“And how am I going to get people to hate me? Or lose interest?”
“We don’t want them to lose interest. At least not at first. We want them to talk about how much they don’t like you. Post it on their blogs. Tell their friends. We want people to instantly have a bad image of you when they hear your name.”
“So I just do some bad stuff and make sure it gets photographed? That doesn’t seem like it would work.”
“No. You take all that research you learned about yesterday, the stuff that people like about you, and you do the opposite. So if people think you’re faithful to Ava, we’ll make up stories about you cheating on her. If people think you’re responsible, we’ll post stories about you crashing your dad’s expensive cars. You could grow your hair longer and get tattoos. Have you ever seen a president with a tattoo?”
“No, but—”
“So go cover your body in tattoos. Whatever it takes.” My mind is working so fast it’s giving me a headache. “Or get fake tattoos. You don’t actually have to do this stuff. We’ll just make it look like you did. We could make fake videos of you acting out at clubs, destroying hotel rooms, smoking weed. We could make fake photos and post them online.”
“And people are going to believe this?”
“Are you kidding? A fake Garret has been on TV for two weeks now and people are convinced it’s you. I even overheard these girls in my chem class talking about you and Ava like you’re actually dating, even though they see you and me together all the time. They just believe whatever they read in a gossip magazine or on a website instead of what’s right in front of them. Think about it, Garret. For the past few months, you’ve done nothing but go to school and hang out with me, and yet during that time people have become obsessed with you. You have millions of fans even though you haven’t even done anything. Your popularity is all engineered. Fake stories, fake photos. We can do the same thing only make the stories and photos negative instead of positive.”
“That would take a lot of resources. We’d need other people to help.”
“Your dad has a lot of resources. And he already feeds fake stories to the media. That’s how he covered up what happened to Sinclair.”
“Yeah, but he had a lot of help. Other members in the organization used their power and money to make that happen. He’ll be working on his own to do this.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of people who owe him favors.”
“Not enough for what you’re describing.”
“We also have Arlin. He said he’d help me any way he could. He knows I want to be with you and he feels like he owes me because of Royce. So now we have two very powerful, very rich men who can help us with this. And we have Harper who has friends in film school who could help us make some realistic videos.”
I’m out of breath from talking so much. I stop for a moment and notice Garret staring at me. I assume he thinks I’m insane but then he smiles.
“God, I love you.”
I go over to him. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”
He shakes his head no, still smiling as he wraps his arms around my waist. “You’re not crazy. You’re a freaking genius.”
“Are you serious? So you think it might work? You’re willing to try it?”
“I’m willing to try anything if it means I can be with you. I want my life back. I want OUR life back.”
“I do, too, and I have no idea if this will change their decision, but we have to try something. We can’t just give up.”
He rests his forehead against mine. “I don’t know why you stay with me after everything I’ve put you through. I don’t deserve you.”
“I know,” I say, smiling. “And once this is over you’re going to owe me big time.”
“Just name it. Anything you want is yours.”
“I just want a promise. A promise that you won’t give up on us again. That’s it. And I don’t want it now. You’ve already screwed this up and saying it now would be meaningless.”
He kisses me. “I totally screwed up. I did everything wrong. But when I found out what they could do to you, I panicked. I’m still panicked. If they find out we’re together—I don’t know if I can do this, Jade. I can’t put you at risk.”
“We’re doing this. And you’re not backing out. When does this plan they have for you go into effect?”
“It hasn’t been finalized yet and it can’t move forward until all the members have officially approved the final plan.”
“When will they approve it?”
“In a couple months. Now that the plan has been presented, the members are given time to review it and make comments up until the final vote. Once they vote to approve the plan, I’ll have to start going to their meetings and by late summer they’ll have me attending public events to get my face out there more. And I have to change my major to prelaw and transfer to Yale and get more involved in politics and—”
“Wait. So this isn’t final? We have time to change their minds?”
“Technically yes, but it’s not going to be easy. Almost everyone wants me to be the candidate. At the meeting Friday, the ballot had three other guys and me. I don’t know who the other guys were. I’m not allowed to know. Anyway, almost everyone voted for me. The final vote is just a formality. It’s in the bylaws for the organization and they have to follow the bylaws.”
“If this plan for you isn’t final yet and it’s not happening for months, then why am I being sent away on Monday? What’s the rush? Did they tell you to get rid of me?”
“No, not specifically. But you’re not part of the plan, and when talk of my future fake wife came up and I protested, they gave me the envelope about my mom.”
“So they never actually came out and told you to break up with me?”
“My dad said they never come right out and say stuff. They prefer more discreet tactics that make their message clear. The memo about my mom’s death made it very clear what could happen to you.”
“But they wouldn’t do anything to me anytime soon, right? I mean, it would look awfully suspicious if the girl you’ve been dating for months showed up dead. Even if they tried to cover it up, Frank would have his journalist friends all over that story trying to expose the truth. Then the public would always question whether you were a killer or not. That could destroy any chance of a future political career.”
“That’s true. I didn’t think about that.”
“So they can’t kill me. At least not anytime soon.”
“You’re really making my head hurt with all this. I think the hangover’s kicking in.”
“Let’s get some coffee in you. And I could use some food.”
When we open the door, Pearce is standing there. “I was just coming to get you, Jade. Are you ready to leave?”
“She’s not leaving,” Garret says.
“Well, hurry up and say your goodbyes then.”
“She’s not leaving as in she’s not going back to Iowa. She’s staying in school and finishing the semester.”
“Garret, you know the rules,” Pearce says. “We’ve already decided what’s going to happen here.”
“No, they decided. But like Jade just pointed out, they’re not going to do anything to her today or tomorrow or next week. And if they did do something to her, Frank would have every reporter in the country looking at me as a possible suspect.”
It’s like a light bulb went off in Pearce’s head. His eyes glaze over and he looks off to the side. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“I hadn’t either.” Garret puts his arm around me. “But my girlfriend is smarter than both of us and she’s figured out a plan that might get me out of this.”
Pearce still has that glazed-over look. “Once an idea like that was planted in the minds of the public, even if it wasn’t true, it would destroy your chances. A good percentage of the public would never vote for you. They’d hold protests telling people they can’t vote for a suspected killer.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want people to think I�
�m a killer. I just want them to dislike me enough that they’d never consider me for any political office.”
Pearce wakes up from his daze. “Say that again.”
“Let’s go downstairs.” Garret walks past him. “Jade needs to eat and I need some coffee. We’ll meet you in your office.”
His dad remains standing there while Garret and I go down to the kitchen.
“I think you just really confused your dad,” I say as I take a seat on one of the tall stools along the kitchen island.
“We’ll explain it to him later. So what can I get you?”
“Anything. But make it something quick because I’m starving.”
He opens one of the big stainless steel refrigerators. “We have some ham and cheese. I can make you a sandwich.”
“That works.”
He hands me a bottle of soda, then pulls out the sandwich ingredients and grabs some bread from the counter.
“I can make it, Garret. You don’t have to do it.”
“You’re not doing anything. After the way I acted, I owe you. I’ll be making all your sandwiches from here on out.” He puts the bread down and comes over to where I’m sitting.
“What are you doing?”
He doesn’t answer, but just picks me up and sets me down on the floor. He wraps his arms around me and holds me against his body. The tightness in my chest begins to unravel and I finally feel like I can breathe. I rest my head on his chest and just listen to the beating of his heart. It calms me even more so I close my eyes and just listen.
“I missed you so damn much,” Garret says softly. I feel him gently kiss the top of my head, then feel the warmth of his breath as he remains there, his head hung just above mine.
“I missed you, too.”
“I don’t mean just this past week. I mean when I thought you were gone. I missed you like I’ve never missed anyone. I missed the future I was going to have with you. I missed the feeling of having you in my arms like this. I missed hearing your voice and seeing your face and sleeping next to you. I missed all of it because I was sure it was gone. I kept trying to tell myself that it was for the best. That I had to do it to protect you, but it ripped me apart inside, Jade. I couldn’t fucking handle it, so I drank. And I know that’s not the way to handle shit, but I just wanted the hurt to go away.” He pulls back, and when I look at him I can still see the pain in his eyes. “I knew I had to let you go, but I didn’t know how. I could barely go a week without you, so how the hell could I go a lifetime without you?”
A few stray tears run down my face. He puts his hand on my cheek and wipes them away. “I’m sorry, Jade, for how I acted earlier. Pushing you away like that. Telling you to leave. But I swear I was only doing it to protect you. I thought if I made you hate me, it’d be easier for you to go.”
I glance down. “I’d never hate you. It’s not possible.”
“I shouldn’t have given up so easily. I should’ve tried to find a solution. But at that meeting, I felt like there was no way out of this. All these rich, powerful men were sitting around a table with an entire outline of my future. And then when they threatened to hurt you, I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t—”
“Garret, stop.” I lift my head and our eyes meet. “Don’t talk about it. We’re going to fix this. We’re getting you out of this.”
He smiles, then takes my face in his hands and kisses me. And it’s like I can feel every ounce of love he has for me in that kiss. I can’t even describe it, but I know I’ll never feel a kiss like that with anyone but him.
He rests his forehead on mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I pull away before I start crying again. “Now go make the sandwich so I can eat and we can get to work on this plan.”
“Okay.” He hesitates. “But I just need one more.” He kisses me again.
“You better stop kissing me because you’re making me want to do things we don’t have time to do right now.”
“We’ll make time.” His lips brush mine as he says it.
I back away. “The sandwich, Garret.” I point to the plate across from us.
He keeps his eyes on me. “Jade, if this plan of yours doesn’t work, I don’t know what will happen with us. There’s a possibility that—”
I put my hand over his mouth. “We’ll talk about that when we need to, but we’re not talking about it now. Should I just make my own sandwich?”
He laughs. “I’m making it. Just hold on.” He returns to his spot across from me. “So how was the drive back?”
“It sucked because my idiot boyfriend wouldn’t answer the phone, so I assumed he was dead which ruined the trip.”
His eyes lift slightly as he cuts my sandwich in half. “Sorry about that.” He slides the ham and cheese sandwich over to me and reaches in a cupboard for some potato chips. “Besides that, anything else happen? Did Carson behave? Did he get back with his ex-girlfriend?”
“No. He said he wanted to date someone he could see everyday.”
“Like you,” Garret mumbles as he makes a pot of coffee.
“No, not me.” I take a bite of my sandwich. It’s really good. I always think food tastes better when someone else makes it. Or it could be because I haven’t eaten anything since last night. “For most of the trip Carson didn’t talk about you, but then in the last hour or so, he started telling me all these conspiracy theories.”
I’ve never told Garret about Carson’s obsession with the Kensington family, but I think it’s time to fess up.
“So Carson’s one of those freaks who believes that shit on the Internet?”
“Yes, and ever since he met you, he’s been digging up all this stuff about your family. And your company. He thinks your dad’s doing stuff that’s illegal and covering it up. That’s why Carson doesn’t like you and why he’s so protective over me.”
“Was that the first time he mentioned anything?”
“No, he’s been saying these things since I first met him. I didn’t tell you because you already hate the guy enough. I keep telling him he’s crazy so he’ll stop talking about it, but he keeps bringing it up. In the car yesterday, he said he thinks your dad’s part of some secret group and he claims there’s proof this group rigs elections and does other bad things.”
“Carson got all this off the Internet?”
“That’s what he made it sound like, but I think his uncle sends him stuff, too. His uncle’s a reporter in Chicago and he’s the one who got Carson interested in this conspiracy stuff. Anyway, Carson said some reporter ended up dead right before he was about to break the story about election fraud. Carson’s convinced that someone from your dad’s secret organization killed the reporter and covered it up. He didn’t say your dad did it, but he implied that your dad does stuff like that—has people killed if they know too much. And that soon you’ll be doing it, too.”
“What did you say when he told you all this?” Garret brings my empty plate to the sink, then takes a plastic container from the counter, opens the lid, and slides it over to me.
“I told him he shouldn’t believe what he reads on the Internet.” The container has homemade cookies inside. I take two chocolate ones and slide the container back.
“Did he believe you?”
“No. But he’ll never believe me. He’s convinced this stuff is going on.” I take a bite of the cookie. So good. Charles makes great cookies.
“That’s a problem, Jade. If he’s that obsessed with me or my family, he could find out what we’re up to with this plan of yours and ruin the whole thing.” Garret goes to put the lid on the container and I reach over and grab one more cookie.
“I’ll deal with him. Maybe we’ll have to make up a conspiracy to post online to keep him occupied. Get him off track.”
“Who knew you were so devious? This is a whole new side of you I’ve never seen.” He smiles as he holds the lid over the cookie container. “You good now?”
“Hmm, maybe one more.” I grab another cook
ie.
The coffee machine beeps and Garret pours himself a cup.
“I could use some of that,” I say. He gives his full cup to me and pours another one. “So I guess our summer in California is off.”
He comes over and stands in front of me. “It’s not off. Even if I can’t go, you’re still going. I already paid for the place. Harper and Sean will be there, so it’s not like you’ll be alone.”
“I can’t go there with all this going on. Or if it doesn’t work, then—”
“Jade, whatever happens with this, you can’t stop living your life.”
“There’s no way I can go live in California without—”
He presses his lips to mine, then pulls away just slightly. “No matter what happens, you’re going to live on the beach this summer. You’ve been looking forward to this ever since we first talked about it and you’re not going to miss out because of me.”
Just the thought of being there without him makes my eyes watery, but I don’t want to cry so I try to lighten the mood. “You’ve seen Harper and Sean together. They can’t keep their hands off each other. I can’t watch that all summer.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Then bring some books and read on the beach. Or take a nap under an umbrella and listen to the waves.”
I force out a half-smile, refusing to cry. “Maybe you’ll still be able to go.”
“I don’t think so. Our plan may take a while to have an effect which means the final vote will probably get delayed into the summer. Come on. Let’s go talk to my dad.”
He helps me down off the tall stool. “How’s your knee? With so much going on I forgot to ask.”
“It’s better. I’m ready to go running again.”
He puts his arm around me and leads me out of the kitchen. “You’re not going running. We have enough problems to deal with. We don’t need you tearing your knee open again.”
As we get near Pearce’s office we hear him talking to someone, so we stop just outside his door. Pearce sees us waiting. “Come on in. We were just discussing some things.”
We walk in and Arlin is sitting there. He gets up when he sees me. “Jade honey, it’s good to see you.” He hugs me, which is still strange, but I let him. I’m not okay with him calling me ‘honey’ either, but he’s old and that’s probably what old people do.
Promising You (The Jade Series #4) Page 18
