“I’ve been feeling stronger and haven’t had any dizzy spells so the doctor said I could try going without it. He said it’s good for me to get around on my own. How about you? How’s your knee?”
“It’s better. I stopped using the crutches and so far I’ve been able to walk on it without any pain.”
Ryan comes into the kitchen with the grocery sacks Judy gave him. “Jade, you want to put this food away while I grab your stuff?”
“Sure.” I go into the kitchen which is just off the living room. “Carson’s mom gave us some leftovers. Do you want anything, Frank?”
He comes into the kitchen and sits at the table.
“No, I thought I’d take you out for an early dinner unless you want to sleep instead.”
“I can sleep later. Dinner sounds good.”
Ryan brings my suitcase to my room, then comes back to help me in the kitchen.
“I bet you and Jade talked the whole four hours and now she’ll have nothing to say at dinner,” Frank says to Ryan.
“No, she slept the whole time.” Ryan smiles at me. He won’t tell his dad about our fight. Frank doesn’t need to know.
“Well, if you two are ready, let’s head to the restaurant.”
My phone rings and I see it’s Garret calling. “Just a minute. I’ll be right back.” I go down to my bedroom and shut the door.
“Are you in Des Moines yet?” he asks.
“Yes. I’m finally home. That’s a really long drive. I wish I could fly back.”
“Maybe you can. Ask Cunningham when you see him out there.”
“I will.”
“Do Frank and Ryan have anything planned for you tonight?”
“We’re going out for dinner in a few minutes, so I can’t talk long.”
But I really want to. Now that I finally have some privacy I just want to talk to Garret for the rest of the night. I’m so used to having him around that it feels weird when he’s not. It’s like something’s missing. I know I’ll see him in a week but that doesn’t make this any easier. I still miss him. A lot. And I hate how much I miss him. I should be able to go a day without feeling like this.
Stupid love. It really messes with your head. And your heart. Basically your whole body.
“Jade, every time we talk you rush me off the phone.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I really want to talk to you. I’ll call you when I get back from dinner.”
“Let’s just talk tomorrow. You sound really tired. You need to sleep after being up all night.”
“Okay.” I hesitate, because for some reason I’m embarrassed to say it, but it’s how I feel and I need to start saying this stuff to him. “I miss you, Garret. I miss you so much that I think something might be wrong with me. I shouldn’t miss you this much.”
I swear I feel him smiling through the phone. “Nothing’s wrong with you, Jade. I feel the same way. I missed you as soon as you left.”
“I don’t know, Garret. I’ve never missed someone this much. You sure there’s nothing wrong with me?”
He laughs. “I’m positive. Have a good time tonight. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
When I come back out to the living room, Ryan and Frank are waiting by the door with their coats on. For dinner, we go to the casino. Frank doesn’t gamble, but he likes the restaurant there. It’s not the greatest atmosphere, but Frank thinks it’s one of the nicest places in town. They do have really good food.
During dinner I tell them all about my classes. Our phone conversations are very brief, so they haven’t heard any of this stuff.
When there’s a lull in the conversation, Ryan says, “So why are you taking all those sciences classes, Jade?” He can’t help but smile.
I roll my eyes. “Because I’m thinking of going to med school.”
“Really?” Frank puts his fork down. “That’s wonderful. When did you decide this?”
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since you got diagnosed.”
Frank’s quiet and then I see his eyes get all red and watery.
I reach over for his hand. “Frank, I didn’t mean to make you cry. But it’s the truth. When you got sick, I wanted to do something to help you get better, but I couldn’t. And that’s when I started thinking about being a doctor.”
“Oh, honey.” He dabs his eyes with his napkin.
“See? I told you he likes you better,” Ryan says, as he scoops some mashed potatoes into his mouth.
We finish dinner, and when we get home we sit and talk some more.
“Garret’s dad bought Jade a car,” Ryan says. I glare at him. Even though I told him he could tell Frank, I meant later in the week, not tonight.
“A car? Really?” Frank puts his glass of water on the table next to his recliner and gets that concerned look I know so well. “What kind of car?”
“BMW convertible.” I say it like it’s not a big deal.
“Six series,” Ryan adds.
I glare at him again.
“That’s a very expensive car,” Frank says to me.
“Yes, but Mr. Kensington is paying for the insurance and maintenance, so you don’t need to worry about it.” I wish Ryan hadn’t brought this up tonight. I’m too tired to argue about it.
“She got the car for babysitting his kid,” Ryan says. “I told her I might have to start babysitting if they’re paying in BMWs now.”
Frank doesn’t find the comment funny. “Did you accept the car, Jade?”
“It’s in my name, so yeah. I can’t drive it yet because of my concussion so it’s sitting at Garret’s house.”
“I see. Well, that was a very generous gift.” He takes a drink of his water.
It’s obvious he wants me to give the car back, but why should I? Mr. Kensington wants me to have it and I’m sick of being the only person on campus without a car.
Frank’s looking at me like I’m a different person. He knows the old Jade would’ve refused the car, but the old Jade also wouldn’t give him a hug or show emotion. I’ve changed. I’m growing up. So he needs to accept the new me and take the good with the bad, or whatever he considers to be bad.
12
“I’m really tired. I’m going to bed.” I get up and leave the room before they can say anything more about the car.
My lack of sleep hits me as soon as my head hits the pillow. I’m out until noon the next day. When I get up, I see that Garret called and left some text messages. I call him back.
“Did you just get up?” he asks.
I hear his voice and feel myself smiling. Damn, I think I miss him even more today. I’m so pathetic.
“Yeah. I was wiped out. Did you get some sleep?”
“Not really. My bed’s too empty.”
“And it better stay empty.”
“Jade, don’t joke about stuff like that.”
“Well, you’ve got female fans lined up outside. You might give in and let one of them inside.”
“If they actually watch that show, they’re not my type.”
“So what’s going on at the Kensington estate?”
“Not much. I swam this morning. Lifted some weights. Showered.”
“Okay, stop. You’re totally turning me on.”
He laughs. “It’s that easy, huh? All right. My turn. What are you wearing?”
“That’s so lame. But for the record, I’m wearing a sweatshirt and pajama pants. Nothing special.” I’m actually wearing several layers of clothing because Frank can’t afford to turn the heat up and the house is freezing. I was used to it when I lived here, but now I’m used to the dorm which is kept really warm, so Frank’s house feels like a freezer.
“Jade, wake up.” Ryan’s knocking on the door.
“I’m up,” I call back. “I’m on the phone.”
“We’re leaving soon so get yourself ready.” I hear Ryan walking away.
“Do you need to go?” Garret asks.
“Yeah. Sorry. We’ll talk later.”
As I head to the bathroom Ryan purposely bumps my shoulder on his way to his room. “We’re going to a movie at 1, so hurry up.”
I stand there, rubbing my eyes. “I’m not awake yet. Did you make any coffee?”
He continues down the hall. “You’re not at Garret’s house. I’m not your butler. You have to make your own coffee.”
“Geez, you could be nicer to me since you never see me,” I yell at him.
I hear him laughing from his room. He yells back, “I’m making you feel at home. Treating you like any big brother would.”
All three of us go to the movie, which is weird because we never used to do that. We always rented movies. This is the first time we’ve gone to a theater. After the movie we go home and order pizza, then play cards the rest of the night.
Monday morning, we take Frank to see Dr. Cunningham who’s in town for the day. He has an office at a clinic that’s inside the hospital.
While Frank and Ryan are filling out paperwork in the waiting room, I pretend to go to the restroom but I really sneak back to see Dr. Cunningham to ask him if I can fly home. As I expected, he says no because I’m still having headaches. But at least he’s okay with me not using the crutches anymore.
The rest of the week goes by slowly. A March blizzard traps us inside on Tuesday and Wednesday. Frank doesn’t have cable so there’s nothing to watch on TV and we quickly get tired of playing cards. Thursday Ryan and I go to another movie while Frank rests at home and then we all go out for a farewell dinner since I have to leave the next morning.
After dinner, Ryan drops Frank and me off at home, then leaves again to pick up Chloe from her part-time job because her car’s in the shop.
Frank and I sit in the living room. As I reach for the TV remote he stops me.
“Let’s talk, Jade.”
That’s never a good way to start a conversation. I put the remote down. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Tell me about your involvement with Garret’s family.”
“They’re paying for my school. That’s it.”
He rubs his jawline which has two days worth of stubble on it. “I feel like there’s something going on. Are they making you keep secrets? Bribing you to keep quiet about something?”
“What?” I let out a nervous laugh. “Of course not.”
Where is this coming from? Do I look like I’m hiding something? Then again, Frank was a reporter for 25 years. He tends to pick up on stuff.
“You can tell me, Jade. This is just between you and me. How did you really get that concussion and hurt your knee?”
“I told you. I tripped when I was running on the trail.”
“I’ve interviewed a lot of people over the years and I can tell when someone’s lying. Now what’s the real story?”
I know Frank will keep prying until I tell him the truth. Or at least part of it.
“Okay, here’s what happened. Garret’s sister, Lilly, ran away and everyone thought she’d been kidnapped because bad people have kidnapped her in the past to get ransom money. So Garret and I searched the property to see if maybe she just ran into the woods behind the house. And that’s where she was. We were searching at night and I tripped over her and fell. My head hit this huge log and my knee scraped over some rocks.”
Frank continues to rub his scruffy jaw. “Why did you lie about it? And why did Garret’s father lie to me about it?”
“He didn’t want to scare you with the whole kidnapping thing.”
“Why would it scare me? You weren’t the one in danger of being kidnapped.”
“Just the fact that dangerous people come after his family sometimes. That’s the scary part.”
“Do they ever come after Garret? Threaten him?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
Frank doesn’t look like he believes me. He sighs. “Jade, I realize that you’re becoming more serious with Garret, but being with him won’t be easy. I hope you know that.”
“I can handle it.” I keep my eyes on the couch, tracing the lines in the plaid fabric with my finger.
“He’ll have to deal with the same problems his father has to deal with. Problems with the company. Lawsuits. People making threats against him and his family.”
“That won’t happen. Garret’s getting away from all that. He doesn’t want to run Kensington Chemical. He’s getting his business degree, then an MBA, and then he’ll start his own company.”
“It may not be that easy. He may have obligations he’s not able to get out of. He’s his father’s only son. And in wealthy families like his, sons are often expected to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. They’re not given a choice.”
“Garret already told his dad he’s not taking over the company and his dad’s okay with it. Well, I’m sure his dad isn’t happy about it, but he’s accepted it.”
Frank’s quiet and I look up and see him watching me.
“What is it, Frank?” It comes out sounding angry because I already feel like he’s lecturing me and I’m sure he’s not done yet.
“Garret has grown up with wealth and privilege. People taking care of his every need. Is he planning on continuing to live that way when he’s on his own? Because that doesn’t seem like the type of lifestyle you’d want to be around. That’s not how you grew up.”
“Garret’s not going to live that way. He doesn’t want maids and cooks and he doesn’t want to live in a mansion.” I’m really getting pissed off now. It doesn’t matter how Garret grew up or how I grew up. I’ve finally accepted that and I don’t want to start worrying about it again. “Do you want me to break up with Garret? Is that what this is about?”
Frank leans over and rubs my arm. “No, of course not, honey. I just want you to think about these things. Although I like Garret, I do have concerns about his family. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I find it a little strange that his father would give you such an expensive car. I suppose to him it’s not that expensive, but that’s just another thing for you to consider when you think about being with Garret. Being around that type of wealth will take some adjustment.”
“What are you saying, Frank? That I have to be poor the rest of my life because I grew up that way or because my mom was?” I yank my arm from him and move over on the couch. “I’m half Sinclair. That means half of me is rich. And I really wish I could tell people that because I’m sick of people at school acting like I’m not one of them. Acting like I’m just some poor kid from Iowa. I deserve to live in a nice house and drive a fancy car just as much as anyone else at Moorhurst.”
He nods slowly. “If that’s what you want, then okay.”
The way he says it infuriates me. Like it’s wrong for me to want material things. “It’s not what I want! I mean, I guess it is, but who wouldn’t want that stuff?”
I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t have said that to him. Frank doesn’t have much when it comes to material things. His house is sparsely decorated and he wears worn-out clothes, yet he’s still happy. He’s always told me that he’d rather have his health and his family than material possessions, and I used to agree with him. I still do, but can’t I also have a few nice things?
“I’m sorry, Frank. I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“You’re right. You’re part Sinclair, but look what that lifestyle did to Royce. It turned him into a monster.”
“I know, but the whole family isn’t like that. His dad came to visit me a couple weeks ago and he—”
Shit! Why did I just say that?
Frank shoves the footrest of his recliner down and grips the edge of the couch. “What did he want? Did he threaten you? Try to hurt you?”
“No. He just wanted to talk.”
“This happened weeks ago? Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Frank’s really mad.
“I thought I’d wait until I got here.” Actually I wasn’t planning to tell Frank at all because I knew he’d overreact like this.
“Does he know what happened to your mot
her?” Frank huffs. “Of course he does. He helped Royce cover it up.”
“No. It’s not like that. Just let me explain.”
I tell Frank the story about Arlin, leaving out the part about the secret organization. Instead, I say how Arlin never knew the truth about my mom and didn’t know I existed until he found the file Royce had locked away.
When I’m done, Frank is quiet for a moment and then asks, “Did you believe him when he said he didn’t know about you or what happened to your mother? Did he seem sincere?”
“Yes. So he’s either a really good liar or he was telling the truth. He apologized repeatedly for his son and admitted that Royce had problems. Do you think he was lying? I don’t know enough about the guy to know if I should believe him.”
Frank leans back in his chair. “I did some research on Arlin and the whole Sinclair family back when your mother told me about Royce. I’ve continued to follow the family over the years and I haven’t come across anything that would cause me to think Arlin is dangerous. But that’s not saying much given that he could’ve just covered up whatever he’s done.”
“I don’t think Arlin’s like his son. After we talked, I got this gut feeling that he’s not.”
“And after he told you this, he asked if he could see you again?”
“Yes. He said he wants to get to know me and he asked if I’d meet his wife.” I shrug. “The whole thing’s really weird. I’ve never had grandparents before and then this guy just shows up saying he wants a relationship.”
“Jade, do you want to see Arlin again? Because you don’t need my approval to do so. He is your grandfather and it’s okay if you want to talk to him or have him introduce you to your grandmother.”
“I don’t know yet. I have to think about it.” I focus on the lines in the couch, not looking at Frank. “But what if I let him pay for some stuff? He offered to pay for the rest of my college and I was thinking that might be a good thing. It’s kind of weird to have Garret’s dad paying for my school. Arlin also said he wanted to help me with other expenses, not that I would ask him to, but . . . I don’t know. What do you think?”
“If you need money for something important, like school, and he’s offering, then I think it’s okay to consider that. I understand how you might feel a little awkward having Garret’s father pay for school, so maybe letting Arlin pay for it is a better option. As for other expenses, that’s up to you. Just make sure that Arlin’s doing this for the right reasons. If his offer includes any kind of conditions, then I think you should refuse his money. But it sounds like you didn’t get that feeling from him.”
Promising You (The Jade Series #4) Page 12