I nod.
“Now, Jake is safe with them, no doubt about that.They would protect that boy with their lives.They love the kid.But they need someone, other than me to tell them buying Jake a Ferrari for his seventh birthday so he can start his collection early is not a good idea.”
Oh my gosh.
“Do you see what I mean?Tanya wants to come back to the same son she felt in their care, not a mini version of them.For the next three months they seriously have to get their shit together as the young people say and if there are any mishaps, she’s going to take back the land on which one of PHL Industries' largest tech plants is situated.It’s drastic, but I can see it from Tanya’s point of view.She promised her father they would settle down and have families and felt she failed, but she wants this to work.”
Harold takes a breath.“They already have two strikes against them: the booger and smelly feet snacks, as you called them and the alcohol-laden ones.Tanya is serious; one more strike, and she’s swiping back that land.”
He takes my hand.
“Viv, this is where you come in as a favor to me.I know you barely know me but just hear me out.Could you whip them into some semblance of men who can be responsible enough to take care of their nephew, in say, a week?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, move in with them and teach them how to be Jake’s guardians, not just his cool uncles who come with no rules, and anything goes, which is who they are right now.I think Tanya just wants to see that they’re capable of doing things normal people do, you know.”He shrugs, unsure himself.“Tanya tried very hard to get them married and have children, but that isn’t going to happen.That was all their father wanted for them.”
“Seven days?”I say.Harold wants me to move in with them for seven days?“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Harold.There are...”It’s a terrible idea really.
“Please,” he says full of earnest.“They’ll go through this kind of boot camp with you, and Tanya will be off their backs.Their tech plant will be safe, and she’s promised she won’t bother them again.”
Harold smiles.“You get to boss them around for an entire week, Ms.Quinn.I think you would enjoy that very much.Think of it as payback.”His grin broadens, and I can’t help but smile back.
I get to boss them around?Oh my god.The things I would make them do...all in the name of teaching them humility.Okay, but this could be the perfect payback, just like Harold says.
Am I really going to do this?Can I withstand being in their company for an entire week?Yes, yes, I can if I’m bossing them around.
“I’ll do it.”The words escape my mouth before I can rethink them.
“Excellent.And just one more thing, that might put you more at ease.Another clause that Tanya created was that they weren’t allowed sleep with any women while Jake was in their care or they would lose the land.”
“Oh,” is all I could say.
Chapter Twelve
Genevieve
