The Summer of Sunshine and Margot Page 6

  She rose. “I won’t keep you any longer,” she said. “I just wanted to say hello and make sure we were both clear with the ground rules.”

  “Of course.” He stood. “Have you discussed them with my mother?”

  “I will and I’m confident she’ll be in favor of them.”

  He allowed himself a slight smile. “We’ll see.”

  “I can be stubborn and disciplined.”

  “I’m sure that’s true, but Bianca has a way of making things happen that are more to her liking. She swoops in and rearranges until you’re left wondering how exactly things got that way. It’s a gift.”

  She laughed. “You mean it’s a curse.”

  “Not for her. Just us lesser mortals.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to proving you wrong.”

  “I am rarely wrong, Margot.”

  “Neither am I.”

  * * *

  By nine-thirty that night, Margot was nearly giddy from her excitement about the house. She’d spent an hour in the small chapel, only leaving when it got dark. She’d checked out the empty guest room, the guest lounge and most of the kitchen. She’d made herself a sandwich for dinner and had discovered that the cookie jar was full of cookies. Homemade cookies with frosting or chocolate chips, all soft and gooey and if this kept up she was going to have to up her exercise routine. Or buy bigger pants.

  Later in the week, when she had some free time, she was going to explore the gardens. The grounds were extensive—at least three acres—and she wanted to discover every inch.

  It was late enough that she knew she should head to her room, but she just wasn’t ready. Bianca had gone out and Alec was somewhere—possibly his office or the media room and she planned to avoid both—so it was as if she had the entire house to herself.

  She thought briefly about heading into the basement, but decided that might be too much for her first night. At some point she really did have to get some sleep. Just not quite yet.

  She walked to the stairs leading to the second floor and told herself to be a responsible adult and just go to her room, only to hear someone coming up behind her. She turned and saw Alec leaving the kitchen. His gaze met hers and they both froze.

  She recovered first and smiled. “It’s just me. I’ve been exploring.”

  “Did you find anything unusual?”

  “Not yet. What would count as unusual?”

  “Old documents would be excellent. Artifacts, that sort of thing.”

  “I doubt there are many hiding spaces left. The guys doing the remodel would have found them all.” She laughed. “What about a skeleton?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Because it would creep you out?”

  “Because it would bring too many people here.”

  “Of course. The police, the coroner, reporters. You want something intriguing that won’t set off an invasion. I’ll do my best to make that happen.”

  “Thank you.”

  She expected him to excuse himself but instead he gestured toward the living room. “Would you care to join me for a cognac?”

  She wasn’t sure a man had ever invited her “for a cognac” before. “Thank you,” she said, and followed him into the living room.

  While Alec walked over to the wet bar against the far wall, Margot took in the high ceiling and clerestory windows across the entire east side. She would guess they had once been stained glass, no doubt removed when the property had been sold. Converting the monastery into a home must have been quite the job.

  She took a seat in one of the wingback chairs by the sofa. Alec handed her a glass, then took a seat opposite her.

  “Any ghost sightings?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure I believe in ghosts. Do you?”

  “I have yet to see one.”

  “And seeing is believing?”

  “When it comes to ghosts, yes.”

  She took a sip of her drink. The cognac was rich and smooth.

  “Edna mentioned something about ancient texts,” she said. “That if I saw anything that looked like old paper to not touch it.”

  One corner of his mouth twitched. “I assure you, you will not find ancient texts lying around. They are all cataloged and protected.”

  “Whew. Because I was really worried. I wouldn’t want to get a sweaty glass ring on the one document that could further our understanding of a language.”

  “That would be a tragedy. Now you can rest easy.”

  “So is that what you do? Study languages?”

  “I’m more interested in what the texts say than the language itself. What was considered so important that it had to be captured in the written word. Five thousand years ago, there weren’t any sticky notes. Back then a written message was deliberate. Paper had to be made by hand and it was a laborious process. Ink had to be created and then you had to find someone who knew how to read and write.”

  “I never thought of it that way, but of course you’re right. Today language is careless. We think nothing of writing something down.”

  “Exactly. There are still languages that we can’t decipher. One of my hobbies is trying to translate Indus script. The civilization existed from about 2600 BC to 1900 BC in the area of what we know as Pakistan and northwestern India. They were a thriving people with an export trade and several large towns, and then they were gone, leaving behind a written language we have yet to understand.”

  “I didn’t know there were any written languages that hadn’t been translated.”

  “There are several. Every year or so I take a few weeks to see if I can make any progress on Indus script.”

  Okay, that was impressive. Her goal on the hobby front was to learn how to knit.

  “Tell me how you do your work.”

  She smiled. “That’s a very generalized question. Every client is different and I do my best to customize my approach for the situation. A businessperson wanting to learn cultural norms for a business trip to China is a very different proposition than someone who might be moving to Argentina for a promotion.”

  “Do you know much about living in Argentina?”

  “No.” She laughed. “That was an example. I could teach a basic course on business practices in Argentina, but I don’t know the nuances necessary for someone moving there. We have experts.”

  “On Argentina?”

  “On nearly every country. I’m more of a generalist.”

  “Ah. You get the unusual requests.”

  “When I’m lucky.”

  He smiled at her. He had a nice smile and she liked his dark eyes. There was something very pleasant about Alec. He was a deliberate sort of person and she could appreciate that.

  “Did my mother tell you she’s not one for technology? If you’re hoping she’ll do work online, you’re going to be disappointed.”

  “I had a couple of workbooks printed and bound. We’ll see how those are received. In her case, I assumed we’d do a lot of talking and some role playing. I’m not sure where we’re starting, so until I know that, I can’t formulate a complete plan.”

  “I’m imagining formal place settings at the dining room table.”

  Margot laughed. “That will happen for sure. You can play along if you’d like. Many a client has been overwhelmed by the fish fork.”

  “Not the dessert spoon?”

  “You know about the dessert spoon?”

  “Yes. It’s up by the dessert fork. You forget—I went to boarding school in Switzerland. I can handle a fish fork with the best of them.”

  “Training every young man needs.”

  He smiled. “I wouldn’t go that far but those lessons are ingrained.”

  “Your father was Swiss?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  “He was. A rich banker who met my
mother at a party in London. Theirs was a brief but torrid affair with the unexpected result of her getting pregnant. She was twenty-four at the time and my father was in his early forties.”

  “That is an age difference.”

  “Yes, and neither of them wanted to get married. I’m not sure my father was all that interested in having children, although his parents were thrilled. My mother returned to LA to prepare for my birth.” He smiled. “I will admit that when I was little, she seemed almost magical. We were a team. She took me everywhere. There were no bedtimes, no rules. When I was four, she hired a tutor who traveled with us.”

  “While no rules sounds nice, it’s not always comfortable.”

  “I agree.”

  She sipped her cognac. “So you made your own rules.”

  He nodded.

  “What about your father?”

  “He never had any other children so I was his only heir. I saw him from time to time, but we weren’t all that close. I adored my paternal grandparents. I spent a few weeks with them every summer. By the time I was thirteen, I was ready to go to boarding school. My father told Bianca and that was that.”

  She was sure Alec had been happy to leave his nomadic life for something more structured, but she couldn’t help wondering how Bianca had reacted to her only child living halfway around the world.

  “Was that the last time you lived with her?” she asked.

  “I would spend time with her on breaks.”

  Like the trip to Paris where Bianca slept with his best friend.

  “Your mother is a complex woman,” she said.

  “She is. You have your work cut out for you.”

  She glanced at her watch and was shocked to see it was nearly eleven. She rose.

  “It’s late. Thank you for the cognac and the conversation.”

  Alec stood. “You’re welcome. Good luck with everything. I’m around if you have any questions.”

  She nodded. “Good night.”

  She carried her glass into the kitchen, washed it, then made her way upstairs. When she reached her room, she thought about all she’d learned about Alec and Bianca and knew there was so much more to discover.

  Chapter Five

  Telling herself that everyone was scared on the first day of class wasn’t really helping. Sunshine alternated between wanting to throw up and simply turning her car around and heading back to Declan’s house. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t college material. No one had expectations that she was going to make anything of her life and no one would be surprised if she chickened out now.

  All incredibly depressing thoughts that did nothing for her self-confidence, but certainly put her current circumstances in perspective. Was she really going to give up before she’d even started? Was she so pathetic she couldn’t face a beginner math class?

  “I’m doing this,” she muttered to herself as she pulled into the sprawling parking lot at Pasadena City College. “I’m going to be just fine.”

  That decided, Sunshine grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, then locked her car and started purposefully for her class.

  She’d looked at a map online and had a basic idea of where to go. She joined throngs of other students making their way toward the various buildings. Some were by themselves, but several traveled in groups. She eyed the other women, checking out what they’d decided to wear on the cool, gloomy morning.

  She was relieved to see her jeans, sweater and boots fit in just fine. At thirty-one she was older than nearly everyone she saw but at least she wasn’t wearing something inappropriate.

  She found her building, then made her way to the classroom. She braced herself for she wasn’t sure what, then went inside.

  There were a lot of desks in rows and nearly half of the desks were occupied. She picked one in the second to the back row and slid into the seat. After pulling out a notebook and a pen, she wasn’t sure what to do. Everyone around her was either talking to their neighbor or on their phones. She got out hers and pretended to read an email, all the while fighting nerves.

  At exactly nine-thirty, a petite, gray-haired woman walked into the classroom. She wore black pants and a flowy blouse that she’d tucked in. She set her briefcase on the teacher’s desk, then looked at the class.

  “Settle down. I’m Professor Rejefski,” she said, her voice clear and strong. “This is Math 131. You’re in this class because you completed the prerequisite or you tested into the class.”

  Sunshine had no idea if she was supposed to be writing any of this down. She glanced around and saw most of the students were still on their phones, which seemed really rude.

  The professor waited a couple of seconds before saying, “If you need to use your cell phone during class, you will step outside. If I catch you using your cell phone during class, you will be required to leave for the rest of the session. If that happens more than twice in the semester, you will be dropped from my class. I honestly don’t care how close we are to the end of the semester or what your grade is or how much you need to pass this class. Do I make myself clear?”

  Nearly all the students immediately slid their phones into their backpacks or pockets. One girl kept on texting. The professor moved in front of her and waited until the student looked up.

  “Enough is enough. We’re not going to get along,” she said, her voice pleasant. “You should take someone else’s class.”

  The girl’s eyes widened. She looked maybe eighteen, although Sunshine would have guessed younger. “But I need this class at this time.”

  “If I see your cell phone again, you’re out. Am I clear?”

  The girl nodded and put her phone into her handbag.

  Professor Rejefski returned to the front of the classroom. “We have a lot of material to cover. If you want to pass this course, you’ll need to keep up. Do your homework and come to class prepared. I have no problem answering questions but if you aren’t getting the material, either use the math lab or attend the TA sessions. The times and locations are posted online. This is not high school, people. This is college. You are adults and I will treat you like adults. I don’t want to hear about your personal problems, I don’t want excuses and if you’re just here because your parents are making you, then I suggest you take this class with someone else.”

  “What a bitch.”

  The low voice came from somewhere to Sunshine’s left. She didn’t dare look and see who had spoken—she was too busy fighting nausea. She hadn’t expected to be coddled, but this class was sounding more like boot camp than higher education.

  “The college has a strict policy on plagiarism and cheating. I’m sure this won’t be a surprise, but if you are caught cheating you will be expelled. There are no exceptions. On the day of our tests, you will each bring a blank blue book to class. I will take them from you in exchange for one that I have brought.” She smiled. “You will be expected to show your work on every problem. There will be pop quizzes. Please make sure you have blank Scantrons, Form 100, with you at all times.”

  She paced back and forth in front of the class. “What else? I will randomly collect the homework. If you have completed the homework, you will receive bonus points. At the end of the semester, if you are within ten points of a higher grade, bonus points will be added to your total points and could push you up to the higher grade. Any questions?”

  No one raised a hand.

  “Excellent,” Professor Rejefski said. “Then let’s get started.”

  Two and a half hours later, when the class finally ended, Sunshine felt as if she’d run a mental marathon. She was exhausted and her head was spinning. They’d covered most of the first chapter. While she understood factors and the order of operations, she was a little shaky on word problems. She’d made a note to find out when the TA sessions were, whatever those were. She was going to have to go to all of those. And may
be the math lab. Hiring a tutor wasn’t out of the question.

  She glanced at the test schedule the professor had handed out and then slipped it into her backpack along with her notes. She told herself that all she had to do was get to her car and drive home. She could be overwhelmed there. In private. Having a breakdown in the classroom was not a good idea.

  She settled her backpack over her shoulder and walked to the classroom door. A tall, lanky guy moved next to her.

  “Hey,” he said with a nod. “I’m Justin.”

  “Sunshine.”

  “Hey.”

  She offered him a tight smile as they walked outside.

  “So I haven’t seen you around here.” He half moved in front of her. “Are you new?”

  While she heard the words, it took her a second for them to actually sink in. Someone was talking to her. She needed to respond. Her freak-out about the class wasn’t exactly visible to anyone but her.

  “Hi. Yes. Today’s my first day on campus.”

  “I thought so. I would have noticed you before. You’re hot.”

  What? “Okay. Thanks.” She went to step past him. Justin blocked her effort.

  “I’m having a pool party at my house this afternoon. Just friends and beer. We’ll barbecue burgers and stuff. You should definitely be there.”

  The statement was so at odds with her sense of being completely out of her element that she could only stare at him.

  “Excuse me?”

  He flashed her a smile. “You’ll have fun. I promise.”

  She shifted her backpack to her other shoulder, then actually turned her attention on Justin. He was good-looking, in a very young, teenage kind of way. He’d yet to fill out and he had the eager air of a happy puppy.