Victorie plus N

Chapter 14: Table for One

It's been about two weeks since "the incident". I've literally just hung out by the pool with Teddy and Ann and take walks in the garden. Sometimes I would walk with Teddy because Ann would be doing something.

I've learned a lot about Teddy from those walks. Like how his parents died in a car crash (like mine, surprisingly) when he was a baby and was adopted by Ann's mom and dad. Then a year later they had Ann. I didn't know Teddy was older than Ann, when I met them, I thought they were the same age. Guess I was wrong. Teddy also told me that Ann's mother died of cancer two years after Ann was born. I feel horrible for Teddy; he lost his birth parents, then his adoptive mother, and now his Great Uncle. He's probably scared that he'll lose his father and Ann, too, though he definitely doesn't show it.

I was able to get a map of the gardens, too, although Leo told me the floorplan of Beckenridge "Manor" (more like "mansion") was lost long ago. Like in the 1700s. I'll probably never know what my house really looks like inside, but that's fine.

Last week I met my therapist who's supposed to help me deal- with my parents' and Grandfather's deaths, that is. Like I said, I think living a millionaire-life would be therapy enough as long as I read self-help books or something, but George, Grandfather's personal lawyer, thought differently. At least my new therapist is nice enough, and I only have to see her twice a week. My last therapist, I saw almost four times a week.

Finally, I also got to meet our three new governesses (babysitters); one for each of three of us. They're all doing college online and ignore half the time, preferring to stay in their rooms. Great babysitters. Whatever, I don't really want to see them anyway.

Right now, I'm eating dinner, early at 5:30, with Ann and Teddy. The "babysitters" are holed up in their rooms doing who-knows-what.

Ann finishes her dinner first out of all of us. "I'm going to prepare."

She stands up and pushes in her chair, then leaves us.

Prepare for what, I think, No one's coming over, right? She never said anything about that.

Oh well, she's probably just saying something to get us to ask her what it is- we didn't and she does that sometimes. After a few minutes, Teddy looks up from his book.

"Uh, Victorie, I was wondering if you'd come to the library with me after dinner?" he asks, "I need to give you something."

The library? He's never asked me to go to the library with him, only on walks to the garden, and those were kind of random, just like this is. He probably wants to give me a book, because I told him I don't really know any good books to read that I haven't already read.

"Okay," I say, giving him a small smile. He just wants to give me a book, that's all.

"Well," he says, "I'll see you when you finish." He nods at my half-full plate.

"Sure, see you then."

He gets up and walks out.

Table for one, anyone?