Fallen Crest University
Page 54
Ah, yes, all the extra traffic because of my boyfriend’s football game.
I gritted my teeth. “Fuck this, Summer. I waited. I’m over it. I’m going to spend the day with people who don’t lie to me.” I turned to go past the car.
“Please, Sam.” The break in her voice had me pausing.
I wanted to curse again. I was turning back.
Fuck me. I was never going to learn.
But I went to the vehicle.
Summer lit up before she scooted back and made room for me. She said, as I climbed in and closed the door, “I promise that, after this dinner, I will explain everything. I mean, everything.” She reached over, her hand squeezing on my arm as she said that last word. “I’ve wanted to come clean about some things for a long time. After this, no lies. I promise.”
Considering the fact that I hadn’t known there were lies, I was more than okay with that.
One dinner to hear the truth. That was easy. I could do that.
We were driven through the city and turned into a gated driveway before coming to a stop. Summer was nervous. That was obvious from how she was fidgeting with her hands, how she only glanced at me before skirting away again, and the number of times she readjusted her clothing. Her shirt was pulled up, then pulled down, and then flattened over her stomach. She’d repeated that process over and over and kept scratching her forehead.
I kept my mouth shut. I knew the answers were coming—or they’d better be.
Her house was huge, but I wasn’t surprised. Summer came from wealth. I hadn’t known it for sure, but I figured it out by the time we got there. It wasn’t any bigger than Mason and Logan’s house when I’d moved in with Analise. That place was a mausoleum, and so was this.
Summer led the way, casting me another look, before swallowing, rolling her shoulders back, and heading inside.
Marble tile, a statue of a nude woman on a horse, and the color of gold greeted us. The gold was everywhere. There were small gold flecks on the walls, but they sparkled and matched the gold that had been woven into the marble tile. The horse’s halter had gold in it, and so did the woman’s hair. There were hints of gold glitter on her body as well.
I felt like rubbing my eyes raw and dousing them with salt water. Too much gold, just too much.
“I know.” Summer moved around me to close the door. She glanced around the foyer and winced. “It’s a bit…much.”
“You live here?”
“Hell, no.” Her eyes got big. “I live in the dorm.”
“But before that?”
She stared at me, confused. Understanding dawned. “Oh, no. I lived with my mother. My dad recently had this built. The stepmonster has a complex, obviously.” She pointed at a flourish on the horse’s halter. “See? There’s even a goldfish in the middle of that swirl thing.”
I didn’t want to look. “Can we not? I…I’m not trying to sound like a bitch, but if this is all to impress me with your family’s 401(k), it’s not working.”
“What?” She blinked a few times. “Oh, no. I mean, sorry. Yeah. Let’s go in.”
It was a grand hallway. I was led past portraits of people and could recognize Summer in a few of them. Another couple—I guessed the father and stepmother—were in others. There was a family portrait with a boy, but I couldn’t get closer to study who he was. Summer hadn’t mentioned a brother. I took a step toward it. There was something about him…about how he was looking back at me…
Summer bumped into me. She said under her breath, “I’m so sorry, Sam.”
“What?”
I was about to ask more when I heard my name coming from farther down the hall, and I tensed. I had known, but it’d been so long since I last saw him.
Garrett was striding toward me. Instead of the business suit that I’d gotten used to him wearing in Boston, he was wearing a polo shirt and striped shorts. This was why I wasn’t impressed by Summer’s family. My biological dad fit right in with them. He was dressed down, but his clothes still screamed money.
My mouth pressed into a flat line.
He was getting closer, wearing a friendly smile, and he paused right at my side. He skimmed me over, but his smile didn’t fade. He turned to Summer. “Thanks for getting my girl.”
His arm was going to curve around my back.
I sidestepped him and shot him a glare. I wasn’t his girl. I was barely a blood relation.
Garrett’s smile dimmed. He said, “Samantha, I—”
“Can we talk in private?” I cut him off. To Summer, I asked, “Is there a place?”
Her eyes were like saucers again. “Yes, yes.” She scooted around and pointed to a side hallway. “Follow this all the way down to the last door. It’s my own study room. You can use that.”
I started off. I wanted to get this done and over with. I was going to call a cab and try to figure out where to tell the driver to pick me up.
Garrett said from behind me, “We’ll, uh…thank you, Summer. I’ll show her to the backyard when we’re done.”
“Okay, Mr. Brickshire.”
I paused. My back was turned. I was still livid, but she’d sounded so small there.
Garrett added to the betrayal when he said, “You’re the best goddaughter I could have. Thank you again for looking out for her.”
I’d been stuck by a hot poker. The end was dipped in fire, and it burned inside of me. I was robbed of breath. I could only stand there, my arms firmly crossed over my chest, and try to suck in air.
She was his goddaughter.
My roommate, who I had come to trust, knew my biological father more in the daughter sense than I did.
I was almost paralyzed.
That lasted two seconds.
A blast of fury flared up, shoving the betrayal from my body, and I was full-on raging by the time I heard Garrett coming behind me.
He thought he could come into my life and then disappear? Never. He thought he could do it again? Hell no. This was the third time.
He was done. We were done.
He paused beside me. I felt his uncertainty now. No doubt, he was seeing my rage. I wanted him to see it.
“Can we talk?” he asked again, his tone more wary.
Yes. My insides rejoiced. That small triumph was a lot, but the fury was still boiling in me. I clipped out, “Go ahead.” I indicated the door. “Let’s do this.”
I gritted my teeth. “Fuck this, Summer. I waited. I’m over it. I’m going to spend the day with people who don’t lie to me.” I turned to go past the car.
“Please, Sam.” The break in her voice had me pausing.
I wanted to curse again. I was turning back.
Fuck me. I was never going to learn.
But I went to the vehicle.
Summer lit up before she scooted back and made room for me. She said, as I climbed in and closed the door, “I promise that, after this dinner, I will explain everything. I mean, everything.” She reached over, her hand squeezing on my arm as she said that last word. “I’ve wanted to come clean about some things for a long time. After this, no lies. I promise.”
Considering the fact that I hadn’t known there were lies, I was more than okay with that.
One dinner to hear the truth. That was easy. I could do that.
We were driven through the city and turned into a gated driveway before coming to a stop. Summer was nervous. That was obvious from how she was fidgeting with her hands, how she only glanced at me before skirting away again, and the number of times she readjusted her clothing. Her shirt was pulled up, then pulled down, and then flattened over her stomach. She’d repeated that process over and over and kept scratching her forehead.
I kept my mouth shut. I knew the answers were coming—or they’d better be.
Her house was huge, but I wasn’t surprised. Summer came from wealth. I hadn’t known it for sure, but I figured it out by the time we got there. It wasn’t any bigger than Mason and Logan’s house when I’d moved in with Analise. That place was a mausoleum, and so was this.
Summer led the way, casting me another look, before swallowing, rolling her shoulders back, and heading inside.
Marble tile, a statue of a nude woman on a horse, and the color of gold greeted us. The gold was everywhere. There were small gold flecks on the walls, but they sparkled and matched the gold that had been woven into the marble tile. The horse’s halter had gold in it, and so did the woman’s hair. There were hints of gold glitter on her body as well.
I felt like rubbing my eyes raw and dousing them with salt water. Too much gold, just too much.
“I know.” Summer moved around me to close the door. She glanced around the foyer and winced. “It’s a bit…much.”
“You live here?”
“Hell, no.” Her eyes got big. “I live in the dorm.”
“But before that?”
She stared at me, confused. Understanding dawned. “Oh, no. I lived with my mother. My dad recently had this built. The stepmonster has a complex, obviously.” She pointed at a flourish on the horse’s halter. “See? There’s even a goldfish in the middle of that swirl thing.”
I didn’t want to look. “Can we not? I…I’m not trying to sound like a bitch, but if this is all to impress me with your family’s 401(k), it’s not working.”
“What?” She blinked a few times. “Oh, no. I mean, sorry. Yeah. Let’s go in.”
It was a grand hallway. I was led past portraits of people and could recognize Summer in a few of them. Another couple—I guessed the father and stepmother—were in others. There was a family portrait with a boy, but I couldn’t get closer to study who he was. Summer hadn’t mentioned a brother. I took a step toward it. There was something about him…about how he was looking back at me…
Summer bumped into me. She said under her breath, “I’m so sorry, Sam.”
“What?”
I was about to ask more when I heard my name coming from farther down the hall, and I tensed. I had known, but it’d been so long since I last saw him.
Garrett was striding toward me. Instead of the business suit that I’d gotten used to him wearing in Boston, he was wearing a polo shirt and striped shorts. This was why I wasn’t impressed by Summer’s family. My biological dad fit right in with them. He was dressed down, but his clothes still screamed money.
My mouth pressed into a flat line.
He was getting closer, wearing a friendly smile, and he paused right at my side. He skimmed me over, but his smile didn’t fade. He turned to Summer. “Thanks for getting my girl.”
His arm was going to curve around my back.
I sidestepped him and shot him a glare. I wasn’t his girl. I was barely a blood relation.
Garrett’s smile dimmed. He said, “Samantha, I—”
“Can we talk in private?” I cut him off. To Summer, I asked, “Is there a place?”
Her eyes were like saucers again. “Yes, yes.” She scooted around and pointed to a side hallway. “Follow this all the way down to the last door. It’s my own study room. You can use that.”
I started off. I wanted to get this done and over with. I was going to call a cab and try to figure out where to tell the driver to pick me up.
Garrett said from behind me, “We’ll, uh…thank you, Summer. I’ll show her to the backyard when we’re done.”
“Okay, Mr. Brickshire.”
I paused. My back was turned. I was still livid, but she’d sounded so small there.
Garrett added to the betrayal when he said, “You’re the best goddaughter I could have. Thank you again for looking out for her.”
I’d been stuck by a hot poker. The end was dipped in fire, and it burned inside of me. I was robbed of breath. I could only stand there, my arms firmly crossed over my chest, and try to suck in air.
She was his goddaughter.
My roommate, who I had come to trust, knew my biological father more in the daughter sense than I did.
I was almost paralyzed.
That lasted two seconds.
A blast of fury flared up, shoving the betrayal from my body, and I was full-on raging by the time I heard Garrett coming behind me.
He thought he could come into my life and then disappear? Never. He thought he could do it again? Hell no. This was the third time.
He was done. We were done.
He paused beside me. I felt his uncertainty now. No doubt, he was seeing my rage. I wanted him to see it.
“Can we talk?” he asked again, his tone more wary.
Yes. My insides rejoiced. That small triumph was a lot, but the fury was still boiling in me. I clipped out, “Go ahead.” I indicated the door. “Let’s do this.”
