Page 33 of The Rebel (Covington Prep: The Girls We Love #7)

“No,” he murmured, “no, stay. Please.”

“Are you sure?”

Jade nodded, his fingers moving down to mine, clasping my hand effortlessly.

I daren’t breathe, assuming he was in a bit of a daze, overwhelmed by what was happening.

But that was okay—I was the same way. Jade Sinclair sitting close and holding my hand was something that I didn’t expect, but something I could get used to.

Pops, as Jade called him, came back in with a tray of drinks.

Suddenly he and Jade were in a frenzied discussion about the Manchester City game, and I loved the enthusiasm between them.

I learned that Pops had lived in Manchester until the age of three, hence the mad devotion for the team, a family tradition that he was proud had been passed on to Jade and Oliver.

“I’ve missed talking about the team with you,” Pops said.

“Same,” Jade said, but I could see it was tough for him to admit, like he was betraying his mother.

Pops wanted to hear all about his trip to England. My heart soared knowing that Jade was in his element, talking the game he loved with someone who shared his passion. Gramma returned with several plates of food. Jade quickly took one, sadly releasing my hand, and offered me the cheese platter.

I nibbled on a slice of camembert but my appetite had vanished, something to do with the swarm of butterflies occupying my stomach.

I wanted Jade to take my hand again. But I had to remind myself that hand holding didn’t mean anything.

Scott had held my hand and that meant nothing, less than nothing!

Jade wasn’t thinking about me in that way.

I was here as a supportive friend, helping him to get through a difficult family issue.

He’d even said to Gabby and Scott that I was his friend .

Any physical contact was about comfort, reassurance and friendship.

The topics were a whirlwind, Man City’s football season, Oliver’s football, indoor football, Jade’s European travels, Gramma and Pops’ Alaskan cruise, Jaffa cakes, Oliver’s guitar lessons, Paris’s run at the US Open and his European tour, the weather and school.

My eyes flitted around the spacious room, minimalistic but reeking of utter class and style.

Gramma, with her hair in a short sleek bob looked like she could be a fashion editor and Pops, although casual in his tracksuit, had the air of an executive. It was obvious they were very wealthy.

“And you’re a Man City fan too?” I stopped staring at the opulent chandelier, fascinated by the crystal lights shaped like delicate flower heads, to find Pops grinning at me.

“By default,” I said. “This is Jade’s top. I had to wear it when we watched the game this morning. He said it was compulsory.”

“Haha,” Pops chuckled. “Yes, that’s a tradition Alex started.”

It was as if the mention of Jade’s father was the catalyst that changed the mood. The room went silent, when prior they’d barely paused for breath. I peered across to see Jade taking a sudden interest in his cuticles. There was the sense that they could no longer ignore the elephant in the room.

Gramma broke the silence with the clearing of her throat, but her voice was raspy. “Dani? How is your mother, darling? You know we’ve missed you all so much.”

Jade shuffled his feet. And now he was twiddling his fingers, inspecting them in earnest. And my heart shuddered for him, knowing he was going to have to spill the painful truth.

Which made me wonder what horrendous situation could have caused Dani to cut her husband’s parents out of their lives.

I mean, they seemed so normal, had a beautiful home, were welcoming, and they were truly overcome with joy to see Jade.

So, what had they done to Dani?

“Mom’s good,” Jade murmured, his eyes flitting, not making direct contact with either of his grandparents.

“That’s good to hear,” Gramma said.

“Yes, that’s good to hear,” Pops agreed.

An awkwardness followed, everyone nodding, but all afraid to address the issue. Jade’s cuticles would be shredded at this rate.

Jade had praised me for being brave, so I’d be brave for him. “Dani doesn’t know we’re here,” I said, reaching out to his knee. “Does she Jade?”

There was a labored sigh from Pops, and Gramma put her hand on her heart.

“No,” Jade was forced to say. “We...we don’t see eye to eye on this.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Gramma said, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Why can’t you fix it?” Jade said. And in an instant, he cracked. “What happened? She said it’s none of my business, but why can’t you fix it?”

With a heavy breath, Pops leaned forward in his armchair. “We’ve tried to reach out, Jade. We have.”

“Obviously not hard enough,” Jade shot back.

“Jade, we’ve tried,” Gramma cried. “She’s blocked us. She won’t reply to our letters.”

“Letters?” Jade seemed shocked to hear that.

“Yes, we’ve written letters. We’ve had our lawyer send letters,” Gramma said, shaking her head in wretched misery. “She won’t have anything to do with us.”

“Have you apologized?” Jade asked curtly.

“We can’t even contact her,” Pops said.

“Whatever this is about, I distinctly remember hearing her say that you never apologized,” Jade said, and now he was fighting to stay calm. “Have you apologized?”

I now needed to be even braver. Jade needed every ounce of my support. I shifted closer and hooked my arm through his and clasped his hand with mine.

“Mom’s struggling. And I don’t think she can keep going like this.” I squeezed him tighter. “We have to fix this.”

“Jade, we’ve tried...”

“Not hard enough!” Jade shouted, “not nearly hard enough. You know where we live, why haven’t you visited?”

“Dani made it clear she didn’t want us anywhere near her or you and Oliver.” Gramma was trembling, her graceful facade in tatters. “We didn’t want to make things worse.”

“Worse?” Jade queried in sarcasm. “Things couldn’t get worse. Dad is dead and you’re fighting with Mom...it can’t get worse than that.”

Pops exhaled in frustration. “We know we got things wrong.”

”Wrong? What did you do wrong?” Jade demanded.

“Everyone was upset. Alex’s passing was heartbreaking.

We said things in anger. In grief.” Pops’ brow knitted tightly as he wrung his hands together.

Tears clouded his eyes and he murmured, “We hate that it turned out like this. We want to fix it. But...” He raised his hands as if he was helpless, unable to resolve things.

“Yes,” Gramma concurred, her elegance succumbing to dejection and frailty. “We miss you all so much. We not only lost Alex but you and Ollie and Dani. It breaks our heart every day.”

“Mom’s not happy either,” Jade stated. “I know she isn’t.”

It was like there was a collective sigh, everyone in agreement that the situation needed a solution, but no one coming up with a way forward.

Jade turned to me with piercing eyes, squeezing my hand tighter, like more than ever he needed my support. “Gramma, Pops,” he said, “you need to come home with us now. You need to talk to Mom. This has to be sorted.”

Gramma’s throat bobbed and she stared at Jade. “But, Dani...will she even agree to see us?”

“We need to try,” Jade said in full authoritative mode. “We have to do it.”

Pops looked at his watch, then at Gramma. “Yes,” he said. “We can follow you to Covington. It’s our best chance for a reconciliation.”

“Let’s do it then,” Gramma said shakily.

Gramma and Pops went to pack a bag and lock up the house. Jade and I waited out in his truck. By then, he was second guessing himself, his confidence faltering.

“What if Mom won’t even see them? What if they drive all that way and she refuses to let them in the house?”

“We should call her now, pre warn her,” I suggested.

“You think so?” Jade was sceptical. “What if she disappears?”

“You said your Mom is struggling. Do you think she really wants to fix things?”

“Yes! But she’s stubborn and hurt and sad.”

“Then we call her first. Otherwise she’ll think you’ve thrown her to the lions. This way she can prepare herself,” I said.

Jade steadied himself as he put through a video call, taking in a deep breath as his Mom answered the phone.

“Mom, are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m okay. Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry I stormed out on you,” Jade said, and he moved the phone camera to include me. “I’m with Valencia.”

I smiled and mouthed a hi and fluttered my fingers. Dani blinked in surprise, but smiled as if she was pleased he wasn’t on his own.

“Mom.” Jade paused and I squeezed his leg.

“Mom, Valencia and I are in Rosemont.” Dani’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but Jade spoke with calm and control.

“I’m bringing Gramma and Pops back. We’re going to talk things out.

” Dani’s eyes flared and her mouth twitched, but Jade carried on, “We’re just leaving now. .. is that okay? ”

Being put on the spot can’t have been easy for Dani, and I wondered if it helped Jade to have me by his side, that Dani was less likely to argue with me right there.

“Jade...” Dani’s protest was weak as she shook her head in a defeatist way.

“It’ll be all right, Mom,” Jade promised, his eyes misty.

Dani nodded and Jade ended the call. He took my hand and said, “Thanks.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For being here.” His face was close, so close, his eyes hopeful that this would work out.

“You’re welcome,” I said, suddenly in awe and strongly attracted to his full, pink lips.

It felt like a moment to celebrate and I leaned forward, or maybe he did, because only millimeters separated us.

My heart thumped in anticipation, but in the next instant the garage door was opening and a sleek Aston Martin drove out.

Pops tooted his horn, and Jade pulled back and waved to his grandparents.

And placed both his hands on the steering wheel.

My heart flipped, and just as I thought the moment had gone, Jade murmured, “Probably not a good idea.” His lips twitched and his cheeks flushed pink. “You know, with you staying with us and all.”

My heart and lungs were in a state of dysfunction, my heart over-beating and my lungs under-breathing, a calamitous combination. And though I didn’t like what he’d said, he was right.

“Totally agree,” I said with a burst of false confidence.

I understood where Jade was coming from and my parents would have a heart attack if they knew there was something between us.

In a blink of an eye they’d have me staying in the boarding school.

Bizarrely, I wasn’t even a little bit sad—you see Jade wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him.

And somehow that was enough.

As he drove off, I bent down and grabbed my phone out of my bag. There were a bunch of messages but it was the one from Dad I was most excited to read—Paris’s latest result.

But the news was not what I was expecting, and covering my hand over my mouth, I gasped in dismay. My blood seemed to drain away as I read the text: Paris lost 7-5, 7-5 in his qualifying round, won’t make the main singles draw.

“Everything okay?” Jade asked, glancing across with a look of concern.

I needed to downplay it, even though my heart was thundering in my chest—Jade had more urgent issues to deal with than my brother’s tennis loss.

“Oh yeah, just remembered the date of my art submissions,” I said, wincing. “Better get onto it when we get back.”

“That’s my fault,” Jade said, “I’ve messed up your study.”

“Oh no. Absolutely not,” I said, having to backtrack. “I’ve basically finished.” Today I’d planned on doing a series of sketches, but now I’d have to submit the drawings I’d done of Paris instead.

“Maybe I can sweet talk Miss Creighton for an extension,” Jade offered.

“Uh, yeah, my teacher is Mr. Moreno so I doubt that’ll work,” I said with a laugh, “but thanks anyway.”

“Well, if you need a model...” Jade joked around, pouting with a flirty, smoldering pose.

“Oh wow, let me capture that.” I pointed my phone at him and snapped several photos. “Such a natural!”

Jade scrunched his face, eyes crinkling, his nose twitching, tongue poking out. He looked adorable and I clicked again, saying, “Aww, too cute!” But boy, I meant it.

He winked at me and his lips curled up and despite knowing that nothing was going to happen between us, I was okay.

For now it was a case of wrong timing, but I figured there were more pressing concerns at stake.

My brother’s tennis form and reconciling his mother and his grandparents were more important than my first kiss.