Free Heavenstone 02 - Secret Whispers by authors_sort Page A

much he was including in “any of this.” Did it include what had happened at the motel?
    “Okay. Call me when you get an opportunity,” I said.
    He promised he would, and I hung up.
    Not a day passed when I didn’t wait for his call, but none came. On the Friday before graduation, I finally called him again. His roommate answered, sounding annoyed to be interrupted. He blurted something about Ethan going home on a family matter. He wasn’t sure when he’d return. He hung up before I could ask him to be sure to tell Ethan I had called.
    That Sunday, Daddy and Uncle Perry arrived after noon. They had flown in on the private jetDaddy rented. To my surprise, Lucille Bennet was with them. I had been waiting at my dorm-room window and saw them driven up in a limo. The driver opened the door, and Daddy stepped out first, turned, and offered his hand to a tall woman who looked only a few inches shorter than he was. She had light auburn hair in a medium cut, layered in a semistraight style I couldn’t help but think was very attractive.
    There was something elegant about her. Dressed in what looked like an expensive bright white designer outfit, a cardigan with three-quarter-length sleeves and a skirt, she had a very self-confident posture. The cardigan had black piping and a floral pattern at the left shoulder. Daddy wore one of his black suits with a ruby tie, and Uncle Perry, who stepped out quickly behind them, looked as handsome as ever in a light blue suit and tie.
    I rushed down the hall to the lobby to greet them. Daddy opened the door for Lucille and Uncle Perry and followed them into the dorm.
    “Hey, Sam,” I heard Uncle Perry cry. As far back as I could recall, he had called me that.
    “Hi,” I said, and moved quickly to embrace and kiss Daddy and then him.
    “Our graduate,” Uncle Perry said, smiling.
    “Semantha, I’d like to introduce you to Lucille. She was nice enough to want to travel with us to attend your graduation,” Daddy said.
    “Nice enough?” Cassie whispered. “ What a sacrifice. She traveled here in a private jet and a limousine. It’s clear what she’s after.”
    “Hi,” I said, and she held out her hand very slowly, her eyes scouring my face as if she were looking for some blemish. Of course, I had no idea how much, if anything, Daddy had told her about me and what had happened. Of course, she had to know about my pregnancy, but what details had he told her?
    “I’m so happy to meet you, Semantha. Your father has told me so much about you. Congratulations on your graduation.”
    “Thank you.”
    Because of how hard she was looking at me, I shifted my eyes quickly to Uncle Perry, whose obvious excitement at seeing me warmed my heart and helped me feel more at ease.
    “You do look wiser,” he said, smiling.
    “I don’t feel wiser.”
    “You will,” he insisted.
    “You all packed to leave immediately afterward?” Daddy asked.
    “I bet she’s been packed for days,” Uncle Perry said.
    I laughed and nodded. I didn’t have to say it. He could see in my eyes how true it was. Then I glanced at my watch and looked at the front, hoping to see Ethan drive up. I still felt Lucille’s eyes on me, studying every movement in my face. She was making me feel very self-conscious.
    “Look right back at her,” Cassie whispered. “Don’t let her intimidate you.”
    I looked at her, trying to be as hard as Cassie would be, hardly blinking.
    But that didn’t drive her eyes from me. She hadalmond-shaped grayish blue eyes that telegraphed self-confidence reinforced with her firm but feminine lips. She was not as pretty as Mother was, but she was very attractive and had a beautiful, stately figure. I hated to admit it, and Cassie certainly never would, but she looked as if she complemented Daddy well. It was easy to believe that people would see them as a power couple. Everything about her said, “I take charge, and I support the man I’m with.”
    “I’ll never forget my college