Page 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

We drive to his parents’ house and give the bags of clothes, towels, and sheets to the maid. It’s so strange to me that Garret’s family has people to do things like clean their clothes and make their meals. I know that’s what wealthy people do, but it’s still strange.

Rather than wait around at the house, we go to a coffee shop in town and eat breakfast.

“Garret, are you going to have maids and cooks when you graduate and get your own place?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I guess I might get a maid, but only because I can’t stand cleaning. But I wouldn’t have a live-in maid like my dad has. And I don’t need someone to cook for me. I can do that myself.”

“You can cook? I didn’t know that.”

“I didn’t say I was great at it, but I can put stuff together and make a meal. Why are you asking me all this?”

“It’s just that when I go to your house, it’s like a different world with all the hired help. It doesn’t really seem like your type of lifestyle.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to live that way. We didn’t have all those people working for us until after my mom died. But we also lived in a much smaller house back then.”

“Is it around here? Your old house?”

“It’s in the next town, like 20 minutes from here.”

“Could we go see it?” I say it, but then realize that I probably shouldn’t have. “Never mind. We don’t need to.”

“We have some time to kill. We can drive by it. I haven’t been back there since we moved.”

“Forget it. I shouldn’t have suggested it. It’ll just remind you of her.”

“It’s okay. I like being reminded of her. And I’d like to see the house. Come on. Let’s go.”

* * *

The town where he used to live reminds me of the small towns in Iowa. It has a white steeple church and a town square with little shops all around it. He drives down a winding road that leads to a neighborhood. I’m surprised he even remembers how to get there.

He stops at a two-story brick colonial style house. It’s big, but not even close to the size of his current house. This one looks like a normal house, not a mansion or an estate. A tall maple tree stands in front and well-groomed bushes line the sides.

“This is it,” Garret says, parking on the side of the street. “I used to climb that tree all the time. I fell out of it and broke my arm. Twice.”

“It’s a nice house. Let’s get out and walk around.”

“Why? I thought you just wanted to drive by.”

“We drove all the way here. Let’s check out the neighborhood.”

“Okay.” He turns the car off and races over to open my door. I get out before he gets there. It’s sweet that he opens my door, but not always necessary.

We stand in front of Garret’s old house and he points to an area by the front porch. “My mom used to have this huge flower garden all along there. And she always filled the window boxes with flowers. She loved flowers.”

“I think I would’ve really liked your mom,” I tell him.

“She would’ve liked you, too.” He takes my hand as we stroll down the tree-lined street.

“This is a nice neighborhood. I’d like to live on a street like this someday.”

“Me too.” He smiles at me as if I was hinting at something.

“No. I didn’t mean . . . I’m just saying that it feels safe here. Like you could let your kids play outside and not worry.”

He smiles again. “And how many kids do you plan on having, Jade?”

I stop walking. “What? No. I wasn’t talking about me. It was just a general statement. I’m not having kids. I don’t even like kids.”

“You like Lilly.”

“Yeah. But she’s the exception to the rule.”

“If you had your own kids, you’d like them.” He pulls on my hand and we continue down the sidewalk. “I’m going to have three kids.”

“Three? You’ve just decided this? Don’t you think you should wait until you’ve consulted with the woman who’s having these kids with you?”

“I guess you’re right.” He glances over at me. “So what do you think? Three kids?”

The question stops me again. “Real funny, Garret. I don’t think I’m the woman to ask. You need to wait and see who you’re with in 10 or 15 years and ask her.”

“I’m looking at who I’ll be with in 10 or 15 years.” After he says it he starts walking again.

I follow him. “You don’t know what’s going to happen that far off.”

“No. But I know that I want to still be with you. Are you planning on dumping me before then? Finding someone else?”

I can’t imagine being with anyone else. But I also can’t imagine him sticking around that long.

“I’m sure you’ll be tired of me in a year and want to date someone else.” There I go again. Saying something that ruins this great moment we’re having. Between last night and this morning, he’s made it perfectly clear that he wants to be with me and then I say something that invalidates it all.

“Why do you say shit like that?” He stops and spins me around to face him, keeping his hands on my shoulders. “I told you I love you. And I meant it. I’ve never said that to a girl. I want you in my life, Jade. Not just for a year or two. For longer than that. A lot longer. But maybe you don’t feel the same way.”

“No. It’s not that. I just . . . I just don’t know why you’d want that. Me. I don’t understand it.”

“You don’t have to understand it. I love you. That’s all you need to know.”

I begin walking again, looking at the houses on each side of the street, noticing how quiet the town is and how peaceful it seems.

I notice that Garret is no longer beside me. I turn back and see him still standing there. “What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

“What do you think of this one?” He’s pointing to the house next to him; a white two-story with black shutters.

“It’s nice, I guess.”

“You don’t like it. Okay, we’ll keep looking.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was trying to find us a house. You like this neighborhood, right?”

“We’re not looking for houses, Garret. We’re 19. So stop it. You’re freaking me out.”

He catches up to me. “That’s why I said it. It’s funny to watch you get so freaked out by the idea of a future with me.” He pauses. “Well, I guess it’s not that funny.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m not freaked out. I’m just not ready to think about it yet. I just told you that I love you and that was a huge step for me. I never thought I would say that to someone. I have to get used to that before I think about where we go next.”

“So you’d consider a future with me?”

“Of course I would.”

Truthfully, I want that more than ever. But every time I want something really bad, I don’t get it. It doesn’t work out and I’m left disappointed. But if I lose Garret, I’ll be more than disappointed. Losing him will hurt. A lot. So I’m not ready to go there yet. I’m not ready to consider a future with him.

“We should head back. By the time we drive to your house, my stuff will be ready to pick up.”

“Thanks for suggesting this, Jade. It was good to see everything again. It’s just like I remembered.”

When we get back to his house, my laundry is stacked in white boxes, waiting to be picked up.

“They even folded everything,” I say, looking in one of the boxes. “I should go say thank you to whoever did this. That was a lot of work.” I look in another box. “Check out my sheets. There’s no wrinkles. They ironed my sheets, Garret!”

He’s laughing at me. “Yeah. I know. I grew up here, remember? My sheets were always ironed.”

We bring the boxes to the car, then drive back to campus. We see Harper as we’re carrying the boxes to my room.

“Jade, I just heard about the break-in. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

She follows us down the hall to my room. “Do you need help with anything? I was just going back over to Sean’s, but I can call and tell him I’m staying here.”

“No. Go ahead. I can handle it.”

“Okay, but if you’re too freaked out to stay in your room tonight, you could stay with me. We could get one of those inflatable mattresses.”

“I’ll let you know. Thanks, Harper.”

She heads back to her room.

“She’s right,” Garret says. “You shouldn’t stay overnight in this room. At least not for a few days. Just stay with me.”

I take him up on his offer. We spend the afternoon cleaning up my room, then Harper stops by again later and I go hang out in her room while Garret goes to the pool. I tell her all about the fundraising event, which seems like old news with everything that’s happened since then. I also tell her how Garret’s dad did a 180 and insisted I stay at his house for Thanksgiving. Harper seems relieved. She really didn’t want me spending Thanksgiving alone in the dorms.

The next week goes by without a single late night call. I begin to get hopeful that the guy is truly gone and will never bother me again. I talk to Frank on Monday and he’s doing well. Ryan is, too. Maybe it’s too soon, but I tell myself that whatever was going on with my mom’s letter is over.

With all that finally behind me, I’m getting really excited about Thanksgiving. We have classes Monday and Tuesday but people start packing up and leaving to go home Monday afternoon. Harper heads out Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, nearly everyone has left.

On Wednesday, I pack up some clothes and Garret and I head to his house. His family, including his grandparents, left for the Cayman Islands early this morning. We’ll have the whole place to ourselves. The cook will be there but he lives in a separate smaller house next to the main house.

When we arrive, we take our stuff upstairs. I didn’t count them but there must be at least eight bedrooms up here and Garret says there are more guest rooms downstairs.

“So this is where he wants you to stay.” Garret pokes his head in a beige and white room with a four poster bed that’s piled with fancy pillows. The room is very large and has its own bathroom.

I start to walk inside but Garret keeps hold of my hand. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re really staying.”

We walk to the very end of the hall. He opens the door to a room that looks much different than the guest room. It has deep blue walls and even a blue ceiling. Band posters hang on some of the walls and there’s a giant flat screen TV suspended on the wall across from the king-size bed.

“This is my room, if you haven’t guessed that already.”

“I can’t believe Katherine let you decorate your room like this.”

“She didn’t get a say in it. When we moved here, my dad said I could do what I wanted with it. Katherine was pissed, but what did she really have to complain about? We have like 16 bedrooms. She can decorate those however she wants.”

“Are you sure I can stay in here? Maybe I should stay in that other room, at least for a night or two.”

“Why? Don’t you want to be with me?”

“Yeah, but your dad was nice enough to let me stay and I feel like I should use that room for at least one night. Besides we sleep in the same room all the time.”

He sprawls out on the bed. “But this is a king-size bed. So much better than a twin. We can actually move in this one without falling off.”

“Still. I think I should stay over there tonight. I’m gonna go drop my stuff off.”

He follows me back down the hall. “Jade, wait.” He stops and opens the door to another room. “This is Lilly’s room. Don’t tell her I showed you it. She wants to show you herself. She keeps asking when you’ll be over again.”

“She does?” I go inside the all-pink room. It has a canopy bed and a sitting area with a tiny white table and chairs. A teapot and cups are set up on the table and stuffed animals sit in the chairs.

“If you come in her room, she’ll make you go to her tea party,” Garret says. “All her guests have to sit down for tea.”

“Have you been to one of these tea parties?”

“Only like a million times. I can’t fit in those chairs. I have to sit on the floor.”

“How did she even get you to do that? I mean, come on Garret. You’re not really the tea party type.”

“She’s my little sister. And she’s adorable. I can’t say no to her.” He leans down and kisses me. “Kind of like I can’t say no to someone else.”

“You say no to me all the time.”

“I never say no to you. Now let’s get out of here. All the pink is starting to get to me.”

I laugh, still imagining Garret sitting on the floor next to the stuffed panda bear, pretending to sip tea.

It proves that he’s not just a nice boyfriend. He’s a nice big brother, too. It only makes me love him more.