Page 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

JADE

I walk in the door and see Garret sitting on the couch.

“I was hoping you’d be home.” I drop my backpack on the floor and race over to the couch, curling up next to him and giving him a kiss. “What do you want to do tonight? It’s Friday night, date night. Want to see a movie?”

“Sure. But first I need to tell you something.” He’s got that serious look on his face. I hate that look.

“Something’s wrong. What is it?”

He turns so we’re facing each other. “Sean called.”

“Yeah? So?”

“Harper broke up with him.”

I bolt up from the couch. “What? Are you serious?”

“She went to his apartment and told him earlier today.”

I slowly sit back down. “Did she give him a reason?”

“She said she was confused and needed time to think.”

“About what? Whether she wants to marry him? She already knows she wants to marry him. She just isn’t ready yet. So what does she need to think about?”

“Nothing. She just said that to let him down easy. She broke up with him, Jade. They’re not getting back together.”

“Of course they’re getting back together. This is just a stupid fight. I’ll talk to her. Call Sean and tell him not to worry. They’ll be back together by Sunday.”

“Jade, it’s not going to happen. Her parents are there.”

“In Connecticut? Why?”

“Sean said they wanted to meet with Harper’s doctor but I think Sean is the real reason they’re there.”

“What do you mean?”

“They need this to end. They need Harper to break up with Sean before Kiefer can join the organization.”

“No.” I slump into the couch. “This isn’t happening. Tell me this isn’t happening.”

“I just talked to my dad. We were right, Jade. They asked Kiefer to be a member.”

I close my eyes and take a moment to breathe because I’m starting to feel like I can’t. This is all too similar to last year. The organization interfering with lives, destroying them.

“Jade.” Garret strokes my hair. “I know this is bad, but there’s nothing we can do. So I need you to stay out of this.”

I open my eyes just as Garret leans over to kiss my forehead.

“I want to do something, Garret. I want to fix this.”

“I do, too. But we can’t risk it. I’m trying to stay off their radar. I don’t even want them thinking about me.”

“What if I just—”

“Jade. No. If either one of us does anything to interfere with their plans for Kiefer, they’ll find out. They’ll come after us.”

“It’s not fair they’re able to do this. To control people like this. Someone needs to do something.”

“Jade, look at me.” I lift my head and he locks his eyes on mine. “We are not going to get involved in this. As much as I want to see Sean and Harper together, there’s no fucking way in hell I’m risking our relationship for them. I need you to promise me you won’t either.”

I nod.

“That’s not enough. I need you to say the words. Promise me you will not get involved.”

“I promise.” I don’t think he believes me, so I say it a different way. “I love Harper and Sean, but I would never, ever do something that would jeopardize what you and I have together.”

“Good.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I really needed to hear you say that.”

“How’s Sean doing? How did he sound?”

Garret sits back. “Sean’s a fucking mess. He sounded lost, confused, hurt. Part of him is still in denial, the other part’s in shock. He didn’t get any clues, any warnings this was coming. He thought everything was going great. And then she just walks in and tells him it’s over.”

“Are you mad at Harper?”

“I shouldn’t be, but yeah, I guess I am.”

“What was she supposed to do? Her parents obviously forced her to do this.”

“I get it. It’s not her fault. It’s just that if you’d heard Sean today, it wasn’t the Sean I’m used to. The guy’s always smiling and happy. But today he sounded like his life was over. So yeah, even if it’s wrong, I can’t help but be pissed at Harper. But I’ll get over it.”

“What’s Sean going to do with the ring?”

“Sell it at a pawn shop. I told him not to, so I hope he listens to me.”

“Why would you tell him not to sell it?”

“Because they might get back—” He tips his head back. “Shit. I told him that before I knew what was going on. I told him Harper might change her mind. Fuck.”

“Garret, you didn’t know. And maybe he should keep the ring. Just in case.”

“I’m sure he’ll end up selling it. He needs the money. That’s the other thing. He’s going to LA for Harper’s surgery and he doesn’t have money for a hotel. I offered him the apartment but my dad said Sean can’t use it.”

“Why?”

“Because he’d be helping the enemy, meaning Sean. My dad has to show his solidarity with the plan. I get why he has to do it, but now I have to find Sean a different place to stay. Or get him to take my money for a hotel.”

“Sean shouldn’t be going to the surgery. He’ll end up getting in a huge fight with her parents.”

“He doesn’t care about that. The woman he loves is having surgery. He’s going. If you were in the hospital, there’s no fucking way I wouldn’t be there. I don’t care who I had to fight with to get in that hospital. I’d still be there.”

“You would?” I smile. “Even if I’d broken up with you?”

“Yes.” He threads his hand with mine. “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“I’ll never stop loving you.” He looks me right in the eye. “If you broke up with me tomorrow or next week or next year, I’d still love you. For the rest of my life, I’ll love you. You have my heart, Jade. I can’t get it back. It’s yours now.”

I reach over and hug him. “Where do you come up with this stuff? I really need to start writing this down. Put it in a scrapbook. Or frame it.”

He gives me a kiss. “Do you want to get out of here? I need a break from all this Sean-Harper stuff. It’s depressing.”

“I need to call Harper. I’m sure she’s a mess right now. I’m surprised she hasn’t called me.” I get up and check my phone. “No messages.”

“She’s with her parents. She probably doesn’t want to call you with them around.”

“But I’m worried about her. I need to call her.”

“Jade. Remember the promise you made me.”

“Yes. I won’t interfere. I just need to know she’s okay. Well, I know she’s not okay, but you know what I mean.” I call her phone but it goes right to voicemail so I leave a message asking her to call me.

Garret and I go to a movie, then out for dinner. I can’t stop thinking about Sean and Harper. I always imagined them getting married and having kids and all of us hanging out 20 years from now, and even years after that. It was a nice dream, but dreams don’t always come true.

When we get home I watch TV while Garret checks his phone.

“Any messages from Sean?” I ask him.

“No. He had to work tonight.”

“I’m sure he didn’t feel like going to—”

“What the fuck is this?”

I turn around and see Garret in the kitchen, staring at his phone.

“What’s wrong?”

“I got a message from a PR agency in LA wanting me to be their client. And I think I have a voicemail from them.” He holds the phone out. He has it on speaker and I hear a woman’s voice.

“Garret, this is Wynona Stiles. I’m a publicist at Halstine, Callahan, and Witz, one of the premier public relations firms in Los Angeles. I’d love to speak to you about our services. We handle the publicity for Shalise Halloway, who you may know from the daytime drama, Creston Hills. Shalise’s daughter, Brook, recently called me saying you were in need of a publicist. I would love to speak to you about that. I’m familiar with the unfair portrayal of you in the media last spring, but if you hired us, I guarantee we could turn your image around within a few months. The whole country will love you when we’re done with you. And just to show you how powerful our reach is, check the news the next few days. I think you’ll be pleased with our results. Just imagine what we could do if you were our client. Call me at…” She leaves her number.

Garret slams his phone down on the kitchen table. “Who the fuck does Brook think she is? I met the girl one time—twice, whatever—and now she’s setting me up with a publicist?”

“Garret, calm down.” I meet him in the kitchen. “Just call that lady back and tell her you’re not interested.”

“I will, but she said they already did something.” He goes to the living room and picks up the remote and starts flipping through channels. “Do a search for me on the Internet and see what you find.”

I get my laptop and bring it to the couch and sit next to him.

“Jade, look.” He’s pointing at the TV. At the corner of the screen, there’s a photo of him with the words ‘No longer a bad boy?’ under it.

It’s one of those celebrity news shows and the host says, “Garret Kensington, one of the stars of the reality show, Prep School Girls , has reportedly traded in his wild nights in Vegas for a more quiet lifestyle. The rumors are that Kensington is now attending a private college in a small town somewhere along the California coast. Our sources didn’t identify the town or the college but did say Garret hasn’t been seen at parties and is no longer drinking or doing drugs. We reached out to Pearce Kensington, Garret’s father and CEO of Kensington Chemical, but he declined our request for an interview. In other celebrity news…”

Garret throws the remote down. “That’s just fucking great. Just what we need. All that work we did last spring destroyed because Brook can’t stay the hell out of our business.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’m calling her. Do you still have her number?”

“Yeah, it’s in my phone. I’ll go get it. Here.” I hand him the laptop. “I found some articles about you online. It’s the same story we just heard. That PR agency must’ve put out a press release about you.”

As I’m going to get my phone, Garret’s phone rings. I pick it up from the table and see it’s Pearce calling. “Garret, it’s your dad.”

“Answer it and put him on speaker.”

“Hi, Pearce.” I bring the phone over to Garret.

“Hello, Jade. Is Garret there?”

“You’re on speaker, Dad.” Garret’s searching for more articles online. “Have you seen what they’re saying about me?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m calling. We need to figure out who did this and shut it down.”

“I know who did it. It’s a girl who goes to school here. Brook Holloway. Her mom’s an actress on a soap opera. Brook called her mom’s publicist and the publicist did this. She’s trying to get me to be her client.”

“Brook went to high school with Harper,” I tell Pearce. “That’s how we got to know her. We had lunch with her a few weeks ago and she told Garret he needed a publicist to turn his image around. He told her he wasn’t interested but she didn’t listen.”

“She’ll listen if my attorney calls her,” Pearce says.

“Dad, just let me handle it. If you get your lawyers involved, this might turn into something bigger and we don’t want that. I can get Brook to back down.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, but let me try before you do anything.”

“You need to do this soon, Garret. Don’t wait.”

“I won’t. I’ll call her right now.”

“Let me know how it goes. If she won’t back down, I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay. Bye, Dad.” Garret ends the call and looks at me. “Do you have her number?”

I pick up my phone and start reading it off.

“Wait. Let me use your phone.” Garret holds his hand out. “I don’t want Brook having my number.”

“Dylan already has it. I’m sure she went through his phone and took it already.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure she did.” Garret calls her and she answers almost immediately. She probably thinks he’s calling to thank her for what she did.

“Brook, it’s Garret Kensington.” He doesn’t have it on speaker so I can’t hear what she’s saying. “I got a call from your mom’s publicist and I gotta tell you, I’m really pissed off right now. I told you I didn’t want a publicist or a PR agency and you still went out and got me one.”

He’s quiet as she talks, but he’s pacing the floor. He puts his hand up. “Brook, stop. I don’t need you to tell me what’s best for me. I’m more than capable of handling my own life. And I don’t give a shit about fixing my image. I don’t want this media attention. I came here to be left alone and now I’m going to have people following me around.”

He listens again. “Yeah, I know you didn’t tell them where I live, but if someone really wanted to know, they could figure it out. Or a Camsburg student might see one of those news stories and tell the media where I am, if they haven’t already.” He pauses as she talks, then says, “Brook, listen to me. I’m not joking around here. I need you to end this. Can you do that for me?” He waits. “Yeah. Okay.” He sets the phone down.

“What did she say?”

“She said she’d call the publicist and tell her not to send out any more press releases.”

“Do you believe her?”

“No. That’s why I’m calling the publicist myself.” He picks his phone up again and calls her.

“Garret, it’s midnight.”

“I’ll leave her a message.”

He does, and then puts his phone away and sits on the couch. “You want to watch a movie? I’m too pissed off to sleep.”

“Did Brook say she was sorry or anything?”

“I don’t want to talk about her. I’m trying to relax. But no, she didn’t say she was sorry. I didn’t think she would. And I don’t need her to. I just need her to end what she started.”

“Garret, even if people thought you’d changed and weren’t the guy you were last spring, they wouldn’t try to take you again, right? I mean, they can’t. They let you go.”

“I’m not taking any chances. We’ve gotta stop this.”

“Are you saying they’d—”

“Jade. I’m not saying that. I just want people to leave us alone. I don’t want photographers following us around and I don’t want people knowing where we live.”

I sigh and lean into his side. “This has been a really crappy night. First Sean and Harper and now this thing with Brook.”

“I know.” He kisses my forehead. “You gonna fall asleep?”

“Probably.” I lay my head on his chest. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

On Saturday morning, I flip through the TV channels and can’t find any stories about Garret. So maybe Brook actually listened for once.

After breakfast, Garret goes to the gym. I’m waiting for him at the coffee shop. Then we’re going to run errands and have lunch.

I’ve called Harper seven times and heard nothing back. I called her again just now, from the coffee shop, but it went straight to voicemail.

“So Alex asked me over for Thanksgiving dinner.” Sara scoots to the end of the booth and leans against the wall, putting her feet up on the seat. She just went on break so she met me in the corner booth so we can talk.

She went out with Alex last night. Even though they’re just friends, they’ve been going out every Friday night. And they see each other almost every day. He stops by the coffee shop, or he meets her at the park when she takes Caleb there, or she goes to his place for dinner. They clearly want to be more than friends but they’re taking it slow.

“Where’s the Thanksgiving dinner?” I ask her. “At his apartment?”

“No, at his parents’ house.”

“He wants you to meet his parents? That’s serious.”

“It’s really not. He has a huge family. They might not even notice I’m there. He’s got three older sisters and two older brothers and they’re all married and his sisters have kids. So they’ll all be over, along with his aunts and uncles and cousins. I think he said 40 people will be there. Maybe more.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of people. Did you tell him you’d go?”

“I told him I’d think about it. But I think I want to go. It’d be nice to have an actual meal on Thanksgiving instead of canned soup or a peanut butter sandwich.”

“Where do they live?”

“Sacramento. Alex wants us to ride together but he’s staying overnight so then I’d have to do the same. His parents don’t have room for everyone so he’s staying at a hotel. He offered to let Caleb and me stay with him since I don’t have money to get my own room, but…I don’t know.”

“What’s the problem? You don’t want to stay with him?”

“I just don’t want things to get weird between us. Everything’s going great and I don’t want to screw it up.”

“How would it get screwed up? Are you planning on moving past the friend stage while you’re at the hotel?”

“No. I’d never do that with Caleb there. It’s just that it might be weird being in the same room all night. We’ll have separate beds, but still.”

“It’s not weird. I think you’re worrying too much. Unless you think Alex is going to try something.”

“He won’t. He made it clear that won’t happen.”

“Like ever? Or just next week?”

She laughs. “Just next week.”

“So it will happen at some point?”

Her cheeks blush. “Well, I hope so. I know Alex would like that.”

“Have you kissed him?”

She smiles. “Yes.”

“When did it happen?”

“A couple weeks ago.”

“Weeks? And you didn’t tell me? Sara, you’re supposed to tell your girlfriends this stuff.”

“I didn’t want you thinking I’m a bad mom, kissing guys when I should be taking care of Caleb. When I was a kid I hated when my mom brought her loser boyfriends over and made out with them right in front of me. I’m not going to do that to Caleb.”

“First of all, it’s one guy and he’s not a loser. And I’m sure Caleb was asleep when this kissing was going on, right?”

“Yes. But still.”

“Kissing Alex doesn’t make you a bad mom.” I smile at her. “So does this mean you’re officially dating now?”

“No, we’re just friends who kiss.” She checks her phone. “I only have two minutes left. Let’s talk about you. What did you do last night?”

“Movie and dinner, like we always do.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Some guy was in here the other day asking about you.”

“A guy from Camsburg?”

“No. He said he’s from out of town. He didn’t say where.”

“What did he look like?”

“He was a big guy. A little taller than Garret. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. He had a suit on. He looked kind of important.”

Whenever I hear about guys in suits lurking around, I panic and assume it’s someone from the organization. But why would this guy be looking for me at the coffee shop? The organization could easily find out where I live.

“Sara, you need to tell me anything you remember about this guy. How old do you think he was?” It comes out rushed and Sara looks at me funny.

“Is everything okay? You seem nervous.”

“I’m fine. So how old was he?”

“Early to mid-twenties? I don’t know. I’m not good with ages.”

“And what exactly did he say?”

“He asked if I knew Jade Taylor. I said no because that’s not your last name. I thought he meant someone else. But then he showed me a photo of you.”

“And what did you say?”

“I told him you’re married now and that your last name is Kensington.”

“How did he react?”

“He seemed surprised. He said he didn’t know that you and Garret got married. He thought you were still just dating.”

So he doesn’t know I married Garret? Everyone in the organization knows that, so is the person playing dumb? Or are they not connected to the organization?

“How does he know Garret?”

“He said they went to school together.”

“What school? High school? College?”

“He didn’t say.” She gets up. “I have to go. My break is over.”

“Wait. Are you sure you can’t remember this guy’s name? Was it a common name, like John or Matt or Jeff?”

“It was kind of common. Jeff, Jake, Jared. Justin! That’s what it was. Justin. He didn’t say his last name.”

I don’t know any Justins, and Garret’s never mentioned anyone named Justin.

“Sara, if that guy comes in here again asking about me, don’t tell him anything, okay? Don’t tell anyone else either.”

“Um, okay.” She stares at me like she knows I’m hiding something. “I have to get back to work.”

An hour later, Garret meets me at the coffee shop and we run some errands, then go out for lunch. While we’re eating I tell him what Sara said.

“Do you think this guy’s a member? And if he is, why would he be looking for me instead of you?”

“He’s not from the organization. If they want information on someone, they don’t walk up to a waitress in a coffee shop and ask her questions. They use surveillance or they use their connections to find stuff out.”

“Then I don’t know who it would be.”

“How does this guy know you?”

“Sara didn’t say. But she said he knew you from school.”

“I knew a Justin back in eleventh grade but he didn’t come back for senior year. His family moved to France for his dad’s job.”

“Were you friends?”

“We played football together but we weren’t really friends. And he wouldn’t know about you.”

“He would if he ran into someone you know, like Decker. Or Blake.” I shudder just saying his name. “You don’t think Blake would send someone after me, do you?”

“He better not. I’ll fucking kill him.”

“I’m getting really nervous about this. Why is someone you know looking for me?”

“We don’t know what this is about, so let’s not overreact here. If this guy’s trying to hurt you, why would he be giving all that information to Sara?”

“So she’d trust him and tell him what he wanted to know. He could’ve been lying about all that.”

Garret takes a moment to think. “Until we figure this out, don’t go to the coffee shop unless I’m with you. Go to the library between classes. And if you’re home alone, don’t answer the door. For anyone.”

We get back to the house around two. We’re doing homework for the rest of the afternoon. But as soon as I pick up my psych book, Harper calls.

“Harper? I was worried about you. You didn’t call me back.”

“Jade, I—” There’s silence, and then I hear her sniffling and taking shaky, uneven breaths. She’s crying.

“Harper, are you—”

“I broke up with Sean.” She says it fast, then starts sobbing. An all-out sob where she can’t catch her breath.

Hearing her this upset makes me cry, too, but mine are slow, silent tears. Garret walks by with his laptop, stopping when he sees me.

“It’s Harper. I’m okay.” I mouth the words, waving him on.

He nods and goes out to the deck to give me some privacy.

“Jade, I didn’t know what to do.” She gets the words out, then continues sobbing.

“About Sean?”

“They said—” She stops to blow her nose. “They said they’ll disown me.”

“Your parents? If you don’t break up with Sean?”

“Yes. Well, my dad is the one who said it. My mom just sat there and listened. I don’t think she wants this. I think this is all my dad. But she’s going along with it so she’s just as bad as he is.”

“What do they mean when they say they’ll disown you?”

“They said they’ll stop paying for college and that I’ll have to move out of their house.” She sniffles. “And they said they won’t talk to me anymore.”

“Harper, I’m really sorry.”

“I had to break up with him, Jade. I didn’t know what else to do. I hate my parents right now but I can’t lose them. I still want them in my life. So I had to do it. I felt like I didn’t have a choice.” She takes a shaky breath. “His face. . . when I told him. . . I hurt him so bad, Jade. I hurt the person I love more than anything.” The sobbing begins again.

My own tears continue to fall and I get up to find a tissue. “Harper, I’m so sorry.”

I don’t know what else to say to her. If I didn’t know what was really going on, I’d be asking her all kinds of questions. Telling her this will all work out. Telling her everything will be okay. But I can’t say any of that.

When she’s able to speak again she asks, “Did Garret talk to Sean?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“That he was confused. He didn’t understand why this happened.”

“Everything was so perfect, Jade. We’ve been living together ever since I got hurt. And I wanted to make it permanent. I was just about to tell Sean that I wanted to move in with him next semester. I was finally ready for that next step.”

“Harper, I’m really sorry.” I say it again because I don’t know what else to say.

She sniffles. “Why aren’t you getting more upset about this? I haven’t called you because I was sure you’d yell at me and tell me how I’m making a huge mistake. I know you want Sean and me to be together. We talked about it all last summer. And now you’re not even trying to get me to stay with him.”

Crap. How do I explain this? I can’t tell her what I know.

“I’m just trying to be supportive. This is your decision. I can’t tell you what to do.”

“You always tell me what to do. And I do the same to you. If it weren’t for me yelling at you about all the things you did wrong in your relationship with Garret last year, you two probably wouldn’t even be together. You may have hated me at the time, but it’s what friends do. We keep each other from making stupid mistakes.”

It’s almost like she wants me to force her to change her mind. Like she’s dying for me to talk her into getting back with Sean. But I can’t do that. I can’t get involved in this. I promised Garret I’d stay out of it.

“Harper, talking about this will only make it harder. I’m not going to make this any worse for you.”

“How did Garret get his dad to change his mind?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Last fall, Pearce kept trying to forbid you two from seeing each other. But then he accepted you. Why? What changed?”

I can’t tell her that, either.

“I don’t know. I think he just realized how much Garret and I love each other and he gave up trying to keep us apart.”

“My parents know how much I love Sean, but they don’t care. They only care about themselves. And what really pisses me off is that they let my sisters date whoever they want. Kylie’s dating someone and they have no problem with him.”

“Your sisters have boyfriends now?”

“Just Kylie. She’s dating some guy who works at one of the movie studios. I can’t remember which one. Anyway, he’s from New York and just got his MBA and now he’s working in the finance department at the studio. Oh, and get this. Kylie’s only been on a few dates with him and my parents invited him over for Thanksgiving dinner. So I guess my parents only hate me and not my sisters.”

This makes no sense. Harper’s sisters are only supposed to date guys who are part of the organization. So is this guy a member? He must be.

“Jade, I have to go. My mom will be back any second. She’s staying here until Tuesday and then we’re flying back together.”

“Where’s your dad?”

“He had a meeting to go to in New York and then he’s flying home. With my mom here, I probably won’t be able to call you again until I’m back in LA. And then I’ll be getting prepped for surgery so I guess we’ll just talk after Thanksgiving.”

“Okay. But call me before then if you want to talk.”

“I will. Bye, Jade. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Yeah. Happy Thanksgiving.”

I go out on the deck and tell Garret what Harper said.

“Why would the rules be different for her sisters?” I ask him.

“They’re not. That guy Kylie’s dating is a member. He has to be. Otherwise her parents wouldn’t be inviting him to dinner. Kiefer probably set them up.”

“It sounds like Harper has no idea what’s really going on. But they have to tell her eventually, especially if they’re going to force her to marry someone.”

“That’s not going to happen right away. They have plenty of time to tell her.”

“But she needs to be told now, not later. She doesn’t understand why they’re doing this. And I don’t either. They can see how upset Harper is, and I know they love her, so why are they doing this? Is it really just for the money?”

“You need to let this go, Jade. Don’t get involved. And don’t ask questions.”

Don’t ask questions. The number one rule. I’ve been told it so many times now you’d think I’d never ask another question ever again. But when I can’t explain something, like this thing with Harper, my mind just keeps coming up with questions. But they’ll have to remain there, unanswered. Because finding the answers isn’t worth the cost to get them.