Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Penn
In perfect Gideon fashion, he found out the bid Benito had made on the Marion Estate and bid higher. Did he want the house? No. Would he buy it and keep it vacant until the end of time to stop Calvern from getting it? Absolutely, he would. He was just the perfect amount of petty.
It had been two weeks since we’d seen Monica walking into the salon.
Two weeks since Victor had resigned and Solange had taken over.
Two weeks of unsettling calm. Part of me wanted to believe everything was quieting down, but I was nothing if not a realist. I was sure something was going to pop up soon.
It was the first of July and even hotter than Alex and Mila’s engagement party had been in early June.
Gideon had agreed to a charity Fourth of July gala on his property prior to this mess with Benito, so the house and grounds were filled with people decorating and… Is that guy measuring the archway?
“Dude, what are you doing?”
The tiny man spun on his heel with a squeak. “Mr. Hendrix—
“Garrand,” I corrected.
“Apologies, you startled me.”
I hummed. “What are you doing?” I gestured to his measuring tape.
“Oh, well, as a contingency, I need to make sure the interior is set up in case of weather complications.”
I furrowed my brow. “And are you expecting giants to be walking through the door?”
“What?” He cocked his head, then laughed. “No, no. If people are to enter, I wanted to be sure the cooling fans would fit through the entrances.”
“Cooling fans…” I spun around, desperate to find a more competent adult to handle this. “Danny!” He’d do.
“Sir?”
I rolled my eyes, hating being called that. “This is…”
“Pierre.” The man was all teeth.
“Of course. Danny, this is Pierre, and he’s measuring the archway for cooling fans in case throngs of people come into Gideon’s home where his children rest their weary heads. Perhaps you can assist him?”
Danny sighed. “Right.” He placed a hand on Pierre’s shoulder. “Allow me to explain how that won’t be happening.”
I watched them walk away, glad I’d handed that disaster to someone else.
The sound of rapid footsteps caught my attention as Olivia turned the corner, rushing to the door.
“Whoa.” I intercepted, scooping her up and making her giggle. “Where you going, little girl?”
“Penny, let me down. Jennifer is here.” She wiggled.
“Oh, okay, but you don’t go letting anyone in this house. You know the rules. Go to the piano; I’ll let her in.”
“Kay-kay.”
I dropped her gently and moved to the main entrance. Jennifer stood there, her bag perched on her forearm and a pinched expression. She rarely smiled, and I wondered what Olivia even liked about her. Sure, Livy was getting better, but she was a long way off from being Mozart.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Everton.”
“Please, call me Jennifer.” Her grin was saccharine sweet as if she were forced to practice it because it wasn’t something that came easy to her.
“Right, Jennifer. Please come in. Olivia is at the piano waiting for you.”
“Very good.”
She rushed on by, her vanilla and rose perfume swirling around my nose. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it also wasn’t a scent I favored.
I followed closely behind and leaned against the threshold of the room Gideon had turned into her practice area. It was soundproofed, thankfully, but we never shut the door when she was with anyone other than her family. We’d have to endure for the hour Jennifer was here.
“Hi, Jennifer.”
“Hey, squirt.”
Squirt? The fuck.
“What are you doing?” Alex whispered behind me.
“She called Livy squirt.”
He chuckled. “It’s fine. Have you seen Gideon?”
I shook my head and faced him. “Maybe outside?”
He scratched the nape of his neck, which was odd for him. “Okay.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, everything is calm. It’s something else.”
I shrugged. “I got time. Tell me, and I’ll let you know if Gideon will freak out.”
He smiled. “Fair.”
We left Olivia and Jennifer to their lesson and moved to the kitchen where it was quiet. “Spill.”
“Mila, she…” He sighed. “She really wants to get married in December. She wants snow, and magic, all of it. Originally, she wanted it on Christmas, but I was like, no way. But…” He petered off.
“December is a good month; what’s the problem?”
“This December.”
“As in five months from now?” Damn.
“Yeah. Problem is a few things. One, I’d need time off to, you know, get married. And the honeymoon, which I didn’t book, that’s another problem. Also, I can’t secure any of the venues she wants in such a short time.”
I nodded. “I’m sure Gid will give you the time off, don’t worry about that.”
“Right.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I love her, I do, but she’s asking for the impossible.”
I smirked. “Is she? I guarantee Gideon can help you. He knows a lot of people. How about you concentrate on your honeymoon? Give me a list of the venues she wants, the date or dates she wants, and put them in order of most wanted for each. I’ll handle Gideon.”
“Really?” He looked unsure.
“He likes Mila. Oh! I have an idea. When he gets what she wants, and he will,” I winked, “you and Mila come over for dinner, where you can tell her the great news, and Gideon can see how happy he made you both.” I leaned in closer.
“Don’t tell him I said this, but he likes making people he cares about happy. ”
“I can talk to him, Penn. I don’t need you to intervene. I’m a big boy, and I’ve known Gideon a long time.”
I hummed and grinned. “Can you do it naked?”
“Pardon?” Alex’s brows shot up.
“He responds better that way. Can you do that?” I cocked a brow.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times and pulled out his phone. “I’ll text you the venues and dates.”
“Good man.” I slapped his shoulder and sauntered off. I’d enjoy convincing Gideon to make this happen.
My phone vibrated in my pocket while I was heading upstairs. I gave it a quick glance as I entered the bedroom and began to strip. The list of venues was top notch, and it was going to be very difficult to get this for Mila, but Gideon could do it.
I tossed the phone onto the bed and hopped into the shower. Livy and Owen were sleeping over at Rita and Dean’s tonight, and they would be here right after Olivia’s lesson. I wanted to be perfectly clean so when that door shut, my ass was ready for the pounding I knew I’d be getting.