Parchment & Pearls

27. And This Is When I Want To Slap Myself

Chapter 27

And This Is When I Want To Slap Myself

John found me later that day in the library, curled up in an armchair by one of the windows. I didn't realize he was there until I looked up from Lorraine's journal - which, yes, I was reading again - to find him watching me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him, closing the journal and sitting up straighter.

He shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, nothing's wrong. I was just wondering where you were...and how you were doing. You've been quiet all day."

"I'm fine," I shrugged. "I've just gotten used to Beau and the others being here."

"Have you heard from them?"

"Yeah. Savannah texted me when they got to the airport a few hours ago. She said she would again whenever they got back to Atlanta."

He smiled, pulling up another chair in front of mine. "I'm glad you finally told them everything, even though they kind of made you."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Well, they'll still give me crap about keeping everything from them, even years down the road."

John didn't say anything then as he stretched out in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He was still watching me, though, like he was just waiting for me to offer up any more information.

"What?" I finally asked. "Just spit it out."

"You and Beau, huh?"

Straight to the point.

And a straight shot to the heart, too.

I nodded, looking down at the journal in my lap. "Yeah. Me and Beau."

"Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded again, slower. "As okay as a girl can be when she and her boyfriend of two years just broke up. But I'm fine. We're still friends, even though I know it's going to be awkward in the beginning whenever I get back home. But it'll be fine."

"Fine," he sighed. "I hate it when you women say fine. You're never fine when that's the only word you use."

"Well, I am."

"And you forget that I've known you since the day you were born. Your mom had you here."

I snorted. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that story before."

Me, making my grand entrance into the world, kicking and screaming, upstairs in my room of all places. My parents and Anna had come for the Brotherhood's yearly two-week-long meeting. Momma had been eight and a half months pregnant with me and decided to come along even with the risk of me coming at any moment. When I wanted to come, I did. They didn't even have time to think about going to the hospital in London before I arrived.

"You know," John said then. "I always thought that was why you had such a strong connection to the place, tying you here. You're pretty much the only one who knows the entire history of the manor, Seward House, and the surrounding land."

I held up Lorraine's journal. "Apparently, not everything, though."

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," he nodded. "I've talked with Drake a few times about how soon he wants to officially get started on that. All he's willing to give me is that everything is up to you. Seems like he's letting you take the reins for most of everything going on between you two, huh?"