them to realize Grammie needed help and even longer to locate her on the vast estate.
Poppy didn’t want Turner to be bothered at work, she knew he liked to maintain momentum. But telling Grammie not to go there was sort of a guarantee that she would. Even at her age, Grammie liked to rebel. At least if Grammie went in that direction, she could be sure that Aitken and Turner would be around to look out for her.
It had taken Poppy longer to get ready than she’d intended. Even without her usual morning workout, the day was getting away from her. The delays possibly had something to do with Grammie moving everything of Poppy’s out of her closet to put it in Turner’s. Not herself, of course, she had the staff do it. The woman really did want great grandchildren.
As Poppy retrieved her phone and wandered back to the couch searching for her call log, she thought about children. Did she want them? Yes. Did Turner? Probably not. He’d said a baby would be a strain and she understood what he meant. Money might be less of a problem now she’d be able to access her trust for them. As for his time? He’d have to give up some of his jobs caretaking for other buildings if he wanted to free up some time. If he and Grammie had plans to expand the empire, even leaving his existing jobs wouldn’t guarantee he’d have the time needed to raise children.
That issue would have to wait for another time.
The only number in her call log without a name was the exact time and date that Zoey would’ve used the phone to call Casey. After saving the number, Poppy dialed, and waited for a response.
It didn’t take long for the teen to pick up the phone.
“Zo?”
There was such hope in Casey’s voice that Poppy was pained to disappoint her. “It’s Poppy, I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” Casey said with obvious disappointment. “That’s okay.”
“How are you doing?”
“Great,” Casey said. Her enthusiasm was obviously fake, she’d probably practiced upholding a façade with her parents since they’d learned the truth. “How are you?”
“Worried about you. Zoey told me what happened. You guys broke up?”
Casey sighed. “I should’ve known. I was stupid to tell my parents. I mean I’m seventeen, what do I know about love?”
Poppy smiled, not a joyful smile, she just felt such aching sorrow for the youngster who was trying to put a brave face on her misery.
“As much as the rest of us,” Poppy said. “Don’t doubt yourself because your parents are too narrow-minded to accept this straight away. I’m sorry they reacted in the way that they did and that it’s hurt you so much.” Casey didn’t say anything, neither confirming nor denying how she felt. “Did Zoey invite you here to stay with us?”
A scoff of a laugh clouded the line. “My parents wouldn’t even let me finish out the year at school. They’re talking about sending me to some camp.”
A chill of horror tickled Poppy’s spine. “What kind of camp?”
“I don’t know.”
The teen didn’t sound too concerned, just fed up. Poppy didn’t want to read too much into the suggestion. There were plenty of regular, wholesome camps in the country that would give Casey a chance to get some air and clear her head. There were also some terrifying camps designed to brainwash and punish teens simply for being who they were.
Poppy didn’t know enough about Casey’s parents to judge what kind of people they were: the kind who would take some time to come to terms with the news about their daughter or the type who were so averse to the truth that they’d damage their own daughter irrevocably just to avoid accepting it.
“We have clean sea air and enough space to lose yourself,” Poppy said. “You could really have fun here.”
And Zoey was there. While she wasn’t advocating for the teens to share a room—sex was sex and encouraging it under her parents’ roof wouldn’t go over well—they would have time alone on the estate. Time to figure out what they wanted from each other, time to figure out how far they were willing to go to fight for a future together.
“I’d love to come,” Casey said. “I think it’s terrible what’s happening with that guy and how you’re stuck in hiding.”
“Thank you. I hope we’ll figure a way out of it soon.”
“Guess I wasn’t so wrong about you and Turner, huh?”
Despite the subject matter, it was nice to hear the