"He did?"
"He's so proud of you, Lilly. He tells everyone how talented you are. He's been wanting to come up here and see you but he's trying to give you space and let you get used to being on your own. But it's been very hard on him."
Now I feel bad for yelling at my dad. I didn't know he missed me so much. But it makes sense. My dad and I are really close. After my parents divorced, it was just my dad and me. Garret was already married and living out here in California. My dad and I lived in Connecticut, and it was only the two of us for years, until he married Rachel.
"Lilly, your dad has been worried about you since the day we dropped you off here. He's always been around to protect you and now he's not. So I think he blames himself for what happened."
"That's crazy. Dad wasn't even here."
"I know it doesn't make sense, but someday when you're a parent you'll understand. As a parent, you always feel responsible for whatever happens to your children. You always wish you could do more to make sure they're safe."
I walk over to my bed and sit down. "I can't believe he put my art in his office."
"You wouldn't let him when you lived at home."
"Because it's not very good."
She sits beside me. "It's excellent. And he's proud of it. He wants everyone to see it."
She's going to make me cry. I wipe my eyes before a tear can fall.
"I'm going to hang some of your artwork in the living room," she says.
"Please don't. It's embarrassing. Wait until I get better at it."
She hugs my side. "You can't stop me. You don't live there anymore."
"I'll be home on breaks."
"Maybe you could also come home some weekend. I miss having my daughter around. Your dad's not the only one who goes into your room looking for you."
"You guys need to stop doing that."
"We will eventually. Maybe by the time you graduate."
We both laugh.
She changes topics and tells me a funny story about something Abi did when she was at their house last week. But my mind keeps drifting off, wondering what my dad is up to and worrying he's going to get Reed in trouble.
CHAPTER TWENTY
As Rachel's talking, my phone rings. It's Reed.
"I need to get this," I say, answering it as I walk to the other side of the room. "Hey, are you in LA?"
"Yeah, but I can't find her."
"Your mom?"
"Yeah, she's not here. I don't know where she is. She won't answer her phone."
"Maybe she's with your uncle."
"No. I was just over there. He thinks she's with her new boyfriend."
"Did she tell you she'd be home?"
"Yes, but I had a feeling she wouldn't be there. She does this all the time. Takes off with some guy. Disappears for days."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Drive back to campus. There's no use staying here. So how's it going with your parents?"
"It's uh...fine." I glance back at Rachel, who's checking her phone.
Reed can tell I'm lying and says, "They found out about the fight."
"Yeah."
"And now they blame me for what happened to you."
"No. Not really. Well, maybe a little."
"Shit. I knew this would happen."
"Let's talk about it when you get back. What time will you be here?"
"I'm not sure. Probably late. Or maybe not until tomorrow. I'm at a garage getting my Jeep fixed. It broke down on the 101. Had to get a tow truck. It's gonna cost me a fortune by the time this is done."
"I'm sorry. This is turning out to be a really bad weekend."
"Last night wasn't bad."
I smile. "That's true."
"Lilly, the mechanic needs to talk to me. I'll call you later, okay? I miss you."
"I miss you too. Bye."
"Was that Reed?" Rachel asks.
"Yeah. His car broke down. He's stuck in LA until he gets it fixed."
She's smiling at me.
"What? Why are you smiling?"
"Because I can tell how much you like this boy. Your whole face lit up when he called."
"No, it didn't."
"Yes, it definitely did. And now you can't stop smiling."
"Okay, fine, but I told you how much I like him."
The door opens and my dad walks in. His face isn't red anymore and he doesn't appear to be as tense as when he left.
I race up to him. "What happened?"
"I had a conversation with Wyatt. He and his wife were in Preston's room. They were heading out to lunch. We should probably get going as well."
"Dad, I need to know more. What did you say to him?"
"Preston gave me his side of the story, which was that Reed attacked him because he was jealous that Preston was dating you and not him."
"That's a lie! I'm not dating Preston."
"Yes, I knew he was lying. He's a horrible liar." My dad can always tell when someone's lying. He's an expert at body language and he picks up on details, like slight changes in a person's tone. He's learned to do this in order to protect himself from con artists trying to get his money or people who come after him for other things. He trusts no one.
My dad continues. "I spoke with Wyatt alone and told him the story you gave me. He didn't believe me, which angered me to the point that I threatened to file a restraining order against Preston to keep him away from you. Such actions would reflect poorly on his son, so Wyatt agreed to keep this incident quiet and to talk to Preston and make sure he keeps his distance."
"So he's not pressing charges against Reed?"
"No. He'd rather forget this ever happened and move on. He values his reputation and doesn't want the bad publicity that would come from bringing the court system into this."
I breathe out a sigh of relief. "So this is over?"
"Yes. But I don't want you talking to that boy."
"What boy? Reed or Preston?"
"Preston. Stay away from him. As for Reed, you can continue to see him but I want to meet him. Garret has told me a little about him, but I need to meet him myself. Before Rachel and I leave tomorrow."
"Okay. He should be back tonight. So what changed your mind about him?" I shouldn't have asked. I should've left well enough alone.
"Meeting Preston. I didn't like that young man from the moment I met him. Then he opened his mouth and I understand why Reed hit him. I was about ready to punch him myself."
I laugh, then cover my mouth to hide it. "Yeah, Preston's a jerk."
"Why did you ever go out with that boy?"
"Because he's cute."
My dad sighs and shakes his head.
Rachel laughs. "Cute boys have a way of clouding our judgment." She holds my dad's hand and kisses his cheek. "You had the same effect on me. I couldn't even think straight when I met you."
"Enough talk about boys," he says. "Let's go eat."
We go to an Italian place for lunch, then return to campus where Rachel and my dad get whisked away for an afternoon of parent activities. After that, the three of us go to a dinner hosted by the college. The professors are there and my dad insists on talking to all my teachers, which I knew he would. We get back to my room at nine-thirty and my dad and Rachel head to their hotel.
Reed never made it back to campus. It took all day for his Jeep to get fixed so he decided to just stay in LA and drive back in the morning. I told him he has to meet my parents as soon as he arrives. I could tell he's nervous about it. I am too.
The next day, Reed knocks on my door at ten. When I see him I want to kiss him, but I can't with my dad and Rachel right behind me. But I give him a big smile, especially since it looks like he went to a lot of effort to impress my parents. He has on black pants that I've never seen him wear before. He must've bought them just for today. Same with his shirt. It's a light blue button-up that I think he tried to iron but I can still see the crease marks from it being folded in the package. It's sweet of him to try so hard.
"Dad. Rachel. This is Reed," I say as he comes in my room. "Reed, these are my parents."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Kensington," he says, shaking my dad's hand. He seems nervous.
"Hello, Reed." My dad gives him that intimidating stare he used to use on all the guys I went out with in high school.
"We've heard a lot about you," Rachel says, smiling. She's not intimidating at all, which balances out my dad.
Reed shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kensington."
The mister and misses labels sound so formal, but I'm sure my dad appreciates that. He's very formal.
"Let's go to lunch," my dad says, taking charge like he always does. "Do you have any suggestions for where to go?" he asks Reed.
It's a test. He's seeing if Reed will suggest a place or just say anyplace is fine. Although my dad likes being in charge, he doesn't respect people who don't offer an opinion when asked.
"There's a coffee shop that Lilly and I went to the first week of school. They serve brunch on Sundays and have live classical music."
My dad gives him a slight smile. "Very well. Then that's where we will go." He turns to Rachel. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"
"Yes." She smiles at Reed. "The restaurant sounds wonderful. Pearce loves classical music."
She's giving Reed a hint that he did well and can relax. Poor Reed. He's so nervous.
We walk to the visitor parking lot and get in my dad's black Mercedes. It's brand new. He gets a new one every year. Reed and I sit in the back seat and I reach over and hold his hand. He gives me a sideways glance like we shouldn't be holding hands so I mouth the words 'it's okay' to him. I wish I could kiss him. It's been a day and a half. That's too long.
My dad glances at Reed in the rearview mirror. "Are you going to give me directions?"
"Oh, yes, sorry."
"It's no problem. Go ahead."
Reed tells him where to go. We get there and the place is packed. Reed looks panicked, assuming we won't get a table and will have to go somewhere else.
"It's fine," I whisper to him.
"We need a table for four," my dad tells the hostess.
She smiles, recognizing him. "Pearce Kensington. It's a pleasure to meet you. Give me just a moment and we'll have a table ready for you. Do you have a preference?"
"Someplace that's not too loud, please."
"Of course. I'll be right back."
Reed's watching this, looking shocked at how much influence my dad has over people he doesn't even know. It'll probably make Reed even more nervous to be around him. This is another reason why I didn't get many dates in high school. My dad scares all the guys away.
The hostess comes back and takes us to a table in a little alcove off to the side. I think it's normally a reading area because there are bookcases around us. But now there's a table in the middle that the waitstaff must've put there just for us.
"Will this work, Mr. Kensington?" the hostess asks.
"Yes. Thank you." He pulls out Rachel's chair for her, like he always does. Reed quickly does the same for me. I try not to laugh. Reed doesn't normally do this so he's not very good at it. The chair legs catch on the floor so I help him out, discreetly scooting the chair in myself.
Once we're all seated, my dad says, "So Reed, what do you plan to do after graduation?"
He's going straight to the hard questions. We're only freshmen. How are we supposed to know what we'll be doing in four years?
"I'd like to get my artwork in some galleries," Reed says. "I've made a list of which ones would be most appropriate for the style of art I do. Hopefully I'll sell some pieces, but I know that will take time. So to supplement my income I plan to do commercial art. I already design album covers for musicians. I'm building a portfolio that I'm hopeful will lead to future work, both while I'm in college and after I graduate."
I stare at him, wondering when he came up with all that, and if he really meant it or if he just said it to impress my dad. If it's the latter, it worked. My dad's nodding, that slight grin back on his face.
"It's good you're considering various options for income," he says. "Many artists rely solely on selling paintings, which as you know, very seldom pays the rent, unless you're well-known of course."
"Yes, exactly," Reed says. "Lilly probably told you that I currently support my mother, so I'm very aware of the cost of monthly expenses."
He sounds so adult. This is a whole new side of Reed I didn't know existed. He's usually not this serious. But I like it. I like that he has a fun side and a serious side. I'm actually finding his serious side really sexy right now. Or maybe it's the different clothes. I've never seen him dressed up like this.
My dad's wearing a suit and Rachel is in a dark blue dress so it's a good thing Reed didn't show up in his usual jeans and t-shirt. I'm wearing a black dress with a silver necklace and bracelet.
My dad continues to bombard Reed with questions throughout the entire lunch. Reed loosens up the more he talks, and by the time we leave, he's much more relaxed. We go back to my room and Reed tells them goodbye.
When he's gone, Rachel says, "He's a very nice young man, isn't he, Pearce?"
He glances at her. "He seems to have his head on straight."
"Dad, that's it? You questioned him for over an hour and he survived. He should get bonus points for that. Did you even like him?"
"I met him one time. That's not adequate time to make a judgment about one's character."
"You knew you didn't like Preston from the moment you met him."
"It's far easier to quickly discern if you dislike someone versus liking them."
"I think he liked him," Rachel says, putting her arm around my dad.
He leans down to kiss her. "And how would you know this?"
"Because I know you and I could tell." She looks at me. "He just needs time. He'll eventually admit that he likes him."
My dad smiles at her. "Sweetheart, we should get going. We told them we'd be there around three."
"We're stopping at Garret's house on the way home," Rachel explains. She comes over and gives me a hug. "Have a good week. We'll call you when we get back."
I go up and hug my dad, remembering what Rachel told me earlier. "Bye, Dad. I was telling Rachel I'm going to come home for a weekend. Maybe in a couple weeks, if that's okay."
"Of course it's okay." He hugs me tighter. "I would like that very much."
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too."
I glance over and see Rachel wiping her eyes. She's so funny. She cries at everything, although right now, I'm a little teary-eyed too. I hate goodbyes. I shoo the two of them out of my room before I cry.
There's a knock on my door. I open it and see Willow there.
"Are your parents gone?" she asks as she comes in my room.
"Yeah, they just left."
"Mine too." She collapses on my bed. "My parents wear me out. They talk nonstop."
Willow talks a lot too, but I don't tell her that.
"And then their diet restrictions," she says. "Gluten free. Dairy free. Vegan. Organic. We spent half the day trying to find something they could eat."
I stand next to the bed, staring down at her. "So tell me about this engagement of yours."
She sits up. "There's nothing to tell."
"Are you kidding? You were engaged! I want details."
"He asked me to marry him and I said yes. End of story."
"Did he give you a ring?"
"Yes."
I roll my eyes. "Details, Willow."
"It wasn't a diamond. He made the ring himself using his mom's jewelry-making equipment." She looks down at her ring finger, smiling a little. "He didn't have money for a diamond so he used a stone that we found on the beach on our first official date. He polished it and shaped it and made a setting for it. It ended up being really pretty."
"He made your ring? That's so romantic. Do you still have it?"
"No." She swallows and looks down. "I g
ave it back to him when we broke up."
"Willow, why won't you answer his calls?"
She sighs. "Because it's over. I can't be with Silas. We're too different from each other. We have different goals."
"But if you love each other, you can work that stuff out."
"That sounds good in theory, but it doesn't work in real life. We both needed to move on and go our separate ways. Enough about me. Have you heard from Reed?"
"Yeah. He got back this morning. We all went to lunch. My dad quizzed him for over an hour."
She laughs. "That's what all dads do. My dad gave Silas a quiz before he could date me. Like an actual quiz. With paper and pencil."
"He did not."
"He did. I'm not kidding. Silas had to sit down at our kitchen table and take a test while my dad stood over him, watching."
"What was on the test?"
"I don't know. Neither one of them told me. And my dad got rid of it after he graded it."
"He graded it?"
"Yeah. Silas got an A minus."
"That's pretty good."
She shrugs. "I thought so. He's smart but he was never good at taking tests. That's probably the best grade he ever got."
My door, which wasn't fully closed, swings open and Taylor races in.
"He's finally gone." She sounds out of breath as she closes the door.
"Who are we talking about?" Willow asks.
"Luke," I answer. "The golfer. He's Taylor's dream man."
"Wait." Willow whips her head over to Taylor. "How did I miss this? When did you meet this guy?"
"Yesterday." She paces the floor. "He was here with my family."
"They went golfing together," I say. "How'd it go, Taylor?"
"I was so nervous. Luke was watching my every move. I was trying to show him my tricks for putting, but I couldn't concentrate with his eyes constantly on me."
I laugh. "I think he was watching more than just your putting. The way he was flirting with you, he definitely likes you."
She stops pacing. "You thought he was flirting?"
"Well, yeah. It was obvious. You didn't know?"
"No. I can never tell when guys are flirting with me. I don't think he was flirting. He's my brother's friend. He's not interested in me. Although he did give me his phone number."
Lilly: A Kensington Family Novel Page 19