I remember the way she looked after me that week I got sick with a throat infection that left me unable to speak. She’d gone to every one of my professors and teaching fellows for me, despite her own busy schedule, to ensure that I didn’t fall behind. When I petitioned the board to add a sixth course to my junior year curriculum, she’d come in with Sonja and vouched for my ability to handle it.
I remember the Friday parties we’d crashed at the Skulls and Bones and all the other secret societies. I remember the way she helped me ward off aggressive, drunk frat boys and then laughed about it after. I remember . . .
So much. I remember so much. Above all, I remember how good a friend she’d been to me—both her and Sonja. They were the first girls I felt an actual, real connection to. Ever.
And now, I am about to send her away after an absence of months and months and months, and somehow expect to remain cold and apathetic and distant?
“It’s not too late to turn away,” Jeremy says. His voice brings me back to the present moment. “We can still turn around, Lilly, if this is too much for you. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I’ll send Thalia my apologies and explain that I had to—”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. The last thing I want to do is acknowledge, in front of Jeremy, that I am weak. Turning away now would be admitting complete defeat.
“No, I’m all right. We’re already here. They’re waiting. I’m ready.”
“Remember what we discussed, then,” he says softly. His hand tightens possessively around my hip. “I won’t tolerate any mishaps.”
“And I won’t give you any,” I smile. It’s a forced smile. But, somehow, it seems to soothe my nerves.
“We’ll see,” Jeremy mutters. “Don’t give me reason to punish you, Lilly. Your behavior must be impeccable.”
“It will be,” I promise. I take a deep breath. “Shall we?”
“Let’s”.
He guides me through the patio doors. Thalia, looking around, sees us first. She gives an excited squeal, quickly taps Fey’s arm, and points in our direction.
Fey leaps up as soon as she sees me. She races toward me and nearly knocks me off my feet as she crushes her body against my. She hugs me fiercely, hugs me tight. Even though I promised myself I’d remain distant, I’m right there hugging her back.
“Lilly,” she says. Her voice trembles. “I can’t believe it’s really you. I’ve missed you so much!” She steps back and holds me by the shoulders. Even through the enormous, dark sunglasses sitting on her nose, I can see that she has tears in her eyes.
“I’ve… missed you too,” I hedge, hesitating slightly midway through, extremely aware of Jeremy’s eyes on me and his proximity to us. But what am I supposed to say? No, I haven’t missed my best friend who’s been like a sister to me for more than three years?
She looks me up and down. “Wow!” she whispers, almost in awe. “Lilly, you look magnificent. Is that Hermes?”
I pluck at my blouse. “What, this old thing?” I’m sure it is. But, I didn’t even look at the tag when I put it on. The last thing I want to do is draw attention to how expensive it might be. “No way. I got it second-hand from the thrift store.”
Fey laughs. I feel a smile tugging at my own lips. God! I haven’t heard her laugh in so long. She has a delicate, very pretty laugh that has never failed to warm me.
Jeremy laughs, too. His laugh is of a different kind, rich and deep and masculine, and perfectly in line with his seductive voice. It’s a laugh that immediately draws attention from any surrounding women. It rumbles through my body with a gyrating force.
Fey is not immune to it. She looks at him, and has to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. She takes a nearly imperceptible, tiny gasp and runs a hand through her hair.
I can read her well enough to know that she only does that when she’s feeling flustered in the presence of an extremely attractive man. I’ve seen it happen to her only twice: once, when she, Sonja and I were introduced to Liev Schreiber when he made a surprise visit to his alma mater and dropped into our liberal arts film theory class; and once, when Senator Scott Wolf hosted a ten-person private seminar that Fey and I were lucky enough to get tickets to.
“You must be Mr. Stonehart,” she says, kind of stumbling over the formal title used in such an informal setting.
“Jeremy,” he corrects, extending his hand. “Please, call me Jeremy.”
Fey takes it. Instead of shaking it, however, Jeremy brings it to his lips and brushes a kiss across her knuckles. “You are every bit as lovely as Lilly described.”
Charming, self-assured bastard, I think with just the barest hint of resentment.
“Oh, wow,” Fey mutters. I watch as blood rushes to her cheeks. She takes a step back, stumbles over her own feet, and nearly falls.
At least now I know I’m not the only one who reacts that way to Jeremy Stonehart.
Fey regains her composure quickly, however. She grabs my hand and pulls me out of Jeremy’s grip, turning me towards the table. There, Thalia is still seated, smiling warmly at me over the rim of a red and orange margarita.
“I was afraid I wasn’t going to see you again, Lilly,” she says as I sit down. “We’ve been waiting more than an hour for your arrival.”
“Mother!” Fey admonishes. She turns to face me. “She doesn’t really mean that,” she says. “I would have waited all day if it meant seeing you again. Oh! Sonja’s going to be so jealous!”
I smile weakly at Fey. She would have waited all day for me? That’s so . . . sweet. And it’s so like her.
It saddens me that very soon, I’ll have to adopt that cold and distant persona that is so essential.
Jeremy lowers himself beside me. “Hello, Thalia,” he says. She shifts, in almost a disdainful way, and offers him the briefest of nods. “Jeremy.”
Shit! I thought it’d be Fey I had to worry about, not her mother! But Thalia seems to have some inherent grudge against Jeremy. I only hope that he won’t overreact and blame it on me. He is not a man used to being addressed that way.
But thankfully, the dismissive greeting brushes off Jeremy like water off a duck’s back. He just smiles at her, cordially, and picks up the menu. “Have you already eaten?” he asks.
Thalia huffs. “Waiting so long, of course we’ve eaten!”
“Then you must have recommendations,” Jeremy says smoothly. I actually find myself feeling quite proud of how well he’s taking Thalia’s attitude. “Neither Lilly nor I have eaten anything since last night. We’re both starving.”
Jeremy calls the server over, and orders two plates of lunch and an extra round of drinks for everyone
I look at Fey. “Where’s your dad?” I ask.
“Oh, Daddy came here with us but was called away before you arrived.” Fey smiles apologetically. “He would have loved to see you, though. And to meet Mr.—um, Jeremy.”
“Speaking of,” Thalia butts in. “I never did get the story of how you and Lilly met.” Her eyes flash at Jeremy, full of mistrust and something close to disdain.
Her behavior towards Jeremy has me on edge. Why is she being so standoff-ish? She couldn’t … she couldn’t suspect anything, could she?
I give myself a quick shake and try to dismiss the thought. No, of course she couldn’t suspect any of the things Jeremy is actually guilty of. How could she? No one knows but him, Rose, and me.
Yet, she definitely is suspicious of something. Maybe it’s just a motherly worry for my well-being, or my choice of men. The age difference might be something Thalia disapproves of.
Jeremy smiles at her, taking in Fey and me, as well. “That’s actually quite the fascinating story,” he says, and launches into the alibi he’d made for us.
As I listen to him speak, I’m fascinated by how real he makes the story sound, how authentic. Hearing him describe our introduction, our first interaction, and the way things proceeded from there all sounds so genuine that I find myself nearly believing the story myself. If I hadn
’t lived the truth, I wouldn’t have known any better.
But listening to him sparks a new realization in me: Jeremy is an accomplished liar. The words slip from his tongue with the same ease as any version of the truth.
When he’s done, the story is enough to dampen at least some of Thalia’s hostility. And Fey, who’s listening to the whole thing with a rapt attention, says, “Wow. I wish you’d have told me about all this as it was happening, Lilly! I would have loved the play-by-play. Why didn’t you call?”
“Oh. Uh . . . ” I look over at Jeremy. We’d discussed what I was to say to a question like this. I open my mouth to answer—and then change my words.
“Fey, look, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. But obviously that’s no excuse. The truth is…” I glance at Jeremy once more. I can see his jaw tightening. I can feel his eyes boring into me. This is not what we had planned. “The truth is that I didn’t want to speak to you,” I finish in a rush.
The tension that’s been building in Jeremy evaporates. Fey looks taken aback at my words. I continue quickly.
“Not after disappearing for so long. Work took over the minute I started at Corfu. Weeks would pass without me realizing it. Everything was just so busy, so rushed… I always wanted to call, Fey. But by the time I met Jeremy, so many months had already passed that I thought… I thought…” I look down, hoping desperately that my lies sound as believable as Jeremy’s, “… I thought that, at that point, we’d just drifted apart. I didn’t think you’d be interested. I thought you might have forgotten all about me.”
Fey’s eyes widen, and understanding fills her face. She reaches across the table and takes my hand. “Oh, Lilly, how could you think that? A few months is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Forget about you? Are you fucking crazy? Oops.” Fey covers her mouth and looks at Thalia. “Sorry, mom.”
Thalia waves it away and motions for her to keep going. Fey picks my hand up in both of her. “I’d never forget about you, Lilly. I just figured, you know, that you were busy.” She smiles. “It looks like I was right. I know how focused you get when you have your eyes set on a goal. I’ve seen it dozens of times at Yale. Remember how Sonja and I had to practically abduct you to get you to come to The Game with us?” She laughs.
But on hearing that word … the word abducted … my stomach drops. That’s exactly what Jeremy did to me. And now, here I am, sitting with an old friend, pretending everything is okay?
Just how far have I succumbed to the Stockholm Syndrome? All it would take is one word . . . one plea for help … and Fey and Thalia could rescue me from my nightmare. I’d be gone from Jeremy for good. They’d take me to the cops where I would confess everything that he’s done. I’d describe every detail of his house, of his property, of his treatment of me. I’d tell them the truth. And they’d have no choice but to believe me. Jeremy would be arrested. His power would be extinguished. He would go to jail …
No. No, he wouldn’t go to jail. He’d hire the best lawyers in the country to fight his case. It would be my word--the word of a gold digging woman--against his, the word of the most powerful businessman in the country.
I wouldn’t stand a chance. I’d be demolished in the courtroom. What kind of attorney could I afford? Someone like me, fresh out of college? It’d be laughable.
And what evidence could I provide? Jeremy holds all the power. He holds all the cards. I could tell them about the contract he had me sign. But, could I offer them a copy? No. I could speak about the collar. But could I show it to them? No. I don’t even have any lingering scars or marks from my imprisonment.
No. If I say anything now… things can only end in disaster. The one thing I’d be sure to accomplish is inciting Jeremy’s wrath. He’d get me back. He’d be relentless. And when he did? Well, I shudder to think of what he’d do to me then.
So I have no choice but to continue the charade. If I go head-to-head with Jeremy in a courtroom, I’d be painted as a lunatic. Hell, I know what he did to Paul.
No! I can’t waver now. Getting away is not what I want or need. Calling for help is the coward’s way out.
This isn’t Stockholm Syndrome. It’s me being clear in my purpose. The stakes are high. My life could be on the line.
But, my life already revolves around Jeremy Stonehart. That’s how it’ll continue to be, until the moment comes when I can strike him down. And I will do so on my terms, on my own abilities. I will not rely on anybody else. The cops, lawyers, judges, a courtroom… all of that would involve other people in administering justice. That is not what I need. The only way to settle things between me and Jeremy is on a personal level. And the only person who can know when justice is done is me.
I fight through the discomfort and laugh as well. “Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, I do. Thanks for understanding, Fey.”
“Hey, that’s what friends do, isn’t it?” she beams. “But now that we’ve seen each other again, and you know better than to think that I could forget about you, you’ve got to make me a promise. Okay? You remember before you left for California, I made you swear that I’d be the first person you’d call if things went bad? Well, I’m amending that now. You’re to call me at least once a week, Lilly Ryder. No matter what. You got that?”
I glance at Jeremy, seeking his permission. He inclines his head slightly. His lips, however, remain firm.
“Okay, okay,” Fey hedges, not even waiting for my reply. “Once a week might be a little steep. After all, I know how busy you are.” She sneaks a look at Jeremy, full of sly understanding. “But at least once a month. Okay? And email me when you can! At least that way I don’t have to wonder if you’re alive or not.”
“Okay,” I smile. “Sure, Fey. I can do that.”
She takes out her phone and hands it to me. “Punch in your new number,” she commands.
I freeze. I don’t have a number, and if I do anything on the phone without Jeremy seeing, his suspicions would immediately be raised. The memorandum on news of the outside world has still not been lifted.
But before I can blunder things any further, Jeremy reaches over and takes the phone from my hand. “I gifted Lilly a new cell phone with an international data plan,” he says, “when we arrived here last night. She hasn’t had the chance to memorize the number yet. Have you, Lilly?”
“Oh. No.” I say. “I’ve no idea what it is. The phone’s still in its box.”
Fey and her mom exchange a strange look.
“Luckily, I have it saved in my contacts,” Jeremy continues. He takes out his own phone, and transfers the number from screen-to-screen. He hands Fey’s back to her.
“Thanks,” she says, squinting her eyes at me in unspoken questioning. I give her a little smile and a shrug.
Well, that wasn’t suspicious at all, I think.
That’s when I notice the delicate engagement ring on her finger. I’d been so caught up thinking about how I must appear to her that I’d forgotten all about Robin!
“Where’s your fiancé?” I blurt out.
“Oh.” Fey giggles. “Robin didn’t come with us. He got a job offer from The Economist for next year. They have a winter break retreat for all the new recruits in South Africa.” She smiles. “I’m so happy for him.”
“The Economist is a prestigious newspaper,” Jeremy says. “Receiving an offer from them right out of college is impressive. I respect that.”
“Thanks,” Fey beams. I can just see the pride radiating on her face.
“You haven’t gotten married yet, have you?” I ask. “Still just engaged?”
“Oh, a wedding is an enormous undertaking,” Thalia says. “The two love birds wanted to do it quick, right at the end of summer. But Fey’s father and I managed to convince them otherwise. It took quite a bit of wrangling on my part.”
“Mother!”
Thalia smiles warmly at Fey. “I convinced them to wait a year and do it properly after graduation.”
I lean forward in interest. “So the date is set?”
; “Oh, yes,” Thalia replies. “August 23rd, 2014.”
“You’re coming. Right?” Fey asks. She sounds suddenly anxious. “I wanted you to be . . . one of the bridesmaids. But I didn’t know if I’d see or hear from you before then . . . ”
“We’ll both be there,” Jeremy interjects. “If Lilly has the honor of being one of your bridesmaids, it’s not something I’d ever let her pass up.”
I turn my head toward him. Appreciation of the deepest sort blooms within me.
“Of course,” Jeremy continues, “being a bridesmaid is no small task. You’ll want her free and on-demand in the weeks leading to. If the August date is final…?” He trails off, and both Fey and Thalia nod, “… then we’ll make sure to schedule Lilly’s vacation time in advance. Thalia, you mentioned difficulties in planning? Well, I know of a magnificent event planner who just so happens to be on my payroll.” He takes out a business card from his pocket and writes on the back. “That’s her name and contact information. Give her a call. Tell her you’re a friend of mine. Use my first name. She’ll know who you mean.”
“Thank you,” Thalia says. “But I couldn’t possibly—”
“I insist,” Jeremy says. He pushes the card across the table, where Fey picks it up. “And I’m well aware that a wedding can be a great expense. Work with my gal, and I promise you that you won’t see a penny of the bill.” He locks eyes with Fey and speaks directly to her. “Make it as extravagant as you want. Think of it as an early wedding gift for one of Lilly’s old friends.”
“Wow,” Fey mutters. She reached for the card. “Thank you, Jeremy. That’s very gracious …”
“And unnecessary,” Thalia says. She places her hand on Fey’s outstretched arm, stopping her. “Thank you, Mr. Stonehart. But I am sure my husband and I can take care of our own daughter’s wedding.”
“I have no doubt you can,” Jeremy says smoothly. “And please don’t take this gesture as me suggesting anything of the sort. I am simply aware that I am guilty of having kept Lilly so occupied that she has not had time to dedicate to old friends. If you do take me up on the offer, it will just be a way of me saying sorry. Nothing more.” He directs that charming smile towards Fey. “It’s unfortunate that I did not get the chance to meet Robin today. He sounds like a very accomplished, intelligent young man, to be picked up by The Economist at the start of his career. Next time we meet, I would love to make his acquaintance.”
Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) Page 48
