Page 70 of Always Us

“Be careful, Garret.”

“You, too. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

As I unpack my stuff I watch the news to see if they have any fake updates about my grandfather. They don’t.

Now I need to figure out where he is. I’ve never been to the clinic he’s at. My dad said it’s in the Hamptons. What if he’s not there anymore? They could’ve moved him to the clinic that’s closer to his house. Shit. I have no one to call to find this out. I can’t call my dad.

I’ll call Katherine. Oddly enough, she’s the only one who’s told me the truth about my grandfather.

“What now, Garret?” she says when she answers.

“Hello to you, too, Katherine.”

“Your father’s not home. Call his cell.”

“I already did. He didn’t pick up. I wanted to get an update on my grandfather. Is he getting any better?”

“Why don’t you call him yourself?” She laughs. “Oh, that’s right. He’s not speaking to you. You’re too much of a disappointment to him. To all of us.”

Seriously? Was that really necessary? She’s such a bitch. Sometimes I forget how much I hate her. This was a good reminder. Given that she’s married to my dad, you’d think she’d at least try to get along with me.

“Just tell me how he’s doing.”

“He’s at home now, recovering.”

My grandparents have four houses in different locations so ‘home’ could be anywhere.

“Which home? The one in Connecticut?”

“Yes. Why do you ask? Are you coming for a visit?”

“No. I just wondered.”

“Even if you did show up, he’d send you away. He doesn’t want to see you. And he definitely doesn’t want to see that cheap tramp you married.”

I clench my fist in an attempt to control my anger. “Where’s Grandmother? Is she with him?”

“I believe she’s attending an event in Greenwich this afternoon. Why do you care where Eleanor is?”

“Because I’ve called her and haven’t been able to get a hold of her.”

“She doesn’t want to talk to you, Garret. Nobody does. You’re an embarrassment to the family and your antics last spring nearly destroyed the Kensington name. I still haven’t recovered from that.”

“Recovered? What are you talking about?”

“My social engagements have been cut in half since you pulled those stunts. We weren’t even invited to the Hamilton Christmas party this year. All because of you. The Kensington name is useless now.”

“Then get a divorce.” I know she can’t but I want to see what she says. “Marry someone with a better name.”

She’s silent.

“Katherine? Are you still there?”

“This conversation has taken up far too much of my time. Stop calling here, Garret. I won’t pick up next time. If you want to talk to your father, call his cell.”

She hangs up. That was strange. She seemed to be on a roll insulting me and putting me down and then she just got quiet and hung up. Whatever. It’s Katherine. I’ll never understand her.

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