Page 95 of Always Us

“Waiting for what?”

“Jade, you know the rules. And Kiefer has known them for months. He just hasn’t taken action until now.”

“How do you know about Kiefer?”

“I’ve been around long enough to know what’s going on. And when I found out he was meeting with Roth last July, I assumed they changed the rules.”

We shouldn’t be talking about this. And yet I want to know more.

“Is there any way Harper can be with Sean?”

“Honey, you already know the answer to that.”

“Who will she end up with?”

“She’ll be given some choices.”

“They won’t just pick someone for her?”

“They used to, but it’s not that way anymore. At least not for everyone.”

I don’t know what that means. Why do some people get to choose and some don’t? Why wouldn’t the rules be the same for everyone? I know she can’t tell me so I don’t ask her about it.

“So they picked Arlin for you?”

“Actually, his father picked me and got the other members to agree to it. Back then, parents had more influence on the decision. I actually had several parents wanting to set me up with their sons.” She laughs. “I was a real catch back in the day. Not to be boastful, but I was a very pretty young woman. And I come from an excellent family.”

“Did Arlin like you right away?”

“He liked me before we were even set up together. Arlin wanted to date me for years and his father knew it. So he purposely told Arlin he was picking a different girl, just to see how much Arlin would fight for me. And he did. Arlin argued with his father until his father finally told him that he’d picked me. His father even planned our first date. He got us reservations at a very nice restaurant in Manhattan and theater tickets for a Broadway show. It was quite an evening.”

“And you liked Arlin?”

She smiles. “I always did. Even when he was younger, Arlin was a gentleman, much like Garret. That’s hard to find, Jade. You’re very lucky.” She checks her watch. “We should be getting back before Victoria starts asking William where I went. Oh, before I forget, the taxes on the land I gave you will be due shortly. I wasn’t sure if you received a notice in the mail so I wanted to mention it to you.”

“I’ll tell Garret. We’ll look into it and make sure they get paid. I can’t thank you enough for giving us that land. It’s the perfect spot for our house. It’s exactly what we wanted. But Garret and I still feel like we should pay you for it.”

“Jade, don’t be silly. You’re my granddaughter and the land was a gift.” She pats my leg. “Now let’s go before people start looking for us.”

“Too late,” a voice says from behind us.

The couch is facing the piano, and with our backs to the door, Grace and I didn’t see anyone come in. We both stand up and turn around to see someone standing in the doorway. Someone my age. With long brown hair. Who looks a lot like me.

“Sadie, honey, what are you doing here?” Grace walks over to her but I stay where I am.

“What did you just call her?” Sadie’s eyes are on me.

“That’s Jade,” Grace says. “You’ve met her before. She’s married to Garret.”

“I know who she is. But I heard you call her something.” Sadie looks at Grace. Actually, it’s more like a glare. “What did you call her?”

“Sadie, calm down. There’s no need to get upset. Jade and I were just talking.”

“You called her your granddaughter. Why would you call her that?”

Grace looks back at me, like she wants me to answer instead of her. My heart is pumping so hard I feel breathless. How did this happen? Where did Sadie come from? She lives in DC. She doesn’t transfer to Yale until the spring. What is she doing in Connecticut?

“Why, Grandmother?” Sadie yells it. “Why would you call her that? Tell me!”

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