by Vivi Barnes
I draw my shoulders back. I have Jack now. I don’t mind being poor and outcast if I’m with him. And I highly doubt Grandfather would do that to me, anyway.
I turn around, startled to see Jack leaning against the doorframe, watching me.
“You’re beautiful,” he says, his gaze swallowing me whole. I could live in those eyes. He walks over to me, taking my hand. “If this doesn’t work, I want you to know it’s completely okay if you leave me to stay with your grandfather.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really?” He’s so full of it.
“Hell no.” He pulls me to him tightly, lifting me in the air. “You’re mine, and I’m yours, and there’s nothing Mr. Brownlow can do about it.”
“Good.” I touch his cheek gently. “Just don’t forget it.”
He kisses me then, and for a moment I forget all about dinner, all about my grandfather, and frankly about anything other than the fact that Jack is kissing me in my bedroom, and it’s all I can do not to lock the door and stay a while. I break away as Cara informs us dinner is ready.
“Let’s go,” I tell him softly, slipping my fingers through his.
Grandfather is talking to Mrs. Bedwin at the bottom of the staircase as we descend, hand in hand. He looks up at us, his face solemn. He hugs me, his arms somewhat stiff, then looks at Jack.
“Mr. Brownlow,” Jack says, extending his hand.
“Jack,” Grandfather says, reaching out to shake it. I know that doesn’t mean anything. He’s too polite to slap his hand away.
“Thanks for inviting me to spend Christmas here,” Jack says.
Grandfather nods once, and he may as well have said, It wasn’t my idea.
“Well, let’s head to the table,” Mrs. Bedwin starts. “We’ve prepared a lovely welcome home dinner—chateaubriand with roasted root vegetables and grilled asparagus.”
She continues on about the meal as we walk to the dining room, but all I can focus on is the sharp tension between Jack and Grandfather. This is going to be a long night.
Over dinner, Grandfather asks me about school, finals, and everything someone would ask when trying to avoid awkwardness.
“So you’re enrolled at Princeton as well?” Grandfather finally asks Jack.
“Yes, sir.”
“He has a 4.0 GPA,” I add, but Grandfather keeps his focus on Jack.
“And what are you doing for income these days?” he asks.
I clench my teeth, praying Jack doesn’t get offended or nervous. But Jack merely smiles and says, “I do work for hire in computer technology. Helping companies find weaknesses in their systems to prevent them from getting hacked.”
Grandfather raises an eyebrow in surprise. He always figured Jack was involved in something shady, but probably in his eyes it was running drugs or guns or something. Or maybe he figured out a while ago what Jack was really up to but wanted to test him.
“So you know a lot about hacking, am I right?” Grandfather asks. His eyes flick to me to check my reaction, but I keep my face expressionless.
“Yes,” Jack says. He says nothing else. I glance at Grandfather, whose lips twitch slightly. I have to admire the way he ferrets out information and how quickly he puts two and two together.
“Are you still in business for yourself?” Grandfather asks him.
Jack raises his chin slightly. “No, sir. I am not.”
Grandfather nods shortly. “Good. Ah, Mrs. Bedwin,” he says as she walks through the door. “This was excellent. Please extend my compliments to Betty Ann.”
“Yes, sir,” she says, winking at me. I wink back.
The rest of dinner is much more relaxed. Grandfather speaks mostly to me, but he does include Jack in a few of his questions. Most of the conversation revolves around friends and activities at Princeton, campus life, that kind of thing.
“Emerson’s coming over later,” I tell Grandfather over plates of apple pie. “She finally got her parents to take her with them on one of their trips, so they’re leaving early in the morning.”
He nods. “Good. It’s about time they recognized that the best part of their life was right in front of them.”
“I know.”
“For me, too,” he says. He looks at Jack. “It’s no secret how strongly I’ve disapproved of my granddaughter being with you.” He sighs. “However, I will accept that you are together because it’s important to Olivia. You seem like you’re getting your life on track, and I approve of that. But if you hurt her at all, consider my acceptance of you strongly rescinded.”
It’s a threat, though a mild one. But I don’t care. He’ll accept Jack as long as he’s with me, which is forever as far as I’m concerned. And one day, I know he’ll grow to actually like and appreciate him. As Mrs. Bedwin said, Jack is a good person. He deserves no less.
“That’ll never happen,” Jack says. “That I can guarantee.”
“Good.” Grandfather sighs, his gaze softening as it moves from Jack to me. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he says, his hand patting the top of mine.
To his surprise, I throw my arms around him and hug him tight. “Merry Christmas, Grandfather.”
I catch Jack’s eyes, bright with love for me and happiness he never thought he deserved. Jack and Liv—two lost souls who found—and saved—each other. Our pasts may have shaped us, but they don’t own us.
Not anymore.
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OLIVIA TWISTED
Olivia and Z’s story begins in this tale full of romance, intrigue, action, and of course computer hacking.
PAPER OR PLASTIC
Lexi doesn’t think her summer can get any worse than having to work at SmartMart. Until she meets Noah…and things start looking up.
Acknowledgments
WARNING: If exclamation points bother you, you should probably turn away now. It’s impossible to hide my enthusiasm for everyone who’s contributed to this book. I love you all!
To Jack, AJ, and Elaine—thank you for putting up with me and my weirdness when I’m writing (and, um, when I’m not)! I’m grateful to have you in my life.
To Stacy Abrams and Tara Whitaker, you are the most amazing editors. I’ve said it before, but I’m a better writer because of you. I love you—circling YES!
To the entire Entangled team, especially Nancy Cantor, Maddie Pelletier, Melissa Montavani, Heather Riccio, and Christine Chhun—I’m so grateful for your work in bringing this story to life!
To Pam Howell and Bob Diforio, thank you for your support and for navigating me through the weird world of contracts and, you know, that paperwork stuff that makes me LOL!
To everyone who helped shape this book—Peggy “Chai Latte” Jackson, Marlana Antifit, Dennis Cooper, Jennye Kamin, Tori Kelley, Stephanie Spier, Jen Woods, Whitney Smith, my mommy Patricia Pondant Harris, and Patricia “Strawberry” Taylor—thank you for your critiques, support, and shared laughs! And to Eva Griffin, Tracey Smith, and Peggy Jackson—I’m following my dreams because of you!
(Hey, can’t say I didn’t warn you!!!!)
To my fellow YA Chicks—Christina Farley and Amy Christine Parker, author visits are so much more fun when we’re together! Here’s to many more road trips, secret projects (Lynne Matson, I’m never falling asleep again!), and men in the mirror (um, scratch that last one)!
To all the teachers, librarians, bloggers, and media specialists—thank you for your love of books and continual support of authors! And to my fellow YA authors—you know who you are—I’m ever grateful not to feel alone in this world.
Thanks as always to my work team for understanding my never-ending distractions (that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!). I’m looking at you, Dina Kuhlman!
Finally, to my darling husband who puts up with me on a daily basis, you’re the toast to my jam. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas off you and for suggesting new ways to torture my characters. I love you forever!
About the Author
&
nbsp; Vivi Barnes was raised on a farm in East Texas where her theater-loving mom and cowboy dad gave her a unique perspective on life. Now living in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, Florida, she divides her time writing, working, goofing off with her husband and three kids, and avoiding dirty dishes.
Visit Vivi Barnes at www.vivibarnes.com
Olivia Decoded Reading Group Guide
1. Emerson mentions that her boyfriend’s friend dumped a girl by texting her. Is this a common phenomenon in the digital age? Is it right? How should people end relationships?
2. Liv has a hard time making friends at Dalton, except Emerson. Grandfather is encouraging her to develop new friendships. How do people in high school go about making new friends? What has worked for you? How do you act around new kids?
3. Emerson encourages Liv to reveal her secrets to her. How does Emerson demonstrate her friendship to Liv and vice versa? Do you keep secrets from your friends?
4. The novel gives us a glimpse into the underground world of hackers. What did you already know about hacking? What did you learn about their lives and behaviors?
5. When thinking about their abusive lives, Jack states that the members of the house are “all screwed up in one way or another.” Is this an excuse for their hacking? Is Jack a modern-day Robin Hood?
6. Jack recalls that Nancy allowed them to hack banks but not to change their report card grades. Do you see a difference?
7. Liv’s mother was a drug addict who died of an overdose, resulting in Liv being assigned to the foster care system. How did Liv’s childhood affect her new life and her self-esteem?
8. Emerson’s parents are never around, too caught up in their business to spend time with her. Is this common for children of wealth?
9. Liv is haunted by the possibility that she takes after her father. Do you agree with nature or nurture as the most important influence on our personalities?
10. We learn that Liv has spent time in therapy, arranged by her grandfather. Liv does not feel it has helped her. What are your thoughts/experiences with therapy?
11. Jack as Z is a “bad boy.” Liv admits to being attracted to his dangerous side. Are you more attracted to people you perceive as edgy? Can someone be both dangerous and good?
12. Nancy suggests Liv could help persuade Jack to quit hacking. Liv claims that Jack has to come around on his own terms. Can we influence people we love to stop destructive behavior? Do “interventions” work?
13. Liv deceives her grandfather numerous times in order to be with Jack. Is her relationship with Jack more important than her grandfather’s? Do you agree with her justifications?
14. Were you surprised by Jack’s decision not to confront his father when he visited the hospital? What other scenarios could you imagine happening in the situation?
15. What did you think about Jen’s secret affair with the teacher?
16. When did you suspect that Maggie and Derrick were the stalkers? What caused Maggie to turn against Jack? Was it realistic?
17. Are there people like Derrick out there in the foster care system? Is the foster care system broken? How can it be improved?
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