by Heather Long
My face heated at the tease, particularly when his grandfather chuckled. Still, I settled for just sticking my tongue at Archie rather than retaliating verbally. The first spoonful of hot brownie, cold ice cream, fudge, with a little whip cream and nuts was to die for.
I think my taste buds literally exploded with delight. I was four more bites in before Archie’s soft laughter jarred me out of my dessert induced haze.
“Yeah yeah,” I mumbled, sure to wipe my mouth with the napkin Jeremy had thoughtfully provided. “Chocolate-gasm achieved. You may proceed.”
“You sure?” he asked, still grinning. “I don’t mind waiting, and I think Grandpa is just barely holding off sugar shock while you dive in.”
Without thinking twice about it, I flipped Archie off, and he cracked up. All at once, my gaze collided with Ted’s, and I winced.
“You remind me of Sprout’s grandmother,” he told me. “She didn’t put up with his teasing either.”
“Eh, she gave as good as she got.” The raw affection in both of their voices made me smile. “Frankie’s pretty good about that, too.”
Archie and his grandmother had been close. She took him to all those places. Made me wonder what drove his parents and his grandparents apart, or was it losing her that had done it?
Not my place to ask though.
“Anyway,” Archie said, after taking another swallow of coffee. He settled a hand on my lower back, just resting it there, and I sighed at the contact, even as I took another bite. “I called because I turn eighteen soon.”
“In a little over a week,” Ted agreed. “I’m aware. Planned to call you first thing that morning. Then I got your message.”
The corner of Archie’s mouth quirked up as he began to rub my back in slow, even circles. “It was important. Maybe a little too important to wait.”
“Tell me what’s going on.” Almost at once, the jovial man vanished, and one of sober seriousness faced us, even as he set his coffee cup aside. “You might also tell me where your parents are, while we’re at it.”
“Muriel’s at a spa retreat in Arizona,” Archie answered in this flat tone he got when he discussed his parents. I set my spoon down and rested my hand on his thigh in solidarity. He cast me a quick smile before looking at his grandfather. “Edward could be around, or he could be back in Europe. He’s not one for informing me of his itinerary.”
No surprise flickered in Ted’s dark eyes.
“But what’s going on is Edward’s taken his latest affair a little far.”
Ted spared me the briefest of looks before he focused on his grandson again. I had the sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what Archie was about to tell him.
“He’s having an affair with Frankie’s mother. Allegedly, they’ve gotten a place together.”
“Allegedly?” The mild tone betrayed nothing.
“Allegedly,” Archie confirmed. “We haven’t seen it. Though they’ve made some effort to try and get Frankie to move in with them.”
“But you’ve refused?” That question he directed to me, and I nodded.
“I’m really not keen on watching my mother crash and burn with a married man. No offense.” He was “Eddie’s” father after all.
“None taken.” Ted tapped an index finger against the arm of his chair, but it was the only real physical reaction to the news. “Sprout, I’m going to need you to start at the top and walk me through this after we get more coffee. Frankie, are you finished with your sundae?”
I’d already been full, but I had made a dent, so I nodded.
“Sprout, you want to clean that up or slide it over here?”
“And risk the wrath of your doctors?” Archie said with a smirk. “I don’t think so.” He polished off the last few bites easily enough, though he fed more than one to me, and it was a little embarrassing to be fed in front of his grandfather. But the older man didn’t seem to be paying attention to us while Archie seemed to need something else to focus on.
After he’d finished and Jeremy had made a pass through with more coffee and retrieved the bowl, he settled back with me tucked next to him as he recounted the whole sordid mess of our parents, from when he found out to when I did, to what had happened in the last few weeks.
Had it really only been a few weeks? It seemed like it had been ages. Then again, Maddy and Edward had been engaged in their affair for far longer than we’d been aware of it, so…maybe that was part of it. I had no idea. Listening to Archie though, I felt bad for him. The distance between him and his father was so extreme, I doubted it would ever be repaired.
Honestly, I didn’t think he wanted to repair it.
Not that I could blame him. As much as I loved my mom? I really didn’t like her. After the last few weeks? That dislike had grown. I didn’t think Archie even had the love aspect to fall back on.
Throughout Archie’s whole explanation, Ted sat quietly, sipping his coffee. When we got to Homecoming, I braced for it, but Archie kept it simple. Detailing that I’d ended up in the hospital after my water had been drugged and I’d been assaulted, and how long it took Archie and Jeremy to figure out where our parents were.
Finally, he summed it up with Edward’s threat following their visit to the school on Monday and the uncomfortable discussion in the park. He left out my suit for emancipation, though he did admit he’d paid for my apartment for the next several months to make sure it was done, and nothing Edward could do would touch that money or the place.
It had already seemed like a lot that Archie had done it in the first place, but some of the whys behind it had me biting my lip. He didn’t have to pay for several months, but wanted to make sure I was secure. That nothing our parents did would dislodge me if I wanted to stay there.
“That’s about it,” Archie said. “After I left the park, I sent you the message. Edward can cut me off. I don’t care about that. Muriel is just as likely to open the floodgates if he does. The money I don’t care about.”
“But protecting your friends, you do,” Ted summarized, then turned a studying look on me. “Protecting Frankie.”
“Exactly.”
“Your trust doesn’t fully vest for a few years.”
“I’m aware of that.”
Hands steepled together, Edward sat back in his chair.
“But you will be able to access roughly twenty-five percent of it beginning on your eighteenth birthday.”
“Can Edward block it?”
“He could try,” Ted said with a mirthless chuckle. “But the terms of the trust are ironclad, Sprout. Neither Edward nor Muriel have control over the funds in the trust. The only control they have…”
Archie tensed next to me.
“…is over whether you can access it eighteen. They’d have to prove you were too immature to handle the money though, and I don’t see any evidence of that. You do well in school. You’ve applied to colleges, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Your attendance continues to be stellar?”
“Well, with a minor lapse recently when I was needed elsewhere, yes, sir. My GPA is good.”
“And the reasons you left Andover?”
“Those were always me, not the school,” Archie stated. “I didn’t want to stay there, and I thought I’d give public school a shot. Neither of them argued.”
Curling my fingers around Archie’s, I frowned. The more he spoke, the more I hated his parents.
“Sprout, you never explained it to me.”
Archie sighed, glancing at me.
“I can go,” I offered.
“No, it’s just…it’s lame.” He made a face. Touching his tongue to his teeth, he said, “Promise not to think less of me?”
“I’m sorry, didn’t you meet me in the days of glitter in my hair and baking spirit boxes weekly? How could I possibly think less of you?”
“You were adorable,” Archie stated, as if it were fact. “Though, I don’t miss the glitter.”
Me neither. I rolled my eyes, and h
e chuckled, then focused on his grandfather again.
“I hated the pretentiousness of the school. Everyone was a competitor. The other students were only interested in advancing themselves academically, socially, and financially. I had enough of that when I was with Muriel and Edward. When Nana died…”
“You wanted a real change,” Ted said with a much deeper sigh.
“And to go as far from that world as I could get. When Muriel and Edward had that falling out with you and they decided to relocate a portion of Standish here to Texas, this worked.” Archie shrugged. “Best decision I ever made. Met the guys and Frankie on my first day, and I’ve never looked back.”
His grandfather smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. She would have been proud of you, too, you know. She always worried about you being away the boarding school. Thought it wasn’t right you were enrolled so early.”
“I didn’t mind it. I got to spend weekends with you two.”
“We loved that, too.” The thickening atmosphere between them seemed too intimate and too personal, but Archie kept a fast hold on my hand so I couldn’t excuse myself to let them have that moment. “We really did, Sprout.” Leaning forward, Ted glanced from Archie to me and then back again. “I’ll get into it with my lawyers. I’ll get them removed from your trust.”
He frowned.
“Are you both certain he’s asked Frankie’s mother to marry him?”
Archie nodded. “They’ve both indicated that, even if Edward and Muriel are hardly divorced and as far as I know aren’t planning to divorce.”
“But he’s living with…Ms. Curtis?” Ted seemed far more diplomatic in his choice of words than I would be under the circumstances. Of course, this really wasn’t comfortable for any of us.
“What are you thinking?” Archie asked.
“Just trying to parse what he’s up to, Sprout.” Rising, Ted focused on me. “It was very nice to meet you, Frankie. I’ll be in town for the next few days. Would you two do an old man a favor and join me for dinner sometime this week?”
“Any day but my birthday, Grandpa. I have plans with Frankie.”
Not that we’d discussed, but I was glad he was thinking ahead. I wanted to do something for his birthday, too.
“Makes sense to me. Well, if I can help in anyway, you let me know.”
I would have let Archie walk him out alone, but he tugged me along, and now that we’d left the uncomfortable stuff aside, Archie’s grandfather turned on the charm. I definitely saw the resemblance.
“You know, I could get us a time at the club this weekend. I’m sure they’ll make arrangements for me. You and Frankie could come up, we’ll play a round, and Frankie can enjoy a spa if she’d like or join us on the greens.”
“Golf?”
Archie groaned.
“I love golf.”
“He means real golf, babe. Not mini-golf.”
“I know what he meant,” I countered, sticking my tongue at him. “I can’t really play right now but…could we drive around in one of the fun carts?”
“I like this one, Sprout. Keep her around.” Ted grinned, and Archie let out another groan, but it was more in amusement than aggrieved. “Yes, young lady, we will definitely have a cart. If we want to get in a bit of trouble, we could play bumper carts too.”
That set both of them off laughing, and the three of us stood in the darkened drive for another fifteen minutes as Ted recounted Archie’s learning to drive one of the golf carts for the first time and that they’d ended up having to buy both because Archie insisted on treating it like bumper cars.
It was adorable.
After he left, Archie glanced at me. “Thanks for hanging out with us.”
“I like him.”
“Me, too,” Archie admitted. “You would have loved my grandmother.”
I already did.
He sighed.
“Did your father really threaten you?”
“I’m used to it. Grandpa will help. I knew he would. Muriel wouldn’t let Edward take away all the funds, but I don’t want you in the middle of whatever pissing contest is coming.”
Instead of going back inside, we walked along the side of the house and followed the second drive around toward the pool and the gardens.
“You know, you always told us that your parents and your grandparents had a falling out, but you never said over what…and I didn’t realize you changed schools because of your grandmother.”
“I didn’t talk about it as much then. It was still pretty fresh, and I meant what I said in there, I don’t regret it.” His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “One sec, babe, just telling the guys we’re still here. Jake and Bubba’s game is over.”
It had gotten a lot later than I realized.
“Huh,” Archie said as he tapped away. Crossing my left arm over to hold my right biceps, I watched the way the light of the phone played over his face. He was chewing on his lower lip, and there was just enough scruff on his cheeks to make him look older. “They won. Both seem a little surprised, but they might make playoffs yet. Both lead teams lost tonight, which brings them up closer.”
I chuckled. “Oh, they might hate that.” At least to hear Jake and Ian talk about it now.
Archie shot me a look. “Right?”
“But it would be kind of awesome if they did get a championship.” They’d gotten so close the year before.
He typed a couple more things, then held up his phone. “Smile.”
I grinned, but crossed my eyes and then stuck out my tongue at the last second before he snapped the picture. He snorted.
“I’m still sending it.”
“I’m okay with it.” He finished, then shut off his phone and slid it back into his pocket before holding his hand out to me. “Walk with me for a bit longer? I can tell you those stories if you want.”
Clasping his hand, I smiled. “That sounds nice.”
It really did.
Chapter Sixteen
Four Stories
Fingers interlocked with mine, Archie headed toward the garden gate. It really had turned into a nice night. The rain had cooled everything down. The breeze was chilly, but not terrible.
“You know Andover,” Archie explained, “was a boarding school. Kind of exclusive, though not like some of the European schools where you live there for the whole term, and only go home on breaks. If you had family local, you could leave on the weekends. Edward and Muriel traveled, a lot, but Nana and Grandpa lived pretty close, just one town over, and they were always willing to scoop me up after my last Friday class, and I’d stay with them until late Sunday evening.”
The affection in his voice made me smile. After meeting his grandfather, I got it. He seemed a genuinely nice guy.
“They’re wealthy, don’t get me wrong. The house…their house was huge. Bigger than this one.” He nodded to the place overshadowing the garden as we wandered through the greenery. “But it was warm and always full of life. I told you that Nana took me places all over the world, right?”
It was hard not to smile at the depth of warmth radiating off of him. “Yep. You had all your adventures.”
“Exactly,” he said with a low sigh. “The house was always full of items from their adventures. Nana collected all kinds of crap. But every room was stuffed to the gills with memories and stories. Every weekend, she’d tell me a new one. When I was little, she promised we’d add our own stories to the house, and we did.”
Squeezing his hand, I rested my head against his shoulder as we walked, and he freed his fingers to slide his arm around me.
“The best part of it was when we would trade stories with Grandpa. He had stories, too. It was just our thing. When she got sick and couldn’t travel as much, we still had the stories to tell, and when she died…the house was so empty. All the stories seemed to go with her.”
My heart twisted for him.
“I had friends at Andover,” he continued, sliding a playful if self-deprecating look in my dire
ction. “Not quite the poor little rich boy you might be imagining. But I didn’t have friends like you or the guys. Not really. We were more friends of opportunity. If I was there, I hung out with them, when I wasn’t, never really thought about them or vice versa.”
“That sounds pretty shitty.”
“Eh.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t horrible. Everyone had their own lives. So, when Nana died and Grandpa didn’t want to keep the house…I got it. He offered to hold onto it for me, but…”
“It wasn’t the place.” I mean, I kind of got that. “You missed her, and without her… I’m sorry, Arch.”
“Thanks, babe,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple as we paused next to one of the taller shrubs. With care, I wrapped my arms around him and just hugged him. “I miss her. It’s weird, I can still smile and laugh about her, and then like tonight…it hits me all over again that I can’t just call her up and tell her about you. She would have loved you.”
The thickness in his voice tugged at me, and I tightened my arms, even when it pulled uncomfortably on my wrist. Archie pressed his cheek against my hair, even as he tangled his fingers up in it.
“The worst part of it all though,” he said, a distinct catch in his voice. Combing his fingers through my hair and keeping me close, he cleared his throat. “The worst part…was Edward sued Grandpa over Nana’s will and estate.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
“I keep mentioning my trust, I told you that comes from them, right?”
“You’ve said that. Once, I think. That your grandfather set up the trust for you when you were born, and they added to it over the years, invested in it, but your parents can’t touch it.”
“Correct.” His exhale seemed to shudder through him, and I pressed my nose to his throat. Just wanting to be closer to him. “They never seemed to care, until Nana’s estate added to the trust. She didn’t leave anything to Edward or Muriel. Apparently…apparently, Nana thought that the trust they’d given Edward when he was twenty-one was sufficient. The rest would go to me, and I have a feeling that he saw the slight as something that would then play out with Grandpa.”
