Page 30 of The Heiress
Chapter 10
Elisha
I’d been woken by athumping sound, and beneath the covers I tried to grasp what it was, where I was. The sliver of light shining through the crack in the curtains indicated I’d slept well, and the coziness of the bed made me reluctant to move. But the incessant noise reminded me that I was in Phoenix Carter’s house, and I hopped out and scooted across to the window, concealing myself behind the thick floor-length drapes.
Phoenix was out on the tennis court, hitting balls against a wall. In an almost robotic style, he hit each ball back to the same spot, over and over, swinging his arm, rotating his torso and whipping his racket back over his head. His feet were planted, and he only moved to grab another ball from the cart when the one he hit went flying out of his reach. From the amount of balls scattered over the court, Phoenix had hit a lot of balls.
Mesmerized by his constant, repetitive movements, I reeled at the memory of last night. I’d come downstairs later, feeling a little hungry by that stage. I could see the light in the living room so assumed Laura was still up, but I’d stopped in my tracks and flattened myself to the wall when I’d heard hushed voices.
Or one hushed voice—that of Phoenix.
“I’m just saying Mom...don’t fall for it, you don’t know what she’s really like—”
He was interrupted by a whispered shushing sound, and my heart paused—and then it went on a rampage. I’d been caught out, my presence detected, either my footfall on the stairs or Laura’s extra sharp hearing.
I bit down on my lower lip and like a coward ran back up the stairs, my socks barely touching the floor. With the skill of a secret agent, I quietly closed the door and stood perfectly still, a tremor running through my body. I hadn’t heard all of the conversation but enough to guess,to knowthat I’d been the subject. That Phoenix had been enlightening his mother, heck, he waswarningher.
And it had hurt.
My breath came in heaving gulps, the startling revelation that I’d engineered my own downfall. Created a version of myself that was so unlikable, a person nobody wanted to be around. Snappy, grumpy, brusque, a reputation I’d done nothing to dispel. Someone who kids avoided, the one left out of groups. The cool ice queen, the loner. And why? All because of my anger and resentment against my parents, a petty rebellion against their decision to send me to this boarding school in River Valley. I’d overlooked the true reason for being at Covington Prep—my parents wanting to improve my quality of life. Perhaps instead of being angry at the position they’d put me in, I should have been grateful. I’d behaved like a spoilt brat, playing the role of poor little rich girl—perhaps exactly what they feared I’d become. I had a feeling I deserved every moment of misery I’d experienced.
As I watched Phoenix hit ball after ball, I fixated on the power he injected into each shot, a boy whose legs were virtually useless on their own, somehow fighting to overcome his limitations. What had he said to his mother last night—that his tennis dream might be over?
Yet here he was, punishing tennis balls at the crack of dawn, while I cowered behind curtains, resenting my parents, my life—and barely participating in it.
I needed to make a change.
After getting dressed, I pulled up the bed cover and headed downstairs. I could hear Laura moving around in the kitchen.
“Good morning!” She greeted me warmly, busy at the stove. “I was about to come and see if you were awake. Sleep well?”
“Like a log,” I said. “I heard the tennis balls.”
“Sorry about that,” Laura said on an amused sigh. “Yes, he was up at sunrise.” She made it sound like it was a regular occurrence.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Can I help with anything?”
“It’s all good,” Laura said with a smile, “but you could let Phoe know breakfast is ready.”
Phoenix had rejected my offer to help pick up the balls. But I’d ignored him; with hundreds of balls scattered around the court, it could be Christmas by the time he got done. He’d scowled, but showed a brief interest when finding out I’d been coached, but tennis was only one of the many activities I’d tried, one of the many I’d sucked at. Ballet, gymnastics, violin, piano, equestrian, golf and tennis had all gone by the wayside, my talent and interest in them mediocre at best. I lacked discipline for training, and when I was forced to become competitive, I quickly lost interest. Although I loved riding horses, I didn’t when I was judged for how many fences I knocked down, and snowboarding and skiing were the only sports I mastered with any skill. That’s because I could ride down the mountain on my own for pure fun, not racing or comparing myself to anyone else.
I accepted Laura’s invitation to go to the Black Friday sales because she seemed genuinely excited to take me shopping. Plus, I wanted the chance to prove to her that I was a good person, to redeem myself if Phoenix had said what I presumed he did—that I was the most unpopular girl in school.
Because I knew how posh it was in Covington, I changed out of my hoodie and leggings into my dark blue skinny jeans and a cream merino cowl neck sweater, all very classic. I pulled on my black Louboutin ankle boots and ran my curling irons through my hair. I hadn’t expected to go anywhere this weekend, but one thing Mom had taught me was to never under pack.
I came downstairs, pausing on the bottom step, wondering if I should consider taking my phone. I had yet to turn it on, but it crossed my mind that I should take a few photos to send to Mom, set her at ease.
But Laura came out from the kitchen. “Oh my, you look gorgeous,” she said with a smile. And she reached out to pat my arm, a gesture of reassurance, but she rested her hand there, soft and gentle, radiating warmth all over.
It had been the only show of affection, the only human touch I’d had since arriving in River Valley and I didn’t want it to end.
“I’ll just grab my purse,” Laura said, dashing off into the other room. At that moment I missed Mom and Dad more than anything, so far away on the other side of the world, their hugs and kisses and being in their arms. I swallowed hard and wiped at my eyes, blurring from a sudden inflow of tears. I needed to get control of myself before Laura returned.
