"Don't worry, I won't tell Grandma."
Claire had never planned to tell Pandora about what happened. Pandora was out in the countryside and, as far as Claire saw it, there was no need to worry her about things she didn't already know.
What Claire didn't realize was that Edison had already said something.
Edison had told Pandora a while ago about how things worked in Latham's family. Even if Latham had tried to stay out of it, he hadn't noticed what Octavia and Cindy were up to, and he hadn't stepped in. That still made him partly responsible, didn't it?
Pandora knew, but since Claire never brought it up, she decided not to ask. She'd always been able to tell that Claire was fiercely independent and liked handling her problems herself. Sure, The James Family could be her safety net, but Pandora admired this side of Claire the most.
When Claire picked up on what Latham was trying to say, he finally relaxed.
The next morning, the whole family got ready to leave the city.
No one expected Shirley would insist on coming along too, refusing to take no for an answer.
Left with no other option, Latham decided to drive himself and gave the driver the day off.
"Shirley, why are you so eager to come?" Latham asked.
He was always kind to her.
Shirley smiled. "I just feel like seeing what country life is like."
Lance scoffed. "You mean you just want to see if Claire makes a fool of herself in the middle of nowhere, right?"
He'd known for years that Shirley and Claire never got along. Whenever Shirley claimed she wanted to tour the countryside, Lance felt sure her real aim was to see how Claire managed out there.
"Lance, do you have to be so blunt? Can't you at least pretend to be nicer?" Shirley replied, but was internally rolling her eyes.
Lance ignored her.
"I miss Claire too, don't you all miss her at least a little?" Shirley continued.
Lance's eyes flickered, a little caught off guard. "Why would I miss her?"
Shirley shrugged. "I guess I do. Back when we argued all the time, it never seemed like a big deal, but now that things are quiet I kind of miss it."
She laughed to herself.
Octavia glanced at her. "Shirley, once we're in the countryside, you need to promise you won't pick fights with Claire."
"She's basically the young chief of The James Village now. The whole village would back her up no matter what."
"If you get into a spat with her, none of us can help you."
"The villagers might even sic their dogs on you."
Octavia was definitely teasing her on purpose.
She knew Shirley was easy to provoke. The more you told her not to do something, the more tempting it became for her to try.
Shirley puffed up. "Why would I be afraid of her?" She sounded confident, but Octavia's words left her a little unsettled.
She looked over at Cindy for reassurance. "At least Cindy's here, right?"
"Cindy grew up in The James Village. Those dogs have to listen to her."
"If the villagers send their dogs after me, I'm counting on Cindy to save me," she said, half-joking.
Cindy gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry. Nobody's dogs will bite you, as long as you don't throw rocks or try to stir them up."
House dogs would bark, sure, but unless their owner gave an order
they weren't likely to attack anybody. The only real danger was it
someone snuck onto their property without permission.
"Well, I'm not about to go picking fights with dogs-I'm not crazy," Shirley said, grinning.
The drive took nearly four hours, and with so many people stuffed in the car, it felt more cramped by the minute.
By the time they finally stepped out, Shirley couldn't wait to stretch her aching limbs.
"Oh my
the stod, this place is really out in
it
the sticks. We drove forever just to get here. And look at this village, doesn't look all that nice either
She glanced around, taking in the narrow paved walkways and
realizing the car couldn't even drive into the heart of the village. That didn't put her in a great mood.
Claire actually lived in a place like this?
How did she even get used to it? To Shirley, rural life looked rough.
"I've heard some villages still have outhouses... Don't tell me The James Village still
uses stuff like that?"