I nodded in a daze. Everything was moving too fast, and it felt like the massive, opulent house was swallowing me up. Like I’d get lost in the cavernous space and never be found.
She led me into another study on the first floor, where a man sat hunched over a large book. I had no idea what he was doing, but Jacqueline had to clear her throat before he looked up.
“Philip, this is your granddaughter, Talia. Talia, this is your grandfather.”
His gaze lifted slowly, piercing me with bright blue eyes that had started to dull. He had heavy, blunt features, and his hair was more silver than brown. Unlike my grandma, he looked his age—and then some. A frown played over his lips, and as I watched, he picked up a heavy crystal glass and sipped the amber liquid inside. Whiskey, probably. My dad had preferred beer and vodka, but he’d been willing to drink anything in a pinch.
“Hello.” The man’s voice was heavy too, and he set the glass down but held onto it, as if he expected to need another sip momentarily. “It’s nice to meet you, Talia.”
Is it?
I did my best not to squirm under his appraisal, lifting my chin and keeping my shoulders back. “You too… Philip.”
The word grandpa just wouldn’t come to my lips, and I wasn’t sure it would’ve been a good idea to call him that in any case. I chewed the inside of my lip, my gut churning.
“We should go over the ground rules,” Jacqueline said as she all but floated around the desk to join her husband. She was almost a full foot shorter than him, but the power that radiated from her made her seem taller. “Rules to keep in mind while you’re here.”
I nodded lightly, an
d she continued without a pause.
“You’ll start school on Monday. You’re only a week late, so you should be fine. You’ll wear the Oak Park uniform on campus, but we’ll get you a car and a credit card so you can get some”—her gaze flicked down my body—“proper clothes.”
My cheeks flamed. I’d worn what I thought was a nice top, but my jeans were faded and old—and I’d only drawn attention to their disrepair by picking at them in the car.
“And finally, there will be no shenanigans in this house or anywhere else,” Jacqueline continued, her voice hardening. “You’ll go to school, get good grades, and keep out of trouble. You might not be living under our roof, but you represent our family at all times, and you have to remember that. Always. I won’t have you following in your mother’s footsteps.”
I nodded, clenching my jaw against defensive words.
She obviously already had an idea of what kind of person I was based on my mother, but I had no idea what that image was.
Had my mother been difficult? Rebellious?
It sounded like they’d had some kind of falling out, and Jacqueline obviously blamed my mom for it. In my memories of her, she was quiet and sad, but she wasn’t wild or anything. Mostly, I remembered the way her lips quirked up higher on one side than the other when she smiled, and the way her hazel eyes seemed to change color with the light.
She’d been snatched away from me by some asshole who’d hit her with their car. They’d fled the scene, and the police had never found who’d done it, but that night had sent my life careening in a terrible new direction.
“Are you listening, Talia?” My grandmother raised an eyebrow.
I blinked. “Yes. Sorry, I understand.”
“Good.” She ran her gaze over me once more. “I’ll show you to your room.”
I hid out in my room until I was called down for dinner. The meal was long and awkward, an almost totally silent affair, and as soon as it was over, I fled back upstairs. But I was too wired to sleep, so just before midnight, I tiptoed out of my room and made my way down the stairs through the darkness. When I slipped out the back door, the cool night air caressed my skin.
The large manicured garden behind the house was perfectly maintained, and a little farther on, the grass turned to sand. I followed it to the ocean and watched as waves crashed against the beach.
The water called to me, and I caved right away. I dipped a toe into the white froth and shivered as cold zipped up my leg like an electric shock. It was freezing. I smiled as I stuck another toe in the water and let the tingle of coldness climb up my leg.
For the first time since leaving home this morning, a smile pulled at my lips. Maybe this could be a good thing. Maybe life with my grandparents would get better. And even if it didn’t, I could still get a good education here, a diploma from a fancy-ass school that would open doors for me I’d never even dreamed of before.
Fuck. I wish I had someone to talk to about all of this.
Besides casual acquaintances at school, I hadn’t had many friends back home. I’d spent most of my time in the diner, and any spare time or money left over after the bills were paid had gone toward dance classes… and then toward physical therapy for my legs. My mom had raised me on dance, putting me in ballet classes almost as soon as I could walk. I didn’t know where she’d gotten the passion for it, but she’d instilled enough of it in me that by the time she died, it was a part of my blood.
Tugging my phone out of my jacket pocket, I pulled up my contacts and scrolled through them. I’d broken our lease with the landlord and told Sebastian I was quitting the diner, but other than that, I hadn’t told a single person in Sand Valley where I was going.
Is there anyone I even need to tell?