Four Of A Kind

Chapter 120: [3.22] The Jealousy Clause

[20 minutes ago]

“Tadaa!” Harlow presented the completed blanket fort with a flourish. “What do you think?”

Iris ducked her head inside and surveyed their creation with critical eyes.

Inside, the world was a soft, dim cocoon. The air smelled of clean sheets and Harlow’s strawberry perfume. Light filtered through the cotton overhead, painting everything in a warm, hazy glow.

They’d spent the last twenty minutes stretching sheets between chairs, stacking pillows for walls, and weighing down corners with hardcover books. The result was surprisingly sturdy for a temporary structure.

“Not bad,” Iris said, crawling inside. “We could make the ceiling higher if we used that lamp as a center post.”

“Oooh, smart!” Harlow clapped her hands together. “You’re way better at this than my sisters. Cassidy always says blanket forts are for babies, Vivienne worries about wrinkling the sheets, and Sabrina just reads inside them without helping build.”

Iris settled onto a pillow and leaned back. “Isaiah and I used to make these all the time when I was little. He’d read me stories inside them with a flashlight.”

“That’s adorable!” Harlow squealed, squeezing in beside her. “Your brother is so sweet.”

“Don’t tell him I said that,” Iris said quickly. “I maintain a strict policy of only insulting him to his face.”

Harlow giggled, pulling out her phone. “We need to document our architectural masterpiece. Scoot closer!”

Iris leaned in as Harlow held up her phone, both girls grinning as the camera flash went off. Harlow immediately started typing.

“Are you sending that to my brother?” Iris asked.

“Yep! I’m letting him know you’re safe and having fun. He worries.”

“That’s his default setting,” Iris said, rolling her eyes. “Worry, work, worry some more, sleep for four hours, then start again.”

Harlow set her phone down and reached under a nearby chair, pulling out a shopping bag. “Snack time! I’ve got Pocky, those weird sour gummy things, and… ta-da! The latest volume of Spy×Family!”

“Volume 8?” Iris grabbed it. “No way! Isaiah just bought this for me last week!”

“You read it too?” Harlow’s eyes lit up. “Who’s your favorite character? Mine’s Yor because she’s so badass but also super sweet and domestic. Plus her fashion sense is amazing!”

“Anya, obviously,” Iris said, flipping through pages. “The ultimate chaos agent.”

“You’d make a super cute Anya cosplay,” Harlow said thoughtfully. “You’ve got the right face shape for it.”

“Cosplay? Me?” Iris laughed. “I just draw the characters. I don’t dress up as them.”

“You’re missing out! It’s so much fun becoming someone else for a day.” Harlow pulled out her phone again and swiped to a photo of herself in a black dress with a black collar, her hair styled in an elegant updo. “This is my Yor from last spring’s convention.”

“Whoa.” Iris studied the photo with genuine admiration. “That’s seriously good. You’ve got the…” She gestured vaguely at her own chest. “You know, the attributes for it.”

Harlow looked down at herself and laughed. “You mean these? Yeah, the Valentine genes didn’t skimp on that department. Makes some costumes easier, others harder.” She paused, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. “Want to feel them?”

“What?” Iris nearly dropped the manga.

“For science! So you know what you’re working with for future costume designs.”

Before Iris could respond, Harlow grabbed her hand and placed it directly on her chest.

“See? Perfect for Yor Forger. Bouncy but not too much.”

Iris yanked her hand back, her face burning. “You can’t just do that!”

“Why not? They’re just boobs.” Harlow shrugged. “Cassidy says I have no sense of personal boundaries. She’s probably right.”

“You think?” Iris shook her head, but couldn’t help laughing. “You Valentine sisters are so weird.”

“We get that a lot.” Harlow opened a box of Pocky. “So you draw manga? Are you any good?”

“I’m okay,” Iris said with a shrug. “Isaiah says I could be a professional someday, but he’s biased.”

“Can I see?”

Iris hesitated. “I don’t have my sketchbook with me.”

“Next time then!” Harlow said brightly. “When you come over properly. You should totally visit on a weekend. We could marathon anime in the home theater. It has reclining seats and a popcorn machine!”

The casual invitation to return warmed Iris more than she expected. This strange, bubbly girl with no concept of personal space had simply accepted Iris into her world without question.

“You know,” Harlow said around a mouthful of Pocky, “your brother would make an amazing Loid Forger.”

“Isaiah? In cosplay?” Iris snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“But he has the perfect face for it! All serious and handsome, with those tired eyes that have seen too much.” Harlow gestured dramatically. “He already has the whole secret-agent vibe going on.”

Iris considered this. “You’re not wrong. He does always look like he’s on some covert mission.”

“I’m going to ask him,” Harlow decided. “We could do a family group cosplay! You as Anya, me as Yor, and Isaiah as Loid!”

The idea of her perpetually serious brother dressed as an anime character made Iris giggle. “I would pay actual money to see that.”

“Want to see something cool?” Harlow suddenly scrambled out of the fort. “Wait right here!”

She disappeared into her closet, returning moments later with a protective sleeve containing a manga volume.

“This is my holy grail,” Harlow said reverently, sliding back into the fort. “First edition Attack on Titan, signed by Isayama himself.”

“Shut up!” Iris carefully took the sleeve. “How did you get this?”

“Fashion Week in Tokyo four years ago. Mom was busy with meetings, so Dad took me to a signing. He waited in line for four hours because I had a photoshoot.”

“Your dad sounds nice,” Iris said quietly.

Harlow’s smile dimmed slightly. “He was the best.” She fiddled with a Pocky stick. “He died two years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Iris said, suddenly feeling awkward.

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay, but…” Harlow shrugged. “We’re managing. That’s why we hired Isaiah, actually. Mom’s always traveling, and things were getting kind of… scattered.”

Iris nodded, understanding what Harlow wasn’t saying. The absence of a parent left holes that needed filling.

“Speaking of,” Harlow said carefully, “you mentioned something earlier about your mom? About how she left?”

Iris froze. Shit shit shit. She’d hoped they’d forgotten that slip-up.

“It’s not a big deal,” she said quickly. “Just normal mom stuff.”

“Normal mom stuff usually doesn’t make someone’s brother raise them alone,” Harlow said gently.

Iris stared down at the manga in her hands. She needed a distraction, fast.

“So what do you think of Isaiah?” she blurted out. “Like, as a person? Not just an assistant or whatever?”

Harlow blinked at the sudden change of subject, but her cheeks flushed pink. “Oh! Well, he’s… he’s really nice.”

“Nice?” Iris raised an eyebrow. “That’s the best you can do?”

“And smart! And kind. And he actually listens when I talk, even about anime and cosplay stuff that most people tune out.” Harlow tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And he doesn’t treat me like I’m stupid or shallow just because I like cute things.”

Interesting. Very interesting.

“Plus he has pretty eyes,” Harlow added, then immediately covered her mouth. “I probably shouldn’t say that about an employee.”

“His eyes are just brown,” Iris said.

“No, they have these tiny green flecks in them. You can only see them when the light hits just right.”

Iris stared at Harlow. No one should be close enough to see her brothers green specks.

“You’ve been looking pretty closely at my brother’s eyes,” Iris said slowly.

Harlow’s blush deepened. “It’s not like that! I just notice details. It’s the artist in me.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Really! He works for us. That would be inappropriate.”

“Sure, sure.”

Harlow pulled a pillow over her face and groaned. “Can we please talk about something else?”

Iris smirked. Her impromptu diversion had worked perfectly, and now she had new information. Harlow Valentine, the bubbly twin-tailed heiress, definitely had feelings for her brother.

But was she the mysterious kisser?

The door burst open, and both girls jumped.

“There you are!” Cassidy stood in the doorway, looking annoyed. “What are you two doing in this… is that a blanket fort?”

“It’s an architectural marvel,” Harlow said defensively. “We used proper load-bearing techniques.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Mom’s assistant just called. She’s coming home next week and wants a ’family vacation.’” She made air quotes around the words.

“Oh no,” Harlow’s face fell. “But we have festival planning next weekend.”

“Tell that to Vivienne. She’s already color-coding a schedule.” Cassidy noticed Iris. “You’re still here? I thought your brother was sending you back to Philly.”

“He got busy,” Iris said vaguely.

“With Sabrina,” Harlow added. “She texted him about an emergency.”

“Sabrina?” Cassidy’s expression shifted. “What kind of emergency?”

“No idea,” Harlow shrugged. “But he went running.”

Something passed over Cassidy’s face—a flash of something Iris couldn’t quite name. Hurt? Jealousy?

“Well, I’ll go help your brother with his emergency. Vivienne wants to talk to him about tomorrow. Something about the seating chart for the launch party.” Cassidy turned to leave, then paused. “And if you’re staying for dinner, we’re ordering pizza. Harlow always gets pineapple because she’s a heathen.”

“Pineapple is a valid topping!” Harlow called after her. She turned to Iris with a sigh. “Sorry about Cassidy. She’s actually nice underneath all the… Cassidy.”

“She seems worried about my brother and Sabrina,” Iris observed carefully.

“Oh, that’s just Cassidy being Cassidy. She gets jealous when any of us monopolize Isaiah’s time.”

“Jealous?” Iris repeated. “Why would she be jealous?”

“Because she—” Harlow stopped suddenly. “Never mind. It’s complicated.”