“It’s not going to be easy, Serena. This isn’t the movies.” I place my hand on hers, and our eyes lock.
Seconds later, her shoulders slump and her forehead rests against the passenger window. “So I’m stuck with you for a while?”
“Don’t act like you’re disappointed,” I tease.
Her heart-shaped lips smother a chuckle, and I wonder if she’s smiled more today than she has in a long time.
“We should get you back home,” I say after noticing the sun is officially hidden behind the horizon. “The last thing we need is to raise any eyebrows. Veronica can’t know we’re looking into her dealings. As far as the Belcourt staff is concerned, I’m simply your conservator and nothing more. We will not discuss anything related to Veronica as long as we’re on the Belcourt grounds, understood?”
“Yes, counselor.”
“By the way, those large purchases you made?” I ask.
Her brows meet. “What large purchases?”
“The eleven million worth of sports cars and clothes and jewelry . . .”
The expression on her face tells me all I need to know. “Oh, God. Seriously?”
“It was mentioned in the court order. How did you not know this?”
“Derek, I’ve been so medicated and out of it. There’s not a lot I remember past the whole airport incident. They had me on tranquilizers, benzodiazepines, sleeping pills . . .” Her chin is tucked, and she buries her face in her palms. “I had no idea it was this bad.”
“So Veronica made some irresponsible purchases in your name to show your father you weren’t capable of managing your finances in the perceived state you were in.”
Serena brushes strands of golden-red hair from her face. I can tell she wants to cry from the weight of sheer frustration, but perhaps the medication still coursing her system has numbed her too much.
We turn around, heading back to Belcourt and riding in silence. I avoid the bridge on purpose, taking an alternate route and extending our drive back by a few extra, much-needed minutes.
By the time we pull into the circle drive, I spot Eudora hiding behind a curtained window. The front door swings open a moment later, and she stands, watching and waiting as if we’re late.
“Didn’t realize I had a curfew,” Serena mumbles under her breath, turning to me. “Do you see how ridiculous this is? I’m twenty-five. Twenty. Five.”
“You should leave,” I say.
“Pardon me?” Her eyes glimmer enough to tell me I’ve piqued her interest. “Leave, as in leave Belcourt?”
“Yes.”
“And where would I go, exactly? I’m not ready to show my face in the city. That’s the only place I feel at home. That and this little cottage a couple of hours outside London. That’s where I was trying to go that night at JFK.”
Her voice fades into nothing.
“Anyway,” she sighs, her fingers wrapping around the door handle.
“You should move to some small town where nobody knows you,” I say.
“What, like wherever you’re from?” Her laugh dwindles when she realizes I’m not joking.
“Nobody would know you there. Except, maybe, Demi.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes. The Rixton Falls born-and-raised celebrity gossip enthusiast.”
“Rixton Falls? That’s the name of your hometown?”
I nod.
“Sounds quaint. There’s a waterfall, I presume?”
“Several.”
We glance across the dash, watching Eudora fold her arms and tap her foot. She checks her wrist.
“She doesn’t wear a watch.” Serena rolls her eyes. “Thanks for the tour of the country today. I needed that. I felt a little more like myself tonight.”
I offer a tight-lipped half-smile and lift my fingers from the steering wheel for a quick wave goodbye.
“Do you have an email address?” I ask as she climbs out.
She shakes her head. “No internet here. Remember?”
“We should set you up with satellite internet.”
“That’s a thing?”
“Yes. I’ll have my secretary call and schedule an installation. I’d like to be able to reach you at all times. Privately. Your cellphone isn’t reliable, and landlines aren’t secure.”
“Sounds good. Goodnight, counselor.”
Her white teeth rake her bottom lip, though I don’t think she knows she’s doing it, and she gently shuts the car door and heads in. From where I sit, I can tell Eudora’s fussing at her, and I only stay long enough to watch her disappear inside.
I have to get her away from these people.
She’s not safe here.
Chapter 6
Serena
“Your father and Veronica called while you were out.” Eudora follows me up the winding staircase that leads to my suite.
“What did you tell them?” I whip around, stopping on the eighth stair.
Eudora covers her heart with a wrinkled hand. “That you were sleeping, of course.”
I exhale and climb the rest of the steps, slightly breathless when I reach the top.
“Your medications were due over an hour ago,” Eudora says when we cross the threshold to my room. “They’re on your nightstand.”
“I’ll take them after I wash up.”
Eudora eyes the meds, then me. “You seem awfully alert lately. Feeling better?”