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This dude really has a hard-on for that place.
“What’s Hemingford Hall?”
Two snaps his head to look over at me. His gray eyes sparkle as he studies me. “How do you not know this?”
His attempt to make me feel inferior doesn’t work this time. “Not everyone is a nerd like you,” I hiss. “Tell me about it.”
He presses his lips together. I wonder if he’ll refuse just to be a dick. In the end, he releases a sigh and launches into an explanation. “Hemingford Hall was built in the early 1900s. Best friends and business partners, Alexander Heming and Edgar Ford, built an establishment for the elite. They held grand parties for the wealthy, famous celebrities, and even a few well-known politicians who eventually went on to become presidents.”
“Where is it?” I ask after jotting down a few notes.
“It overlooks Park Mountain Lake on the north end. It’s not open to the public anymore. A couple, Gregory and Paula Nordstrom, purchased the property with the intent on restoring the building back in the late nineties but have yet to do anything with it.”
Mr. Pederson clears his throat. “I’ll allow the next twenty minutes for you all to discuss and look up information about your sites on your phones, but then I’m going to lecture for the rest of the period. Use your time wisely, please.”
When I start to pull out my phone, Two grunts and kicks the leg of my chair with his shoe, jolting me and nearly having me drop it.
“You won’t find much there,” Two reveals, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fortunately for you, it’s one of the places I’ve researched for fun.”
For fun?
Someone needs to redefine his idea of fun.
“Okay,” I say with a huff. “Then tell me more about this place.”
Two smirks as though he enjoys holding all the power. I’ll do my own research later, but I may as well get all I can from him now.
“It’s been rumored that Heming and Ford used to hide artifacts within the building. While at parties, they’d give each other clues to try and find them. If they weren’t found by the end of the party, they were ‘gifted’ to the building. Their party trick would involve their friends and partygoers. Everyone would hunt for these hidden treasures.”
“The place has treasure hidden?” I ask, brows lifting. “Valuable items?”
Two grins, eyes flashing wickedly. “That’s the thing. Every single artifact was silly and worth nothing. Once, Ford hid a note that said Heming was a vampire. Heming did find that one and proudly hung it in his office until his death.”
“It sounds like they had a lot of fun.”
“My dad thinks they were gay, but because it wasn’t something people at that time revealed about themselves, they kept it hidden away like their many shared treasures. It would explain why neither man ever married.”
My heart patters in my chest. Thinking about these two playful friends, and potential lovers, from another lifetime feels like one of the historical romance novels Mom likes to read.
“Did you learn about this stuff from your dad?” I ask, unable to keep my sappy smile from tugging at my lips. “Maybe we could interview him as part of our research and—”
“No,” Two snaps, eyes burning hot with anger. “You do not get to meet my family, Golden. Ever.”
Hurt pokes holes in my chest. Once more, this mercurial man finds a way to stab at me for reasons unknown to me.
“Why not?” I ask, scowling at him.
Two opens his mouth to speak, but then Mr. Pederson interrupts to begin his lecture. I studiously take notes, attempting to not get distracted by Two’s surliness. When class is over, I wait for more explanation, but Two bolts before I get a chance to ask him to answer my question.
There’s a reason and I’ll figure it out.
We’re going to have to work together. If that means airing the dirty laundry, then so be it. Once I find out what his problem is with me and my family, hopefully, I can fix it so we can move on.
It’s just a small hurdle, not a roadblock.
We’ll get past this and maybe just maybe this class with Two won’t be so freaking miserable for me.
Two
