Promising You (The Jade Series #4) (31 page)

I pick up the basket and start hunting for the eggs. I feel like a little kid. But I’ve never done this before and nobody is watching, so I might as well let my kid side out and have fun. If I’d known I was going on an egg hunt I probably wouldn’t have worn a dress and heels. At least the ground is dry instead of muddy.

The first five eggs are easy to find behind some trees, right off the trail. The next three are more hidden, just barely peeking out from under some fallen leaves. I have to really search for egg nine, but I eventually find it up in a tree branch. After searching up and down the trail, I can’t find the last egg and am ready to give up when I hear a noise.

“You’re getting warmer.”

I whip my head around to see Garret standing there in a dark gray suit, white shirt, and blue tie. I’m so excited to see him my heart gets all fluttery in my chest.
 

I run up to him. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you find your eggs.” He leans down and plants a kiss on my lips.

He looks really hot in that suit. He smells good, too. It makes me want to
 
forget the brunch and sneak off into the woods with him.

“How long have you been here?” I ask, setting my basket down.

“Long enough to watch you hunt for eggs. You’re pretty good for a first timer.”

“I couldn’t find the last one.”

He smiles. “Keep looking.”

“I already looked everywhere and I couldn’t find it. Can you give me a hint?”

“Do that thing I taught you when we first met.”

I give him a hug and find the last egg in his hand behind his back.
 

He circles his arms around my waist. “Open it.”
 

“The egg? Why? Is there something in it?”

“Well, yeah. There’s stuff in all of them.”

“Oh, I thought they were just plastic eggs.”

He laughs. “So that explains why you didn’t open any of them. I couldn’t figure that out. Well, open this one and you can open the other ones later.”

I twist open the pink plastic egg. Inside is a necklace; a silver chain with a silver starfish hanging from it.

“I thought you could wear it this summer.”

“Thank you. I love it.” I hug him again. “And thanks for the Easter basket.”

“You’ve never gotten one before, have you?”

“No,” I say, looking back at the candy-filled basket.

“Then it’s a good thing I’ve got connections with the Easter Bunny.”

I laugh. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“We’re not. He just owed me a favor.” Garret kisses me. “Happy Easter, Jade. You look really beautiful in that dress. You’ll have to wear it for me someday.”

“I will.” I look around to make sure nobody is around. “Hey, did you drive here?”

“Yeah. The fake Garret is behaving this weekend and going to his grandparents’ house for brunch. So it’s okay if people see me around campus or in town. But I do need to get going.”
 

“Thanks again for Easter. It was great.”

“We’ll have a better one next year.” He give me a kiss, then moves his lips to my ear and lowers his voice. “Plan for another picnic in the woods this week.” His breath on my neck gives me chills and I want to kiss him again, but he walks off toward the parking lot.

Garret’s surprise visit puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. After Sean’s Easter brunch, I return to campus and go for a run. When I get back to my room I open up the remaining plastic eggs. They’re filled with fun stuff that didn’t cost much, like a candy ring, a candy bracelet, some new headbands to use for running, my favorite lip balm.
 

I love the necklace he gave me earlier but I also love getting these inexpensive gifts, especially when they show how much he knows about me. Just the fact that he remembers my favorite headbands and lip balm is so sweet. And a while back I told him how when I was little I always wanted candy jewelry, and he remembered and got it for me.

I want to thank him and give him a huge hug for doing all this. But that will have to wait until I can see him again, which hopefully will be soon.

The dining halls are closed all day, so I raid my Easter basket for dinner, putting myself into a sugar coma before falling asleep.

Tuesday at breakfast, and then again on Thursday, Harper gives me a heads-up to meet Garret at our secret spot. There are a lot of bugs now so it’s not the greatest place to hang out, but we get to see each other so I don’t care. Even seeing him just a couple times a week is so much better than not at all.
 

Saturday morning, I go out to the Hamptons again to visit Arlin and Grace. This time, they’re taking me out on their sailboat. I’ve never been boating and I’m a little worried I might get sick, so I stopped at the drugstore near campus and bought some wristbands that are supposed to keep you from getting seasick.
 

When I arrive at their house, Grace is dressed in navy pants and a white and navy shirt. It’s the first time I’ve seen her wear pants. Arlin is in a white polo shirt and khaki trousers, a much more casual look than his usual suit and tie.
 

“Are you ready to sail, Jade?” Arlin’s smiling from ear to ear. I’ve never seen him so excited. He’s like a little kid.

“Arlin loves his boat,” Grace says quietly to me. “He can’t wait to take you out on the water. He’s been wanting to for weeks.”

I turn back to Arlin, holding up my wrists. “I got these so I don’t get seasick.”

He waves his hand in the air like he doesn’t want to see them. “Nonsense. You’re a Sinclair. We were meant to be on the water. We don’t get seasick. Take those silly things off.”

Grace leans over to whisper. “Just put them in my purse for now. If you feel sick you can wear them later.”

“Do you need help with anything?” I ask her. “I can load stuff on the boat or whatever else you need.”

“We don’t need anything. Everything’s ready to go. Come on, honey.” She leads me out back. I no longer mind that she and Arlin call me honey. They are my grandparents, after all.

The boat is huge. I’ve only seen sailboats on TV or in photos. I’ve never seen one up close. I wonder what these things cost. I went to a boat show with Frank and Ryan a couple years ago, but all they had were pontoon boats and speedboats. They were really expensive but not nearly as nice as this sailboat, so I know this thing cost a fortune.
 

Arlin helps Grace get in and I step in behind her. Then he messes with some ropes and we take off into the ocean. Crap! I’m sailing in the ocean! I could die! This suddenly seems really dangerous.

“How long has Arlin been sailing?” I ask Grace as we sit there watching him.

“Don’t worry, honey. He’s been sailing since he was a young boy.”

I feel a little better knowing that, but then we hit a wave and the boat sways and I’m sure we’re going to die. I instinctively hold on to Grace who laughs.
 

“These waves are nothing. Arlin and I have sailed in heavy storms and he’s always gotten us back safe and sound.” Another wave hits the boat. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I guess not.” I release my hold on her. “I’ve just never been on the water before.”

“Well, we’re hoping we can do this again before you leave for the summer.” She turns to me. “Speaking of summer, Arlin and I heard that you need some plane tickets and we’d like to offer to pay for them.”

“I don’t know. We’re just getting to know each other and I’m not sure if I should be accepting gifts like that.”

“Jade, you’re our granddaughter. Let us do this for you.” She puts her hand on mine.
 

“But—” I stop, remembering what Garret said about Arlin doing this because he wants to, not because he feels guilty for what Royce did. “All right.”
 

“Good. Then it’s settled. Arlin will set you up with a credit card. Use it to get the plane tickets and whatever else you need. We’ll take care of the bills. They’ll go directly to us.”

“But I just need the plane tickets.”

“We want you to have fun this summer, so use the card for whatever you need.”
 

“I really don’t need—”

She interrupts. “You need gas for your car, right? And groceries? Suntan lotion? Sunglasses?” She smiles. “They have great shopping in California. You might see something you like.”
 

The old Jade is coming back telling me there must be a catch. There’s always a catch.
 

Grace notices my hesitation and it’s almost like she read my mind. “All I ask in return is that you call us. Once a week would be nice, just so we know you’re okay.”

“Of course I will. I’ll call you even more than that. I’m going to miss you guys.”

“Jade, get over here,” Arlin yells from behind a giant wheel. “I want to show you how to sail.”

“I’ll see you in a couple hours,” Grace kids, patting my knee.

I make my way up to where Arlin is standing.
 

“Grab hold of the wheel and I’ll show how to steer.” He’s so happy out here on the sailboat. He can’t stop smiling. “I’ve taught every one of my grandkids how to sail. Usually we start a lot younger, but you can catch up.”

After he explains how to steer the boat, he takes me over to the ropes and shows me different ways to tie knots.

As he’s talking, a wave hits and I panic again. “Hey, um, shouldn’t you be steering the boat?”

“It has a self-steering mechanism.” Arlin must see the worried look on my face because he says, “It’s perfectly safe. I use it all the time.”

He goes back to talking about the ropes and then tells me how the sails work.
 

“There’s a lot to learn,” I tell him after our hour-long lesson. We’re standing at the wheel again and he’s letting me steer.

“I can already tell you’re a natural.” He puts his arm around my shoulder. “Should we take a break and I’ll show you more later?”

“Yeah, okay.”

He glances back at Grace who’s reading a garden magazine near the back of the boat. “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure.”
 

We take a seat on the small bench that’s next to the wheel.

“Did Grace tell you that we’d like to help you out with some expenses?”

“Yes, she mentioned it.”

“Are you okay with that? Garret said you might not be given the circumstances.”

“Um, yeah, I guess I am.”

“We’re not trying to get you to forgive our son for what he did. And we’re not doing this out of guilt. We want to help you because you’re part of our family. I know we’ve only known you for a few months, but Grace and I love you like we do all our grandchildren.”

I don’t know what to say. I know they both like me, but I wasn’t expecting him to say that they
loved
me.

Arlin continues. “I know I’ve mentioned this before, but we’d like to pay for the remainder of your college. And med school if you decide to go.”

“That’s very generous but—”

“You think about it and let us know later.” He glances back at Grace again. “Have you decided if you want to meet the rest of the family?”

Arlin asked me this a few weeks ago at lunch when Grace was in the restroom. I’d given it some thought and had no doubts about my answer.
 

“I don’t want to meet them,” I say. “I shouldn’t say it that way. I’d like to meet them, but then they’ll know about Royce and I think it’s better if they remember him as the man they knew and not the man who—well, you know.”

“Yes. I understand. I thought you’d say that. And I have to admit I agree. It’s probably best if they don’t know.”

“Are you two ready for some lunch?” Grace calls out.
 

“Yes, we’re ready,” Arlin yells back to her as he returns to the wheel.
 

“I’ll go help her.” I see Grace going down some stairs in the middle of the boat and I follow her. “Can I help with lunch?”

She turns around. “Jade, I thought you were still up on deck. Come on down. I’ll show you around.”
 

I meet her at the bottom of the stairs and she leads me down a narrow hallway and points to a small room. “We have a bedroom here and one on the other side. The bathroom is back there.” She points behind me, then walks back to the area near the stairs, which has a small kitchen and a table. “And this is where we eat.”

“This is a great boat. I’ve never been on a sailboat. Or any boat.”

“Thank you for going along with Arlin’s little lesson up there. He just loves teaching the grandkids how to sail. None of them are very interested, but he teaches them anyway.”

“
I’m
interested. I was hoping to learn more, not that I’ll ever own a sailboat, but I like learning about them. And I love it out here on the water. I don’t even feel seasick.”

“If you tell my husband you like sailing, he’ll have you out here every weekend.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad.” I smile at her.
 

She smiles back, her eyes wide and hopeful. I think she gets that I’ve finally accepted them as my grandparents and that I really do want a relationship with them.

Grace and I take out the salads and sandwiches she brought and arrange them on the small table in the kitchen. Then she calls Arlin to come down and the three of us have lunch. Afterward, Grace reads a book while Arlin teaches me more about sailing.
 

We get back to the house late afternoon. They invite me to stay for dinner, but it’s a 2 to 3 hour drive back to Moorhurst depending on traffic around New York City and I don’t want to drive in the dark. I don’t know the area that well. This is the first time I’ve driven out to their house. When I came here last Saturday, Arlin and Grace drove me. But I insisted on driving myself this week. Arlin wanted to send his private plane to pick me up, but there’s no way I’m getting on one of those small planes knowing what happened to Garret’s mom.
 

Before I leave, I say goodbye to Grace in the kitchen. Then I go outside and meet Arlin by his car. He’s putting a bag of golf clubs into the trunk.

“I’ll see you next week, Arlin.”
 

“Looking forward to it.” He shuts the trunk. “Have a safe trip back. Call when you get there so we know you made it.”