“One guy. That’s it. Nic’s in my history class. He just asked me to dinner.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him I wasn’t ready to start dating again. He hasn’t bothered me since.”
“And why do you keep wearing skirts? Are you trying to torture me?”
“Harper gave me a bunch of new ones from her sister along with a few more bikinis. You’ll get to see them in California this summer.”
He’s quiet as he rubs his hand up and down my arm.
“You’re not going, are you?”
“Probably not. This is going slower than we thought it would. My dad was sure they would’ve given up on me by now and picked someone else. But they haven’t, so we need to keep this thing going.”
“I’ve been reading the comments online about you and they’re pretty bad.”
“That’s the thing. A lot of people either don’t like me anymore or have lost interest, so I don’t know why the organization isn’t giving up on me. Hardly anyone would vote for me now or in twenty years. People think I’m a drug addict. Even if fake Garret went to rehab, nobody wants a former drug addict for a president.”
“If you can’t go to California I don’t think I should go either.”
“We’ve already discussed this. You’re going. A driver will take your car out there. You can just fly out and take a cab from the airport. Did you want to stop in Des Moines on the way out there and see Frank and Ryan?”
“Yeah, but I don’t have money for all those plane tickets. And you can’t buy them for me. If someone found out, it would look suspicious.”
“You should have Arlin pay for it.”
“I can’t do that. I don’t want him and Grace thinking I’m only being nice to them for their money.”
“Well, I might’ve mentioned to him that you need some plane tickets. And he might’ve already offered to get them for you.”
I sit up. “Garret, why did you do that?”
“He called and asked me if you needed anything because he said he knows you’ll never ask. So I just said you might need a plane ticket to Des Moines and another one for California. He really wants to do this for you, Jade.”
“Yeah, because he thinks buying me stuff will make up for what his son did.”
“That’s not what he’s doing. And he’s afraid to offer to pay for anything because he knows you’ll assume that’s why he’s doing it. But it’s not true, Jade. I told you before. He loves doing stuff for his grandkids and now he’s got you. A whole new kid to spoil. So don’t read so much into it. Just let him be a grandfather.” Garret gets up and gathers our clothes from the ground. “I almost forgot the picnic part of this secret meeting. But we should probably put something on first.”
After we’re dressed, he opens the picnic basket and pulls out a bottle.
“Sparkling water. I was in a hurry and it’s all we had. But it’s cherry flavored.” He takes out two champagne flutes and hands them to me.
“Are these crystal glasses?” I ask, noticing how heavy they are.
“Yeah. I just grabbed some from the cabinet at home.” He fills our glasses, then holds his up for a toast. “To people continuing to hate me so this will end and we won’t have to have our dates in the woods.” We clink glasses.
He reaches in the basket again. “And here are the Belgian chocolates I was supposed to give you after spring break.”
I take a chocolate and pop it in my mouth. “This is definitely the best chocolate ever.”
“You can take the rest of them back to your room.” He sets his glass down. “So what are you doing for Easter? Do you have a place to go on Sunday?”
“Sean is making brunch, so I’m going over there with Harper. He’s having a whole bunch of people over.”
“Before you go over there, I need you to go on the trail.”
“You want me to go running on Easter?”
“No. Just show up on the trail around 9. I’ll have a surprise waiting for you.”
“What kind of surprise would you have on the trail?”
“Just go there and find out. I promised you I’d make each holiday special with all the traditions you didn’t get growing up. I’m guessing you didn’t celebrate Easter either?”
“No.” I take another chocolate. “But you don’t need to keep doing this holiday thing.”
“Why not?” He nudges my leg. “I know you love it.”
“I never said I loved holidays. You’re just assuming I do because you like them.”
“Maybe you didn’t like them before, but you do now that you have me around.” His cocky smile appears. I’ve missed it.
I smile back. “Okay, there might be some truth in that.”
“It’s getting dark. You should probably head back. The coyotes and raccoons will be out soon, if they’re not already.”
I jump up on his lap, spilling my sparkling water. “Are you serious? Did you see one?”
He’s laughing at me. “No, I just wanted you on my lap.” He takes my glass and sets it aside, then reaches his hand behind my head and draws me in for a kiss.
When he lets me go, I hold on. “No, it’s too soon. I’m not ready.”
“We’ll do this again. I just don’t know when yet. But next time I’ll tell Harper so you’ll know when to meet me out here.” He hands me the box of chocolates.
“Okay, but it better not be weeks.” I reluctantly get up.
“It won’t.” He stands up and takes my hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you back to the trail. I parked up on the road in the opposite direction.”
“You left your BMW on the side of the road? But you’re supposed to be out partying tonight. Everyone around here knows your car. They’ll know you were here.”
“I drove Charles’ old pickup truck. He only drives it when he goes fishing. He let me borrow it.”
“What did you tell him for an excuse for why you needed a pickup?”
“I didn’t tell him anything. I just asked if I could use it. I think he knows that I was trying to sneak off and see you.”
“Then he knows what we’re doing? Garret, what if he tells someone?”
“He’d never do that. He wants us to be together. He always tells me what a great girl you are and how I should never let you go.” Garret smiles and lifts my hand up to kiss it. “All stuff I already know.”
The walk up the hill is way too short. I want to go back down and walk up it again, but it’s getting darker and I don’t want raccoons attacking Garret on his way back to the truck.
“Goodbye, Jade.” He kisses me, then gives me a hug.
“Don’t say goodbye. I hate goodbye. Say ‘see ya later.’ That’s all I’ll accept.”
“Okay. See ya later.”
We kiss once more before he disappears into the trees.
24
I return to my dorm practically giddy. Giddy means really happy, right? I think so, but I could be wrong. I’ve heard it used in old movies to describe girls twirling around in their dresses like they’re so happy they can’t help but twirl. I’m not the twirling type, but right now I’m so happy I think I could actually twirl. But instead I walk down the hall with my box of chocolates wearing what I’m sure is a big, goofy grin on my face.
Harper sees me as I walk by. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Why?”
She follows me to my room. “You haven’t smiled like that since—” She stops and lowers her voice to a whisper. “Did you and you-know-who just you-know-what?”
I open my door and drag her in my room. “Yes!”
“But how? Where?”
“In the woods. Like really far into the woods.”
She makes a face. “Didn’t you get eaten by bugs? And what did you do it on? The ground?”
“He had a sleeping bag. And I didn’t notice any bugs.”
“Huh. Well, whatever works. So can you two start dating again?”
“No, we still have to wait. And
it sounds like he can’t come to California this summer.”
“But it’s still weeks away. Things could change by then, right? Or maybe he could just come for part of the summer.”
“Yeah, maybe. Hey, I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I need you to help me communicate with Garret. Like next time he wants me to meet him in the woods, he’ll tell you beforehand and you’ll tell me.”
“Okay. That’s easy enough. Anything else?”
“Nope. That’s it.”
“You should’ve thought of this weeks ago. You two could’ve been secretly meeting this whole time.” She checks the clock on my desk. “I gotta go. Sean will be here any minute. We’re going to a party. Do you want to come with us?”
“Harper, you know I never go to parties.”
She shrugs. “I had to ask. Someday you might say yes.”
When she’s gone I change into my pajamas and grab my laptop. I search Garret’s name on the Internet and see what comes up. Lots of shirtless photos of him. Below that are some recent articles. One is about him crashing one of his dad’s expensive cars. Another one mentions his spending habits, claiming he spent a half million dollars on a watch. People seem really upset about that one. There are lots of negative comments. The next few articles are from some online celebrity magazines. I check the comments section and only a few people have anything good to say about him.
The anti-Garret plan seems to be working, which makes me feel hopeful again. I know the organization hasn’t changed their mind, but I have to keep thinking that this will all work out. I don’t even want to consider the alternative.
It’s strange for me to think that way because I’ve always assumed bad things will happen, not good. But the past few months have taught me that bad things sometimes turn into good things. Like having Royce come into my life was really, really bad, but meeting his parents was good. Plus, Royce is the reason I’m at Moorhurst and if I hadn’t gone to Moorhurst I wouldn’t have met Garret. So I have proof that good things can come from bad. And right now, that’s the only thing keeping me going.
On Easter Sunday at 9 a.m., I go outside to find whatever Garret left on the trail. It’s a warm, sunny spring day and I’m already dressed for brunch at Sean’s apartment. I wore one of the dresses Harper gave me. It’s a light green, short-sleeve chiffon dress that’s fitted on top and flows out at the waist. This is the first time I’ve worn it. The green reminded me of the color of dyed Easter eggs so it seemed like a good dress for today.
Where the trail begins there’s a big basket and a little basket sitting on the ground. The big basket is overflowing with Easter candy; jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and chocolate eggs. The small basket has a note in it that says, The Easter bunny hid 10 plastic eggs for you to find. All are no more than 20 feet down the trail. Good luck!
I pick up the basket and start hunting for the eggs. I feel like a little kid. But I’ve never done this before and nobody is watching, so I might as well let my kid side out and have fun. If I’d known I was going on an egg hunt I probably wouldn’t have worn a dress and heels. At least the ground is dry instead of muddy.
The first five eggs are easy to find behind some trees, right off the trail. The next three are more hidden, just barely peeking out from under some fallen leaves. I have to really search for egg nine, but I eventually find it up in a tree branch. After searching up and down the trail, I can’t find the last egg and am ready to give up when I hear a noise.
“You’re getting warmer.”
I whip my head around to see Garret standing there in a dark gray suit, white shirt, and blue tie. I’m so excited to see him my heart gets all fluttery in my chest.
I run up to him. “What are you doing?”
“Helping you find your eggs.” He leans down and plants a kiss on my lips.
He looks really hot in that suit. He smells good, too. It makes me want to forget the brunch and sneak off into the woods with him.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, setting my basket down.
“Long enough to watch you hunt for eggs. You’re pretty good for a first timer.”
“I couldn’t find the last one.”
He smiles. “Keep looking.”
“I already looked everywhere and I couldn’t find it. Can you give me a hint?”
“Do that thing I taught you when we first met.”
I give him a hug and find the last egg in his hand behind his back.
He circles his arms around my waist. “Open it.”
“The egg? Why? Is there something in it?”
“Well, yeah. There’s stuff in all of them.”
“Oh, I thought they were just plastic eggs.”
He laughs. “So that explains why you didn’t open any of them. I couldn’t figure that out. Well, open this one and you can open the other ones later.”
I twist open the pink plastic egg. Inside is a necklace; a silver chain with a silver starfish hanging from it.
“I thought you could wear it this summer.”
“Thank you. I love it.” I hug him again. “And thanks for the Easter basket.”
“You’ve never gotten one before, have you?”
“No,” I say, looking back at the candy-filled basket.
“Then it’s a good thing I’ve got connections with the Easter Bunny.”
I laugh. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”
“We’re not. He just owed me a favor.” Garret kisses me. “Happy Easter, Jade. You look really beautiful in that dress. You’ll have to wear it for me someday.”
“I will.” I look around to make sure nobody is around. “Hey, did you drive here?”
“Yeah. The fake Garret is behaving this weekend and going to his grandparents’ house for brunch. So it’s okay if people see me around campus or in town. But I do need to get going.”
“Thanks again for Easter. It was great.”
“We’ll have a better one next year.” He give me a kiss, then moves his lips to my ear and lowers his voice. “Plan for another picnic in the woods this week.” His breath on my neck gives me chills and I want to kiss him again, but he walks off toward the parking lot.
Garret’s surprise visit puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. After Sean’s Easter brunch, I return to campus and go for a run. When I get back to my room I open up the remaining plastic eggs. They’re filled with fun stuff that didn’t cost much, like a candy ring, a candy bracelet, some new headbands to use for running, my favorite lip balm.
I love the necklace he gave me earlier but I also love getting these inexpensive gifts, especially when they show how much he knows about me. Just the fact that he remembers my favorite headbands and lip balm is so sweet. And a while back I told him how when I was little I always wanted candy jewelry, and he remembered and got it for me.
I want to thank him and give him a huge hug for doing all this. But that will have to wait until I can see him again, which hopefully will be soon.
The dining halls are closed all day, so I raid my Easter basket for dinner, putting myself into a sugar coma before falling asleep.
Tuesday at breakfast, and then again on Thursday, Harper gives me a heads-up to meet Garret at our secret spot. There are a lot of bugs now so it’s not the greatest place to hang out, but we get to see each other so I don’t care. Even seeing him just a couple times a week is so much better than not at all.
Saturday morning, I go out to the Hamptons again to visit Arlin and Grace. This time, they’re taking me out on their sailboat. I’ve never been boating and I’m a little worried I might get sick, so I stopped at the drugstore near campus and bought some wristbands that are supposed to keep you from getting seasick.
When I arrive at their house, Grace is dressed in navy pants and a white and navy shirt. It’s the first time I’ve seen her wear pants. Arlin is in a white polo shirt and khaki trousers, a much more casual look than his usual suit and tie.
“Are you ready to sail, Jade?” Arlin’s smiling from ear to ear. I’ve never seen him so excited. He’s like a little kid.
“Arlin loves his boat,” Grace says quietly to me. “He can’t wait to take you out on the water. He’s been wanting to for weeks.”
I turn back to Arlin, holding up my wrists. “I got these so I don’t get seasick.”
He waves his hand in the air like he doesn’t want to see them. “Nonsense. You’re a Sinclair. We were meant to be on the water. We don’t get seasick. Take those silly things off.”
Grace leans over to whisper. “Just put them in my purse for now. If you feel sick you can wear them later.”
“Do you need help with anything?” I ask her. “I can load stuff on the boat or whatever else you need.”
“We don’t need anything. Everything’s ready to go. Come on, honey.” She leads me out back. I no longer mind that she and Arlin call me honey. They are my grandparents, after all.
The boat is huge. I’ve only seen sailboats on TV or in photos. I’ve never seen one up close. I wonder what these things cost. I went to a boat show with Frank and Ryan a couple years ago, but all they had were pontoon boats and speedboats. They were really expensive but not nearly as nice as this sailboat, so I know this thing cost a fortune.
Arlin helps Grace get in and I step in behind her. Then he messes with some ropes and we take off into the ocean. Crap! I’m sailing in the ocean! I could die! This suddenly seems really dangerous.
“How long has Arlin been sailing?” I ask Grace as we sit there watching him.
“Don’t worry, honey. He’s been sailing since he was a young boy.”
I feel a little better knowing that, but then we hit a wave and the boat sways and I’m sure we’re going to die. I instinctively hold on to Grace who laughs.
“These waves are nothing. Arlin and I have sailed in heavy storms and he’s always gotten us back safe and sound.” Another wave hits the boat. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Promising You (The Jade Series #4) Page 24