By the time the three of them made it to the restaurant for dinner, it was already dark. The first day on set was long but good , and this was exactly what Bri needed: a quiet meal with her best friends.
Jake leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he spoke between bites. "So," he said, looking at Bri, "are you actually going to move your stuff from the apartment with Anna? Or what's the plan?"
Bri poked at her food with her fork, thinking. "I might have to," she said finally. "My grandmother agreed with Grandma Eleanor that William and I should get married once I turne twenty one, and he twenty five. Yes, it's an arranged marriage I didn't know about, but I have to honor her wishes now that she's gone."
Jake frowned slightly. "She never told you?"
Bri shook her head. "Not once." She continued after a short pause. " I don't know why she wanted me to marry William or what she saw in that family, but it must have been important to her. She and Eleanor were best friends. My grandma helped her through everything when Mr. Whitmore passed on 14 years ago. I was Seven at the time, but I do remember."
Anna nodded softly. "I remember Grandma Eleanor saying that once. Margaret and Eleanor were like sisters."
"Yeah," Bri said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe that's why she trusted the Whitmores to take care of me. I guess she thought I'd be safe."
Jake glanced at her, his tone careful. "And are you? Safe, I mean?"