I wipe my eyes and turn to look at him.
He hands me a to-go cup.
"What's this?"
Grandpa smiles. "My special lemonade, of course."
"I need to go for a walk," I tell him.
"Then let's go," he says. "Boys, open the gate."
Surprisingly, the guards listen to Grandpa.
As we walk out onto the road, he turns back and instructs them not to follow us.
I take a deep, cleansing breath, pulling as much air into my lungs as I can before exhaling it.
"Talk," Grandpa commands.
"I'm hurting people that I love."
Grandpa studies me for a moment. "Sam told me you picked out a resting place."
"I thought our dealings were supposed to be privileged."
"They are," he laughs. "From everyone but me."
"So you know everything I put in my will?"
"Yes. You're a smart and caring young woman. I'm very proud of how you've changed. You're not the same girl you were when you visited me last summer."
"Having your life in danger makes the things that should be important more clear."
"Like what?"
"Love, mostly."
He nods, agreeing. "In the grand scheme of life, that's all that really matters. The people who you love."
"I need a plan, Grandpa. Mine is a mess. And, between filming and the wedding, I haven't had time to think about what's next."
"Then start with what's first. What will you do when you take over the company? How will you handle it?"
"Mostly, I want Vincent to know it was me. I want to personally fire him. I want to tell him I'll be remaking A Day at the Lake. Then I want him escorted out of his building."
"So do it."
"Do you think it will actually happen?"
"Do you doubt your Grandpa?"
I smile. "No."
"I won't let you confront him in person. But if you want to see him, I'll agree to a video conference."
"Put me on a big screen, huh? Hell, that's even better. Honestly, if I really wanted to piss him off, I'd wear Mom's bikini from the movie and scream."
"That's brutal," he says, slapping me on the back. "I love it. Then what will you do?"
"The movie is cast except for three characters. I'm going to do a press release. And then I'm going to cast the parts. I'll go back to New York City. I'll go to Malibu. Be seen around."
Grandpa shakes his head.
"It will be okay. We'll have Mom's publicist set it all up. He'll only see pictures of where I was last night, not where I am now."
"I had a chat with Garrett. He thinks pushing Vincent is a bad idea."
"I think it's a bad idea too, but it's my only option."
"Your Cooper is very loyal to you, isn't he?"
"Yes. He's become more than a bodyguard to me. He's more like a friend. His sister was killed by a stalker."
"No wonder he's on your side."
"If something doesn't happen quickly, I may have to deal with Vincent face-to-face."
"Hotshot, there's bravery and there's stupidity. It's a fine line."
"I hope to be on the smart side of stupid."
Grandpa breaks out laughing. "Now tell me the real reason why you were crying."
"It's Aiden."
"You love him. It's pretty obvious."
"I do, but I shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because he makes my life feel like a fairy tale when it's not. I'm setting us both up for heartbreak. I told him I loved him. I shouldn't have."
"Did you mean it?"
"With everything I am."
Grandpa's face changes.
"What?" I ask.
"Grandma had a bit of a scare this week."
"What kind of scare?"
"A man followed her from the grocery store and tried to run her off the road."
"What did she do?!"
"Your grandmother is one smart cookie. She turned onto one of the dirt roads that lead through the fields. He didn't follow her."
"Do you know why?"
"We put the hostile takeover together fast. The ownership of one of the shell corporations wasn't as tight as it should have been. My name was on it. Since our last names are the same, it probably didn't take Vincent long to figure out who's behind the takeover. This trip came at a good time."
"Stay here. Until this is over."
"Your grandmother is."
"You too, Grandpa. You can help from here."
"I can handle myself."
"I know you can, but you're not getting any younger."
"Cunning beats youth any day."
"Except in a fight."
"We're in a fight right now. This takeover is part of the beat down. You want Vincent humiliated. You want him too hurt to fight back. The only problem is that when a man has nothing to lose, he becomes desperate."
"That's exactly what I want. For him to be so desperate he won't be able to think or plan. Up until now-following people, breaking into rehab, maybe even the killings-were probably jobs he paid someone to do. I need him so beat down that he won't be able to think straight. I want him so mad he'll do things himself. I want him to feel trapped. Caged. To feel like everything he loves is lost. I want him to feel like I do."
"Cooper told Garrett he's afraid you're going to let yourself get kidnapped."
"There's really no other way. And, once we take over the company, it's got to happen quickly. Because no one I love will be safe. It would also make me feel better if you were here. Those highly-trained guards of Garrett's just let target number one walk out the front door simply because you have an authoritative voice. Vincent is a good actor and a good liar. I'd feel better with you here."
"Good point," he says with a nod. "If I agree to stay, will you agree to discuss your plans with me first?"
I consider lying to him, but I can't. "I'll try to. I value your opinion, Grandpa."
"That's good enough for me," he says as a black car pulls up next to us. "Looks like our walk is over."
Garrett gets out of the car and motions for us to get in.
On the short ride back to the house, he starts to chew me out, but Grandpa quickly intervenes.
"You should be chewing out your boys at the gate. They're the ones who let me walk out with her."
"You're a guest," Garrett counters.
"Shouldn't matter. It's a weakness."
Garrett thinks about that for a second then says, "You're right."
Vincent spends the holidays at his grandmother's house, revising the script. He has to make sure everything is perfect.
Keatyn goes back to New York.
"You're going to have dinner with Knox? Alone. In his hotel room?" Aiden asks me, reading over my shoulder.
"Yeah, I feel like I need to tell him what's going on with Vincent before he's photographed with me. I want him to know that it could put him in danger."
"I don't think he'll care. He's a publicity hound."
"A very calculating publicity hound, from what I can tell. And this is just the first step of my plan. I want to be photographed. I want Vincent to start seeing pictures of me. Going clubbing with Knox practically assures that I will. And, hopefully, it will draw some of the attention away from Damian and Peyton. I'm gonna go get ready."
"I'm not sure I like this," Aiden says as I walk away.
I hear Cooper say to him, "Don't like what?"
I pull on a slinky dress. I'm sitting on my chaise, putting on a pair of platform heels when both Cooper and Aiden join me in the closet.
"What's up?" I ask them.
"We're coming with you," Aiden says.
"No, you're not," I reply adamantly.
"Didn't you just tell me a few days ago that you'd listen to me?" Cooper says.
"Yes, Cooper, I will consider letting you come with. I will not consider letting Aiden."
Aiden taps his foot and purses his lips.
"Aiden," I say. "You promised."
He runs his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Yeah, I did."
"Tell me your plan," Cooper says.
"I'm sure Aiden already told you, but I'm meeting Knox at his hotel. While we have dinner, I will tell him the risks of being seen with me. Then, depending on his reaction, I may go to a club with him. And, hopefully, we'll be photographed together. It's all part of my plan, Cooper. Is Vincent in California right now?"
"Yes."
"Then there's nothing to worry about."
"There's a lot to worry about, but you're right that I don't think we have to worry about Vincent in this situation."