AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have devoted my life to you, Granddaughter.”
“And I am grateful to you for that. I understand the sacrifices you have made.” Because she did, and knew to his mind he had done everything he believed was right for her and her career. “But I no longer wish to live in that cage,” she said softly.
“Cage,” he scoffed. “Expensive hotels and clothes—you never went without anything. Adoration, and being showered in flowers. Yes, your life must have been horrible.”
“I did not say it was horrible, Grandfather. But when you reach the age of twenty-seven and you have no cell phone or laptop, you don’t know how to use a washing machine, or fend for yourself in the world without help, it is not good. I allowed that to happen,” she added before he could speak. “Allowed it, and enjoyed it for a while, but now....” Bailey sighed. “Now I no longer want that world.”
He talked at her on the way to the lodge. Then all the way inside. Angie greeted them at reception.
“Hi there, Bailey.”
“Hi, Angie. This is my grandfather, and he would like a room for one night, please.”
“Two, possibly three,” he corrected, much to her horror.
“Why would you want to stay longer?”
“I’m taking you back with me, but I see now that will take time to achieve. But I will achieve it, Granddaughter, believe me.”
“It’s the influence of that no good Joe Trainer!”
Bailey and her grandfather turned, and behind them stood Mary Howard. Excellent, that was all she needed.
“And you are?” her grandfather said with a raised brow.
“Mary Howard, and my family are important people in this town, whereas those Trainers are troublemaking scum.”
The woman’s chins quivered as she stood there glaring at Bailey.
“I believe I told you last time we talked, Mrs. Howard, that I don’t like hearing you speak about Joe or his siblings in that way,” Bailey said, trying to hold onto her temper. “You have no grounds for this vendetta you are carrying out against him. The truth is your son was sent away because of his own actions, not Joe’s. If he hasn’t returned maybe you should ask him why and stop blaming Joe!”
“How dare you speak about my boy that way! He was twice the man of Joe Trainer!”
Bailey stepped closer to the woman, her patience now well and truly gone. “Leave him alone, Mrs. Howard, because I’m telling you now, if I hear you’ve been rude to Joe again, I’m coming to find you and it won’t be pretty.”
“Bailey, apologize at once for speaking to this woman in such an insulting way!” her grandfather said sounding shocked.
“This does not concern you, Grandfather.”
“I can see I have arrived just in time, if this is the way you are now behaving. We shall leave instantly.”
“No, we won’t,” Bailey scowled at Mary Howard again, and then her grandfather. “So the sooner you come to that realization, the better it will be for the both of us. Now I am leaving, before I get angrier. I shall see you tomorrow... before you leave. Bye, Angie.”
“Bye, Bailey.”
“Bailey!”
Ignoring her grandfather’s roar, and surprised that he had done so in such a public setting, as appearances were everything to Leonard Southby, she kept walking out the door.
“Hi, Bailey.”
“Mr. Goldhirsh.” She nodded and attempted a smile. He didn’t buy it.
“Problems?”
“My grandfather has arrived in Ryker Falls, and I just went at it with Mary Howard again. That woman’s full of nasty.”
He fell in beside her as she began to walk out the lodge gates.
