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Once she’s gone, I ask Sanford, “Where was your focus?It’s like you didn’t give a shit about her problems.”
“Lang and your cousin, Seth, were helping me fix a few things,” he reveals, a grin spreading across his face.
“What kind of things?”
He winks, a spark of mischief in his eyes.“Let’s just say she’s getting a scholarship.We’ll pretend it’s from Juilliard.”
“I can help you pay for it,” I offer.
“Thank you, maybe instead of helping me with the tuition, you can convince her to apply for the Cooperson charity thing, so she can pay for her room and board,” he suggests.
“I like how you think.”
He winks again, his gaze full of love.“Why don’t I call you when I’m ready for bed?We can ...have some video-sex.”
I yawn.“Sounds like something I would enjoy, but it’s almost three in the morning, babe.Rain check for another night?”
He looks around.“Fine, sweet dreams, baby.”
I waituntil the next day to make the call.As predicted, Tuck answers at the first ring.
“Are you okay, Grey?”His voice is deep but sounds a little off.
“Did you party all night?”I guess.
He scoffs.“There might have been a party or two,” he admits.“Just don’t tell our parents.So, how can I help you?Do you need me to go to London to bail you out?”
“Not exactly.I’m calling about the scholarships Dad gives through the charity.”I stop, uncertain of how to follow it.
“We already granted them,” he responds.
“Well, yeah, but is there a way we can grant one more?I’ll cover all the expenses,” I say, taking a deep breath before continuing.“I ...we need it for a friend.”
His response is a deliberate silence, stretching out and filling my ears with its weight.After a prolonged pause, he finally asks, his voice laden with curiosity, “Who is this friend, Grey?”
I draw in a shaky breath.“Umm ...the ballerina who I’ve been friends with for years.”I proceed to tell him about the colleges she applied to, highlighting her exceptional talent at the academy and the deserving nature of her aspirations.
“So you’re not asking me to alter the scholarships but to create a new one that you’ll personally finance?”he clarifies.
“Uh-huh.”I nod, even though he can’t see me.I’m hoping he’ll say yes.Underneath all his anger, there’s a softie like the rest of the Deckers.“She needs to escape Seattle.We ...we just want her to find happiness.Above all, we want her to break free from her mother’s grip.”
There’s a pause before he sighs, a deep, resonant sound that echoes my own tumultuous emotions.“Alright,” he says finally, the word soothing my beating heart.“Let me see how we can make this happen.I might need to mention it to Dad, if you don’t mind.”
“Maybe I should call him,” I mumble.“Tell him what I want to do and that you’re willing to help if he approves.”
“Sounds like a plan.How’s London treating you?”he inquires, diverting the conversation.
While we speak, I text Sanford, letting him know we have Tucker’s support.I don’t know if our plan will work, but we’ll do anything to help her be free.And maybe, just maybe, we can finally be together.
ChapterThirty-One
Sanford
Under the scorchingNew York summer, the city transforms into a relentless furnace.If I had it my way, I would be somewhere in the Caribbean by the pool, or in Seattle.Yet, here we stand, Greyson and I, trailing behind our ballerina as she flits from one apartment to another.Despite the sweltering heat, her infectious excitement permeates the air, and we can’t help but smile each time her eyes sparkle with newfound delight.
“I love her, but does she really need to look this happy?”Grey mutters, casting a skeptical glance at our ballerina as she gracefully twirls from building to building in search of an apartment near Juilliard.
“She’s not used to the weather.Give her a couple of months, and she’ll be begging for the shade of Seattle and cursing the New York summers,” I respond, my voice laced with amusement.
