Hope Harper Daddy's Monkey Business -

The trouble began on a Tuesday. Hope came home from her shift at the local library – shelving books, breathing air that smelled like paper instead of monkey musk – and found her father sitting at the kitchen table, grinning like a chimpanzee who’d discovered a termite mound.

Her father leaned in. “He’s not hiring trainers or handlers. He’s hiring a bookkeeper .” He tapped his temple. “Numbers, Hope. My other language. If I get this job, we can pay off Kevin’s vet bills. Fix the roof. Buy more bananas. Corporate bananas. ”

Hope forced a smile. “That’s me.”

“When do you start?”

Seventeen of the forty-two primates on the roster were not legally owned. They were “guests.” Or “friends of the family.” Or, in one memorable case, “a spiritual companion who happens to have prehensile tail.” hope harper daddy's monkey business

“Monkeys cannot do taxes.”

“Daddy. What is this?”

“What’s Phase Four?” she asked.