"Davy intimated that he might like a Halloween party."
"No."
"How about a fall festival?"
I sighed.
"We could do hayrides," my older brother said.
"We don’t have horses."
"Could get some goats," Remy said, bouncing Davy. "Could be fun—bobbing for apples, jack-o’-lantern carving contest…"
"We're not having a Halloween party."
* * *
The next morning,Penny screeched to a halt in front of the house. There was a headlight missing on the car.
"Get out," I told her.
"And happy fall morning to you too!" she said. "Did you sleep well? Have good dreams?"
"I had a nightmare that my car was further damaged, and oh look, it is."
"It's the ghost," she said, hopping out of the car. "He hates modern cars. Maybe you have an old Ford pickup or something?"
"We do not. Those old cars are dangerous. They don't have airbags," I said, frowning. "You get in a wreck, and the steering wheel goes straight through your rib cage."
"Then they bury you and you come back as a zombie!" She giggled.
"Car accidents aren't funny," I said.
"I know!" She stared at me, eyes wide, lips pressed between her teeth. "But the thought of you as a zombie is kind of funny!"
A new Tesla pulled up alongside the ruined one. Remy jumped out. "Penny!"
"Remy! He's the best hugger," Penny said, clearly delighted.
I did not want my brother hugging Penny. I pulled him off. "We're late."
"You run the company," Penny said with a laugh. "Can you really be late?"
* * *
"You're late,"Hunter said when we walked into my office, Penny trailing me. "We have a meeting about the Thalian Biotech acquisition."
"Sorry," Penny said. "It was my fault. We had to find a new car."
Hunter scowled at Penny. I was seriously about to punch my brother in the face, which was weird because violence was not my style. I preferred to lull my victims into a sense of complacency then crush them and everything they loved.
"Maybe you do need to find a new chauffeur," Hunter said. "Time is money, and I don't want her costing us this company."
"Penny is doing a fine job. She has a very detailed dossier on Sebastian," I told my older brother. "And you need to remember that I'm the one who not only keeps this company afloat but makes sure our entire family doesn’t end up in the poorhouse. If I let you all run riot with the finances, Archer would have blown all the money on a zoo."
Hunter blinked. "Fine. Penny, show us what you've been working on."
13
