“I hear you,” Elijah replies with a sigh. “What you’re telling us is to back off and let Kat fight her own battles. That we are being overbearing brothers and should butt out.”
“If that’s how you want to phrase it.”
Elijah laughs, and it’s good to hear that sound. It reminds me of times long gone, when we both used to laugh a lot.
“Now we’ve sorted that, I’m going for a swim to clear my head before dinner.”
“Enjoy.”
Elijah ends the call, and I throw my phone down on the side.
Kat and I may not see eye to eye, but her siblings are the brothers I never had. If they are worried about her. I will look after her, even if it’s from a distance.
I open my case and hang up the few clothes I brought with me in the bathroom wardrobe.
When I’m done, I grab my swim shorts and pull them on, heading out onto the terrace and down the steps leading onto the reef and into the sea.
The fish dart away from me as I move towards the edge of the reef. I launch myself off, diving beneath the surface, using my arms to propel myself forward, cutting a path through the crystal water. The sea is at a beautiful temperature, and the sun is still hot despite the time of day. I swim out but keep track of the shoreline.
I reach some of the larger buildings and start to slow my stroke. I spot Kat sitting in the bar alone, and my chest tightens.
I give myself a mental shake and press on, my arms cutting through the water at speed again, as I try to push all thoughts of Kat Frazer from my mind and the first time I saw her.
Eighteen Years Ago
The rich and luminous tone of the piano drifts down the hallway. I recognise the piece. Whoever is playing is effortlessly navigating the most challenging passage. Captivated, I find myself standing behind the door of what must be a music room. The pianist is out of sight. I wonder if it’s Elijah’s mum, whoever it is, is masterful, the passage they’re playing appearing effortless.
Dad plays, he has since boyhood. He tried to teach me, but I was much more interested in drawing. I close my eyes and listen. Dad has the technical skill, but this is heartfelt, soulful. I’m drawn in.
“Are you just going to lurk, or are you going to come in?” a female voice says from inside the room.
I step around the door. My eyes instantly lock on the young woman sitting at a grand piano.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you were Caleb or Gabriel.”
I know I’m staring. The woman in front of me is definitely related to Elijah. She is the feminine version of my best friend, only her features are more petite, softer. Where my friend is handsome, she’s breathtaking. Her long, almost black hair trails midway down her back, and her enormous dark brown eyes stare back at me. I drag my gaze away, knowing I must look like a creep. I use the time to centre myself and look around the room. This is a library, not just a music room. Thousands of books line the wall. My gaze returns to the beautiful woman in front of me.
She inclines her head, a furrow appearing between her dark eyebrows.
“Do you speak?”
“Sorry,” I say, rubbing my hand awkwardly down my trouser leg before stepping forward and holding it out to her. “Jaxson Lockwood.”
She looks at the outstretched hand and draws her lips between her teeth, smothering her grin. Eventually she places a smaller, more delicate hand in mine.
“I’m a friend of Elijah. I just arrived. I’m here for the summer to train with him.”
The words spill out of me like verbal diarrhoea, and I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
Why the hell did I stop outside this room?
I’m making a complete tit of myself.
Way to go, Mr Cool!
I hold her gaze, more because I can’t drag my eyes away from hers.
“Pleased to meet you, Jaxson Lockwood, friend of Elijah,” she says, her dark eyes twinkling. “I’m Kathryn Frazer, Kat to my friends. Welcome to our home.”
