Summer's End (Wildflowers #5) - Jill Sanders Page 0,1
ears. She straightened the white dress Aubrey had picked out to wear and frowned down at the sneakers she was still wearing. “Didn’t the shoes fit you?” she asked her.
“No.” Aubrey frowned. “They were too big.”
The woman nodded. “You’ll grow into them.” She stood up and straightened her skirt. “Now, go on and have a seat.” She motioned to the chair across from her father.
Aubrey walked over, willing herself not to trip, and sat down in the tall chair. Miss Ellison scooted the chair in until Aubrey’s stomach was pushed up tight against the table.
There were so many plates and so much silverware in front of her that she tucked her hands in her lap, afraid to touch anything.
“I expect you to be on time.” Her father’s voice boomed across the space, causing her to jump slightly.
“Yes, sir,” she answered quickly.
Her father’s eyes narrowed. The fact that they matched her own eyes caused her stomach to flip.
She had her mother’s fiery red hair and light pale completion, but everything else about her matched the man sitting across from her.
Her father was old and wrinkled, and she wondered if he’d been that way when her mother and him had made her. She knew all about how babies were made, thanks to Marcy Moore, a girl in her class. Marcy’s mother was expecting a baby and had told Marcy all about it. Of course, Marcy had told her everything, since they were best friends.
The thought of her mother loving the man sitting across from her had Aubrey’s stomach rolling again.
“Well,” her father called out, “the girl is here.” He waved towards a thin bald man, who snapped his fingers. Several staff members rushed around the table, removing empty plates and bringing a bowl of orange liquid.
She wondered quickly why the plates were there in the first place if they were going to just be removed.
Aubrey frowned down at the orange liquid in the bowl that had been set in front of her. “What is it?” she asked.
“Squash soup,” Miss Ellison answered. She hadn’t realized that the woman was still standing behind her.
“I don’t like—”
“You’ll eat what I provide for you,” her father said loudly. “Every drop.” His eyes narrowed.
Swallowing the determination to fight, she picked up one of the three spoons and scooped some into her mouth. After the first bite, she’d shut down everything, even the will to live.
Was this going to be her new life? Stuck in a new world, in a new house? Belonging to this old man? She was his property now, that was made very obvious.
He wouldn’t deny that she was his child, as long as she obeyed his every rule. He would feed her, clothe her, and send her to the best schools, as long as she obeyed.
She hated it, but since there wasn’t anyone else in her life that could or would watch out for her, she figured it was better than being stuck in an orphanage.
Maybe her father would grow to love her. She had seen the movie Annie. Twice. Maybe, just maybe, dreams could come true for her as well.
Chapter 1
Eleven-year-old Aubrey stood and watched the black limo disappear down the dusty drive. Once it was out of sight, she darted her eyes around and held in a sob. It had been three years since her father had taken over her entire existence.
Now, standing alone in a strange place, she realized that she’d never felt so abandoned in her entire life. Even after her mother’s death, she’d had Miss Ellison to snatch her up and show her where to go, what to wear, and how to eat. Her father had dictated every aspect of her life. This was the first time she’d been left unattended in all that time.
Three long years of learning how to be a lady had almost squashed her spirit. But this, this just might do it.
She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve being dumped at an all-girls summer camp. She’d never been to such a place before. What did they even do here? How was she supposed to make friends? Especially dressed like she was.
She looked down at the starched dress Miss Ellison had forced her to wear.
Tears blinded her eyes as she started following a group of girls towards a large building.
She was so busy holding back the tears and keeping anyone from noticing them that she bumped into a dark-haired girl roughly her own age.
“Sorry,” she said softly after the girl turned around.