The Angels' Share (The Bourbon Kings #2) - J. R. Ward Page 0,152

other, and that’s it. There isn’t anyone else to turn to.”

“What about your new husband?” Amelia said bitterly. “What about him?”

“He’s my problem, not yours. In fact, he’s the best example of everything that I’ve always done wrong, and I need to deal with him.”

Gin looked around at the familiar, elegant room and then refocused. “We literally have no one but each other. And you can hate me all you want—I deserve it. I’ll take it. I won’t question it, and I won’t get angry in return. That emotion, though … however justifiable it is … won’t change the fact that if you don’t want to be at Hotchkiss, you and I are the only ones who can address that. And if you change your mind and want to stay there? You and I will need to get you back to campus. And if you want to drop out … well, I’m not going to let you do that. Because whether or not you respect me, you’re a minor and I’m your mother in the eyes of the law if in no other. And you’re going to at least get your high school degree. After that? In two more years? I have no right over your life except that which you freely grant me.”

Amelia blinked a couple of times.

And it was funny; she seemed to grow younger before Gin’s eyes, even as nothing particularly changed about her, the largely intangible regression the result of some feelings or thoughts or … Gin didn’t know what.

“Talk to me,” Gin said after a moment. “Tell me what you’re thinking.” “I’m afraid if I’m up there …” The girl looked away. “I’m afraid if I stay up there everyone will disappear here and I’ll have nowhere to go. I mean, I know about the money stuff. Will Easterly even stay ours? What about the company? Like, is the power going to be cut off here?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. And I hate that I can’t give you an answer. But I promise you it’s going to be all right for you.”

“How?”

Gin reached into her purse and took out the safe-deposit key. “I’m going to give this to you right now. You won’t be able to get into the box as long as I’m alive, and if I die, you need to go to your Uncle Lane and tell him that I gave this to you. He’s the executor of the will I signed this afternoon. This key goes to a box down at the PNC branch by Taylor’s Drugstore. I’m not going to tell you what’s in there, and as I said, you won’t be able to access it until I’m gone. But what’s inside will keep you safe regardless of what happens here.”

When Amelia didn’t come over, Gin held it out farther. “Take it. Put it wherever you want, but don’t lose it. Go on.”

Amelia approached cautiously, and as she came over, Gin found herself blinking back tears. In all her negligence and selfishness, she had missed the suffering she had caused this innocent child—and the wariness being shown now was such a painful reckoning that Gin could not breathe.

“I’m sorry,” Gin rasped as the key changed hands. “I can’t apologize enough, and I won’t blame you if you never let me in. But let’s … for the next two years, let’s try and do right for you. Now tell me, what school do you want to go to?”

Amelia stared at the key for the longest time. “Charlemont Country Day. Field is there. I know a lot of the kids. I like it there.”

“Okay. So here’s what I’d like to suggest. I think your Uncle Lane plans on burying Grandfather tomorrow or the day after. Your dorm parent said you can take your exams here or back at school. What do you want to do?”

“Umm …”

“If you decide you want to take them at school, I’ll drive you up after the funeral, or we can fly. If you want to stay home and do them here, I’ll get your things and bring them back myself.”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “You would have no idea how to get my stuff organized.”

“Boxes and bags. How hard can it be?”

“You’d do that? You’d go allllll the way to Connecticut and get my stuff?”

“Yes.”

“With Uncle Lane, of course—”

“No, I would do it alone. I can figure it out. So what do you want to do?”

Amelia went across and sat on the other sofa. As she tucked her legs up