Beach House Reunion (Beach House #5)(13)

“You think you have it so hard as a woman in the South. Try being the only son. My whole future is mapped out. I’ll graduate from the Citadel, get my MBA, and work for the family business. I’ll probably even live in this house for the rest of my life.”

“First of all, that’s ridiculous. We don’t live in colonial times. Secondly, boo-hoo for having to live in this house.”

Cooper just flopped back down on the mattress and put his arm over his head. “Whatever.”

“Hey, don’t shut me out. I’m on your side.”

He didn’t respond.

“Do you want me to talk to them?”

“It won’t do any good. He has his heart set on my going.”

“So what?”

Cooper swallowed hard. “I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“But—”

“Just let it drop, okay?”

She gritted her teeth when the bell clanged again.

Cooper snorted. “See?” he said, peeking out from under his arm. “Things don’t change.”

Linnea wanted to climb back into her own bed too. But she’d been trained to put on a starched smile and engage in chitchat for dinner. She feared Cooper was more right than she’d given him credit for. She rose and headed for the door but turned to deliver a parting shot.

“Look at you, ignoring the bell. You’re braver than you think.”



HER LONG, MANICURED hands lightly grazed the mahogany railing to steady herself as Linnea slowly made her way down the stairs, past the portraits of her Rutledge ancestors. The Rutledges were a proud family who were among the founders of the city. Her pedigree granted her entry into Charleston’s most exclusive societies. But she couldn’t help but feel the subtle pressure such a heritage placed on her shoulders. It was as if each pair of eyes down the staircase followed her every move. Linnea felt Cooper’s fatalism weigh her down. What young woman—or man?—wanted to be held hostage by antiquated rules?

Palmer was already seated in the rose-colored dining room when she entered. His pale blond head peppered with gray was visible over the Charleston Post and Courier.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said as she approached.

He lowered the paper and smiled. “Hi, baby. Where’ve you been all day?”

She kissed his offered cheek before sitting in the chair to his left. “In my room. Reading.”

“On a beautiful day like this?”

She glanced out the window to see a brilliant blue sky beyond the palm fronds. “It’s a good book.”

He laid his paper on the table and looked at her appraisingly. “Any luck with the job hunt?”

Linnea felt the throbbing in her temples intensify. She picked up her napkin and laid it across her lap, buying time. “Daddy, it’s only been a week.”

“Have you been looking?”

“Of course.”

He lifted his brows.

“I have been looking. Really. Even while I was back at USC. There just aren’t that many jobs out there for environmental studies majors. Especially for someone without experience. How am I supposed to get experience if no one will give me a starting position?” she asked and hated the whine in her voice.

Environmental studies was all she’d wanted to do, ever since she’d been christened a junior turtle lady by her grandmother Lovie and Aunt Cara. Linnea had done well enough in biology, chemistry, and geology. Her real interests, however, lay less in lab research than in policy and interpreting research findings for the public.

Her father leaned back in his chair. “Bring me up to speed, honey. Where’ve you been looking?”

She took a breath, trying to organize a coherent answer in her foggy brain. “Well, I’m checking for openings online every day. I’m looking in South Carolina, of course, but I’m extending my search to other states too.”

“Not too far, I hope.”

“Daddy, you can’t be on my case to get a job if you won’t let me look anywhere other than here. There’s a world outside of South Carolina, you know.”

“Not one that matters.”

She smirked and didn’t rise to the bait. “I’ve sent my résumé out to a lot of organizations.”

“Like who?”

She knew this terrier wasn’t going to drop the bone. She reached for her water and took a small sip. Resigned to continuing the discussion, she listed the usual suspects: “The Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, the Coastal Conservation League . . .”

“You know you won’t make a dime working for a nonprofit.”

“Well, that’s not the most important thing I’m looking for in a job.”

“It should be.”

Linnea pinched her lips. Comments like that hit her viscerally. She wasn’t the type to sit back and take an insult, even a perceived one. How many toe-to-toe arguments had she had with her father over the past years in this very room? Linnea had known he’d never pay for a college out of the South. So they’d compromised. He’d conceded on her choice of major, and she’d conceded on the University of South Carolina. It had been an uneasy peace. But as far as her mother was concerned, the argument was moot. All that really mattered to Julia was that Linnea find herself a suitable husband, marry, and settle in Charleston.