Only Her

by Allie Everhart

  She checks out all the bins of candy, her eyes wide, her face lit up. Jade loves candy, and this store has every kind imaginable.

  She reads the sign that’s next to the candy bins. “I don’t know, Garret. This could get expensive. You have to pay by the pound.”

  “Just fill up the bag. Don’t worry about what it costs.”

  “Are you going to eat some of it?”

  She asks because I rarely eat sweets. My dad doesn’t either. I inherited his lack of a sweet tooth.

  “Yes. I’ll have some.” I probably won’t, but if I tell her I will, she’ll let me pay for it.

  “Okay, then I guess we’ll get some.” She opens a bin and scoops out two gum balls and puts them in the bag.

  “Jade, you have to get more than that. We’re not leaving here until that bag is full.”

  She scoops out some more gum balls.

  My phone rings. “Keep filling it up. I’ll be right back.”

  It’s my dad calling. Shit.

  I leave the store as I answer my phone. “Yeah, Dad. What do you need?”

  “I was just checking in. How are things going?”

  He never calls me so I don’t know why he’s calling now.

  “Everything’s fine. Where are you?”

  “In Tampa. I have to give that speech tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.” I pretend I knew that, but I really didn’t. I never know where he is. He’s gone so much, I can’t keep track of where he goes. “What kind of conference is it?” I ask, purposely trying to put the focus on him instead of me.

  “It’s a business conference aimed at people in the finance and banking industry. Garret, I didn’t call to talk about the conference. Tell me about school. Are your classes going okay?”

  “Yes. I told you, everything’s fine.”

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Hanging out with some guys who live on my floor.”

  “What are their names?”

  “It doesn’t matter. You don’t know them.” I can’t stand it when he does this. He calls me, acting like he wants to know how I’m doing, then turns the call into an inquisition about my personal life.

  Some girls walk by me, talking really loud.

  “Who was that?” my dad asks.

  “Just some people walking by. I’m at the mall getting a new charger for my phone.”

  “Are you going to a party tonight?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Dad, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Garret, I—”

  I hang up, and luckily he doesn’t call back. I had to get off the phone because I knew he was getting ready to ask about Jade and if I’d been hanging out with her. I’d lie, of course, but sometimes he can tell when I’m lying so I couldn’t risk it.

  I go back in the candy store and see Jade’s only filled a fourth of the bag. I come up behind her, my arms going around her waist. “If you don’t have that bag full in two minutes, I get to kiss you later tonight.”

  She spins around. “There’s no way I’m agreeing to that.” She spins back around and opens the gummy bear bin. “We’re friends, Garret. Friends do not kiss.”

  “Some friends do. Haven’t you heard the expression ‘a friendly kiss’? That’s a kiss between friends.”

  “No, it’s not. You’re just making stuff up.” She puts a few gummy bears in the bag.

  “My God, Jade. We’ll be here all night.” I take the scoop from her hand and fill it up and dump it in the bag.

  “Garret, that’s too many. I don’t want that many.”

  “Yeah, you do. You love gummies.” I grab the bag from her. “I’m taking over. You’re too slow. What else do you want?”

  We finish filling the bag, then I shoo her away as I pay so she won’t see the price. It ended up being four pounds of candy so it cost over thirty dollars, which is nothing to me, but Jade would make me put it all back if she knew it cost that much.

  “I’ve had enough mall time,” I say. “How about you?”

  “Yeah, I’m done,” she says, chewing on a gummy worm. “Thanks for the candy.”

  “You’re welcome.” I take her hand as we walk out of the store.

  When we’re almost at the mall exit, a woman passes me and I do a double take. I glance back to see her again. She looks just like my mom. Well, not exactly, but close. Tall and thin with dark brown hair and a similar face.

  This happens sometimes. I see a woman who resembles my mom, and for a moment, I think it’s her. I think she’s still alive. Obviously she’s not. It’s just my mind playing tricks on me, wishing she were still here.

  “Garret, do you know that woman?” Jade asks.

  I realize I’ve stopped walking and am still looking back at that lady.

  “No. I thought I did, but I don’t.”

  “Then should we go?” She’s holding the door for me, smiling at me with that beautiful smile and those big green eyes.

  I smile back. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  If my mom were alive, she would love Jade. I know she would. Jade is the type of girl my mom would’ve liked to see me marry someday. And maybe someday, I will marry Jade. But my mom won’t be there to see it. Just like she wasn’t there to see my swim meets. Or my basketball games. Or my football games. Or my birthdays. Or my high school graduation. I wished she’d been there for all those things.

  Even nine years after her death, I still miss my mom. I miss her every day.

  I always will.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  8

  PEARCE

  “Katherine, we are not fighting about this,” I say as I pace the floor of my hotel room. “I told you I will deal with this issue with Jade. You will not interfere.”

  “You’re never home, Pearce. How do you expect to take care of this if you’re never home?”

  “I will be home next week¸ and I will deal with it then.”

  “That’s too late. Clarissa just called and said she and her daughters were at the mall and they saw Garret there with Jade.”

  So Garret lied to me. I shouldn’t be surprised. He refuses to let Jade go.

  “Pearce. Did you hear me?” Katherine raises her voice. “Your son was out with that trashy girl in public! And people we know saw them together! Do you know how bad that makes us look?”

  “I will take care of it when I get back,” I say forcefully. “Until then, you will stay out of it.”

  “What could he possibly see in that girl, anyway? She’s white trash. Raised by an alcoholic, drug-addicted mother. She probably does drugs. Or sells them. Is that really the type of girl you want around our family?”

  “Jade does not do drugs, nor does she sell them. She doesn’t even drink alcohol. She’s a nice girl. She’s just not the right girl for Garret.”

  “We have a deal with the Hamiltons. Garret has to be seen with Ava. If he’s not, her parents will be furious.”

  “I understand that. But there aren’t any events coming up for them to appear together at, so Ava’s parents have no reason to get upset.”

  “You don’t even care, do you? Our reputation is being destroyed by some little tramp you had to give a scholarship to, and you don’t even care!”

  “Katherine, we are done discussing this. I need to go. Give Lilly a kiss for me. Goodbye.”

  She continues to yell at me, but I end the call. After years of fighting with Katherine, I’ve learned it’s best to walk away or hang up on her, and not allow the fight to continue. We still fight, but not nearly as much as we used to.

  You would think by now there would be nothing left for us to fight about, but Katherine always finds something. And the current hot button issue is Jade. Ever since we found out Garret’s been seeing her, Katherine has been furious. She hates Jade, because Jade isn’t from our high society world. It’s the same reason she hated Rachel.

  I have my own concerns about Jade, but not because of her background. It’s because of who her father is. Jade doesn’t
know it, but her father is Royce Sinclair. Years ago, Royce told me he had an affair with a woman, and that the woman had a child. That child is Jade.

  After she was born, Royce assured me that he gave Jade’s mother plenty of money to live comfortably and take care of her child. But it was a lie. He never gave her money. Jade’s mother had to drop out of college. She became addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs so couldn’t get a job. She abused Jade and didn’t take care of her, and Royce never stepped in to help. Even when Jade’s mother committed suicide when Jade was 15, Royce still did nothing. So Frank, a man Jade’s mother used to know, took Jade in and cared for her until she left for college.

  Despite her difficult childhood, Jade made a success of herself. She worked hard and was valedictorian at her high school. But that wasn’t the reason I gave her the Kensington Scholarship. I gave it to her as a favor to Royce. He asked me to keep watch on her during his presidential campaign. He wants me to make sure she never finds out about him, and if she does, he wants me to keep her quiet so she doesn’t tell the media and ruin his chance for the presidency. The organization would never allow him to be president if they found out about Jade. And he’d be punished for not telling them this secret from his past.

  Jade goes to Moorhurst College, which is about a half hour from my house, so it’s easy to keep an eye on her. Garret is also a freshman at Moorhurst, but I never thought he’d end up pursuing Jade. But when I think about it now, it’s not surprising he likes her. Unlike the rich, self-absorbed people he’s used to being around, Jade is more like the people Garret grew up with before his mother died. His friends back then were just normal children with normal parents. Now his friends all come from billionaire families like ours, and are chosen for him based on how their families will benefit us. Many times this benefit is simply a rise in social status that comes from being seen with the right people.

  That’s the world I grew up in, so I used to think nothing of it. But after I met Rachel and lived in her world, I decided I didn’t want my son growing up like I did. And yet, he’s been living in that high society world for the past nine years. I didn’t give him a choice. At times I feel guilty for that, but then I tell myself it’s for the best. After what I went through with his mother, I know from experience that choosing a girl like Jade will make his life extremely difficult. And being with Jade, specifically, is even worse, because she’s the daughter of Royce Sinclair.

  Just as I’m thinking that, my phone rings. It’s Royce.

  “Hello, Royce,” I answer.

  “Pearce. How are the plans for the fundraiser coming along?”

  In November, I’m hosting a political fundraiser for Royce at my house. It’s a dinner and dance and Royce will be giving a speech. A lot of the media will be there.

  The organization is making me support Royce’s campaign, so I’ve had to travel the country going to his speeches. It’s another reason I haven’t been home. It seems like I haven’t been home in months, which is why I’m having a hard time keeping Garret away from Jade.

  “The fundraiser is already planned, Royce. Katherine and my mother will handle any last minute details. You don’t have to worry about it.”

  “Do you have the guest list yet?”

  “Yes. I already sent it to you.”

  “My staff must have it. I don’t remember seeing it. Add Sadie to the list. She’s bringing her boyfriend, Evan, so that’s two more guests.”

  “That’s fine. We have plenty of room and plenty of food ordered.”

  “What about our other problem?” he asks.

  Royce refers to Jade as a ‘problem.’ He feels no fatherly connection to her, which I suppose makes sense since he didn’t raise her, but she’s still his daughter so calling her a ‘problem’ always irritates me.

  “She goes to her classes and studies in her room. She’s not a problem, Royce.”

  “She will be if she tells someone.”

  “She doesn’t even know about you. And she never will. Even if she did, she doesn’t seem like someone who would run to the media.”

  “Don’t be an idiot, Pearce. Of course she’d go to the media. She’d sell her story to every magazine and newspaper in the country and come out a millionaire. And then she’d come after my money.”

  “Which you should have given her in the first place.”

  “I didn’t want her, remember? You’re the one who talked me into leaving her mother alone. And now I’m stuck having to deal with her.”

  “You’re not dealing with her. I am. And I promise you, she will not be a problem. She’s a nice girl. Very intelligent. If you met her, you’d like her.”

  “I have no interest in meeting her. And you better not be getting attached to her, Pearce. You are to treat her like she’s a problem to be dealt with, just as we’d deal with a problem at the organization.”

  I shudder when he says it, because a ‘problem’ at the organization is someone who will end up being killed.

  “Jade is not that type of problem and she will not be dealt with in that way. She’s an innocent girl. She knows nothing about us.”

  “She will if your son keeps seeing her.”

  “Garret doesn’t know about the organization. And he doesn’t know about your connection to Jade. He has nothing to tell her.”

  “You might let something slip. Or he might overhear us talking. If Jade ever found out about me—”

  “She won’t. She’ll never know.”

  “She could find out about the organization. Your son’s been around you long enough to know that you’re part of something. He may not know what that something is, but he knows it exists. And if he tells Jade—”

  “He will not tell her anything. As I said, Garret knows nothing about it.”

  “Some of the young men are being initiated at the age of 19. Garret is already 19.”

  “Yes, I know.” I don’t need Royce reminding me of this. I’m already worried sick about it. I’ve been trying to get the rules changed for years now, along with some of my fellow members who want the same thing. We’ve formed a committee to look into recruiting members from the outside rather than forcing our sons to join, but it’s still in the discussion stage. We haven’t been able to change the rules yet. Right now, sons still have to be members.

  “You need to end this, Pearce. Garret cannot be around her. And he shouldn’t be. She’s not one of us. It looks bad. I can’t believe you’d even let him be seen with her.”

  He sounds like Katherine. Talking as if Jade is trash. He says this about his own daughter, who actually IS one of us. She’s a Sinclair, and she wouldn’t have grown up the way she did if he had just helped her mother like he said he was going to do.

  “I will take care of it, Royce. Garret will not be seeing her anymore.”

  “Don’t be feeling sorry for that girl. It will cloud your judgment. I need you to see this for what it is. Jade cannot find out our secrets, and if she does, she will need to be taken care of. And if you don’t do it, I will find someone who will.”

  “What are you saying, Royce? You’d hurt your own daughter?”

  He chuckles. “Of course not. I’m a father, Pearce. You know how much I love my girls.”

  “Not all of your girls.”

  He chuckles again. “You’ve always had such a dark sense of humor. I’ve always liked that about you. We’ll talk soon. Goodbye, Pearce.”

  After he hangs up, I consider calling Garret again and reminding him that he is not allowed to see Jade, but it wouldn’t do any good. I need to be there in person in order to keep them apart. And right now, I’m in Tampa for a conference. But when I get back, I will put an end to Garret’s relationship with Jade. It’s not what he wants, but it’s for the best.

  The next morning I go to the ballroom at the hotel to give my speech, which is about developing a business strategy. I’ve given this speech so many times I could probably do it in my sleep. As the CEO of a major corporation, I’m often asked to speak at bu
siness conferences. I get so many requests that I have to turn most of them down or I wouldn’t have time to run the company. But I agreed to do this conference because I need to make some new connections in the banking industry that might offer me more competitive financing options as I continue to expand our operations.

  “Pearce, welcome.” A man greets me on stage as another man checks the microphone. “We’re thrilled to have you here.”

  I shake his hand. “Thank you. I was happy to do it.”

  “We’ll introduce you in a few minutes. You can wait here if you’d like.” He points to a chair.

  “No. I’m fine.” I don’t like sitting before a speech. Standing keeps my energy level up and I like to have a lot of energy when giving a speech. Otherwise it becomes dull and people lose interest.

  Sometimes when I’m giving these speeches, I imagine Rachel walking in, like she did when I gave that speech at Yale. I imagine her looking older, but still as beautiful as ever, with those bright blue eyes and that smile that lights up a room.

  When I first saw her at that speech all those years ago, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. That was the worst speech I ever gave. It started out okay, but as soon as she walked in, I stumbled on my words, forgot what I was saying, and my throat was so dry I had to keep stopping to take a drink of water. I used to tell Rachel that she made me speechless that day, as in I couldn’t give my speech. She always used to laugh about that. I miss her laugh.

  “…pleased to introduce, Mr. Pearce Kensington.”

  I was so deep in thought I missed my entire introduction. I go up to the podium and deliver my speech. It goes smoothly and, as always, it’s well received. People seem to like this particular topic, which is why I’m repeatedly asked to give this speech.

  When it’s over, the conference attendees spill out into the hallways and lobby of the hotel. I remain in the ballroom, letting the crowds disperse before I go. As I wait, I check some of the hundreds of unread emails I have on my phone.

  “Mr. Kensington?”

  I look up and see a man coming toward me. He’s older than me, wearing a gray suit and conservative tie, like all the other conference attendees. People in the finance industry tend to all dress the same.