Always Us (The Jade Series #8) Read Free

and greenery.
    “Did you decorate the table?” I almost laugh imagining Frank doing that.
    “No, Chloe did it,” Ryan says. “You guys want something to drink?”
    “Just water.” Garret and I both say it, then I say, “We’re both thirsty from the plane.”
    We take a seat at the kitchen island as Ryan hands us our glasses of water. The kitchen is big and open. It has stainless steel appliances, dark cabinets, and the counters are covered in granite that has a brown, black, and beige swirl pattern.
    We talk some more and then Frank shows us the bedrooms, which are on the other side of the house. The room Garret and I are staying in has its own bathroom and a walk-in closet.
    I’m impressed with how well Frank did picking stuff out. The wall colors, the lighting fixtures, the flooring. It all looks good together and it fits his style, not too contemporary but more of a traditional look. Frank told me his girlfriend, Karen, helped him pick stuff out.
    Ryan’s phone rings. “It’s Chloe. I’ll be right back.” He goes in his bedroom to talk to her while the rest of us go back to the kitchen.
    “So Karen’s coming over tonight.” Frank says it casually, but his lips are creeping up just mentioning her.
    “Good. I’ll finally get to meet her.” I gulp my glass of water down.
    “She wanted to meet you before the race tomorrow. She’ll be here at seven for dinner. Ryan’s going to throw some steaks on the grill and Karen’s bringing over a salad.”
    “Are you going to the race?” I ask him.
    “Yes. Karen will meet us there. Ryan is staying here with Chloe. She’s coming over early in the morning to start the turkey. Are you going to the race with us, Garret?”
    “Yeah, I’m going.” He gets up and refills my water glass from the fridge dispenser. “I’ve never seen Jade race before.”
    “I’m not going to race. I’ll just keep pace with Karen.”
    Garret gives me my water. “I’m gonna go unpack.”
    “Right now? Why don’t you do that later?”
    “I want to clean up a little. Change my shirt.”
    “Okay.” I watch him walk away. He’s still acting strange. It’s subtle and Frank doesn’t notice, but I do.
    Frank starts telling me more about Karen. His face lights up as he talks about her.  
    I can’t wait to meet this woman. I still can’t believe Frank has a girlfriend.

CHAPTER TWO
2
    GARRET
    I go in the bedroom and shut the door. I need just a few minutes to myself. I need to get my mind focused on tomorrow and this weekend. I want this Thanksgiving to be a good one for Jade, so I need to put on a smile, act happy, and pretend nothing’s wrong. I did that for most of my teen years so this should be easy. Of course, back then I had alcohol to help me out. And I didn’t have this huge secret to hide.
    But so far, I’m doing pretty well. I’ve managed to act halfway normal since my grandfather’s visit a few days ago. I’ve shoved that whole conversation in the back of my mind and when it makes its way to the front again, I tell myself it never happened, then shove any memory of it back in its place. If I don’t, Jade will know something’s wrong. She picks up on stuff, even the tiniest things, so I need to be aware of my tone, my expressions—anything that might give me away.  
      I hate hiding this from Jade but my dad practically ordered me not to tell her, and he’s probably right. She doesn’t need to know, at least not yet, and maybe not ever. How exactly would I tell her something like that anyway? My grandfather plans to kill you, Jade. Yeah, I can’t even think those words, let alone say them.  
    My dad said he’d deal with my grandfather and I believe him. I just need to give him time to do that. I’m worried he’ll sacrifice himself somehow to get my grandfather to back down. Like agree to do whatever his father tells him to do in exchange for him leaving Jade and me alone. My grandfather could make my dad run for public office, something he would