Chapter 32

During the summer of 1971, Coulson Enterprises, in its campaign to boost its public image, purchased new bleachers for the local high school’s football field. It was just one of the many philanthropic projects backed by Coulson Enterprises.

Randall Coulson had recently established a non-profit organization, based in Coulson and headed by his eldest grandson, who had recently returned to the community with his new bride, Shelly. At first, Shelly objected to the move, until Randall took her aside and explained the terms of his will.

“Do you like Coulson House?” Randall had asked Sonny’s new wife.

“It’s amazing,” Shelly said. While she wasn’t overly impressed with the community of Coulson, she had fallen in love with the magnificent estate.

“Then perhaps you need to be aware of the arrangements I’ve made. When I die, Coulson House goes to my son. When Harrison passes, the estate goes to his oldest son—or to that son’s eldest heir. So someday, Coulson House will belong to your husband. But there’s no reason to wait, you can enjoy the estate now and treat it as your own home. If you move back to Coulson, I’ll turn over the east wing to you and young Harrison, and someday the entire property will be his.”

Wanting to reside in the castle on the hill, Shelly agreed to the move. The one thing she found disappointing was Garret and Russell’s apparent disinterest that someday Coulson House would belong to her—and not to them. She couldn’t believe her brother-in-laws didn’t secretly covet the property.

In spite of Garret’s business acumen, he continued to be a reckless spirit. With his grandfather and the Harrisons’ attentions turned toward politics, he was pressured to practice some discretion, which he managed to do to some extent. Now a successful and wealthy businessman, Garret seemed incapable of finding contentment in his personal life.

Since he hadn’t lived at Coulson House for years, he hadn’t observed the subtle changes in his parent’s marriage, nor the fact his father now slept in his mother’s room each night. Garret continued to carry the baggage of his youth.

Russell returned for homecoming in October of 1971, yet he didn’t bring Alicia with him, who was now his fiancé. Randall insisted his youngest grandson make a showing at homecoming with Garret, since they had each graduated from the local high school, and it was a public relations opportunity. Technically speaking, Sonny had not graduated from the local high school but from the original school that had been converted from a K-12 to an elementary school, during Garret’s junior year.

It was halftime during the homecoming game. Garret and Russell sat next to each other on the crowded football bleachers. Garret glanced at his watch, impatient for the game to commence and eventually end so he could take off. While he enjoyed football, watching a high school game held little appeal. Nor was he especially interested in sitting through the parade of convertibles now making their way between the football field and bleachers.

The cars carried contenders for the homecoming king and queen. Even when he was in high school, he found such pageantry exceedingly boring. When the convertibles stopped, he glanced up and saw her, the contender in the car directly in front of him, not ten feet away.

Startled by his body’s physical reaction to the young woman, Garret could just stare. It wasn’t an embarrassing bulge in his pants, something that would hardly be politically prudent considering she was just a child, maybe seventeen. The sensation was more like someone had punched him in the gut and he needed to catch his breath. Even so, Garret was uncomfortable with his fascination over a fresh faced beauty, making him feel a bit like a gawking pervert.

Smiling to the crowd, she turned toward him, but he doubted she was looking at anyone in particular. She was everything he was not—wholesome, innocent, an unspoiled beauty with her entire life ahead of her. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and protect her.

He nudged Russell. “Who in the hell is that?” Garret nodded to the brunette in the first car, her long hair cascading down her back.

“Alex Chamberlain, you know, her mom was your algebra teacher.”

“Holy shit. I certainly was right." Garret smiled, wishing he were ten years younger.

“Right about what?”

“She's a heartbreaker.” Garret had no way of knowing that in fourteen years the heart she would be breaking was his.