Page 150 of Choosing You

“The dean called me. He said there was a break-in. And then he mentioned Jade’s name and I raced right over.”

I look at him confused. “The dean? How does he know?”

“Jasmine’s required to call him,” Garret explains. “And my dad is good friends with the dean.”

“Do you know when this happened?” Mr. Kensington asks me.

“No, but I’m guessing it was when I was at your house last night.”

“What did they take?”

“Nothing. At least I don’t think they took anything. I don’t have much and it looks like everything’s here on the floor.”

He glances around my room. “It looks like they took your TV.”

“I don’t have a TV.”

“Oh, I see. Well, that’s strange that they didn’t take anything.”

“Dad, you didn’t need to come all the way down here for this.” Garret uses an accusatory tone. I’m sure he assumes his dad is really there to lecture him about last night.

Mr. Kensington goes over to Garret and hugs him. “I was worried, son. I had to make sure you were okay.” Then he hugs me quick. “You, too, Jade.”

I’m speechless. Where is this coming from. Hugs? Concern? Has he lost his mind?

“Was that it, Dad?” Garret asks.

“Well, no.” His dad seems more fidgety than normal. “Can we talk upstairs?”

“We can talk right here.” Garret crosses his arms over his chest, ready for a verbal battle with his father.

“Okay, then. I would like you to attend Thanksgiving in the Caymans with the rest of the family. I know you don’t want to, but I really need you to be there.”

His dad is being very polite about this. Normally, he’d just demand that Garret do whatever he says.

“I can’t. I need to work on a paper that weekend. And I have to swim. We have a meet the following week.”

“You can do all that in the Caymans.”

I’m really hoping Garret doesn’t mention my role in his decision to stay home. The last thing I need is for his dad to hate me even more.

“Jade isn’t going home for Thanksgiving. I’m staying here with her.”

Shit! I cringe, preparing to get yelled at.

Mr. Kensington looks at me but he doesn’t seem mad. In fact he seems fairly calm. “Why aren’t you going home?”

“It’s too long of a drive for that short amount of time.”

“So you’re staying here? In the dorms?”

I’m so shocked he’s not yelling at me that it takes me a moment to answer. “Um, yes. I’m staying here.”

He nods and looks like he’s thinking about something. “Then I guess you should as well, Garret. I’ll tell Katherine you can’t make it.”

Okay, now I’m convinced the man has lost his mind. I don’t understand anything that’s going on right now. I glance at Garret, who seems just as confused.

“And Jade, you’ll stay at the house with Garret.”

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