Thirteen #2
Penny appeared in the doorway, dressed in black pants and a white tank top that showed off her toned arms with their thin gold bracelets. “Is it necessary to film your little videos in the house? You know how I feel about that.”
Jenn came rushing in. “Fernie, listen to your aunt.”
Fernie took her time tying another scarf before she answered. “Dad said it wasn’t a problem.”
Jenn lowered her voice. “Please.”
Penny’s eyebrows raised a millimeter. “He wouldn’t. Don’t show off, Fernie. It looks like you think this place is something to brag about when it’s quite ordinary. Look at Sloane. She doesn’t bother with social media.”
“Why don’t you record on the patio?” suggested Jenn, gathering up the scarves. “These will look beautiful in the breeze.”
“Whatever.” Fernie snatched the scarves out of her mother’s hands and stomped out as Brayden’s loud whoops and a huge splash sounded in the distance.
Jenn gave Penny a nervous look. “Influencers,” she said.
“You’re enabling her desperate need for online attention.” Penny waved at Valerie. “At least Valerie isn’t putting our lives on display for the masses.”
Jenn’s jaw twitched. “I’ll talk to her.”
“Good.”
Jenn left and Penny turned to the yarn in Alice’s hands. “Learning to knit?” she asked. “I didn’t think you were ready to settle into a life of cats and crafts.”
Alice laughed. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
Penny waved that away and smiled at Valerie. “I see you got the box. That dress is perfect.”
“I love the clothes,” said Valerie, trying not to gush. “I was going to look for you to say thank you.”
“Keep whatever you want,” said Penny. “In fact, why don’t you come with me to the storage room now? You can look through the rest to see what you like. I have some accessories as well.”
Valerie tried to control her bliss. Accessories. That might mean bags, and Valerie would do a lot for quality leather goods. “Okay.”
They left Alice with her practice washcloth, and Valerie followed Penny through the house to her bedroom, which was a calming cucumber green with simple white beach-house furniture.
A cloud of a duvet covered the hugest bed Valerie had ever seen.
Penny opened the double doors of her walk-in closet and passed through to another, larger room tucked behind a mirror.
Penny flipped on a switch. “These are some of the seasonal clothes I put aside.”
Valerie was speechless. The room was astounding and could have doubled as an appointment-only boutique. All the garments were placed so none of them touched, allowing for airflow and to prevent wrinkles, and were spotlit from above. The hangers matched. It smelled good, like bergamot.
“I like to keep my cottage clothes casual,” Penny said, pulling out a Dior New Woman–style full skirt with a matching sleeveless blouse.
The clothes were almost all solid colors, with only a few stripes.
There were no other patterns. “I wore this to one of Tracey Jefferies’s parties, and that’s as dressy as I get here. ”
Valerie would give a lot to see Penny’s closet at home if this was her summer roughing-it-at-the-lake wardrobe. She spent a few happy minutes looking through crisp cotton dresses, when Penny said, “I’m so glad to see you’re settling in.”
“Thank you for making me feel welcome.” Eventually, but there was no point saying it. People had to do things in their own time.
“Of course.” Penny pulled out a deep-pink dress with cap sleeves and a boat neck. “Here, this is lovely. Take this.”
It was, and the loose style meant it would fit. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad to have a chance to talk. I should have said this earlier, but I assumed it would be obvious. John has pointed out that it isn’t.” She paused. “He’s so sorry to not be able to meet you, but he has to stay with the dogs.”
“You don’t bring them up north?”
Penny looked horrified. “With the ticks? No, they’re better at home. Now, as I was saying.”
“Yes?” Valerie tried to look friendly although her defenses edged up.
“It would be best if we keep your relationship to Roger quiet,” Penny said. “I know you’ll understand our perspective. Simply until we come to grips with it as a family.”
“That’s for Roger to weigh in on,” said Valerie as calmly as she could. She had to admit it made things easier for her as the fewer people who knew, the less worry she had about being found out, but the rejection hurt.
“We love that you’re here,” Penny said warmly. “You have to admit it’s a change for us, though. There’s so much I don’t know about you! How do you think that looks?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I do and it’s not good. We need to have some family healing before we present you properly to the world.” Penny turned to the door as if she’d concluded the conversation, leaving Valerie unsure of whether the family healing involved her—in her role as Roger’s daughter, of course—or not.
Penny turned back. “The timing for this is unfortunate,” she added. “It’s another change while we’re still grieving Dad.”
“Of course.” Valerie immediately felt guilty. How could she not be sensitive to this? She was grateful Penny didn’t bring up the memorial.
“I knew you’d understand.” Penny reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. “One more small thing. When you arrived, you mentioned that you don’t care about the inheritance. I told David and Roger that’s exactly the kind of selfless behavior I’d expect from a Badgerton.”
Valerie nodded, not wanting to speak until she knew where this was going.
“I’ve taken the liberty of drawing up a small contract confirming it. It’s so good to get everything in writing. I tell Sloane that all the time.” She handed over the document and a pen. “You can just sign it.”
Valerie took them, feeling a bit like the room was closing in on her. “I’ll look it over.”
“It’s very simple,” assured Penny. “You might as well get it done now.” Her expression didn’t change, but the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees.
“Oh, my past boss insisted I read every contract twice and it’s ingrained in me now.” Valerie tried to keep her tone light, then glanced at her phone, needing to escape. “Will you look at the time? I’m due to meet Nico.”
Penny laughed. “I hope there’s no chance of a summer romance with the staff.” She picked up a white cardigan and tied it around Valerie’s throat. “Here,” she said, giving it a tug. “We might make a Badgerton out of you yet.”
Valerie put the letter in her pocket, wondering how to get out of signing a legal document that was probably worth millions.
She supposed she could see Penny’s points.
The family did need healing, and it was reasonable for her to want to protect her children’s inheritance.
Although, viewed less generously, Penny was embarrassed by Valerie and being greedy about the money.
Or worse, didn’t trust Valerie. She didn’t like this because she wanted to like Penny, who was being nice to her.
She made her escape, her arms weighed down with clothes and her heart with questions, and trying not to wiggle her shoulders with the feeling of Penny’s gaze burning into her from two closets back.
* * *
That night, Valerie showered in the washing cabin, a peaceful spa-like space with a full soaker tub hung with eucalyptus branches, a chaise for lounging, and dual sinks with a jumble of her products on the counter and none of Nico’s, since his were all in a drawer.
There was an outdoor shower for those who preferred bathing alfresco.
As she headed back, the night ate up the anemic gleam of her flashlight and illuminated only a small circle in front of her.
The forest rang with noise that resembled birds but Nico said was frogs.
That seemed strange but she’d been in the city too long to recognize any animal noises that weren’t onomatopoeic.
She made sure to lock the door when she returned to her own place. Nico assured her it was safe, but she’d seen raccoons break into a sealed garbage bin and knew the capability of those horribly humanlike hands. Not to mention she was in the woods, demesne of serial killers.
The howls came the second she was in bed.
Valerie dropped the phone on her face as the chorus of mating frogs or whatever fell silent in the vicinity of an apex predator with no resemblance to the fanged but affable beasts of Disney movies.
The eerie noise echoed through the woods and she ducked under her pillow.
Valerie didn’t want to be a wuss. She didn’t want to play out the stereotype of the useless and ignorant city girl, but sometimes we have to accept that we are what we are.
She grabbed the phone and texted Nico. Are those wolves? No is the only acceptable answer.
His reply was no, but not a great one. Coyotes. There have been wolf sightings but not here.
They sound hungry.
We get them in the city. Leave it to Nico to point out something disturbing as if it should be a relief.
Not like this.
She waited for Nico to say coyotes were more frightened of her than she was of them, or something equally unhelpful, but a knock came at the door.
“It’s me.” Nico’s voice sounded from outside.
“What are you doing?” She scrambled down the ladder, nearly killing herself when her foot hooked on the bottom rung, and leaped to the door to physically haul him inside. “The coyotes will get you.”
“I thought I’d check in.” Nico looked unperturbed by his potential brush with the slavering jaws of death. “The same thing happened my first night here and I had to go back to the house. I nearly died.”
“From coyotes?”
“No, I tripped over a tree root in the dark.”