Chapter 20
Summer
“Thanks, Summer,” he replies, giving me a strained smile.
I take a fast shower and get dressed in the new dress. I don’t have time to do anything fancy with my hair, so I blow-dry it straight, then grab my shawl and purse. “Ready,” I say, walking back to the living room.
“You look beautiful, Summer,” E says. He helps me into his truck, and then we are off to his grandparents’ house. I grab a protein bar that I packed last night in my purse and offer one to E. We munch away as he drives. After eating, I text Zander we're on our way.
It takes 30 minutes to get to our destination. His grandparents live along the coast, like Alex, but north of the big bridge. A guard examines us both before opening the gate. “Not very friendly,” I comment.
“That will be the theme of the night,” E mutters.
I squeeze his arm in support as I look out the window at the land.
A large, three-story mansion comes into view.
It’s longer than Alex’s house and has a brick front.
Meticulously manicured gardens surround the house, with a large fountain in the middle of the circular drive.
I don’t see a garage, so it must be out back.
E pulls up to the front of the house as an older man comes down the front steps to open my door.
I thank him as I get out. “You are welcome, Miss,” he responds.
E hands him the keys to the truck, then he escorts us into the house. He leads us into a sitting room on the left, full of antique furniture. “Mr. And Mrs. Seagrave will be with you momentarily,” he says before asking to take my wrap and walking out.
We sit on the couch, and E’s knee bounces, so I place my hand on his leg. “Whatever happens, we will help you figure things out.”
He squeezes my hand with a small smile.
“Elijah,” comes a booming voice. I follow E’s lead and stand to look over at the room entrance.
An older man in a navy suit stands in the opening with a severe expression.
On his arm is an older woman with a tight chignon.
She is wearing a two-piece billowy suit in silver with a string of pearls around her neck and diamond earrings.
“Grandfather,” E replies, walking over to them. He places a kiss on his grandmother’s cheek. “Grandmother, this is Summer Easton,” he introduces, holding a hand out for me.
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” I smile, going over.
They say nothing, simply turning to walk down the hall.
So rude. We follow them into a large dining room where the butler waits.
He pulls out the head chair for Mr. Seagrave, then one to his right for Mrs. Seagrave.
I’ve never seen a man seated before a woman.
Perhaps it’s a Southern custom, or a status thing?
E guides me to the opposite side of the table and pulls out a chair for me. I thank him and take a seat, setting my napkin on my lap. E sits in the chair between me and his grandfather. The butler fills the two wine glasses in front of Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave before filling our glasses with water.
“Summer Easton. That’s not a southern name,” his grandfather states.
“No sir. I’m from Virginia. I moved here recently.”
“What type of business is your family in?”
“Grandfather,” E starts, but I place my hand on his arm.
“My mother was a graphic artist, and my father owns a local transportation and security company,” I reply.
His grandmother sniffs as if she’s tasted something bad. Lovely.
“What are your aspirations, young lady?” His grandfather asks next.
“I’d like to study medicine.”
“That’s an expensive endeavor. You’ll be buried in financial debt by the time you graduate, even if you get a scholarship.”
“No, I won’t, sir. My education is fully funded.”
“Are all seven to nine years paid for?” his grandmother asks in her pompous voice, perking up a bit.
“Yes, they are,” I reply with a forced smile on my lips.
“Well, that’s wonderful.” Her entire demeanor has changed now. “How did you meet Elijah?”
“We met through my father’s business.”
“Your father is Zander Finn?” Grandfather asks.
“Yes, he is,” I nod.
The butler comes back into the room, followed by a woman in a chef’s jacket.
We are served salad as our first course.
After a quick prayer is said, we eat. It’s a nice salad, but small.
As our plates are removed, the chef sets dinner in front of us.
It looks like steak, green beans, and a rice dish.
Again, the serving size seems small, even for me.
We eat in silence, which is strange, but I roll with it.
As dessert is served, the questions start up again.
I’m asked about my grades, my hobbies, how I like the South, then his grandfather tells me about the illustrious Seagrave family history.
As the plates are cleared, we retire to the sitting room.
“So, Elijah, why did you want to talk to us?” His grandfather asks.
I squeeze E's arm in support as he takes a deep breath. “As you know, father is back in town and has demanded I return home to live with him by the end of the week or he'll cut off my inheritance,” he starts.
“So?” His grandfather says, seeming bored. “You’re not yet 18. You should be home with your family.”
“Grandfather, you know he's very abusive. I’ve been staying with Alex when he comes home for years now. He only wants me to return for appearance’s sake because he’s here for 3 months instead of a week or two.
Since the inheritance is from you and grandmother, I was hoping we could come to an agreement. ”
“What did you have in mind?” He asks, at last paying attention to E.
“Only you four know I’m not staying there. Allow me to remain with Alex. Talk to my father so I can keep my inheritance.”
“You must do what your father wants, Elijah,” his grandmother says. “It’s not appropriate for you to be living elsewhere.”
“It is your father’s prerogative,” his grandfather adds.
E looks over at me with flushed cheeks and a racing heartbeat pounding in his neck.
He really doesn’t like confrontation, but I give him a nod.
He seems to think for a minute, then pulls out a stack of papers from his inside breast pocket.
“Is there nothing I can say to get you to help in this matter?” He asks.
“It’s not our place, Elijah,” his grandmother says as his grandfather nods.
“Then you leave me no choice. I refuse to go back to a house with him living there. You all were fine with my staying with Alex all these years. It didn’t cause you any issues whatsoever.
I really don’t want to do this, but here we are,” he says, handing his grandfather the papers.
“I’m willing to file for emancipation and create a public scandal for our family to get out of living there. ”
His grandmother gasps, literally clutching her pearls. I thought people only did that in the movies. His grandfather grabs reading glasses from his suit jacket to read over the documents, as I grab E’s hand as we wait.
“I thought you didn’t want to lose your inheritance?” He asks.
“I don’t, but it’s better than being forced to live there,” E replies.
“Bill,” his grandmother says, but he holds up his hand as he watches E.
“It’s about damn time someone in this family grew a backbone,” he chuckles.
E and I exchange looks. “What does this mean?” E asks.
“You have our support in this one matter. I’ll get your father off your back, but I have conditions,” Bill says.
“What are they?” E asks, sitting straighter in anticipation.
“You will play the dutiful son when required by the family on each occasion requested. You will make yourself available for more social functions as well. It is time you took a more active role in our society, and I expect you to keep your grades up in school.”
“Those are agreeable,” E nods.
“Wait,” I interrupt. “E will not be expected to be alone in a room with his father and will have minimal to no interaction with him. You will keep him away from E at social functions. If he doesn’t want to, he won’t be expected to ever stay in that house.
Social activities will not take precedence over academics.
Reasonable excuses such as illness, exams, or conflicting schedules will be allowed.
I know how many functions Alex attends each month, so do not overburden Elijah. ”
E smiles at me as Bill chuckles again. “Maybe you should consider a law degree,” he says.
“No interest.” My smile is closed like a sealed envelope.
He hands the paperwork back to E with a nod.
“We have an agreement. You keep your end, and I will keep mine. If you do so, your inheritance is safe. Consider this though. Your father is due to retire in the fall. It will become more obvious you are not living there when that happens, and you cannot live with the Williams family permanently.”
“Yes I can, actually, but I will consider your words,” E replies.
We stand as E shakes his grandfather’s hand and walks over to kiss his grandmother’s cheek. “Goodnight,” he says.
“It was nice to meet you both. Thank you for dinner.” I nod as I stand and take E’s arm and walk out with him.
The butler offers me my wrap and opens the front door for us as we step down into the driveway.
I see the truck parked out front with the motor running.
E helps me into my seat, then jogs over to the driver’s side and climbs in.
Once we’re on the main road, I ask what he thinks. “It’s good, right?” He asks.
“Yeah. The problem is solved for now, but Bill comes across as a shrewd person to me. Do you think he agreed too easily?”
“Maybe,” he shrugs. “I’ll deal with things as they come up. I’m just relieved I don’t have to move home now. I can handle social functions once in a while. Besides, I can just hang out with Alex at them.”
I have a feeling it won't be that simple, but I don’t want to burst his bubble with my negative thinking. Like he said, we can deal with whatever issues arise when necessary.