“Yeah, because she’s not as worried about the long distance thing anymore. Now that we’re both doing what we want to do, she feels better about the relationship.”
“Won’t it be hard to only see her a few times a year?”
“We’re both busy, so even if we were in the same town we wouldn’t see each other much. Besides, it’s not healthy to spend all your time with one person.”
There he goes again. Trying to send me a message about Garret. Putting down our relationship. I turn to look out the side window, hoping Carson will get the hint that I’m not happy with his comment.
The car gets quiet and I watch the sun rise over the open fields that line the interstate. I’m more awake now thanks to large amounts of coffee and the emerging daylight.
Carson messes with the radio and finds a station that sort of comes in but not really. It’s almost impossible to get a station in these rural areas. He gives up and turns the radio off just as his phone starts ringing.
“Hey, Mom,” he says when he answers it. “We have about an hour left.” He’s quiet as he listens. “I don’t know. Do you want to ask her?” I feel Carson nudging me. “My mom wants to talk to you.”
I turn to see him holding the phone out in front me. I stare at it, confused why Carson’s mom wants to talk to a total stranger. I mouth “why” at him but he just smiles and pushes the phone at me.
I take it from him. “Hello.”
“Hi, Jade. This is Carson’s mom, Judy. I can’t wait to meet you. Carson’s told us a lot about you.”
“It’ll be nice to meet you, too.” I have no idea what to say to her.
“We can talk at the house, but I just wanted to ask what you’d like for breakfast. I’m making pancakes, eggs, bacon, and some other things but if you want something else, my husband can run to the store quick.”
“No, don’t worry about it. Whatever you have is fine. That all sounds good.”
“Are you sure? Because it’s really no trouble. We want you to feel welcome, so don’t be shy. If you want something, just ask.”
“Really, I don’t need anything, but thank you for offering.”
“If you think of something, just call. We’ll see you soon.”
I hand the phone back to Carson who listens as his mom continues to talk. “Yeah, she is nice.” He smiles at me as he says it. “Okay. Love you, too.”
That’s odd. Carson tells his mom he loves her? After a phone call? Does he always do that? I’m not at all used to that type of family interaction. I don’t even understand it. I never had anything close to a loving relationship with my mom. And I’ve never heard anyone in Garret’s family say that they loved each other.
“My mom already likes you.” Carson picks up his coffee and takes a drink.
“She doesn’t even know me. We talked for like two seconds.”
He puts his coffee down. “Well you won her over in those two seconds.”
“You seem to really get along with your mom.”
He shrugs. “I get along with both my parents.”
“That’s unusual.”
“Not really. A lot of people get along with their parents. Doesn’t Gar—” He stops. “Never mind.”
“Good catch,” I say, laughing. “Anyway, your mom is way too concerned about breakfast.”
“She loves having company. She’ll have a big buffet set up when we get there. She always makes too much.”
An hour later we arrive in a neighborhood in Carson’s hometown. The street is lined with short, stick-like trees that look like they were just planted last fall. The houses look nearly identical—large, two-story homes with three and four car garages. The exteriors are either gray or beige stucco combined with stacked stone. Each house is set far back from the road with large lawns which are currently covered in snow. The driveways are neatly plowed with sharp edges that could only come from a snowblower. I would know. I used to shovel the sidewalk growing up and it never looked that neat and clean.
It’s definitely an expensive neighborhood. Carson’s mom is a trauma nurse and his dad is a doctor so I know they’re rich. Not Kensington rich but richer than most people.
“These houses all look new,” I say. “When did you move here?”
“In January. My parents couldn’t take being in the old house after my sister died. Too many memories.” Carson turns into the driveway of a two-story house with a dark gray exterior and pulls into the three-car garage.
As soon as we’re parked, a woman comes into the garage from the house. She has straight, dark-brown hair that hits just above her shoulders. She’s taller than me, maybe 5’8, and thin. She has a pretty face and doesn’t wear much makeup; just a little blush and some mascara.
“You must be Jade.” She smiles and comes over to hug me. I just got used to people I know hugging me, so having a stranger hug me is a little much. But she doesn’t linger. She moves on to Carson and gives him a hug.
“Hi, honey. I’m glad you’re home. We’ve missed you.”
“Where’s dad?”
“He went down to the bakery to grab some donuts.” She comes over to me again. “This bakery down the street has the best pastries. Let’s go inside. I’ve got some coffee brewing.”
“Um, I was going to help Carson get his stuff from the car.”
She holds the door open. “He’s a big boy. He can handle it. Let me show you around.”
We go inside and Judy gives me a quick tour of the house. It’s big, but feels homey. The walls are all painted in warm, rich colors. The kitchen walls are red, the dining room is dark beige, and the living room is a light chocolate brown. The furniture all looks soft and comfy. An oversized couch covered in a navy blue fabric sits in the living room across from a flat-screen TV and a stone fireplace.
As she leads me back to the kitchen I glance around, noticing all the family photos everywhere. In the hallway there are photos of Carson at different ages, along with a girl who I assume is his now deceased sister.
This house is such a stark contrast to Garret’s house, which is all white. Cold, white tile floors. Stiff, white furniture. Empty white walls. There is only one family photo at the Kensington house and it’s a professionally taken photo where the four of them are all dressed in—you guessed it—white. I’d never want to live in Garret’s house but I’d love to live in this house. I’ve only been here a few minutes and I already feel comfortable.
10
“Have a seat.” Judy points to the tall chairs that line the kitchen island. “Cream and sugar or just black?” She hands me a big ceramic mug filled with coffee.
“Cream, please.”
She reaches in the stainless steel fridge and pulls out the pint of half and half. “We’ll eat in a few minutes, as soon as my husband gets back. Everything’s ready. I’m just keeping it warm in the oven.”
Carson walks in loaded up with luggage. “Did she give you the tour?”
“Not all of it,” Judy answers. “I didn’t show her the basement.”
“Come on, Jade. Let’s go downstairs. You’ve gotta see this.”
I’m not sure what’s so great about a basement, but I follow him anyway, taking my coffee with me.
I see why he likes it. The basement looks like a sports bar. On one end there’s a small kitchen with a tall counter and six barstools. Red glass pendant lights hang above the counter and there are two TVs hung on the wall, I’m guessing so you can watch multiple sporting events at once.
In the middle of the room is a pool table and next to that is a big, wraparound couch in a bright red fabric that faces a massive flat-screen TV. Carson turns it on and sound booms from speakers mounted in the ceiling.
“Pretty cool, right?” he says. “And of course they get this after I go to college.”
I follow him down a hallway that leads to his bedroom. I wait outside the door as he walks past me into the room.
“You can come in,” he says, putting his suitcase on the bed. “I only spent a couple nigh
ts in this room and then I left for college so it doesn’t have that lived-in look yet.”
I remain at the door and check out his room. It’s painted a grayish-blue color and he has a king-size bed covered in a dark gray comforter and neon green throw pillows. It’s masculine, but you can tell his mom decorated it. The colors all coordinate and everything’s neatly organized. Across from the bed is a desk and bookcase which has some trophies and medals on it.
“Anyway, that’s the tour.” He meets me back at the door. “Let’s go upstairs and eat.”
We go back to the kitchen to find the entire length of the island covered in food. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, fresh fruit, and baskets filled with baked goods.
“Ready to eat?” Judy asks.
A man walks in and stands behind her, wrapping his hand around her shoulder.
“Hi, Jade. I’m Howard. Carson’s dad.”
“Hi,” I say. “Do you guys always eat like this for breakfast?”
They all laugh.
“Judy tends to go overboard when we have guests,” Howard says. “But she always makes a big spread on the weekends.” He kisses her cheek. “She likes to feed her boys, don’t you, honey?”
Judy smiles. “Go ahead, Jade. Grab a plate and get started. We’re pretty casual here, so sit anywhere you want at the table.”
Again, this is so different than Garret’s family. Casual is not a word I would ever use to describe them. Everything at their house is formal. You sit where they tell you to sit and your food is always plated and served, except at breakfast.
“So Jade, Carson tells me you’re thinking about med school,” Howard says once we’re all seated around the table.
“Yeah, I’m considering it.”
“Well, I’ll be honest with you, it’s a challenging field. Treating people is just one part of it. You also have to deal with insurance companies and manage a staff. You’re really running a business.”
“Great, Dad, now she’ll never want to be a doctor,” Carson says.
“It’s important you both know what you’re getting into. That’s all.” He takes a muffin from a basket on the table. “Personally I find the hardest thing about being a physician is that sometimes you try everything and you still can’t make the person better. You’d think with all the technology available they would’ve found some cures by now, or at least some more effective treatments, but it doesn’t seem like they ever do.”
There’s a sadness to his tone and I’m sure it’s because he wished he could’ve done something to save his daughter. If he only knew that there actually are better treatments available. Ones that regular people aren’t allowed to have. Maybe not a cure for cancer, but Garret did say his grandfather had lung cancer and it just went away. How is that possible?
As grateful as I am to Garret’s dad for hiring Dr. Cunningham to take care of Frank, it makes me sick to know that the private medical group Cunningham’s part of is keeping their cutting-edge treatments reserved only for rich, important people.
“Enough about work, honey,” Judy says to Howard. “Jade, did Carson tell you his grandmother lives in Des Moines?”
“Yes, he mentioned that.” I hear my cell phone ringing from the kitchen where I left my purse. “Sorry, but I have to get that. It might be Ryan.”
“Sure, sweetheart. Go ahead.”
Sweetheart? I don’t even know Judy and she’s calling me sweetheart? Maybe it’s a thing moms do. Obviously not all moms because my mom never called me that. And Katherine’s never called me that. Just imagining Katherine calling me ‘sweetheart’ makes me laugh as I answer the phone.
“Hey, did you get there yet?” It’s Garret. “And what’s so funny?”
“Nothing. And yes, we’re finally here. I was going to call you, but then we sat down to breakfast.”
“Carson made breakfast?”
“No, his mom made this huge breakfast for us. We just sat down to eat. Can I call you back?”
“Don’t you want to talk now that you don’t have Carson listening in?”
“Yeah, but I don’t really have much to say. I’m so tired from staying up all night I can’t even think straight.”
“How are Carson’s parents? Hopefully better than their son.”
“They’re nice. And they have a great house. It’s in one of those new neighborhoods where every house on the street looks the same. But I really like the inside. It feels comfortable. Lived in.”
“You mean unlike my house?”
“Well, yeah, kind of.”
He laughs. “It’s okay, Jade. I know you don’t like my house. But technically it’s my dad’s and Katherine’s house. I’d never live in a place like that.”
“So our apartment won’t be all white with furniture nobody wants to sit in?”
“Of course not. You know that. In fact, you can pick out whatever you want for our place. It doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s nothing Katherine would ever buy.”
I’m so relieved to hear him say that. I knew Garret didn’t want a place like his parents’ house, but I wasn’t sure what that meant.
“I should probably get back to breakfast. I’ll call you when I’m on the road with Ryan.”
I hang up and turn to see Carson behind me, refilling his plate. “Was that Garret checking in again?”
“Yeah. I told him I’d call him back later.” I put the phone in my purse. “Hey, you said his name. That’s against the rules.”
“The rules only applied in the car, not here.” He smiles as he walks back to the dining room.
The four of us finish breakfast, then linger at the table, drinking coffee and talking. Around 10:30 Carson asks his dad to check something on the Jeep because it was making a noise whenever we turned the heater on high. They go to the garage and Judy gets up to clear the table.
“I can help,” I say.
“That’s okay. You’re tired from the trip. Just relax.”
“I’m happy to help. Just tell me what you need.”
I follow her to the kitchen and watch as she pulls out a stack of plastic containers. “Could you put the leftovers away?”
“Sure.” I scoop the food into the containers while Judy loads the dishwasher.
“I’m so glad you and Carson became friends,” Judy says. “Growing up in the Midwest, I wasn’t sure how he’d fit in on the East Coast, so I was relieved when he found you.”
“I was happy to find him, too.” Crap! I hope that didn’t sound like I considered Carson anything more than a friend. I was just agreeing about the Midwest thing, not Carson specifically.
“It sounds like he’s made some friends. Even had a girlfriend for a while.”
“Yeah, he has a lot of friends at Moorhurst.” I’m not really sure if that’s true but I know it’s what she wants to hear.
Judy dries her hands on a dishtowel and puts lids on the plastic containers I just filled.
“Carson’s ex-girlfriend is coming over later today.” Judy lowers her voice even though there’s no way Carson could hear her from the garage. “Madison’s a lovely girl. Very pretty. Very smart. But I just hate to see her break his heart again. I’m worried she wants to get back together with him, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
I don’t know why Judy thinks this is any of my business. I keep quiet and focus on filling the remaining containers.
She raises her voice back to normal. “So do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes. He goes to Moorhurst. He’s a Connecticut boy, born and raised.”
I’m surprised Carson hasn’t mentioned Garret. It sounds like he told his parents everything else about me.
“Well, maybe you could find a nice girl for my son.” She stacks the leftovers in the fridge as I hand them to her.
I try not to laugh. Carson would die if he knew his mom asked me to find him a date. “Okay, I’ll keep my eye out for someone.”
The doorbell rings and Judy goes to answer it. I hear her calling me. “Jade,
your brother’s here.”
I race to the front of the house to find Ryan standing there. I give him a huge hug. “Finally.”
“What are you talking about? I’m right on time.”
I step back and look at him. He cut his hair. It’s much shorter now, cut close to his head. But it looks good. More of a cute college guy look and less of the slacker artist look he used to have, which never really fit him.
“You changed your hair,” I say to him.
“Yeah, I didn’t think they’d let me into med school the way I looked before.”
“You’re going to med school, too?” Judy asks.
I cringe. Ryan was not supposed to know about my possible plans for med school. I hadn’t told him or Frank. I knew if I did they’d start scrimping on food and other things trying to save money to pay for it and they already scrimp enough trying to pay for Ryan’s school.
“Um, yeah,” Ryan says. “I took a short break from college so it’ll be another year.” He looks at Judy. “Did you say someone else is going to med school?”
“Yes. My son, Carson, is also going. And of course, Jade. So all three of you.”
Ryan stares at me. “Yeah, I guess we all want to be doctors.”
“Well, the world can always use more doctors,” Judy says, clueless that she’s just spilled my secret.
Carson and his dad walk into the room and I introduce them to Ryan. They make small talk about Des Moines for a few minutes.
“Ryan, could I get you something to eat before you get back on the road?” Judy asks. “We have plenty of food.”
“Thanks for offering but Jade and I should get going. I don’t like to leave my dad alone for too long.”
That comment causes another 10-minute conversation about MS and Carson’s dad telling Ryan about different treatments Frank could try.
It’s 11:30 and I’m starting to think we’ll never get out of here. Carson’s parents have a way of making you want to stick around.
Finally, Ryan heads to the door.
“Jade’s stuff is in my car so I’ll meet you out by the garage,” Carson tells Ryan.
“I can get it,” I say, following Carson to the garage.
I hear Judy talking to Ryan as I leave. “Let me pack you up some food in case you two get hungry.”
Promising You (The Jade Series #4) Page 10
