Peyton couldn’t believe it. Adrian seemed calm and collected, like he could handle anything. But could he actually be so nervous to be around them that he needed Rebecca there for emotional support?
Her stomach rumbled; the restaurant smelled like fresh bread and perfectly cooked steak, and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She took the seat next to Brett, which was as far away from Adrian as possible.
She placed her napkin on her lap and looked at her silverware in confusion. Why did she need two forks and two knives? And why was the spoon so small and above the plate?
“Start at the outside and work in,” Brett whispered to her. “And don’t touch the spoon until dessert.”
“Thanks.” Apparently she’d looked as confused as she’d felt.
Adrian ordered a bottle of champagne after they went through the introductions. No one mentioned that they were underage, and the waiter didn’t care. Brett didn’t seem fazed, either. Peyton accepted a glass—she was nothing like her mom and could handle her alcohol just fine—and Savannah got one, too. Courtney gave Savannah a warning look and said she was fine with water.
Peyton wondered if Courtney would ever let loose and have fun. They weren’t at home anymore—they were as far from it as possible. Not geographically, obviously, but Vegas couldn’t have been more different from Fairfield if it tried. Peyton wasn’t going to let Vegas change her, since she was fine just as she was, but it might not hurt Courtney to live a little.
“I hear you three will be attending Goodman in the fall,” Rebecca said, playing with her pearl necklace as she waited for an answer.
A pit of dread formed in Peyton’s stomach. She recognized the name of the school Damien had mentioned, but she wouldn’t be in Vegas long enough for school to start. Their mom had to get better before September.
If it ended up taking longer and she and her sisters had to do a few weeks at Goodman, no one had told them yet. Anyway, what was the big deal about the school? It wasn’t like they had an option where they would go. How different could this Goodman place be from Fairfield High?
“Yes,” Adrian said. “After I informed the headmaster that I would make a generous contribution toward the new sports center, I mentioned my three daughters were moving to town and hadn’t picked a school yet. Coincidentally, Goodman had three spots waiting to be filled.”
“How wonderful.” Rebecca beamed. Peyton wasn’t sure if she was fake or trying really hard to get them to like her. Judging by how nervous she seemed, she suspected it was the latter. “It’s the best school in the state. Brett goes there. He’ll be a junior in the fall, so he’ll be in Courtney’s year. He can introduce you to the other students this summer so you’ll know people once school begins.”
“Because you know how much I hang out with the prep school crew,” Brett said. Rebecca gave him a look that said, Stop being so insolent, but Brett just smiled and took a sip of water.
“Back up a second,” Peyton said. “Isn’t it too early to worry about school?”
“I know no one wants to think about going back to school when it’s only the beginning of July, but this was late notice,” Adrian said. “Their deadline for applications is January. Luckily for the three of you, they were able to make an exception.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Peyton clenched her fists, angry at how he played head games with his words. “If Mom’s better in a few weeks, by September we’ll be back home and at Fairfield High. We shouldn’t think about school here until we know when she’ll be out of that place.”
“Oh.” Rebecca’s face crumpled, and she looked at Adrian in question. “They don’t know yet?”
“Know what?” Courtney asked softly.
“I would have said something earlier, but my meeting ran late and we had to hurry to dinner,” Adrian said. “Plus, I thought your grandmother would have told you herself before you left....”
“Well, apparently she didn’t.” Peyton couldn’t take this anymore. “So spit it out.”
Adrian took a sip of water and cleared his throat. “Your mother is in an extremely difficult, stressful point in her life,” he said, looking seriously at each of them. “Once she’s released from inpatient treatment, she’ll have many struggles ahead while getting her life back on track. I’ve purchased your grandmother a larger house—she wasn’t happy about it, but she eventually accepted—and your mom will move in with her once she’s released. This way she’ll have your grandmother’s support while recovering. So until the end of the next school year, the three of you will be living here, with me.”
Peyton slammed her hands down on the table. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said. “This is going to be my senior year. It’s the last year I’ll have with my friends before we graduate. And now you’re saying I’ll have to spend it here, with total strangers? No way is that happening.” She checked to see if her sisters were just as pissed. Courtney’s face had gone white—she seemed shocked, not angry—and Savannah had the nerve to look excited. What the hell was wrong with them? Didn’t they also want to go home?
“You’ll be staying here for the next year.” Adrian didn’t flinch. “It’s in your mother’s best interest. I understand you’re missing home, but I hope you want to do whatever you can to help her recover. She needs to focus on herself in the upcoming months, and that’s going to be easiest for her if she doesn’t have to worry about taking care of anyone else.”
Peyton pressed her lips together, her breaths coming fast. Way for him to make them feel like an unwanted burden.
“But won’t Mom want us around?” Savannah asked with tears in her eyes. Peyton didn’t want to see her cry, but at least this was better than her being excited about staying in Vegas.
“Once she begins outpatient treatment, you’ll be able to visit her,” Adrian said. Then he got very still, as if what he was about to say was hard for him. “But, while I know this might be difficult for you to believe right now, you’re here because I want you to be here, too.”
Peyton leaned back and crossed her arms. No way would she believe that crap.
At the same time, she wanted her mom to get better, and she refused to do anything that might send her spiraling. If staying in Vegas for the year was what it took, she would tough it out and get through it. But she wouldn’t make it easy for Adrian. He hadn’t wanted them in his life until now, and she wasn’t about to smile and forgive him.
“Fine,” she said. “But Goodman isn’t a private school, is it?”
“Of course it is,” Adrian said. “Where else would you go?”
“Public school.” Peyton said the obvious response. “Like we always have.”
“The Goodman School is the best in the state,” Adrian said, like that should be reason enough.
“It might be,” Peyton replied. “But we don’t need a fancy private school. We’ve been in public school our whole lives, and it’s never been a problem.” No one said anything, so she looked at her sisters for backup. “Right?” she said, expecting support. She wouldn’t fit in with the people who went to private school, and she didn’t want to. They were probably a bunch of stuck-up snobs.
“I don’t know, Peyton,” Courtney said carefully. “It will look better on college applications if we go to a school like Goodman.”
“They have a one-hundred percent college acceptance rate,” Rebecca said proudly. “Last year a fourth of the graduating class went to an Ivy League or similar level school.”
“I’m not going to college.” Peyton smirked. “So there goes that one hundred percent.”
Worry