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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

GARRET

I shouldn’t have told my dad about my shoulder. Now he’s going to send Cunningham out here and someone at the organization will find out and my dad will get in trouble. This is why I don’t tell him shit like this. He always takes over the situation and makes a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be.

Except in this case he might be right. I can’t tell this new doctor what really happened to me. And he can’t see my medical records. So I guess Cunningham is my only option. Maybe I should’ve tried calling him myself without getting my dad involved. But it’s too late now.

After I cancel my doctor’s appointment, I go back in the restaurant. We finish lunch, then return to campus.

My dad arranged to have a meeting with the president of the college. It’s so embarrassing. My dad’s sudden interest in my life is a good thing, but this is going too far. Unfortunately, I couldn’t talk him out of it. He does what he wants. The meeting started at 2 and Jade and I are hanging out on campus until he’s done.

“Your dad’s been in there an hour,” Jade says, as we sit on a bench in front of the bookstore. “What do you think he’s talking to him about?”

“Who knows? He’s probably quizzing him about the business school. Seeing if it’s good enough. And now that he’s got you as his daughter, he’ll be asking about their science program, too.”

“I’m sure he’s not doing that. I’m not his daughter.”

“You’re family now, Jade. He takes care of his family.”

Jade gets this glazed-over look on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“What you said just now. It reminded me of something your dad said after you were shot.”

“What did he say?”

“After it happened, he welcomed me to the family. I didn’t know what he meant by that.”

“He meant that he’d look out for you.”

“But I’d only been friends with you a few months, so why would he look out for me?”

“Because you saw something you shouldn’t have. And knowing shit like that could put you in danger.”

“But nobody else knows what I saw.”

“All kinds of people know. The people who cleaned it up. The doctors. Listen, we can’t talk about this here. We shouldn’t be talking about it at all.”

Jade’s quiet for a moment, then says, “What if your dad decides this school isn’t good enough?”

“He’ll donate a shitload of money and demand they hire new business professors or science professors or get new equipment for your labs.”

“Seriously? He can do that?”

“If you have as much money as he does, you can do whatever the hell you want. Before I started at Moorhurst, he got rid of one of the business professors and replaced him with a guy he thought was better.”

“All because you were going there?”

“I know, it’s crazy. The guy he hired was my finance professor. I had him for two classes last year. He’s really good. He should be teaching at Harvard, not Moorhurst. Now I don’t even go there and the guy’s still stuck working there, although I’m sure he gets paid a fortune so he really can’t complain.”

I see my dad exiting the building where the president’s office is located. Right behind him is Dr. Adler, the college president. He’s in his early sixties but has a full head of white hair so he looks older than that.

“I think they’re done.” I stand up as they approach us. Jade does as well.

“Garret. Jade.” Adler smiles at us. “Pearce and I were just discussing some possible improvements to the business program and the science department.”

“Dr. Adler is going to give me a quick tour,” my dad says to me. “Would you like to come with us?”

“No, we’ll wait here. What kind of improvements?” I direct the question to Adler.

“Your father has offered to fund a lecture series that will bring top business leaders from various industries here to campus to talk to our business students. And he’s creating two new summer internships at Kensington Chemical just for Camsburg students.”

My dad waits for my reaction. I’m sure he thinks I’ll get mad at him for interfering like this, but instead I just smile and say, “That’s great.”

Adler nods. “And we also discussed some improvements to the science labs. We’re going over there now.”

My dad follows him toward the science building. He looks back at Jade and me. “We shouldn’t be long.”

Once they’re gone, Jade turns to me and says, “I’m surprised you’re not mad at your dad for doing this.”

“I would be if it were just about me. But now it’s about you, so it’s different.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I made you change schools. Moorhurst had a good science department and now you’re stuck going here and I don’t know anything about the classes or the professors.”

“I told you they had a good science department.”

“I want you to have more than good. I want you to have the best. My dad does, too. So I don’t mind that he’s doing this. I’m actually happy about it.”

“What if other students find out? They’ll think we’re getting special treatment, like better grades, because of what your dad did.”

“They won’t find out. Since we’re trying to keep a low profile here, my dad will make sure his donation is anonymous.”

A half hour later, Adler appears again with my dad. They walk back toward the middle of campus.

“Give me a call and we’ll set up a time,” I hear my dad say.

“Will do,” Adler says. “Enjoy the rest of your day.

My dad walks over to Jade and me. “Sorry that took so long. Ready to go?”

As we’re driving back to the house, Jade says to my dad, “So what did you think of the science building?”

“It could use some improvements. They need some new equipment. It’ll be ordered next week.” My dad’s sitting up front with me. He turns back to Jade. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll have it taken care of.”

I check the rearview mirror and see Jade sitting there stunned that my dad is doing this. She’s not used to the way he just steps in and does stuff like this. I don’t think anything of it.

We go out for dinner again that night. Then on Saturday morning, my dad stops by the house to say goodbye before he leaves. He brings over a big box of donuts he picked up at a bakery.

“Thanks for the donuts.” Jade hugs my dad.

He gives her a funny look. He has no idea how excited she gets over donuts.

“You’re welcome.” He sits down at the kitchen table.

I hand him a cup of coffee. “You just made her day. Jade loves donuts.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for future visits.” He sips his coffee.

Jade takes the seat next to him and grabs a donut. “When do you think you’ll come back here again?”

He sighs. “Probably not for a while. Work is getting busy and I have—well, you know. Other commitments to take care of.”

He means stuff for the organization. I think they’re making him do even more for them now because they blame him for fake Garret’s bad behavior last spring.

“Do you think you two will make it out to Connecticut this fall?” He looks at Jade when he asks it.

“Um, I’m not sure yet.” She glances at me to answer.

“We’ll talk about it and let you know.”

“Have you made plans for the holidays?” My dad looks at me this time.

“We’re going to Des Moines for Thanksgiving. I’m not sure about Christmas.”

My dad nods. “I understand.”

He seems hurt. I didn’t mean to make him feel bad. This isn’t about him. It’s about the rest of my family. I know Jade doesn’t want to go back to my house for Christmas. That’s the absolute last place she’d want to spend the holidays and I don’t blame her. She shouldn’t have to endure being treated like shit from both Katherine and my grandparents.

“Dad, it’s not like we don’t want to. It’s just—”

“You don’t have to explain, Garret.”

“We’d love to come to your house for Christmas,” Jade says to my dad. “I mean, if you want us to. We’d love to be there.”

There she goes again. Jade just made me love her even more. This is not at all what she wants to do but she’ll do it for my dad. And for me. And for Lilly, who Jade knows will be crushed if we don’t show up for Christmas.

“Are you sure?” My dad is just as surprised as I am.

“Absolutely.” Jade takes another donut. “Could we stay there a week or is that too long?”

My dad smiles. “A week would be perfect.”

Jade’s phone rings. “It’s Harper. I’ll be right back.” She goes in the bedroom and shuts the door.

“So I guess you’re coming home for Christmas.” My dad’s still smiling.

“I guess we are.”

“You two haven’t discussed this?”

I laugh. “No. She just decided for us.”

“Well, I’m very happy you’ll be coming. And I know Lilly will be as well.” He reaches in his suit pocket and pulls out an envelope. “While Jade’s in the other room, I want to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, what?” I’m concerned that he doesn’t want Jade to hear this.

He hands me the envelope. “Open it.”

I rip it open and inside is a check for $2 million. “What the hell is this?” I lower my voice. “You can’t give me your money. Are you insane? You know what they’d do to you if—”

“It’s not mine. I guess technically it is, but it doesn’t have any connection to the company or the organization. That’s the insurance money from when your mother died. I kept it in a separate account all these years. I’m not sure why but now I’m glad I did. I wasn’t sure if I could give it to you, but I checked the rules and found a loophole. Since this money didn’t come from the company or my parents or the financial rewards of membership, I’m allowed to give it to you. I want you to have it, Garret. It’s not anywhere near the amount you would’ve received in your inheritance but at least it’s something.”

“Dad, I don’t need it. Jade has money, now.”

I haven’t told my dad how much money is in Jade’s trust fund, but he knows she has one.

“I know Jade has money, but I think it’s important for you to have your own. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to be living off my wife’s money. I don’t want this to become an issue in your marriage.”

“It’s not an issue. We don’t talk about it.”

“Does it bother you that she’s paying for the house and not you?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I don’t believe you. You’ve always had money, Garret. And I know you don’t like relying on other people. I also know you want to take care of Jade and you don’t feel like you’re doing that when she’s paying for everything.”

I didn’t think my dad knew me that well, but he’s exactly right. I don’t like not being able to support Jade the way I feel I should.

“How are you paying for your other expenses?”

“Grace gave Jade a credit card to use. It’s the same deal she made with Sadie and her sisters. Grace pays for all expenses for her grandkids until they graduate college.”

“I see. So you’re using the credit card as well?”

“I usually take money out of the ATM. Jade put some of the trust money into a bank account so it’s easier to access whenever she needs cash. And if we don’t pay cash, then Jade uses her credit card.”

“Garret, I know you’re not okay with that.”

I sigh. “I’m not, but what am I supposed to do? I tried to get a job last summer but Jade wouldn’t let me. I didn’t want to fight about it before the wedding so I just let it go. I’ve been looking for something around here but there’s nothing. This town’s too small. And it’s not like we need the money so it seems stupid to get a job.”

“Take this.” He picks the check off the table and hands it to me. “Put it away and talk to Jade about it later.”

I take the check and fold it up and stuff it in my pocket. I don’t know when I’ll tell Jade about it. It’s not a conversation I want to have. She won’t understand why I took it. She’ll say we don’t need more money. And we don’t, but I feel like I need my own. I don’t need $2 million. A few thousand would’ve been plenty, but my dad doesn’t deal in thousands. He deals in millions.

“Garret, I want you to use some of that money to install a security system. You need cameras set up around the outside and an alarm system.”

“Why?” I’m almost afraid to ask. I keep having this feeling that we’re not safe and now he’s just made it worse.

“You should always have security. You know that. You’re a Kensington. People come after us. You could easily be robbed.”

“Is that it? You’re worried about us getting robbed? Or is something else going on?”

He checks that the bedroom door is still closed. “There was a meeting last week and I heard one of the members mention your name.”

“Shit.” I check the bedroom door again myself, then turn to my dad. “Who was it?”

“It was Ezra Jamison. He was talking to Loran Harlow.”

“And what did he say?”

“I only heard your name. I went over and interrupted the conversation and Jamison became agitated. It was obvious he didn’t want me overhearing. I told him I heard him talking about you and he said he was talking about Garret Bancroft, Martin’s son. But I know what I heard. He said Kensington, not Bancroft.”

“What do you think he was saying about me?”

“I don’t know, but I didn’t like the fact that he was talking about you and didn’t want me knowing about it.”

“Shit. I knew it. Ever since Roth showed up last July I’ve been thinking this isn’t finished. And now it sounds like I was right. They’re going to come after me again. Force me to be a member.”

“No. That’s not going to happen. My concern when I heard Jamison talking is that they might try to scare you, like Roth did by showing up before your wedding.”

“Why would they do that?”

“That’s just how they operate. Like I told you last summer, they’re all about power and control and you took that away from them when you didn’t go along with their plan.”

“Did you ask Grandfather about this?”

“Yes. I talked to him the day after the meeting and asked him if he’d heard anything about you. He said he hadn’t. Then he told me I was being paranoid and lectured me about how I shouldn’t be eavesdropping.” He lets out a short laugh. “You know your grandfather. He can’t have a conversation without including a lecture.”

“Did he ask about me?”

“No. I’m sorry, Garret. He’s going to need more time before he comes around.”

“What about Grandmother?”

“She’s not upset with you. She never was. She wishes you had chosen to marry a girl with your background instead of Jade, but she’s accepted it now.” He pauses. “Garret, I’m sorry things have to be this way with your grandfather.”

“It’s not your fault. Like you said, he’ll eventually come around.”

He nods. “Going back to the security system, if you’re not sure who to call, I’ll take care of getting it done for you.”

“If you could, that would be great. I don’t know anything about that and I don’t have time to research it with classes starting.” I lower my voice. “And do it soon. Maybe I’m overreacting, but the other day when I was in the driveway, I noticed a white car driving by. It went really slow and when the driver saw me looking at him, he took off. I couldn’t get a license plate number.”

“When did this happen?”

“A few days ago.”

He thinks about it, then says, “I’m sure it’s not them. That’s too obvious of a move. They wouldn’t do something like that. They’re far more discreet. Which means the man in the car could’ve been a burglar casing the place. I’ll get the security system set up right away.”

Jade comes bursting out of the bedroom and sits at the table, grabbing another donut.

“Sorry I took so long but it’s hard to get Harper to stop talking.” She turns to my dad. “I know you’ll say no, but Harper’s making me ask you this. She wants to know if she could babysit Lilly sometime. I told her Katherine would never allow it.”

“I think it’s a good idea, actually.”

“You do?” Jade sets her donut down. “What about Katherine?”

“She’s been gone a lot lately. Garret probably told you that she’s seeing someone.”

“Yeah. I heard.”

“Lately she’s made more time for him than she has for Lilly, which has left me taking care of her. And I’m happy to do so, but I also have to deal with work and it’s been difficult to watch Lilly and get my work done. It would be great to find a sitter we could trust. And I definitely trust Harper.”

“But Katherine won’t. She’s never met Harper.”

“She knows the Douglas family. They’ve been to our house several times. And Katherine’s been on charity committees with Kelly. I’m sure she’d be okay with Harper watching Lilly, as long as they stayed at the house and didn’t go anywhere.”

“Harper’s going to be so excited. Can I tell her or do you need to talk to Katherine first?”

“Let me talk to Katherine, but I’m sure she’ll be fine with it.” He stands up. “I should be going.”

Jade and I walk out to the driveway with him. He gives Jade a hug. “Goodbye, Jade. Good luck at school. I’m sure you’ll excel as you always do.”

“Bye. Thanks for coming.”

He gives me a hug next. This hug thing is all new for us. My mom was a hugger but my dad isn’t, so it’s still a little awkward.

“I love you, son.” It’s another new thing he does that feels awkward. But it’s good.

“Love you, too.”

“Dr. Cunningham will be in touch with you in the next day or so. I called him last night. And I’ll call about the other thing before I get on the plane.”

Jade looks at me, confused about what he meant by ‘the other thing.’ I sigh, because now I have more stuff to tell her that I know she’s not going to like.