“Oh, come now, Lily,” she said, as if she’d just gotten the joke. “If you’re interested in medicine, then at least go to medical school and become a doctor or something similarly palatable. I can’t imagine a Bennett mucking around with the livestock, for God’s sake.”
I pressed my lips together and heat seared my cheeks. When I’d first told Mom about my experiences at the animal sanctuary, and how I was thinking about pursuing a career in the behavioral sciences, she’d encouraged me wholeheartedly, and I’d felt really good about wanting to go into something unique and intriguing. Grandmother’s reaction wasn’t something I’d been prepared for.
“I’m not interested in becoming a doctor,” I said, careful to rein in the bitter and angry response I wanted to spout. I knew that Mom and I had to be nice to Grandmother until Mom got on her feet.
Grandmother made a tsking sound. “Lily,” she said, touching her gray hair with a light hand, as if to check that it was still perfectly coiffed. “No heir to the Bennett fortune will be schooled in veterinary science.”
I stared at her, forcing myself to display no emotion whatsoever. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about her fortune. Money had never bought anyone in my family any form of happiness. Instead, I’d seen it used like a weapon to control and limit the choices of the people that I loved, and it sickened me.
Still, I did care about Mom, and knew that if I balked, Grandmother would remind me that the roof over my head, and Mom’s residency, were all her doing.
“I’m not totally sold on it,” I lied. The taste of the subtle deception was bitter on my tongue.
It seemed to satisfy my grandmother, though.
“I thought as much,” she sniffed. “You will study business—at Yale, of course. We need a savvy businesswoman in this family to take over for me someday.” She paused to consider me. “How are your grades, Lily?”
I had a 3.8 GPA coming into this year, but I definitely didn’t want Grandmother to know I had my sights set on UC Davis in California, which was the best school for the field of study I was interested in.
“They’re okay,” I said, playing it off like I was a little embarrassed.
Grandmother made a face. “We’ll get you a tutor. I suppose you can always attend Georgetown if we can’t get your grades up enough. I’ve got a close friend on the board there. She owes me a substantial favor.”
I took a sip of my tea and kept in the sigh I desperately wanted to exhale.
Grandmother prattled on. “Yes, business at Georgetown will be an excellent direction for you. I have a great many enterprises that you will be taking over once it’s time to ‘pass the torch,’ as they say. I think it’s also prudent for you to study the law, Lily. We’ve never had a solicitor in the family, and I find that the more money I make, the more my attorneys try to lay claim to it. I’d like someone at the helm to keep those sharks in check.”
I nodded, like I was on board with the whole plan, then sat back and listened dully as she laid out my future. After twenty minutes, she finally talked herself out and went back to focusing on my appearance.
“What is happening with your hair, Lily?” she asked, waving a hand at the top of my head.
Heat once again spread through my cheeks. “I need to get it highlighted,” I said, reaching up to swipe a strand behind my ear.
Grandmother’s disapproving frown returned. “You’ll go see my stylist, Gina,” she said. “She’s very good, and she’ll take care of you. You’ll come home looking like a proper young Bennett.”
I sat forward. No way did I want the same person who made my grandmother look like an elderly Anna Wintour anywhere near my hair.
“That’s okay,” I said quickly. “Mom can drive me to Richmond this weekend to see my old stylist.”
Grandmother was too busy picking up and dialing the phone next to her to pay my protest any attention. A moment later, she was ordering someone on the other end of the line to book me a session with Gina.
“Seven o’clock? That’s perfect. My granddaughter will see you then.”
Once Grandmother finally released me, I headed back to the guesthouse to mutter unkind things to myself about her and get something to eat. Thanks to my nerves, I’d had very little at lunch that afternoon. After making myself a sandwich, I washed a lot of the extra makeup off and sat down at the computer.
Grandmother was such an overpowering force in our lives now, and I knew that if I told Mom about our conversations, she wouldn’t hesitate to march over there and tell Grandmother to stuff it. That wouldn’t be good for anyone, so I decided to keep the conversation over tea to myself.