make this house your home. Living here will probably take some adjustments on all your parts. It has always worked for us as a family, but if we find it is not working, then Howard and I can move out. Jacinta and Hope can do the same thing. There is plenty of land on this property and enough places for us all to build large houses.”
I feel a small pang of disappointment. I love my house and had always dreamed of raising a family in it, but of course things change, and I need to learn to adapt. My therapist would be so proud of me, knowing that I’m not throwing a tantrum or plotting to ruin someone’s life.
“Oh god no. This house is way too big for us. We love that everyone lives here. We want all of you to stay. There’s more than enough room for all of us.”
“Are you okay with the McCallister brothers taking up one of the floors in our wing?” Hope’s been quiet this whole time, but I guess that’s on her mind now. “Because it will be no problem to tell them they have to live somewhere else.”
My mouth drops open in shock at her vehemence while Nana, Molly, and Emma exchange a conspiratorial look. I know that one, and I’m glad the focus is all on Hope at the moment.
“Oh no, we wouldn’t dream of putting the poor boys out! They’re working so hard to get Harlow’s zoo up and running as fast as possible, and they need somewhere comfortable to relax at the end of the day.”
Emma nods, supporting Molly’s adamant words. “Yes, and what better place than here? It’s practically a resort with the theater and the indoor pool and the hot tub.”
Hope grumbles quietly enough that I can’t make out what she’s saying.
“Now, dear, I know that you’ve had your problems in the past, but why not give them a chance?” Nana pats Hope on the hand, and Hope grimaces.
“What, just like they gave me a chance when I was kicked out years ago? No, I don’t think so. Harlow’s zoo can’t be finished quickly enough.”
“But then they’re working on the amusement park,andthey’re going to do the changes to our wing,” Emma points out helpfully, and Hope growls again before standing up.
“Maybe I should have kept my apartment in town. It looks like I’ll be staying in the city more than I’ll be coming home.” She storms off in the direction of the kitchen, taking her empty coffee cup and plate with her.
“Oh dear.” Nana watches her go with a sad look on her face.
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine. They just need to get it all out. Hopefully it will come to a head soon so the five of them can hash it out. I would say just leave them be and work through it in their own time, but I know you better. Just be a little more subtle than you usually are. Hope won’t thank you if you force them down her throat. They hurt her big time.” How I’m the voice of reason in this situation, I have no idea, but I hope the women listen to me. I want my new sister to be happy too, but I think she’s going to need some time to want that for herself—as far as those brothers are concerned at least.
ChapterNineteen
Jacinta
Apart from the four people packing up all the boxes in the library, Willow Castle is quite quiet today. The movers all seem to be happy doing their thing, sticking to the “public” parts of the house, so I’m not really needed.
Simon is watching me today since Riku is having a day off. I was a bit disappointed about that, but Riku deserves time off. It’s unrealistic to expect him to spend all of his time with me. Iamjust a job, after all. I leave Simon to keep an eye on the movers, not wanting them to wander the house, and take off to do my own thing after I assure him I won’t leave without letting him know.
There are so many rooms in this house that it’s easy to lose track of them, so today I’m going to do a walk-through with my phone and notebook and make notes of everything’s status. I need to know what’s done, what still needs work, and what we might have forgotten in all the craziness.
I’m on the second floor in one of the mistress rooms, mid-morning, when I hear a helicopter outside. I can’t see the front of the house from this room, but I’m assuming it’s landing on the property since they cleared a space for it. One of the guys must have come home early today. I’m sure whoever it is will find me if they need me, but they’ll probably go looking for Harlow first.
The mistress room needs to be completely gutted since we concentrated on the bedrooms for the guys first. I need to have the furniture trashed, the carpets and curtains removed, and the room repainted. I’m hoping there are hardwood floors under these carpets. Most of them have been, but you never know with old houses. I’ll have them polished and get some throw rugs to go in here. Stepping out of the room, I walk down the corridor to the next door and push it open. It’s a room I haven’t been in before. I was expecting another bedroom, but it’s a cozy sitting area. It has fancy chaise lounges and uncomfortable-looking chairs, but there is a huge picture window overlooking the lake at the back of the house and a fireplace that would make the room super warm in winter.
“Well, this is nice. I think I just found the perfect playroom for my niece.” I run my finger along the chaise before taking a seat in one of the little armchairs. “But this furniture has to go.”
“Did you know talking to yourself is the first sign of being crazy?” The voice at the door has me screaming and throwing my phone at the intruder.
Cole ducks, so my phone hits the wall and lands at his feet. He chuckles as he bends down to pick it up, but my heart is racing and my breathing is labored as I try to get myself under control.
“Fuck, Cole! You scared the shit out of me.” My voice is trembling in an obnoxiously obvious way, and his chuckle dies off.
“Shit, I’m sorry. The people downstairs told me you were up here. I thought you might have heard me coming.”
