"Victoria, are you sure this is a good idea?" Patrick's voice trembled, quivering in fear as his mother motioned for him to mount her favourite horse.
"Of course, it is!" Victoria dismissed his concern, "He's extremely well-behaved! Poseidon will ride with anyone!" Her hand affectionately patted Poseidon's nose. "Charlotte learned to ride on him when she was six and he behaved perfectly!" Reluctant, Patrick granted his mother's request when her head motioned once again for him to mount Poseidon as the black-maned beast patiently waited for further instruction. His knuckles almost white from his death-grip upon the reigns and his face equally drained from blood, Patrick suddenly realised his inability to deny his mother's requests would be the death of him. "Alright, now gently tap your foot against him."
"But you won't let go of him, right?" He quickly double-checked before he permitted the horse control.
"Don't worry, Patrick! You're perfectly safe!" Victoria supressed her giggles as she raised her hand in the air to prove she had firm hold of the reigns attached to Poseidon as she prepared to lead him. With no more excuses left, Patrick gently nudged Poseidon into motion and his body shook with the unexpected jolt Poseidon responded with. As Victoria guided Poseidon to the paddock path, Patrick eyed her with intrigue. "I wouldn't have figured you liked to ride. I guess it must be one of the perks of being Mrs Conrad Grayson, huh?"
She tilted her head left to right in sombre agreement, "You could say that."
Patrick decided to breach the subject neither had had the heart to approach before, at least, not in great detail. "Speaking of which, won't your family be returning for the summer soon?" Her expression became dull with sadness at the prospect as she realised the perfect little bubble they had created together would soon be burst. "You must be excited to see Daniel and Charlotte again!"
His best attempt to perk her mood failed dismally and Victoria heavily exhaled as she pondered which level of strained her relationship with Daniel would have reached. They hadn't shared any form of communication since his abrupt departure to Paris with Emily and Victoria didn't know the best form of action in light of their estrangement. "Of course, I am!" She feigned enthusiasm at the thought, though truthfully the absence of her two younger children had left a gaping wound in her heart. "Though who knows the kind of reception I'll receive from Daniel. I don't think our relationship has ever been quite so strained and the distance hasn't helped to heal the wounds."
"Have a little faith!" Enthusiasm filled his tone as Patrick attempted to encourage Victoria, "He's probably missed you as much as you've missed him!"
"Oh, I doubt that..." Victoria muttered, willing the topic of Daniel to be dismissed before her mind became clogged with thoughts of his fiancée and another summer in her presence.
"Well, I have to admit, I'm looking forward to my very first summer in the Hampton's!" Patrick announced, "It's charming, especially Montauk. I know it's not really your kind of place but the views there are just as stunning as the ones from the manor and there's an incredible little bar there, called the hideaway or something."
"The Stowaway?" She corrected him, her tone disapproving of his choice of location.
"You've heard of it?" Patrick's eyebrow rose in surprise.
"Jack Porter runs it. He's the older brother of Declan Porter." Victoria connected the dots for him, "Or should I say was the older brother of Declan Porter?"
"That explains why it's been shut down for the winter but the locals say it's the place to be in the summer and I've had a little bar experience before." Patrick pointed out, "It might be a starting point." He shrugged his shoulders as his mother scolded him with an incredulous expression, "I can't live off your hospitality for the rest of my life and my canvases have me scraping the barrel. There just isn't the market, or I just don't have the talent... either way, I need another option to support myself."
"Absolutely not!" She shrieked, "Patrick, please know that I will always support you whichever way I can, including financially!" The current financial crisis Grayson Global faced was of little concern when compared to the near-death of the company in the aftermath of the David Clarke scandal. "I refuse to let you worry about something as trivial as money! You're my son and I'll take care of it."
"You're too good to me, you know that?" Patrick gratefully smiled in return.
Victoria selflessly dismissed his gratitude and patted Poseidon's neck with a dramatic frown drawn upon her forehead as Patrick continued to grip the reigns between his palms of sweat. "You, however, have been of no good to this poor horse! I promised he'd be ridden, not trotted out like a beauty queen!" The hint taken, Patrick carefully climbed off and assisted his mother into his previous position. "It's time your mother showed you how you really ride a horse!" With a soft laugh, Victoria belted into the distance and Patrick held his breath so as not to inhale the dust Poseidon had whipped into the air in his wake. Although she had insisted Patrick remain in the Hampton's for the summer, the details of how or any potential introductions to her family hadn't been discussed and Victoria had been in utter avoidance of the situation at his every attempt to breach the subject. There were only a few weeks left until Conrad would return, Daniel and Charlotte shortly after, and Patrick could only hope his entrance into the Grayson family would be one of plain sailing, though if the family's history was anything to go by, Patrick would have to brace himself for anything. When all was said and done, he could only be grateful for the months they had been permitted to share solely by themselves as mother and son, for soon enough the Hampton's tides would turn and Patrick would truly discover whether he had found somewhere safe to anchor through the future storms, or whether he would just be further Grayson wreckage swept away with the sea.