“I don’t accept that,” Grandpa sniffs, crossing his arms, “You can’t possibly think that the son of two lowlifes could be anything but a piece of garbage himself. The apple never falls far from the tree, dear.”
“No?” I shoot back, “Well then what does that say about you, with everything Dad’s been through? What does it say about me, when he’s such a wreck? Terrible things can happen to good people, you know.”
“You’d seriously have us believe that this Emerson is a good person?” Grandma scoffs.
“I would,” I tell her, “If you’d just try and get to know him, you’d see—”
“This is ridiculous,” Grandpa mutters, shaking his head, “I won’t hear another second of it. Jillian, don’t bother taking off your coat. We’re not staying.”
“What?” I say, “I thought we were going to spend some time together? Get something to eat, and—”
“I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite,” Grandpa says grimly. “Just seeing that boy, being reminded of everything this family has gone through...It’s too much. I won’t be subjected to this kind of nonsense. Especially not in an apartment I own myself!”
“You mustn’t see that person again, Abby,” Grandma says sternly.
I actually let out a laugh at this. “I mustn’t see him?” I reply, cackling at the absurdity of what she’s said, “Well, that’s not really an option, seeing as we work together, now.”
“What?!” my grandparents gasp in unison.
“I’ve just been hired by the creative agency Emerson works for,” I inform them, “I was going to tell you the good news over dinner, but. Well.”
“For Christ’s sake,” Grandpa mutters, “What are you giving him in return for getting you this job? Do I even want to know?”
I stare at my grandfather, gobsmacked. “You think I got the job by...what? Sleeping with Emerson?” I ask quietly. “You think that little of me? Of my abilities? I...I don’t even know what to say, Grandpa.”
“Say that you won’t get involved with that man outside of work,” Grandma pleads, “Especially not here, under our roof.”
“If you’re so concerned with Emerson not being under your roof, maybe I’d better move,” I say, exasperated.
“If that’s what you want,” Grandpa says coldly, “You can carry on with that man all you like, but you’d best not expect to have anything to do with us if you choose to do so. If you keep on with your disgraceful little relationship with him, I’m afraid we won’t be able to continue being a part of your life, Abby. You’ll have to leave this apartment, of course. And be content with never seeing us again. If you can live with all that, go ahead.”
“You’d cut me out of your lives?” I ask quietly, “Just for being with Emerson?”
“We would,” my grandfather assures me.
“We’d have no other choice,” my grandmother agrees with him. There’s a hint of sadness in her voice, but she’s always gone along with what Grandpa decides.
“Well...” I say, my voice hollow, “You certainly have given me a lot to think about this evening. And would you look at that, my appetite seems to be gone, too.”
“Why don’t you just call us when you’ve come to your senses,” Grandpa says, heading for the door, “Or at least call to let us know if we need to start looking for a new tenant. You have a couple of days to decide. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll assume you’ve made your decision and act accordingly.”
“I don’t care what you decide to do about the apartment,” I tell him, “I’m more than happy to find a new place to live, I can pay rent now that my job is lined up. But cutting me out of your lives altogether? That’s what hurts. How can you be so mad at me, just for spending time with someone I care about?”
“We aren’t mad at you, Abby,” Grandma says, following him out, “We’re just terribly, terribly disappointed.”
“Yeah. I know the feeling,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around my waist.
They march off into the elevator, and I slam the door in their wake. Hot, angry tears course down my cheeks as I press my back to the door. How dare they say those horrible things about Emerson? They don’t even know him. And how could they threaten to cut me out of their lives, just for being with him? I can’t believe they’d disown their only granddaughter over something so petty as a grudge. Especially when that grudge is built on nothing but bullshit!
The injustice of it all has me reeling. I feel the room spinning around me, and I know it’s not just the booze that’s knocking me off kilter. If my grandparents turn their backs on me, I’ll be officially without any family in this world. I haven’t really spoken to my dad for years, I have no aunts and uncles, no cousins. Frank and Jillian are it. And they’re ready to abandon me if I keep Emerson in my life.
I stagger over to the couch, curling up into a ball and letting the tears come hard and fast. The very thought of losing what’s left of my family has me feeling unmoored, alone. It’s not just having to find a new place to live that scares me, I can take care of that in no time. It’s the idea of losing my history, my only real links back to my mother, my old life, that terrifies me the most.
“What...” I mutter, as I feel something dig into my hip. I reach into my pocket and feel my fingers close around the ring box Emerson brought over tonight.
I blink away my tears and open the box once more, staring down at the beautiful pearl ring. With trembling fingers, I carefully pluck the ring out of its cushioned bed and slip it onto my right hand. It fits perfectly. After all these years, I still love it. And if I’m being honest, I still love the person who gave it to me, too. Daringly, I slide the ring off and slip it, breathlessly, onto the other hand. I look down at the single pearl, glimmering on my left ring finger. I have to say, I like the look of it there.
In that moment, I know that I can’t cut Emerson out of my life. Not again, No matter what it costs me in the end, he’s worth whatever price I have to pay.
Chapter Fifteen
I spend most of Sunday recovering from my less-than-ideal birthday. But before I know it, Monday morning has arrived; my first day on the job at Bastian Creative. My stomach is in knots as I get ready for the day. I was already nervous to begin my dream job, but this weekend only ramped up the pressure. With my cushy free housing likely to be yanked away, I need this first week at Bastian to go incredibly well. There’s sure to be a bit of a probation period where Cooper can let me go if I don’t fit in at Bastian. So I guess my only choice is to be the model employee, even with my one-day stepbrother and potential lover training me.