He’d be mortified. Turner was not the type of guy who’d want that kind of attention. On top of that, he had no interest in fighting for her. Not that he’d need to, she had no inclination to even humor Holden.
The next time she saw him, she’d make that as clear as day.
Obviously he’d forgotten that she didn’t pull her punches. Holden Abernathy might think she’d appreciate his grand gesture when, in fact, the opposite was true. The farther away and quieter he could be, the better, as far as Poppy was concerned.
THIRTY-FOUR
Someone somewhere got word that Poppy and Primrose were returning home. The news vans had been waiting for them outside the airport after landing. Some even tried to tail them home, which didn’t make much sense. It took an hour to drive from the airport to the house and it wasn’t like the Adler Estate was a secret. It stood on its own patch of land almost forty miles outside the capital. Once upon a time the land had been farmed, and they still had their orchards, though those were more of a family hobby than a major money-maker.
The Adler family, which her grandmother had been born into, had made their money in industry. Production and manufacturing placed them high on the social ladder at the turn of the last century. Despite its English country manor appearance, the house itself hadn’t been built until about fifteen years before her grandmother’s birth.
It was her grandmother’s father who had decided to branch the family’s interest into the tech production field. Back then it was a burgeoning interest. He’d obviously seen its potential and Poppy’s own father had reaped the rewards of the family getting into the field early.
Poppy’s stomach sank as the car took them through the broad, high gates into the estate. Trees ran around the perimeter, inside the wall, offering the family a little more privacy. The winding road took them past the manicured gardens at the front of the house and up to the gravel driveway.
The car stopped and Primrose waited for the door to be opened. Granger Girls didn’t open their own car doors, they didn’t have to. Once it was open, her sister glided out.
Poppy couldn’t bring herself to move.
Going out there, back into that house was an indication of her failure. Her family, minus her grandmother, would lap it up. She hadn’t been able to make it out in the real world on her own. There was no hiding it. She was a failure.
Except that wasn’t what kept her seated in the back of the car. Leaving the car and going into the house would be the end. It would be the end of her adventure. The end of her life as it had been.
Funny that when leaving the wedding, Poppy had been nothing but optimistic. Certain in her path, she’d exuded only enthusiasm. Now, at the other end of that journey, the idea of disappearing from the life she’d built for herself left her cold.
Primrose ducked her head back in. “Poppy?”
“I just need a second.”
The half a dozen stairs up to the house would be a difficult ascent. Though it was only approaching evening, Poppy doubted her father was at work. From the conversations she’d sort of overheard on the jet, Primrose had filled in the family that both sisters were returning home. Her own phone was back in the Venture apartment. She’d left it behind. For that she was grateful. Poppy didn’t want to see the news reports. Didn’t want to witness her life being inspected and torn apart.
Her only concern was Turner and his family. The media might not care about her friendship with Charley after her friend refused to tell her story. But the Grangers were protected. They had the money to protect themselves, and the grounds for privacy… ish.
Their exposure would be nothing like the Maddoxes could receive.
Closing her eyes, Poppy berated herself for not explaining the full situation to Turner. He deserved a chance to protect the people he loved. Instead she’d just left him swinging in the wind. Vulnerable. Exposed.
“Poppy!” Primrose exclaimed, startling her.
“Okay,” she said, accepting that she couldn’t sit there forever. “Okay, yes, I’m coming.”
Sliding along the seat, she got out of the car and was immediately struck by the familiar scent of home. It had only been a few months, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed since she’d last stood there. The last time she’d been there, she was sliding into a