But I wasn’t someone else. I was Vera Garner, the bastard daughter of a victim.
9
“You okay, baby?” Mom asked while looking at me over the rim of her cup. She was drinking a decaf latte that was more sugar and milk than anything else. Even with messy hair and the same pajamas from the night before, she looked beautiful. She probably could have modeled if she never had me.
We were sitting in my oversized kitchen and catching up. Mom slept till almost noon, and it wasn’t until Joseph called her cell that she got out of bed. We ate cereal at the kitchen island and slowly processed everything that had happened the night before. “You look so tired,” she added while sweeping her eyes over my face. She was probably more exhausted than I was. She was jet-lagged from her trip to Paris and had to spend all night taking care of me. A pang of guilt rocked through me.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I replied, my cheeks turning crimson at my words as thoughts of what kept me up flooded my mind. It wasn’t Saint plaguing my mind, though it probably should have been. No. I spent most of my evening thinking about Hamilton. True to his word, he got me to stop thinking about the creepy and intrusive journalist who was now stalking me. Instead, I was picturing all the naughty things he spoke about.
His head buried between my thighs.
The scruff of his jaw burning my skin with the coarse movement.
My moans filling the room. His wet tongue lapping me up.
His filthy mouth making me come again and again and…
I swallowed. Mom started talking, jolting me out of thoughts of Hamilton once more. “I can only imagine. This Saint person seems unhinged. What kind of person hounds a family like that?” Mom shook her head and continued speaking. “I’m so sorry that you’ve had to deal with this. I knew things were going to be different when I married Joseph, but I had no idea the paparazzi would be so intense. The Beauregards are well-known in our community, but Jack’s not a fucking Kardashian.”
I bit my tongue. It was only going to get worse—much worse. Joseph wanted to be a career politician. He went to Greenwich University for a double major in political science and business and was too patriotic for my tastes. His conservative platform, family business expertise, and his father’s legacy had set him up for success. Mom might have been in denial about our future, but I knew with complete certainty that this was only the tip of the iceberg. We had to prepare ourselves to be hounded the rest of our lives. Was Mom really ready to have her past put on display for the world to see? Jack might have had the court records sealed, but people talked. There were plenty of people back in Atlanta who would be happy to sell our sob story to the highest bidder. Not even the Beauregard money could get us out of that. I was surprised it hadn’t been exploited already.
Memories of my argument with Jack made my stomach plummet. Everyone was already gossiping about my mother; it was likely to only get worse as Joseph climbed the political ladder.
I replied, “I’m not surprised, honestly. It’s human nature to be curious about public figures. Jack is well-liked in the community, and Joseph wants to have his name on a ballot. We should honestly get used to it.” Politics felt like living in a house that was on fire. It wasn’t a matter of if the flames would scorch you, but when. The Beauregards were sitting in the kitchen while their living room was ablaze. Was this why Hamilton escaped to work offshore?
Mom set her coffee mug down and inhaled deeply. Uh-oh. I knew that look. The corner of her mouth was pressed into a line, and she was looking at me with pity. “Spit it out. You look like you want to say something,” I told her, eyebrow raised in question.
Mom rolled her eyes, feigning playfulness despite the heavy tension I could feel in the air. Something was up. “I have a couple of things I would like to say. First, Joseph and Jack would like to get you a personal bodyguard. Last night just further proved that things are getting intense. Joseph was recently offered a job.”
I frowned. “What kind of job? I thought he wanted to run for Congress.”
“That was his original plan. The President—yeah, the actual fucking President—wants to appoint Joseph as Secretary of Commerce. It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s a really major opportunity. He would be the youngest—”
Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting that to come out of her mouth. “Do you have to move to DC?” I snapped.
Mom tried to remain calm, but I could tell my lack of enthusiasm was bothering her. She was probably hoping I would be excited, but my face was twisted in horror. “Should Joseph accept the position, then yes. We got the call while we were in Paris. The reason Joseph didn’t come last night is because he flew to DC so he could look at properties.”
So, he wasn’t at the office. He was in DC? Another fucking lie. This sounded like a done deal. “So, Joseph is going to accept?”
Mom folded her lips in and picked at her sleep shirt. “Yes.”
“I thought you were going to move into a new house thirty minutes from campus. So, you’re just going to leave? What am I supposed to do? When are you leaving?”
“We’re moving next week,” Mom said with a frown. “He’s formally accepting the position today. I wanted to tell you before you found out from someone else.”
“Like you told me about the baby?” I asked sarcastically. “Or like how I had to move to this apartment by myself when we’ve been planning for college since I was three?”
“I thought you would like the apartment! It’s better than whatever cheap dorm you would have been in without Jack’s generosity.”
“It’s not about the apartment. It’s about all these changes happening so soon,” I pressed. “I thought my life was one thing, and now I’m having to hide from an aggressive investigative journalist, and I’m attending a school that wasn’t even on my radar until you married Joseph.” I got up from my spot at the kitchen island and walked over to her. “Mom. Are you sure this is what you want? Our entire lives are going to be plastered everywhere. This is a very public position. It was bad enough with Jack being the Governor, but—”
“But nothing. I’m going to support my husband through this incredible opportunity. We’re going to raise our baby in DC, and you can come visit us whenever you want. You’re an adult now. You can’t keep clinging to me. It’s time for you to live on your own.”
My eyes widened. I knew she was right. Most people my age left for college without a second thought. But this was more than that. How could I make sure Mom was okay if she was in DC? “It’s just a lot of change in a short amount of time,” I sputtered. “I’m not trying to be clingy. But you’re my best friend—”
“I’m your mother, Vera. And I’ll always be your mother. But it’s time for us to grow up a little bit, baby.”
“I can’t believe you would drop this bomb right after what happened to me last night,” I croaked. My throat was clogged with emotion.
“Well, this is why I wanted to mention the personal bodyguard. Jack and Joseph think it’s a good idea while we are in transition. I want you to be safe. See? I’m not abandoning you.”