Perfect by Emily Evans

Author:Emily Evans [Emily Evans]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emily Evans
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

“

You okay?”

“Yeah.” I sounded hoarse.

“Sure?”

I rubbed my arms. “Go on, please.”

“Sterling is a quarterback at Trallwyn High school on track for several scholarship offers. One at Stanford University. Grant is a graduate of UT. He has offers from a few med schools including Stanford. This kind of background doesn’t scream con-artist. Mother is Diana King. She runs a coffee shop on Paxton Street in Houston. Georgiana?”

He stepped closer and put a hand on my arm.

Dad’s art gallery was on the corner of that street. Dad didn’t want me to work at his art gallery in Houston. Or in San Francisco. Stanford University was in Stanford, the Palo Alto area, outside of San Francisco.

“Where’d you go?”

“I think I need some water.”

Zane ushered me to a bench and handed me his bottled water.

I took a drink though I didn’t care for fizzy water. The water soothed my dry throat, and I fought through the anxiety kicking at my insides to explain. “My mom joked that my dad wanted my middle name to be ‘pigment’ or something paint related.” I use the term ‘joked,’ but it had been said with derision. As if she’d accept that kind of name.

“Well.” He arched his eyebrows, and his gaze took on a cynical look. “Well.”

Condemned by a four-letter word. “My father denies knowing anything about Jackson Brush Harper. But his brothers are Sterling Paint and Grant Canvas. Dad’s lying to me.”

“Call Jackson back.”

I pulled out my phone and dialed the 832 number.

“Yo?” Jackson sounded like a typical teenage dude.

“This is Georgiana.” I sounded nervous.

“I lied, okay? Forget it.” Jackson hung up.

I rang back and got voicemail. I didn’t leave a message.

Zane tried the number from his phone. “Voicemail.” He tapped his phone on his leg. “It’s summer holiday. He’ll be home. They live in Houston. You’re from there, right?”

I nodded. “North of Houston.”

“Go there.”

It seemed so far away and impossible, and just around the corner at the same time. I blinked, and I found I was still nodding. I’d felt the pull of Houston since I’d first seen that 832 number. “I’ll catch a flight tonight.” I rose and turned toward Downing Street.

***

It was weird being home, and I knew I was home the second I got out of the plane. The heat and humidity wrapped around me like a cocoon. But no one wanted swaddling in one-hundred-degree heat. I did something super weird but quite normal under the circumstances: I got a hotel in my home city. I handed the registration desk worker my driver’s license with its local address and felt like I was doing something illicit. I sort of was. My parents didn’t know where I was, and I was keeping it that way until I was ready to talk to them. Dad knew more than he was saying. Whether he was shielding me from something or his reasons were less altruistic, I didn’t know. I just knew I wanted answers.

I went to my spacious hotel room that felt expansive after tight European spaces and shot Zane a text.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.