Em (The Summer My Life Began Book 1)

  EM

  The Summer

  My Life

  Began

  Shannon Greenland

  Chapter 1

  My sister and I have heard the same things our whole lives:

  An Ivy League education is expected.

  Medicine and law are the only two career options.

  Marry rich from the most prestigious families.

  I cringe when I think about the ridiculous standards. My parents are status seekers, plain and simple. And all my friends live the exact same lifestyle. Fancy houses, prep schools, expensive clothes, trips to Paris at a moment’s notice.

  Our whole lives are mapped out for us.

  For the most part, none of my friends seem bothered by it. Why would they be? They’re fine going to Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, wherever. They’re fine marrying who their parents tell them to. They’re fine going into the family business.

  They’re just plain fine.

  I guess I’m fine too. I don’t know any different. I like pleasing my parents and try to be the daughter I know they expect me to be. I like succeeding, having them proud of me. I embrace the whole “need to have a goal” thing, and I know what it takes to get to where I’m going.

  I’m not valedictorian for nothing.

  But over this last year, my senior year of high school, I began feeling like I’m missing something. Like even though I have everything, there’s so much more out there.

  Maybe I’m just nervous about graduating and starting college.

  But now it’s the end of May, and my freshman year of college lays only a few months away. I’m about to go down a path that has been planned for me probably since my conception: Ivy League university, then law school, and then a position at my dad’s firm.

  It’s actually happening—my future—and I have no desire to do any of it. There’s more out there, I’m just not sure what.

  “Hey, Em.” Gwenny, my younger sister, plops down beside me on the couch.

  I glance up from where I’m supposed to be reading a file in prep for my internship.

  “This came for you.” She flicks a green envelope at me.

  “Oh, thanks.” I flip it over to see no return address, but the postmark reads Outer Banks, North Carolina.

  Gwenny scoots in closer. “Who do we know in North Carolina?”

  With a shrug, I run my finger under the glue and pull out a card.

  My sister leans in, and I playfully hold the card so she can’t see.

  “Oh, stop it.” With a giggle, she tugs the card down.

  Gwenny’s the one person who can make me genuinely smile. Two years younger than me, she’s my polar opposite. Free-spirited, blond, thin, full of personality, laid back, easy to get along with, not so great grades, but everything else makes up for it. I have every right to be jealous of her but have never once been. She’s just too . . . well, amazing.

  I read the card out loud.

  “Dear Elizabeth Margaret,

  Happy Graduation! I’m so very proud of you.

  I’d like to invite you to spend the summer with me at my B & B, The Pepper House, located off the coast of North Carolina on Anna Island. Have your mom or grandmother call me if you’re interested.

  Love and smiles,

  Your Aunt Tilly (Matilda)”

  Gwenny gives me a little push. “Get out! We have an aunt? Would that be Dad’s or Mom’s sister?”

  “I have no clue.” I read the note again, confused.

  Mom strolls into the living room, her sensible heels clicking on the hardwood floor announcing her arrival. Running her finger over her iPhone, she scans her messages as she walks, always working. You’d have to be if you run the pediatric ward at the nearby hospital.

  She glances up. “Hello, girls.”

  Gwenny plucks the card from my hand. “Who’s Aunt Tilly?”

  Mom nearly trips over her own feet as she stops dead in her tracks. She brings her gaze straight to Gwenny. “Matilda?” she whispers.

  Gwenny’s blond brows lift as she waves the card in the air. “Em just got a graduation card from an Aunt Tilly.”

  Mom stares at the card and several tense seconds tick by. What is going on?

  Impatient, Gwenny walks the note to Mom. She takes it, clearing her throat, more composed now. “I’ve told you about Matilda. You’ve just forgotten.”

  Gwenny rolls a yeah, right look my way.

  “She’s my younger sister, by ten years,” Mom says, reading the card.

  My sister and I exchange a curious look.

  “Grandmother’s coming to dinner,” Mom says, abruptly changing the subject. “Please be ready by seven o’clock. And don’t wear jeans. You know how much your grandmother hates to see you girls in jeans.” With that, she clicks her way back across the hardwood floor, my card still in her hand.

  Gwenny spins around. “What was that?”

  “I have no idea, but we’re going to find out who this Matilda is.”

  She gives an excited hop. “Heck yeah, we are!”

  Chapter 2

  About an hour later, I pass by my mom’s office on the way upstairs to Gwenny’s room. Even though a thick wood door separates me from Mom, her muffled voice filters through. She’s speaking with someone on the phone, and she does not sound happy.

  I linger in the hallway, hoping to hear something—

  “Elizabeth Margaret?”

  With a jump, I whip around. “Dad! Um, hi.”

  He glances at the closed door. “Are you being nosy?”

  “Uh, no, sir.” I hurry past. “See you at dinner.”

  As I head up the stairs to my sister’s room, I hear him open and close the office door. Does he know the story behind Matilda or is Mom keeping him in the dark too?

  “Hey, it’s me,” I say, opening Gwenny’s door to find Rose here, too. A year younger than Gwenny, she’s our housekeeper’s daughter and also my sister’s best friend. We all grew up together, and because of our dark hair and eyes, most people think Rose and I are the siblings, not Gwenny and I.

  “Guess what?” Rose excitedly whispers, pointing to Gwenny’s laptop. “We found Matilda.”

  “What? No way!” I hurry over. “Mom’s downstairs arguing with someone on the phone. I think it’s about Matilda.”

  Gwenny’s eyes widen. “Really? What did you hear?”

  “Nothing. Dad busted my attempt at eavesdropping.”

  Rose rolls her eyes. “Clearly, you need a lesson in snooping.”

  “Clearly,” I agree.

  “Look.” Gwenny turns the laptop around. “Matilda looks just like Mom.”

  Scooting in, I peer over my sister’s shoulder at the screen. She’d found her way to the website of the private school our mom attended in high school and dug through several alumni links. Several photos depict her all perfect in her graduation gown as she delivers the valedictory speech.

  Other photos show Grandmother standing beside her, smiling, and with them, a young girl whom I assume must be Matilda. With her blond hair, blue eyes, and lanky body, Matilda looks like a smaller version of our mom.

  “You definitely got their look,” I tell my sister.

  Gwenny laughs. “And you definitely got Grandmother’s.”

  True. With my dark features and average height, I’m a younger version of Grandmother.

  “So, what else?” Rose asks, sliding in beside Gwenny on the chair.

  She perks up. “Well, I’ve got The Pepper House’s site and several links to Anna Island. Even though it’s located nearly a hundred miles from the Outer Banks, it’s still considered part of them. It’s really out there in the ocean.”

  Gwenny clicks on the B&B�
��s website and up pops several photos. There’s one of a courtyard with ivy and bright red flowers climbing the stone walls. Another of a tropical-themed room. Yet another of a beautiful bay. None of Matilda, though.

  “I can’t believe she invited you for the whole summer.” Gwenny looks over at me. “I am so jealous. Maybe I can go, too.”

  “Hey!” Rose gives her a playful shove. “You can’t leave me here.”

  “Yada-Yada.” My sister looks back over at me. “Wait a minute, what about the internship at Dad’s firm?”

  I groan. “I don’t know. But I do know I want to get out of here. I need this trip.”

  Rose arches a brow. “Look at you, being all defiant. Since when do you need to get out of here?”

  “Yeah, you’re the golden child,” Gwenny agrees. “The rule follower. Eyes on the prize. Conquer the world. You’re supposed to take one for the team so I can continue getting away with being the bad kid.”

  I make a face at her. She’s joking, of course, but her words do hit close. “I’ve been ‘taking one for the team’ my whole life. I need this.”

  “I know. I’m just teasing. It’s your last summer of freedom before Mom and Dad really get their claws into you.” My sister sighs. “Snorkeling, beaches, hiking, a cool B&B, a mysterious aunt.” Gwenny leans in. “A hot summer romance.”

  “Oooh.” Rose nods. “Definitely that.”

  I smile. “Now I just have to convince Mom and Dad.”

  A knock sounds on the door, and Gwenny quickly turns the laptop. “Yes?”

  Mom peeks her head in. “Oh, hi, Rose, I didn’t know you were.”

  She waves. “Yep, here.”

  Mom looks between us. “You girls need to get ready for dinner. Grandmother will be here soon.”

  We both nod.

  “Forty-five minutes,” she warns before closing the door.

  Rose pushes up out of the chair. “That’s my cue to leave. Catch you later.”

  “Well, I need to take a shower.” Gwenny disappears into her bathroom.

  After she closes her door, I go back to her laptop. I click some more through The Pepper House’s sparse website. Then I go on to research more on Anna Island.

  Why have our parents never told us about this aunt? What is it about Matilda that they don’t want us to know?

  Even if they say no, I’m going to find a way to get there.

  Chapter 3

  Forty-seven minutes later (and dressed not in jeans), my sister and I enter the formal living room, where our grandmother sits sipping a martini.

  “Granddaughters,” she formally greets us. “You are late.”

  “Only by two minutes,” Gwenny replies, and I repress a smile. I’ve never challenged our grandmother, but somehow Gwenny always gets away with it.

  “Sorry,” I dutifully apologize, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

  Grandmother surveys Gwenny first and then me. “Gwyneth, you are looking well. Elizabeth Margaret, you’ve put on a few pounds.”

  I sigh. I knew that was coming. I love food, but my metabolism doesn’t. Grandmother never has a problem pointing that out. Frankly, I want to blame it on her. After all, she’s the one I favor in this family.

  “Grandmother, she looks fine,” Gwenny defends me.

  I love my sister, for more reasons than I can count, but her willingness to stand up to Grandmother for me always tops the list.

  “Girls,” Dad greets us from his leather chair.

  “Father,” Gwenny mimics his formal tone and his lips twitch. She always makes him smile.

  Tall and trim with brown hair and wire-framed glasses, I always think Dad looks so handsome in his slacks and button-down dress shirt.

  Standing, Mom smooths the lines of her linen suit. “Shall we eat?”

  ~*~

  A few minutes later we sit around the freshly polished dining room table. Mom’s best china, crystal, and silver decorate each place setting. She uses it once a week when Grandmother comes.

  Navia, Rose’s mother, and our longtime housekeeper has made dinner, as she does almost every night. It simmers along the buffet. I smile at her, and she winks back at me as she ducks into the kitchen.

  I actually helped make dinner tonight, but no one except Gwenny knows that. I’ve been sneaking into the kitchen to help Navia for as long as I can remember.

  Grandmother caught me once and I’ll never forget how mad she got…

  “Your parents do not pay Navia for you to do her work,” Grandmother snaps. “You are not in this world to cook. You will be cooked for. Do you hear me, young lady?”

  I’d been ten at the time and so shocked at Grandmother’s forcefulness, I barely managed a nod. Gwenny wanted to tell our parents, but I made her promise not to. It took months and my sister’s persistence to finally convince me to sneak back in and continue helping Navia.

  Cooking makes me happy, and if I had my way, I would go to culinary school and study to become a chef.

  But I don’t have my way and so it’s a fantasy I hold close to my heart.

  After we serve ourselves from the buffet and begin eating, Grandmother speaks. “Elizabeth Margaret, your mother tells me you received a graduation card from your aunt Matilda.”

  My heart skips a beat. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “She’s invited you to spend the summer with her?” Grandmother delicately dabs her mouth. “Do you have an interest in this?”

  “No she does not,” my mom answers for me. “She’s got the internship at the law firm.”

  I cut a glance at my sister, and she gives me an encouraging nod.

  “Actually, yes, I am interested,” I quickly counter before I lose my nerve.

  “Elizabeth Margaret,” Dad interrupts. “Do you know how much trouble I went through to get you the internship?”

  “Yes,” I answer. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. “I know, but—”

  Mom says, “Do you know how important this is for your future? Harvard is expecting it.”

  My shoulders drop.

  “Do you know—”

  “Yes,” I rudely interrupt my dad. “I know.”

  “Young lady, you watch your tone,” Grandmother rebukes me.

  With a sigh I look at first my mom, then my dad, then my grandmother. Under the table, Gwenny touches her foot to mine in an encouraging gesture.

  Bringing my gaze back to my mom, I straighten my shoulders. “I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me. My grades are impeccable, I’m going to an Ivy League, my future is set. I’m not asking for a lot here. I just want to step away, have some fun, and enjoy my final summer before Harvard. Can’t you all understand that? Didn’t you ever feel overwhelmed? Like you just need to take a breath? That’s how I feel. That’s how I’ve felt for a while now. It’s not like I’m going to be with strangers. This is my aunt. What do you think is going to happen?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch my sister smiling at me, but I keep my attention on my parents as they share and unreadable look with Grandmother.

  Mom takes a sip of her white wine. “What about your responsibilities here? The internship. The prestige of that alone.”

  I glance at my dad. I really don’t want to disappoint him. With the way he’s been talking about it, he’s more excited about this internship than I am.

  With a deep breath, I gather my thoughts. “Dad, I understand what you went through to get the internship slot for me. I know I was picked from over a hundred applicants. I realize that. I don’t want to disappoint you. You know that, right?”

  Dad clears his throat. “Of course.”

  “But I also don’t want to pass up this opportunity that Aunt Matilda has given me.” I glance between my parents, an idea forming. “Maybe I can spend a month with Matilda and then come back and finish the summer at your firm?”

  Actually, that isn’t a bad idea. That way I’ll get what I want, still uphold the promise I made to Dad, and not disappoint the family—or Harvard.

&nb
sp; I look across the table at Grandmother, and after a silent tense moment, she nods.

  My parents exchange another look and then Dad nods as well.

  “Fine,” Mom says. “One month there and then you’ll definitely come back here for the internship.”

  I don’t hold my back giant smile, but I do squash the urge to squeal. “Definitely,” I agree. “Thank you.”

  Mom takes another sip of wine. “I’ll call Matilda and arrange everything.”

  Chapter 4

  Later that night, Gwenny flops across my bed. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re going. I am so jealous.”

  I lay down beside her. “I know. I can’t believe they actually agreed.”

  “What are you going to do with one whole month in paradise?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrug. “Sailing, I guess. I’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Oh please. You’ve been sailing. Loosen up. Try something else. Ooh!” Gwenny grabs my foot. “It’s a B&B. You should ask Aunt Matilda if you can help out in the kitchen. Take your recipe book with you. I bet you can teach her chef a thing or two.”

  I shake my head, even though that idea sounds way too interesting. “No way. What if it gets back to Grandmother?”

  Rolling off my bed, Gwenny pads over to my desk where I hide my cookbooks. “Seriously, this is a perfect opportunity.” She flips through one of the books. “You have loads of fab recipes here.”

  She’s right—I should take this opportunity to do something I love. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “Of course I am. Oh, and we’re totally go shopping. You need a bikini.”

  I laugh. “I have a bikini.”

  “Really?” Gwenny crinkles her nose. “That blue-and-white one?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that bikini.”

  “You obviously aren’t too concerned about a hot summer romance. That thing’s best suited for running a triathlon.”

  I throw a pillow at her. “Gwenny!”

  “What? You need strings.” She sashays her shoulders. “Plus cleavage.”