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CHAPTER THREE

JADE

My stomach’s in knots as I try to process what Garret just said. I don’t want to believe William would try to hurt me or send bad people after me. He’s my uncle, and in my head I’ve already imagined him being this warm, kind person, like his parents. Maybe it’s naive of me to think of him that way, given that he’s part of the organization, but Arlin was a member and he wasn’t evil, at least not the side of him I saw. And Pearce isn’t either. Like Garret said, the organization forces the members to do these things. It’s not a choice.

Last spring, Grace told me a little about William. She made him sound like a good man. She said he wasn’t at all like Royce, and Arlin said the same thing. But maybe William has a dark side his parents don’t know about. Royce certainly did, and Grace and Arlin didn’t find that out until it was too late.

Grace said William works all the time and is married but doesn’t have kids. His wife doesn’t work but she’s involved in a lot of charities, which I’ve found is what most wealthy women do to fill their time, including Grace and Katherine.

Other than that, I don’t know anything about William. But I did want to meet him someday. Having Grace in my life makes me want to meet more of my family. And since I don’t have anyone left on my mom’s side, I wanted to get to know my dad’s side, even if it’s just William.

I’ve thought about meeting Royce’s kids, my half-sisters, but I think it’s probably better if I don’t. Sadie already doesn’t like me and given what I’ve heard about her and her sisters, I don’t think we’d get along. And I know I wouldn’t get along with Victoria. She’s just another version of Katherine.

My phone rings. It’s still in my backpack. Garret reaches over and hands it to me. It’s Grace.

“Hi, Grace.”

Garret is looking at me like I shouldn’t be talking to her. Does he think I can’t trust Grace now? I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but he’s motioning me to put the phone on speaker, so I do.

“Jade, honey, are you okay?” Grace’s voice is full of concern.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I just spoke with William. He said he met you earlier.”

“He was at my school. He just showed up there.”

“I have to apologize for him. I had no idea he was spying on you like that. It didn’t even occur to me that he would discover the trust fund. But I should’ve known when William was going through Arlin’s financials that he would find out about it. I’m so sorry, Jade. William should’ve come to me before he even considered doing something like that.”

“It’s okay.”

“No. It’s not at all okay. And I told him that. He may be a grown man, but I’m still his mother and I scolded him for his actions.”

I cover my mouth as I laugh. Leave it to Grace to make me laugh at a time like this. I love my grandma.

“You didn’t need to do that, Grace.”

“You’re part of our family and he shouldn’t treat you like you’re not.”

“I don’t think he believes I’m family. I tried to explain everything to him but I think he was too shocked to accept it.”

“He needs to get over it. You’re his niece, and if he doesn’t treat you as such, he’ll have to deal with his mother.”

I almost laugh again. I see Garret smiling.

“So what did William say to you?” I ask Grace.

“He asked me about Royce and your mother.” She sighs. “I know it’s difficult for William to hear those things about his brother and I know he’ll need time to accept it, but I won’t let him take his anger with Royce out on you. I explained to William how you had a very difficult childhood and how Royce was the reason for that. I also explained that when Arlin and I met you, we vowed to support you in any way we could and the trust fund was one way of doing that. Then I told him what a wonderful young woman you are and I encouraged him to get to know you, if you agree to it.”

“I do want to get to know him.” Garret’s motioning me to let him talk. “Grace, do you mind if I put you on speaker? Garret wants to say something.”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

I pretend to, since she’s already on speaker.

“Hi, Grace,” Garret says.

“Hello, Garret. William said you were there as well today.”

“Yes, and I assumed he’d call you to check our story. I told my dad that William might be calling him, too.”

“He called Pearce right after he called me. He’s very worried about your father.”

“He is? Why?”

“He’s concerned your father might tell the organization the truth about Royce, which as you know, would mean William would be punished. I told him your father wouldn’t do that, at least I hope he wouldn’t, especially given what Arlin did for you last spring.”

“No, my dad would never do that. He doesn’t want anyone getting hurt here. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. My dad’s worried William might put Jade in danger. If he found out she was at my house the day Royce—”

“I didn’t tell him about that day. And I’m not going to. But even if he knew Jade was there, he wouldn’t tell the members.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m not trying to say anything bad about William but you can never be too careful.”

“I know what you’re thinking, Garret. And I understand your concerns. But Royce and William are not the same. Arlin and I both knew Royce had problems. We knew that for years. But William doesn’t struggle with the issues his brother had. He’s nothing like Royce. He would never harm Jade.”

Garret doesn’t respond. Neither do I. I’m not sure if I believe her.

“Jade, are you fearful of William?” Grace asks. “Be honest with me.”

“Um, yeah, kind of. I don’t want to be, but I don’t know him well enough to say that I trust him.”

“I understand. Would you feel better if I were there the next time you and William meet?”

“Yes. I think that would be good.”

“I do, too. So that’s what we’ll do. You think about when you’d like to see him again and tell me what works in your schedule and William and I will fly out there together.”

“Okay, but I’m supposed to have dinner with him tonight.”

“Oh. He didn’t mention that. Well, if you want to cancel the dinner, I can call him and explain what we decided.”

“That’s all right. I’ll be fine. It’s just dinner and Garret will be there.”

“If William makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, or asks you questions you don’t want to answer about Royce or anything else, just leave the restaurant. Don’t worry about offending him. But I don’t think that will happen. William is a good man. He’s very much like his father.” Her serious tone lightens. “And I know how much you loved Arlin.”

“If he’s like Arlin, then I definitely want to get to know him.”

“Okay, honey. I’ll let you go. If you want to talk about this some more, just give me a call.”

“I will. Thanks, Grace.”

After we hang up, I turn to Garret. “So what do you think? Do you think we can trust William?”

“I don’t trust anyone in the organization, but I feel a little better about him after hearing what Grace said. I don’t think he’ll hurt you, but like I said, we can’t be too careful. While you were talking to Grace, my dad texted me and said he talked to William and everything’s good. My dad had to go to a meeting but we can call him later to find out what William said.”

“I don’t need to. You can talk to him later if you want. I think I’ll call William. I want to get this dinner over with.”

“Jade, if you don’t want to go, we won’t go.”

“I want to go. I’m just nervous about it and waiting around here is making me even more nervous.”

“We shouldn’t go if you’re nervous.”

“I’ll be fine.” I call William’s number.

He picks up right away. “Jade, I was just about to call you. Do you mind if we have an early dinner? I fly out at five in the morning tomorrow and I don’t want to be out too late.”

“Early is good. What time?”

“Does now work? I was thinking we could eat here at my hotel. They have a small restaurant and it’s quiet so we can talk. I’m staying at the Dominican on Walnut Street. Do you know where that is?”

“Yes. Garret and I will head over there. See you soon.”

“We’re going to dinner,” I tell Garret as I run to the bedroom. “I need to change quick.”

After I change clothes, we go to the restaurant. It’s nothing fancy but like William said, it’s quiet. Only three other tables have customers. The rest of the place is empty, probably because it’s only 5:30.

William is already there. He stands up as we approach the table, then waits for us to sit down before he does so himself.

“Thank you for coming,” he says. “I thought you might change your mind after what happened earlier.”

William seems different than he did an hour ago. He’s more relaxed. But I’m not. My stomach is knotting up again and my palms are sweaty.

We sit there in awkward silence. It reminds me of when I first met Arlin and Grace for lunch and none of us knew what to say.

“So tell me about yourself, Jade.” William says it in the same take-charge tone that Arlin used to use and it makes me smile a little.

“Do you mind going first? I’m kind of nervous.”

He smiles. “Don’t be nervous. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

Garret holds my hand under the table, but keeps his eyes on William. “You should tell Jade about your wife. Jade’s a runner. And your wife is as well. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. She runs marathons. She’s running one next week, in fact.”

I keep forgetting that Garret knows this guy. He knows the whole Sinclair family but he doesn’t talk about them unless I ask.

“My wife’s name is Meredith.” William shows me a photo on his phone. “This is her.”

The photo shows a tall thin woman with short, dark-brown hair and brown eyes. She’s wearing a white sweater and jeans. It’s a much more casual look than I expected for someone as wealthy as her. I can’t imagine Victoria ever wearing jeans, and Katherine doesn’t even own a pair. Meredith is smiling in the photo and it seems like a real smile, not a fake, Katherine smile.

“Has she always been a runner?” I ask William as he takes his phone back.

“No, she started running about 10 years ago. She also swims. She was a competitive swimmer back in college.”

“Oh, yeah?” Garret’s interest piques. “I didn’t know that. What school?”

“Stanford. She was on the team all four years.”

“Garret’s a swimmer, too,” I say.

“Yes, I know. I hear he’s very good.” William smiles at Garret. “Your father brags about you all the time.”

“He does?” Garret’s surprised. I am, too.

“He has for years. He’s very proud of you, Garret.”

“When does he have time to talk about me?”

“Sometimes after the meetings several of us go out for drinks. We don’t do it as much anymore. Our schedules just keep getting busier and it’s harder to make time to socialize.” William’s phone vibrates on the table. He checks it, then turns it off. “It’s people from work. The phone never stops ringing. If I don’t turn it off, I can’t get a break.”

“So you run Sinclair Pharmaceuticals?” I ask him.

“I do. After college, I got my MBA at Harvard, then worked alongside my father and learned the business. I took it over when he retired. I use the term ‘retire’ loosely. He continued to work there, just not every day. My father was someone who had to be active. He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.”

“Do you know how to sail?” The question is way off topic, but when he mentioned Arlin, the sailboat image popped in my head.

“I’ve known how to sail for as long as I can remember. My father taught both Royce and me when we were very young. I try to get out on the water when I can, but with my work schedule it’s difficult.”

“So you have a sailboat?” That sounded way too eager. I feel my face heating up.

“Yes.” William smiles. “Would you like to go sailing sometime?”

“Um, maybe.” I glance over at Garret. I know he doesn’t want me agreeing to this until we figure out if we can trust William.

“Then let’s plan on it,” William says. “The weather’s getting cold now but we’ll plan on it next spring.”

I don’t agree to it but I don’t need to. It’s still months away and by then, he might change his mind. He’s so busy with work, I can’t imagine him taking time out of his schedule to take me sailing.

I place the cloth napkin on my lap. “Grace said you live in New York. Where exactly?”

“Scarsdale. It’s just north of Manhattan. Westchester County.”

I’ve never heard of the town, but I’ve heard of Westchester County and I know it’s full of rich people.

“I didn’t know you lived so close to your parents. I mean, to their house in the Hamptons.”

“Yes, it’s a short drive, but I don’t get out there much. I’m rarely at my own home. I spend most of my time traveling for work or I stay in the city. The next time you’re out east, let me know and you can come for a visit at the house. I’ll rearrange my schedule to make sure I’m there. And you can meet Meredith. Do you get back to Connecticut much?”

“We were there in July,” Garret says. “We haven’t been back since. But we’re going back there for Christmas.”

“Your father’s house isn’t that far from us, probably an hour’s drive. Perhaps you two could come visit us for the day. Or Meredith and I could go to Connecticut.”

“We’ll talk about it and let you know,” I say, not ready to commit to anything yet.

The waiter comes over and asks for our order. Then William talks some more and I just listen.

After our food arrives, William says, “Are you ready to tell me about yourself, Jade?”

I was just about to bite into the pasta I ordered, but instead I set my fork down. “There’s not much to say. I think you already know everything about me.”

“What do you like to do for fun?”

“Um, I don’t know.”

Garret puts his arm around me. “We’re still working on that. Jade’s been a little consumed with her classes ever since we moved here. But we’re trying to work some fun back into her schedule.”

“I like to run,” I tell William.

“But I don’t let her go alone, so she hasn’t been running much.” Garret takes his arm back and picks up his knife and fork and cuts his steak. “There was a robbery next to where we live so I don’t think it’s safe for Jade to run by herself.”

“Is that why you have the cameras everywhere?” William sets his wine glass down. “Walt showed me photos of your beach house. I saw the cameras.”

“My dad had those installed. It wasn’t because of the robbery. He just thought we needed some security.”

“You should have him get some tech guys out there. Those digital security cameras were easily disabled. When Walter was doing surveillance around your place, he was able to disrupt the signal and blur the images.”

“Shit, I wondered about that. I noticed the blurry images. I thought it was just the wind blowing the cameras around.”

“If you’d like, I could have Walt stay here and keep an eye on things for you, especially if you think there might be more robberies in the area. Walt’s background is in security. He’s worked for me for years, investigating anyone around me who seems suspicious. He knows how the criminal mind works and he’s good at getting people to talk and give up information. He could prove useful, especially if that robber has friends who might start lurking around your neighborhood.”

“I don’t think we need that,” Garret says. “I’ll talk to my dad and have him get someone to fix the cameras.”

“Just think about it. Sometimes it’s better to have someone actually watching the place rather than relying on cameras, which can be tampered with.” He takes another sip of wine. “So Jade, have you made many friends here?”

“Not really. It’s another thing I need to work on. I have a friend at the coffee shop I go to. And I talk to my friend, Harper, all the time. She goes to Moorhurst, so I don’t see her anymore but we still talk. She’s from Malibu. Her dad’s a Hollywood director.”

“What’s his name?”

“Kiefer Douglas.” I feel Garret nudge my foot under the table as I say it. He doesn’t want me talking about Kiefer because of his connection to the organization. But I wasn’t even thinking about that when I said it.

“We’re finding it’s hard to make friends when you’re our age and married,” Garret says, trying to steer the topic off of Harper’s dad.

William’s looking at me and I can’t read his expression. It’s either curiosity or concern or a mix of both. “So you’re good friends with Kiefer’s daughter?”

“Yeah, we’re best friends. We lived next door to each other all summer and she was in my wedding. Do you know her dad?”

Garret nudges my foot under the table again.

“Yes, I know him quite well.”

Garret pretends to pick his napkin off the floor. As he leans down to get it he whispers, “Don’t ask.”

“How’s your dinner?” I ask William. It’s obvious I’m trying to change the subject but I didn’t know how to be subtle about it.

“It’s very good.”

Garret starts talking about his classes and the college and then I do the same. We stay on that topic through the rest of dinner.

When we’re done eating, William looks at me and asks, “Would you like dessert?”

“No, thanks. I’m really full.”

“Garret?”

“None for me either.”

“Well, then, shall we call it a night? I’ll take care of the check if you two want to head out.”

Garret and I get up and go around the table to where William is now standing.

“Thank you for dinner.” Garret shakes his hand.

I do the same. “Yes, thank you.”

William hesitates, then steps up and puts his arms around me and hugs me.

“You’re my niece,” he says. “What am I doing shaking your hand?”

“Jade.” I hear Garret whisper it next to me.

I notice I’m standing there with my arms at my sides. I reach around William and hug him back.

William’s hug reminds me of Arlin’s hugs. Is that weird? Maybe I’m just imagining it, but it really does feel like one of Arlin’s hugs; strong, with his arms fully wrapped around me. And when I let go, William holds on a little longer, just like Arlin used to do.

When he finally releases me, William stands back and smiles at me. “I hope to see you again soon.”

We leave the restaurant and as we’re in the car driving home, Garret asks, “So what did you think?”

“I liked him. I thought he was nice.”

“Yeah, I did, too. It’s hard to believe he’s Royce’s brother. Grace is right. William and Royce are not at all alike.”

“Garret, you’re an expert on hugs, right?”

He laughs. “I don’t know if I’m an expert. Why do you ask?”

“Can people have different hug styles? Like if you had your eyes closed and I hugged you, would you know it’s me?”

“Definitely. I could pick your hug out anywhere.”

“Do you think it’s genetic? Like you’re programmed to hug a certain way?”

He laughs again. “No, Jade. Hugging is learned. Usually your parents teach you, but in your case, you got me as a teacher. And not to be cocky, but I think I’m a damn good teacher. You were a mess when we started and now you’re almost an expert.”

“Yeah, you did a good job with me.”

“These are very odd questions. Why are you asking about this?”

“No reason. I was just asking.” I gaze out the side window, smiling as I think about William’s hug. It was like Arlin’s. I wasn’t just imagining it. Arlin taught him that. It’s part of him now. And I get the feeling William is like Arlin in a lot more ways than that.

Garret reaches over and holds my hand. “What are you thinking, Jade?”

“I was just thinking that…” I turn to him. “Sometimes you can tell a lot from a hug.”