Chapter 81: Sadie: More Than A Date

SADIE

The little mirror above the passenger seat catches me fixing my hair again, although at this point, my hair is doing much better than the rest of me.

I feel like giggling, farting, and asking Trey to find a bathroom, all while hoping he thinks I look cute. Judge me all you want, but first times make people nervous, and going on a date with him is giving me plenty to be nervous about.

Or at least, I think we’re going on a date.

Why else won’t he tell me where he’s taking me? I’ve asked several times, but he’s keeping it a secret. Men do that when they’re cheating, hiding something that will piss you off, or planning a surprise. I’m hoping it’s the last one, preferably a date worth the drive, because we’ve been on the road for more than an hour and we’re already in Goldenmoon territory.

Beside me, Trey has one hand on the wheel and the other tapping along to Drake’s "Hold On, We’re Going Home." How is he this calm? Apart from mentioning a mall and a flower shop, he hasn’t said much, so I turn to look at the bags behind us.

"So... why all the groceries and stuff?" There’s a tin of butter cookies, boxes of tea, packets of biscuits, and several cartons I can’t make out among the bags. A folded blanket rests on top of one, with a couple of large-print puzzle books sticking out of another.

Maybe it’s a picnic. The blanket and food make sense, but are we supposed to do puzzles while we eat?

He looks at me briefly. "I’m starting to think curiosity killed the wolf was about you."

"And I’m starting to think this is a kidnapping."

"You’ve been sitting comfortably for an hour without alerting anyone," he points out, shifting his hand on the wheel. "You’re not taking it very seriously."

My mouth opens, but finding an answer that doesn’t admit how happy I’ve been to go wherever he takes me takes longer than I have. He slows as we pass the Goldenmoon clock tower, then turns into a small parking lot outside Petal & Stem.

Buckets of flowers line the entrance of the shop, giving me something else to think about as he parks.

"I’ll be back in a minute," he tells me, unfastening his seat belt.

With a nod, I watch him head into the shop, the fluttering in my stomach returning before the door closes behind him. For once, someone has made plans without leaving me to organize everything, and I’m enjoying it more than I want him to know.

Ten minutes later, he returns with white lilies wrapped in pale pink paper. The sight has me sitting straighter, trying to keep the smile off my face as he approaches and opens my door.

Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush, Sadie.

"Here." He holds out the bouquet. My fingers brush his as I take it and his mouth starts to curve before I’ve managed to thank him. "Are you blushing?"

"No, I’m not." My hand goes straight to my cheek, earning me a smirk before he walks around to the driver’s side.

How does he always know what I’m trying to hide?

When he gets in, I bring the lilies to my nose.

For the next twenty minutes, the roads grow less familiar while the lilies rest in my lap. Every so often, I bring them to my nose, still wondering where he’s taking me. I’m smelling the lilies again when he slows.

"We’re here."

I lift my head, expecting to see somewhere we might have a date, but a pair of enormous iron gates fills the windshield instead. My eyes widen at the crest worked into the metal, and I turn toward Trey for an explanation. He keeps his gaze ahead and presses the horn.

A uniformed guard steps through a small door beside the entrance. He salutes when he recognizes Trey, then signals into the gatehouse, and the gates begin sliding apart. My pulse picks up as Trey eases the car forward. He’s actually driving in, and I still don’t know what we’re doing here.

"Where is this place?" I ask, although I’m beginning to wish I don’t already know.

"My home," he says as we drive through. "Or what’s supposed to be my home."

Beyond the gates, a broad driveway runs between tall hedges and past stone wolves at the first bend. Lawns and flower beds stretch beyond them, with guards stationed near smaller buildings and paths through the grounds. A few watch us pass, but I’m looking at the house coming into view.

Calling something this big a home feels ridiculous, although I have more pressing questions about it than what to call it. Every time I turn toward Trey, three of them try to come out at once.

"What are we doing at your home?"

He slows as we reach the garage, then pulls into an empty space among more cars than I’ve ever seen belonging to one household. I keep looking at him as he switches off the engine, but he takes his seat belt off before turning toward me. His hesitation makes my fingers tighten around the bouquet.

There has to be a proper explanation for this. I’m not going to convince myself there’s a restaurant inside the estate where he’s planned a date. They have enough space to put one in and lose it, but that doesn’t mean there is one.

At this point, I’m probably stupid for still trying to make this a date.

"Why am I here, Trey?"

He looks at me, then down at the flowers in my lap, taking a breath before answering. "I can’t tell if you’re angry or annoyed, but yeah, I should’ve told you we were coming here."

I turn toward him properly as I wait for the rest.

"My grandma has dementia," he continues. "I visit her every month, and last time, she asked me to bring a friend."

"Your grandma?"

He nods. "I thought she’d like you. I wanted to bring you, but I didn’t think you’d agree if I told you where we were going."

So it wasn’t a date. My gaze drops to the flowers, and there’s a small, embarrassing dip in my excitement. I’d spent the ride making plans he hadn’t made, but then I look back at him.

There’s a sheen in his eyes that makes me forget what I was about to say. He doesn’t look away or give me something sarcastic to respond to, and without either of those things, I’m left looking at more of him than I know how to handle.

He looks nervous. Maybe even scared, which feels strange to think about Trey.

The towering mansion beyond the windshield gives me another possibility. Was he worried about asking me, or about coming here? I keep hearing the way he called this what was supposed to be his home.

"Your maternal grandma?" I ask.

"Yeah."

So that’s what the blanket, puzzle books, and all the groceries were for. Even his question about old people makes sense now. I wish he’d told me instead of leaving me to guess, but looking at him, I’m more concerned about why he found it so difficult to ask.

"You should’ve told me," I whisper. "I would’ve brought something for her. Don’t you think it’s awkward to meet your grandma empty-handed?"

He lets out a breath, his shoulders easing, and the relief on his face makes my chest ache. He really thought I’d refuse. Whatever my feelings about being brought here without knowing, I wouldn’t have said no to this. Not when he wanted me to meet her, and certainly not now that I can see how difficult it was for him to ask.

Trey gestures toward the bouquet.

"You’ve got those," he looks at me with the start of a smile. "That’s enough. I’m sure she’ll love you."

"Yeah?"

He nods, and I reach for my seat belt. "Then let’s go. I’m sure she’s waiting."

His smile grows as he gets out, and by the time I join him, he’s collecting the bags from the back seat. Once he has the bags in one hand, he extends the other toward me.

I pause, glancing between him and his stretched hand before I shift the bouquet and let his fingers close around mine.

"I’m glad you’re here," Trey says, his fingers closing more securely around mine as we start toward the entrance.

The guards bow as we pass, and a woman carrying folded clothes stops to greet him. Farther ahead, two men in tailored suits step aside to greet him. Their eyes drop to our joined hands, and I try not to imagine the questions they’ll ask once we’re gone.

The prodigal son has come home with a girl, and he isn’t letting go of her. There’s probably enough there to keep them occupied for the afternoon.

At the entrance, two more guards bow.

"Welcome home, sir."

"Is Pops here?" Trey asks, slowing beside them.

"No, sir. He left for a meeting."

"Good," he mutters, leading me through the doors.

He takes me inside, where the size of the entrance hall has me looking up before I’ve made it more than a few steps. A chandelier hangs over the marble floor, and a curved staircase rises to a gallery above us. Through the tall windows, I can see the gardens we passed, while paintings and dark wooden doors line the walls. A golden wolf against a deep green background faces the entrance, marking the house as the heart of Goldenmoon.

Everything is beautiful, expensive, and placed exactly where it belongs. I become very aware of the sound of my shoes.

"It’s a good thing he’s out," Trey says as we cross the hall. "He’s naggy and annoying."

"Like someone I know."

He turns toward me. "I’m not annoying."

"That’s for me to judge, not you."

He scoffs and leads me into the next hallway, passing a sitting room whose furniture looks more suited to being admired than used. There are staff everywhere, but nobody lingers after greeting him.

They all have somewhere to go, and I’m starting to understand why he wanted to know whether his father was home before we came inside.

At a junction, Trey gestures left. "My room’s upstairs, at the end."

I glance along the corridor, wondering what his bedroom looks like here, while he points the other way.

"Dining room and family sitting room are over there. Pops’s office is farther down."

"And you don’t get lost?"

He looks at me. "I grew up here, Sadie."

I’m not sure living somewhere this big would ever make it feel familiar to me. His apartment is smaller, and he can be irritating in every room of it, but at least it feels like someone lives there.

"My future home is never going to be like this," I admit.

Trey glances at me before gesturing ahead with the bags. "Grandma stays down here."

That brings my attention back to why we came. I straighten as we approach her door, shifting the bouquet against my chest, and he slows when he notices.

"Relax," he says. "She’s friendly. Once she gets comfortable with you, she’s usually calm."

I nod, trying to leave the flowers alone while he continues.

"I’ll go in first and see how she’s doing."

"Okay." My hand loosens around his, letting him pull away.