“You’re dating Patrick,” I say in absolute shock. The entire room seems to grow smaller, because never in a million years had I expected that the person Patrick knew on the inside of the Waverly house was Amethyst.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Hunter
Gina and I stand there in shock. Never in a million years would I have guessed that Patrick was dating Amethyst. I never would have thought that Amethyst would believe that he wanted her because he was in love with her and not because he was using her. I don’t want to break her heart, especially after finding out that my grandfather had already broken it. But I don’t know what to say, and I can tell that Gina doesn’t either.
“I suppose you want to slap me or something,” Amethyst says, almost gleefully. “I guess you’re jealous that he chose me.”
“I’m not jealous, Amethyst,” Gina says softly. “I am really not jealous. He’s not a good guy, and I just don’t think he’s with you for the right reasons. I hate to tell you this, but I think he’s a crook. I think that he’s using you to get access to this house. And I think that he stole Mrs. Waverly’s necklace.” Gina looks at me. “I bet you one of the times he was visiting Amethyst…”
“He didn’t steal anything,” Amethyst says angrily.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, Amethyst, because trust me, I was also taken by his looks and his charm when I first met him,” Gina continues, her voice choking slightly. “I’m sure that as a slightly older woman, you felt that it was awesome that thisyounger, good-looking guy was paying attention to you, but he’s not a good guy, and I think he stole the necklace.”
“It wasn’t him. He didn’t steal it,” Amethyst says. “He’s not that sort of man.” I stare down at Gina, and I’m about to speak when Amethyst steps forward. “Istole the necklace.”
“Oh,” Gina says, looking extremely shocked. “What are you saying, Amethyst?”
“I stole the necklace. It should have been mine in the first place. If I were a Waverly, I would’ve had millions. I would’ve had diamond necklaces and ruby rings and emerald gemstones. I wouldn’t have to wear these cheap polymer clay pieces of jewelry. I would’ve had handbags and shoes and cars and houses. I would’ve owned the publishing house. I wouldn’t have had to beg. Do you know how many years I’ve been sending my poetry to different publishers and agents to try and get published? How many poems I’ve written, how many times I’ve performed—and no one, no one has signed me. No one has taken a chance on me. And the only person who put their money where their mouth was was Patrick. He told me he could help me get a deal, and he did.”
“What do you mean?” Gina clears her throat.
“He told me he had contacts. He loved my poetry, too. He told me that he could help me. He just needed a little money because times are hard. This economy is rough. You should know that, Gina.”
“Excuse me?” Gina says, and I squeeze her shoulders.
“Miss Innocent over here,” Amethyst says, snorting. “Well, anyway, I put my money where my mouth was. I stole that necklace. You think I give a fuck? I didn’t even get a million dollars for it. So, your grandma was lying, Hunter. I got four hundred sixty-eight thousand dollars, and I gave four hundred thousand of it to Patrick so that he could buy an RV for us to travel around the country so that I could be inspired to write thispoetry. He contacted a publisher who said they would publish my book for five grand. I’m going to be published. I will be in bookstores. I will be world famous. Me.” She pauses. “And I even wrote a poem for the first page.” I stare at her, and then I look at Gina. There’s no way she’s about to actually say the poem now, is she?
“Tortured,” she says dramatically. “I felt tortured by my love of him, by his love of her, by the way she wears those silky furs, by the minks on her shoulders and the gold on her arms, and the way she looks at me like I’m trash in the streets. But I will not be tortured any longer. I am strong. I’m a woman of power. I take what I want, and I do what I want, and I am now loved for me because my body is a wonderland that he wants to kiss and touch and caress over and over and over again.”
Gina starts coughing, and even I feel like I want to burst out laughing, but Amethyst pays us no attention.
“I am a poet, and I know it. I am a poet, a warrior queen of beauty to be seen. I am chaos, and he will know he made the wrong decision, because I will be gone, and he will never see me again.” She stops and then looks at us. I truly have no idea what to do, so I clap. I clap because I feel like she needs this. I clap because I feel for her. I really and truly do. My grandfather had done her wrong. My grandmother had done her wrong. And even though she should not have been put in this situation, I understand.
Gina looks up at me, confused. She looks like she doesn’t know what to say or do.
And then Amethyst crumples to the ground in tears. Gina rushes over to her and crouches down next to her. “I didn’t expect my life to be like this,” Amethyst says. “I thought that love would win out. I thought that love was the answer. I thought that if you give your whole heart to someone, there’s no way they cannot choose you in the end. I thought I just needed time. Ithought, sure, I don’t have the money or the breeding, but I had him first. But it didn’t matter. It never mattered. And I didn’t matter. I saw the necklace and the way your grandma would always go on about the money, the money, the money. And I had nothing. And Patrick—he came to me, and he loved me. He touched me and said, ‘Don’t you know the Waverlys?’ And he put the idea in my head that I was owed it. He was the first man who ever truly listened to me.” She stares at Gina. “I wanted to believe. I’ve never stolen anything before. I’ve never done that. But I wanted to believe. I just wanted my book published. I wanted the world to see that I’m a poet, that I have talent.”
“You are a poet,” Gina says. “And you didn’t deserve what the Waverlys did to you. You deserve to be recognized, and you deserve to be treated well. And I’m sorry.”
“I owned up to my truth, and you will do what you have to do.” Amethyst looks at me. “You’re a good boy, Hunter. All these years, I’ve watched you grow up. I’ve heard about you, seen you, watched you in the news on TV, and I see how you’ve changed over the years. You’re a good man. You’re not your grandfather.” She stands up and brushes her long skirt down.
“And that’s why you deserve to know the truth.”
“And I’m grateful to you, Amethyst. I’m grateful that you told me. Obviously, I’ll have to speak to Grandfather, but maybe we can keep the police out of this. I don’t know if you still have the necklace.”
“The necklace has been sold,” she says. “So if you need to contact the authorities…” She shrugs. “You do what you have to do.”
“We’ll see. I will speak to Grandfather, and if everything you say is as it was, maybe we can look the other way this time. Figure something out.”
“Thank you. You’re a kind man. And that’s why you needed to know the truth.”
“And I’m thankful that you told me the truth.”
“No. Not about me,” she says. She looks down at Gina, who is now scrambling to stand up. Gina’s face looks just as confused as I feel, and I stare at her.
“I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, Amethyst. Is there more that you want to tell me?”
