My grandmother’s lips compressed into a thin line. She studied me distrustfully, but then seemed to accept my answer. “If you wanted flowers from my garden, you should have asked one of the gardeners.”
“I know,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry, Grandmother. I didn’t want to bother anybody, and I just needed a few stems.”
“Yes, well, the damage is done now. Go put them in water and join me for breakfast.”
“I can’t,” I said, and then realized that sounded a little too harsh. “I mean, I already ate.”
“Then join me while I eat breakfast,” she said impatiently.
I hopped from foot to foot. “I’m really sorry, Grandmother, but I’m meeting somebody from my school in, like, ten minutes.”
“Meeting someone from your school?” she repeated, as if she couldn’t fathom that. “Who?”
“Uh…” My mind blanked. I knew I needed to offer grandmother a girl’s name, but for the life of me, the only name that popped into my head was Cole’s. Probably because none of the girls at school had bothered to talk to me yet.
“You don’t know him,” I said, and immediately regretted it.
“Try me,” she said.
I sighed, resigned. “His name is Cole.”
“Cole who?”
“Cole Drepeau. He’s really nice. He helped me on my first day of class when I got lost.”
It might’ve been my imagination, but I swore I saw my grandmother stiffen at the mention of Cole’s last name. “You will have nothing to do with Cole Drepeau, Lily,” she said. “Do you hear me?”
I blinked. “You know who he is?”
“Of course I know who he is! He’s trash. His whole family is trash, and I will not have my granddaughter associating with the likes of them!”
Her outrage caught me completely off guard. Was she serious? What the hell had Cole or his family ever done to her? I opened my mouth to argue, but at that moment Cecilia, my grandmother’s personal maid, hurried up to her and said, “Mrs. Bennett, your son is at the front door!”
I dropped the stems I’d been holding.
“What?” my grandmother said. “What do you mean my son is at the front door?”
“Dr. Bennett, ma’am. He’s at the front door.” My heart began to pound. Was Dad looking for me? “I know you don’t want to see him,” Cecilia continued. “But he refuses to leave. He says he won’t go until he talks to you.”
I stiffened. So he wasn’t here for me. He was here for Grandmother. Whom he wasn’t speaking to. And why hadn’t he asked for me? I was his freaking daughter!
Meanwhile, the displeased expression on Grandmother’s face had turned into a wicked sneer.
“Show him to the foyer, Cecilia. Make him sit on the bench by the door. He’s to come no farther into my house than that bench. Tell him I’ll see him after I’ve freshened up my appearance.”
“Would you like me to press a dress for you?” Cecilia asked.
“Heavens no. Bring me two poached eggs and some cinnamon raisin toast. I’ll take my breakfast in the salon. Then I’ll read the paper. And perhaps then I’ll be ready to receive my son.”
I couldn’t help but smirk and wish I had the power to keep my father waiting for an audience with me. Go, Grandmother! I thought.
For her part, Cecilia looked a bit puzzled, but she bowed slightly to my grandmother and hurried away. The formidable woman then turned to me and said, “You should get back to the guesthouse, Lily. Put those in water and wait for me to send for you. No reason you should have a run-in with your father today.”
“What’s he doing here, anyway?” I said, still shocked that he’d come to her home.
“Oh, I think I know,” she said with a crocodile smile. “I’m recruiting all the women in his life—including that atrocious, greedy little tramp Jenny—to my side. I’m sure he’s fit to be tied about the lovely chat she and I had the other day regarding the child she’s carrying. That’s why he’s here, of course. Your father never could stand it when I gained the upper hand. He’s come here to demand I back off.” She laughed lightly, as if she enjoyed upsetting him. “Ah, well, he’ll come around. Eventually. Or when he figures out that she with the most money, wins.”
With a final chuckle and a nod, she turned away from me and strolled back toward her mansion.
I was left dumbstruck and wondering what to do. In my back pocket my phone buzzed, and I retrieved it to see that Cole had just sent me a short text.
Hey! It’s Cole. U ready?
I glanced toward my grandmother’s, then back toward the guesthouse. If I didn’t go through with the ritual, I might never sleep again, and all I wanted was a good night’s sleep. Just one.
Making up my mind, I tapped out a reply, bent to retrieve the blooms, then rushed toward the walk leading to the drive. Avoiding looking at my dad’s car, I ran toward the front gate, and stepped through the pedestrian door. Cole was parked by the side of the road. He smiled and offered me a salute as I walked up to his car. After I got in and buckled up, he said, “You good?”