Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“We should probably go freshen up and change,” Ford said.
I glanced at him in his beautifully tailored pants and nice button down. How were we expected to dress for dinner? Since Carter’s men had packed for me, I had no idea if I even had anything appropriate.
“Alright, you boys run along. I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Nice to meet you, Senator Wainwright,” I said as I followed Ford out of the shop and back in the direction of the house. We walked along in silence for a while, then Ford asked, “What did you think of Grandad?”
“He’s not what I expected. He seemed so relaxed.”
“He can be just as formidable as my grandmother if you get in his way, but since he retired, he’s relaxed a lot.”
I hoped he would have the same demeanor during dinner. I was worried enough about talking to Mrs. Wainwright. We showered and changed into suits. Fortunately, I’d had a selection in my luggage. Ford knocked on my door, and I joined him to head to dinner.
“Do you always dress for dinner here?” I thought about how often I’d eaten in pajamas growing up.
“Not every night, but always on the first night with a new guest. That’s the way my grandmother likes it.”
The dining room wasn’t as large as I expected, which made me wonder if they had a larger one elsewhere in the house. Despite its average size, it was elegantly designed, and nothing was out of place. Ford indicated where I should sit, and we stood behind our chairs until his grandfather helped his grandmother to her seat.
At his grandmother’s signal, we began our meal, eating in silence until it became uncomfortable. Finally, his grandmother spoke. “So Jasper, tell me about your family. Did you grow up in New York?”
The way she said family let me know she expected me to have some illustrious pedigree like Ford and his friends. How many ways would she think of to hammer home the differences between me and Ford? His grandparents might be accepting of his sexuality, but I bet the last thing they wanted for him was a man from a working-class background.
They don’t know you’re anything more than a colleague of Ford’s.
Ford hadn’t told them anything—and what was there to tell, that we were hooking up, having really good hate sex? But I had the sense his grandmother read what was between us, maybe better than we did.
There was no point in trying to lie. Ford knew my background, and I wasn’t ashamed of how hard my father had worked or how much Gran had done to take care of me and Emily. “I grew up in Albany.”
“Oh, are you related to Matthew Rollins? I know some of his people lived up that way.”
“No, ma’am. My father’s name was Stephen, and he worked in semiconductor manufacturing.”
“At VFN? I thought that was owned by some of the Thompsons.”
“Yes, ma’am, it is. My father worked on the production line.”
“Oh. Oh, I see.” And I was sure she did.
I glanced at Ford. His face was red. At first, I thought he was embarrassed by me, which made my food knot up in my stomach, but then he said, “Grandmother, Jasper’s father worked hard. He was an amazing man. Jasper lost his mother at a young age, and his grandmother lived with him and raised him, so you have something in common with her.”
I could hear the anger in his voice. I loved that he was willing to defend me, and I wanted to reach for his hand, but that would only make things worse.
Mrs. Wainwright looked skeptical, and she gave me an insincere smile. “I’m so sorry about your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“Now,” Ford said. “Why don’t you tell us how things went with the art show last week?”
“Oh, you’ve heard about a million of those. I’d rather learn more about your new friend.”
She spoke as if Ford was still in high school and he’d brought a classmate home.
His grandfather cleared his throat. “Julia, I’d like to hear more about this lawsuit that has Ford and Jasper hiding out here.”
“Jonathan, we don’t talk business at the dinner table.” She looked shocked as if critiquing your guest’s origins was so much more polite.
She turned her attention back to me. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have a younger sister.”
“And what does she do?”
“She owns a café in Aspen.”
“How adorable. I do enjoy Aspen, though I have found the skiing is better in Utah. I suppose it’s hard for her when the tourists aren’t there.”
I tensed. Making me feel like I was beneath her was one thing, but she wasn’t going to do that to my sister. “She is doing fine year-round. She’s even planning an expansion.”
“Oh…well, good for her.”
“Grandmother, I don’t think Jasper wants to be interrogated while he eats.”
Her eyes widened, and she looked at Ford as if she was shocked by his statement. “I’m hardly interrogating him, dear. I’m just making small talk.”