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“Go to college near Jameson,” he suggests cavalierly. “Or go wherever. I’ll fly to come see you.”
I laugh out loud at how easy he makes it all sound. “And what about you?” I ask. “Do Jamesons not have to attend college?”
“Not really.” He shakes his head. “Not when we take over things this young. My advisors will hire private tutors from top institutions—enough to satisfy the requirements for a degree. Anything from an ivy league school that can be framed and hung on the wall above my desk for business meetings. That’s all I really need.”
“What?” I gape. “Are you serious?” He shrugs and looks away. “That’s so fucked up. Isn’t that basically just buying a degree?”
“Basically,” he says quietly. “But that’s how we’ve always done it.”
“There are a lot of things your family has always done that you were hoping to change,” I remind him. “What about what you want? Was there anything you ever wanted to go to college for? Even if it was just to learn a new skill or enter a new field?”
“Never had time to think about it.” He shakes his head, pursing his lips. “There was no point. I always knew that wasn’t going to be an option for me. If my dad was still around, I would have gone off to some ivy league campus, but I basically would have just been fucking around until he was ready to retire.”
I try not to think about how deeply his entitlement goes, overriding something as basic and fundamental as a college education. But for some reason, my brain is still stuck on the fact that he is planning our future. He intends on staying with me enough that he is talking about flying out to wherever I am if I go to college somewhere else. I can’t deny the giddiness rising in my chest at the thought of it.
All at once, both of our phones start buzzing with incoming messages, breaking us from the space we fell into together. We give each other a knowing look. Whatever we just experienced was important, but we can’t hide here forever, no matter how badly we want to. We have to go back to the surface and face all of it.
As we are putting on our clothes, Emmett comes closer and pulls me to a stop. We’re both standing there in nothing but pants, bare chested, when he puts his arms around me and begins to sway to the music playing from his phone in the background. I love feeling the warmth of his skin against mine as I melt into him and match his movements. For a brief moment, we’re frozen like that, dancing slowly in the middle of the room. I wish it didn’t have to end.
16
Chapter Sixteen
Emmett and I peel ourselves away from one another and reach for our phones. The messages from my mom aren’t as bad as I expected. She’s not angry, she just wants to know when I’ll be home. I tell her it should be soon, but Emmett cries out as he goes through his beeping phone.
“We have to go right away,” he tells me sternly as his eyes glow against the screen in the dark.
“Go where?” I shoot back. “What’s wrong?”
“To my house,” he demands, as he keeps one eye glued on his phone and begins reaching for his clothes with the other. “Come on, I’ll explain in the car.”
I slip into my clothes, struggling to keep up with him as he bolts for the door. He’s in such a hurry, I feel like he might leave me here if I’m not fast enough.
“Emmett, what’s going on?” I huff as I slide into the car.
“Vivian texted me,” he states flatly. “She’s at my house.”
“What do you mean!? Why? How did she get into your house!?” I know something serious is wrong, but I can’t see past my rage that Vivian is texting him this late…from his house.
“She just said she was there and that we needed to come right away,” he answers dismissively as he speeds along.
“Are you crazy!?” I cry, wondering if I heard him correctly. “This could be some kind of set-up! Pull over and ask her to tell you what’s going on before we just barge in there.”
“Ophelia, Bernadette could be home.” He sighs and drags a hand through his hair. “Or maybe she found something that could tell us where she is. I can’t waste any time! Let’s just go.”
“Or maybe Vivian is the reason your sister is missing,” I thunder back. “And all of this is just a ploy to make you disappear, too!”
He ignores me and continues driving. I wish I could do something to make him stop. Everything about this feels like a trap to me, but he just won’t see it. Why is he so blind when it comes to her?
We pull up to the manor and park behind Vivian’s car. It’s strange to see all the windows lit up inside, knowing how little life is actually left here now. But the entire house is still buzzing with the staff, carrying about their usual business as if nothing has changed.
Vivian is curled up on the couch in the sitting room and perks up the moment we come in. Her cheeks are red and wet, and I realize I don’t think I’ve ever seen her cry before.
“What’s going on?” Emmett asks as he rushes towards her. She doesn’t hesitate to throw herself into his arms, making me sick.
“It’s your mom,” she sniffles. “I think something could have happened to her.”
“What? How do you know?” His eyes light up with panic as he hangs on her every word.
