Page 21 of Finding Us
I don’t know, but just seeing them around Garret made me really nervous. I don’t know what just happened but I didn’t like it and now I just want to get the hell out of here.
CHAPTEREIGHT
“Let’s go upstairs,”Garret says quietly.
“Let me tell Harper.” I walk over and tell her we’re going up to our room and will see her in the morning.
When we get upstairs, Garret closes the door and locks it.
“Are you worried about something?” I ask him.
“No,” he says, taking off his tie.
“Then why are you locking the door?” I take the clip out of my hair and set it on the dresser.
“I don’t want anyone to walk in on us.” He smiles. “Just in case we happen to do something we don’t want others to see.”
“Who were those men downstairs? Do you know them?”
He nods. “Yeah. But I can’t say who they are. It was part of the deal.”
“Should I be worried? Because I already am, Garret. I’m freaking out here. I didn’t like those guys, and the way they were acting it was almost like—”
“Jade.” He puts his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Everything’s fine.”
His elusive answer just confirms that those guys were members of the organization. The secret society of powerful men that almost forced Garret into being president someday.
I didn’t want to think about them or their group or what they put us through ever again. And now they’re right downstairs. Why are they at this party? They obviously know Harper’s dad. He’s somehow connected to them, but how?
“I guess I never told you about the surfing,” Garret says, trying to get my mind off the men downstairs. “We didn’t surf the entire time. Kiefer gave Sean and me each a Jet Ski and we took those out, too.”
Garret takes off his tux jacket and goes in the walk-in closet. I follow him in there. “Did Kiefer and Sean seem to get along?”
“I guess. I didn’t really notice.”
Guys. They never notice anything unless you hold a giant neon sign in front of them.
“Can you help me?” I turn around and Garret unzips my dress. “Did Kiefer talk to Sean?”
“We were out on the water. There weren’t really many opportunities to talk.”
I hang up my dress, then put on my pajama shorts and a t-shirt. “Did it seem like they were avoiding each other? Or was Kiefer just avoiding Sean?”
Garret gives me a puzzled look as he unbuttons his shirt. “Jade, I don’t know what you’re asking me here. We just went surfing. Nobody was avoiding anyone. Is there something I’m missing here?”
“I just thought Kiefer was kind of mean to Sean when we got here. Didn’t you think he ignored him?”
Garret takes his tux pants off and lays them over the suitcase. “I wasn’t really paying attention, but Kiefer’s a nice guy. He gets along with everyone. I’m sure he wasn’t intentionally ignoring Sean.”
“Yeah, okay.” I leave the closet and get into bed.
Garret joins me, hugging me into his chest. “Don’t worry so much about Sean and Harper. You can’t do anything about whatever’s going on with them. They’ll work this out. And if they don’t, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
He’s right, but I wish I could do something. Now that I know Kiefer doesn’t like Sean, it makes me wonder if that’s why Harper is afraid to get too serious with him. She’s really close to her parents and she seems to always want their approval. She’d never admit that but just from things she’s said in the past, I know it’s true.
* * *
The next morning,we all meet downstairs for breakfast. The hired help is gone and Harper’s mom makes scrambled eggs and pancakes. Kylie and Caitlyn are there but they both drink black coffee and don’t eat. Sean and Garret pile their plates with food, like they always do, which makes Kelly laugh.
