Enar lifted an eyebrow. “You do realize I talk to my mates, right? Palani has been mentioning your work for Bray a few times, singing your praises. That’s enough for me.”
Okay, then. That had gone much easier than expected. He didn’t even have to use all his arguments. “Thank you. I’m stoked to do this.”
“I’m more than glad to have you on my team. Obviously, we’ll need more people over time, but it’s a start.”
“Thank you.” Lucan took a deep breath. Time to move on to the next item on his agenda. He mentally crossed his fingers that Enar wouldn’t see it as too forward. “As a first suggestion, I was wondering if you’d planned a room for Sando in the clinic to do his research. Maybe with a little lab. Or at least with the option of creating one for him. And if his father is found alive, maybe he could work there as well?”
“Oh, wow. That’s an excellent idea. No, I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ll talk to Palani and make sure we add it to the blueprints. Thank you for suggesting it.”
“Sando does important work, and I think it would help him to work somewhere else than in his bedroom,” Lucan said. “And he’s lonely. In the clinic, he’d be around other people, and I think that would be good for him as well.”
Enar put a warm hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re keeping an eye on him. It’s easy to get lost among the number of people we have here.”
Lucan’s insides warmed at Enar’s praise. “I’ve been hanging out with him for the last three weeks. He’s nice.” He chuckled as he thought of some of their conversations. “He’s super smart but completely clueless about other things. It’s adorable.”
Enar pressed his shoulder one more time, then let go. “My guess is he could use a friend like you. It can’t be easy for him when he’s so worried about his father. It’s been a whole month now since he disappeared. Things are looking less positive by the day.”
“You don’t think he’s still alive.”
Enar shot him an apologetic glance. “We don’t know anything for sure, but the statistics aren’t encouraging after such a long time. But maybe don’t tell Sando this. I’d hate for him to lose hope until he has reason to.”
“I won’t. We don’t talk about his father much anyway. There’s nothing new to report, and Sando says it only makes him sad.”
“Smart. Focus on the positive. Fuck knows we all need it, what with the state of the country right now. We can only hope and pray that despite using despicable means to win the elections, Prime Minister York will do good with his power.”
“At least you guys have a baby to look forward to,” Lucan said softly, and Enar’s face lit up like a beacon.
“It’s a miracle, Vieno being pregnant. He’s sick as a dog, but he and the baby are doing well. I can’t wait to become a dad.”
How wonderful was that, the way Enar talked about the baby? The child wouldn’t be his biologically, yet he still talked about becoming a dad. Lucan would never cease to be amazed at the magical connection those four shared.
“And Lidon shifting? Any consensus on that?” Lucan asked.
Enar grew serious. “We don’t know. We’re hoping, and both Grayson and Sando agree it could be possible, but we’ll have to wait and see. It’s both exhilarating and scary, that’s for sure.”
“I can’t even imagine, and I mean that literally. The whole concept of shifting is so hard to wrap my mind around. I know that it used to be normal, but it feels like a fairy tale to me, like one of the stories my father always told us.”
Enar’s eyes were kind. “Talking about your father… I know it hasn’t been easy for you, his relationship with Lars and Sven. You and I have never talked about it, but I’d imagine our initial feelings must’ve been fairly similar. My brothers and your father.”
Lucan nodded. “That came out of nowhere. I’m still not okay with it. It’s not that I don’t want my dad to be happy. I do. But they’re younger than me. And the kind of relationship they have is just…weird. Not normal.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it weird, but it’s unusual for sure. But, Lucan, this is what works for the three of them, what they need. I think they’re building something real. And I hope that over time, you’ll see that too.”
“Fated mates,” Lucan said with a sigh. “I’m still on the fence about that one. I have a hard time to reconcile that with free will and free choice.”
“Same. I can’t deny it, not after seeing how Lidon, Palani, Vieno, and I are connected, but I completely understand where you’re coming from. It raises many ethical and philosophical questions. We can talk about those if you want. Not to persuade you because like I said, I share your concerns. But I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and exchange ideas and arguments.”
Somehow, that offer made Lucan feel lighter. “Thank you. I’d like that.”
“Awesome. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get some chamomile from the herbs garden to make herbal tea for Vieno. It really helps with his nausea.”
“Thank you. I look forward to working with you.”
“Me too…nephew.” Enar laughed at Lucan’s puzzled expression. “If my brothers become your stepdads, that makes you my nephew. Feel free to call me Uncle Enar. How’s that for mind-boggling?”
Enar walked away, leaving Lucan standing there, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. Mind-boggling. That was one word for it.
2
A gentle knock on the door took Sando out of the papers in front of him, and he felt dazed for a moment. What time was it? Was it lunchtime already? How had that happened? The last time he’d checked the time it had been only ten.
“Hi,” he said to Lucan, who stood in the doorway. “I lost track of time.”
“Just like the previous thirty days,” Lucan said, but he was smiling, and his eyes were sparkling, so Sando knew he didn’t mean it bad. “I’ve only come to pick you up every day at the same time for a whole month.”
Sando shrugged. “I could say I’m sorry again, but I guess that’s starting to sound like an empty cliché.”
Lucan’s smile didn’t falter. “It’s fine, Sando. It’s who you are. Stop apologizing for it.”
This was why Sando liked Lucan so much. He never made him feel like he had failed, like he was different. He always had kind words for him, words of praise or encouragement. “Thank you.”
Lucan held up a paper bag. “Come on, I have your lunch.”
Sando followed him to the shaded area by the pool, where they often spent their lunchtime. In the distance, Jawon’s crew was building the clinic. The buzzing of saws and pounding of hammering traveled through the air. The noise of an air compressor was followed by a loud snap that he still didn’t know what it was for.
“They’re making great progress,” Lucan said. “They’re almost done with the first phase of building the actual structure. After that, it’s time for the interior part.”