Nevada shook her head. “You really think Mom would let him fire me?”
Montana pulled Charlie onto her lap. “She has a point. Ethan can’t fire her.”
“Do you want him to?” Dakota asked.
“No. I work hard for him. I know he’s happy with my work, but that’s not the point. I went to work in the family business. I never thought about doing anything else. I just want to know if I’m in the right place. Doing the right thing.”
“Is this a triplet curse?” Montana asked. “For so long I didn’t know what I was doing. Now I’m finally happy and you’re confused?”
“There’s no curse,” Dakota told her.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Nevada admitted. “The thing is, I don’t want to leave Fool’s Gold. I like it here. It’s my home. But it’s not like there are a lot of other opportunities. I’m not comfortable working for another contracting firm. I don’t want to be in competition with Ethan.”
“So what’s the solution?” Dakota asked.
Nevada straightened her legs and picked at a blade of grass. “Have either of you heard about Janack Construction?”
Dakota frowned. “The name is familiar. Wasn’t there a guy in school named Tucker Janack? He was friends with Ethan and Josh. They went to a cycling camp together, way back when. I can’t recall all the details.”
“I remember,” Montana said. “Tucker’s father is super rich. Didn’t he send a helicopter to pick up Tucker?”
“Yes and yes,” Nevada said. “They’re one of the largest construction companies in the country. Apparently, Tucker’s father liked what he saw when he visited here all those years ago. He bought a couple hundred acres north of town.”
“How could he do that?” Dakota asked. “Isn’t that Indian land? They can’t buy that.”
“Tucker’s father is one sixteenth Máa-zib. That’s all you need to be. Apparently Tucker’s mom is also part Máa-zib.”
Dakota wondered how her sister knew so much about the Janack family. “Did you meet them sometime we don’t know about?”
“The parents? No, I’ve never met them.”
“What are they going to build there?” Montana asked. “Isn’t two hundred acres a lot of land?”
“I’ve heard it’s going to be an exclusive resort,” Nevada said. “Big hotel, spa, casino and a couple of golf courses. There’s some serious money going into the project. They’re going to hire a lot of people.”
“So you’d go work for them?” Dakota asked.
“I haven’t decided. I might apply and see what happens. At least then I could say I’ve been on a job interview.”
Dakota wondered if there was more going on than Nevada wanted to tell them. Was she not getting along with Ethan? Or was the situation exactly what she said—a need to prove herself?
“I haven’t heard anyone talking about this project,” Montana said. “I guess if they’re on Indian land, they don’t need City Council approval. But you’d think they’d at least talk to the mayor.”
“Maybe they have and Marsha simply hasn’t mentioned it to anyone,” Dakota said. “There’s plenty going on right now, what with the reality show and all the men still pouring into town.”
“When are you going to decide what to do?” Montana asked.
“Not for a while,” Nevada admitted. “They’re still in the design stage. That could take months or even a year. Once I know they’re actually moving forward with work, I’ll think about what I want to do.” She shifted on the blanket. “Please don’t say anything to Ethan. It’s not that I don’t like working with him. I just need to know that I could work somewhere else, too.”
“I’m not going to say anything,” Montana said. “I’ve been flaky for years. I totally understand the need to figure out what you want to do.”
“I won’t say anything, either,” Dakota promised. “If you need someone to listen, if you just want to bounce ideas off me, I’m always available.”
“I know that,” Nevada told her. “Thanks.”
“Has it occurred to any of you that none of us have been on a date in months?” Montana asked. “Maybe there is something to this stupid man shortage.”
“I’m dating,” Dakota said.
“No. You’re having sex with Finn. That’s not dating.”
“Did I know this?” Nevada asked. “When did you start sleeping with Finn?”
Dakota briefly explained her recent encounters with the twins’ brother. “It’s not serious,” she said. “When he figures out that his brothers are more than capable of taking care of themselves, he’ll go back to South Salmon. This isn’t a long-term relationship. And technically, as Montana said, it’s not really dating.”
“Point taken,” Nevada said with a grin. “So the question is, do you want a date or do you want to have sex?”
“Can’t I have both?” Montana asked. “Do I have to pick?”
“Find the right guy and you can have both,” Nevada told her.
“Is that what you want?” Dakota asked.