Brown The Brownstone

1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-1-0983-6548-6
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet/DL/kein Kopierschutz

E-Book, Englisch, 300 Seiten

Lili Wentworth is living a dancer's dream when an unexpected twist forces her to examine her life and acknowledge the shocking truth of her heritage. With visions of her future left in the hands of her father's trusted friends, he paves the way for her to discover the precious secrets that will change her life forever. Loyal friendships form an unbreakable bond as Lili struggles to come to terms with the meaning of life. During her darkest days one of those loyal friends finds Lili difficult to resists as he falls in love with the only part of her that he can relate to. Welcome to the brownstone located on the Upper West Side, the home of Lili Wentworth and her older brother, Grayson. Follow Lili to London, Juilliard, and the hottest clubs in New York City. But no matter where Lili goes, every turn she makes forces her to reflect on the responsibilities of love, the nature of loss, and the spiritual dimension of life. The clock is ticking as everyone tries to save Lili from her worst enemy - herself.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Brown, Julie

Leseproben

Chapter 1 Central New York had its share of dreary weather. That meant to most native New Yorkers that when the sun came out it was a fearsome thing to behold. Enjoying the four seasons in all their glory was why most people stayed. No sooner would the leaves fall, the snow would fly. Just when you had enough of the cold, the trees would begin to bud, and soon thereafter...summer.  This particular June day, the warmth of the sun seemed to kiss your face as if greeting you. The warm wind whistled through the trees, shaking the leaves from their wet, quiet slumber. The birds were singing, and dogs were barking. Everything was green and bright with life. It didn’t seem right that today Grayson and Lili Wentworth would have to bury their parents. Lili stared at the ground. “This can’t be happening,” she whispered. Grayson took his sister’s hand. “I know…it seems impossible, like we’re going to wake up any minute.” Tears streamed down their faces and the sun dried them as quickly as they flowed.  Two glossy, black caskets were slowly lowered into the ground side by side. A priest was talking as Lili struggled to pay attention. The warm breeze stirred around them, blowing Lili’s long, blonde hair away from her face. Lili was tiny like her mother. The only commonalities she shared with her brother were their father’s big, brown eyes, and their parents’ compassion. Grayson had a brilliant mind and towered one foot above her. Lili often joked she must have been adopted, as she rarely understood anything her brother said, and she didn’t look anything like him. She watched as Grayson tossed a shovel full of dirt onto their father’s casket. He turned to her and attempted to hand her the shovel. Lili returned a tortured look. “That’s okay, Lili. You don’t have to.”  Lili knelt down carefully by her mother’s grave in the same sleeveless, black dress her mother had bought her for a piano recital two weeks prior. She gently tossed the roses that her aunt had placed in her hands earlier that day. One by one she tossed them, as if she were making a bed for her mother. That seemed better somehow for Lili. She could imagine her mother surrounded by roses. Lili turned toward her aunt, and without a word, Emmeline gave her flowers to Lili. Everyone just watched as she tossed those roses over her father’s grave. When she was finished, she knelt there quietly as everyone sniffed and dried their tears. The warm breeze continued to swirl around her in the silence, releasing the aroma of the fragrant roses into the air, a scent Lili would soon grow to despise. Lili would never have a garden full of roses, she was certain of that, no matter how beautiful they were. Their scent would always remind her of this day. Grayson and Lili watched the familiar town they grew up in passing by them. Everyone was going about their business as usual while Grayson and Lili wondered how to move on without the two most influential, respected people they would ever know. They drove past the familiar brick building their parents owned and worked in. The sign out front was painted in bold, black letters, and read, ‘Wentworth Family Practice’. Andrew and Abigail Wentworth were physicians, with many adoring patients and friends. Selfless in most of their actions, they had an undeniable energy that drew many people to their care. You couldn’t avoid the large, winding mahogany staircase that welcomed you when you entered their home. Abigail had a way of warming up every room with toile fabric chairs mixed with Andrew’s leather couches. Pillows, pictures, books, and a baby grand piano made you feel like you were in a grand hotel that you just wanted to kick back in. Several waiters were setting up chairs and carrying trays of glasses. The dining room table was filled with food, and suddenly, Lili was thankful she didn’t have to arrange any of this. Their family had taken care of everything so there would be no burden on Grayson and Lili. “There you two are,” said Uncle Thomas. “How are you both holding up?” Lili wrapped her arms around his waist. She loved her uncle. He was her father’s older brother, and by far her favorite person to be around. Thomas was a lawyer as was his wife, Frances. He looked a lot like his brother, except he wore his gray hair short. Lili’s father had taken to wearing his pulled back in a ponytail. “We’re okay,” Grayson responded, wrapping his arm around Lili’s shoulders. Thomas’s sister, Emmeline, the youngest of the three siblings, made a subdued entrance in contrast to her usual exuberant way. “My darlings,” she said, in an English accent, kissing them both on the cheek. “What a dreadful day. If I don’t get a glass of Scotch immediately, Thomas, I’m going to burst into tears. I need something to calm me down.”  “I’m on it, dear sister,” Thomas said. “Listen to me. If you need anything, I mean absolutely anything, you let me know. Do you both hear me?” “Yes, Aunt Emmy. We will, I promise,” Grayson responded. “I will help you now by mingling,” she said, taking her Scotch and walking away toward Abigail’s family. Abigail’s sisters had traveled from Canada to attend the funeral. Lili lingered around Lucette and Carmelle, listening to them speak in French. She would miss that about her mother. There wasn’t a moment in the afternoon when you couldn’t hear chattering and laughter as people remembered their beloved friends and family. Grayson and Lili mingled through the crowd, listening to stories of endearment that described their parents as compassionate and kind, over and over again. The more stories Lili heard, the more loss she began to feel. She disappeared into her room, and not a moment later, she heard a tap on the door. She opened it and found Grayson standing there with a piece of cake in his hand. “Like it’s someone’s birthday,” he grumbled. “I never will understand this ritual.” He tossed the plate onto her desk, the fork clanging to the floor. Lili knew exactly how her brother felt.  “I noticed you haven’t eaten all day. A bit of sugar would probably do you some good.” He threw himself into her bean bag chair.  “Yeah, probably,” she replied, not taking any cake.  “What are you doing?” he asked.  “I’m packing. We both know I’m moving to New Jersey with Uncle Thomas and Aunt Frances to finish my last year of high school. I wish I was in college, like you.” “We’re not leaving for another couple of weeks. What’s your hurry?” “I don’t want to be in this house without them, Gray. I don’t want to be in this town. I don’t want to ride the horses, see people, or do anything. There are too many memories. Nothing will ever be the same.”  Grayson stood up and held his sister’s shoulders. “Memories are all we have now, Lili. It’s the only way they will live on. Don’t be in such a hurry to get away from this. There will come a time when you wish you could remember more.”  Lili was too young to realize that memories fade. She would one day be left with photographs, stories and letters to remember her parents by. It was possible Lili would wish for these days again in this home. Grayson didn’t want her to rush through the house, pack up, and run. He wanted to methodically go through everything, allowing it to stir all of their childhood memories. Nighttime fell and only their family remained. Lili noticed her aunts playing cards in the living room as she ascended the long, mahogany staircase. Halfway up she heard loud voices coming from the kitchen. She recognized Grayson’s voice, and he sounded angry. She crept back down the stairs and moved slowly toward the kitchen, almost afraid of what she would hear. It was not often she heard Grayson angry. “I’ve been flying planes for years, Uncle Thomas. I want to know why that plane went down. They have had the black box for days. It doesn’t take that long to find out what the pilot’s last communication was with the tower.” Grayson leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms folded in frustration. “Listen, Gray, it’s not going to bring them back. No answer will justify this tragedy. Now the NTSB is doing the investigation as quickly as they can. We will know everything soon enough.”  Lili startled them as she walked into the kitchen, “What’s going on?” Thomas quickly replied, “Nothing…nothing for you to worry about, Lili.” He began to usher them both out of the kitchen. “It’s late, and you both need to get as much rest as you can. We have a lot of decisions to make over the next few days.”  Lili and Grayson walked up the long, mahogany staircase like they had so many times before. Yet, it never felt like this.  “Gray, I know you’re upset, but Uncle Thomas is right. No reason is going to...