“Oh, trust me, it was my pleasure, red.”
“Yes, I heard. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to talk to you again because things will be intense over here, but do keep me in your thoughts and prayers.”
“Always,” he chuckles. “And I’m here if you need to vent.”
“Thank you for that.”
We linger a little longer, not ready to let go yet, and a knock on his office door forces us to cut the call. I roll to the side with a long and satisfied sigh, observing the room. Being here brings back many painful memories, but Jake and I just worked on making a new one. I’m sure that steamy phone call will be my first thought every time I pass this door now.
That’s a lot better than memories of the sister who died because of me.
The rest of the day goes exactly as I expectedit to—disastrously. Especially since relatives arrived shortly after I did, which means that avoiding people becomes particularly hard. Unless I remain in my room, which doesn’t even work because my aunt comes to see me there, as well as three cousins.
When I hear the distant sound of a helicopter landing on the dedicated space at the other end of the estate, I become even more adamant about disappearing and never resurfacing. My father, Gerard Kensington, has returned from his affairs in the city. We don’t have a flag to hoist up whenever he’s home, but maybe we should—it’s always a big deal that rarely occurs. The Queen of England herself was never as busy as Father, which is saying a lot.
The best course of action is to sneak out of the house and head to the beach, where I sit in the sand and watch the lazy waves roll in and out. If it were my choice, I’d stay here the entire weekend. I lose track of time, listening to the seagulls and watching the hypnotic motions of the water. Victoria always loved the beach, whereas I grew jaded since we lived right by it.
At some point, I hear someone making their way onto the sand, approaching me from behind. I don’t look because I don’t care who it might be. Either way, they’ll be an inconvenience. Only when I discern a man’s silhouette sitting down beside me do I rip my eyes from the sea to look at him.
It’s my brother, whom I haven’t seen in months. Because he’s twelve years older, Vicky and I were never close to him. He understandably had different interests than spending time with his baby sisters, and then left when we were seven to study business at Columbia in the city. Every time I see him, I’m reminded of how much he looks like our father. He’s his spitting image, with light brown hair, angular features, and the blue eyes we all share. And it seems like he’ll follow the same prestigious path as our genitor, given how involved he is in the Kensington empire.
“Hey, Gerry,” I greet him, somehow glad it’s him. Better my broody brother than Aunt Felicia, who never shuts up.
“Hey, bug. Happy birthday.”
The nickname brings back a surge of memories I wasn’t expecting. Our old nanny used to nickname Victoria and me “ladybug” because of the red of our hair and the spots of our freckles. But as we grew, it became clear I was no lady, so I became “bug” while my twin kept the original pet name.
“Thank you,” I tell my brother. “Where are my favorite nieces and sister-in-law?”
“Youronlynieces and sister-in-law stayed in town.”
“How lucky.”
He nods pensively, his eyes on the waves. “We found out last week that Camellia has generalized anxiety disorder, so we didn’t want to put her through all that stress.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Ger.” I knew that his second daughter was having some issues, but I never thought it was something this serious. He looks clearly affected, so I wrap an arm around him and lean in closer, laying my head against his shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” I say hopefully. “She’s got the best mom in the world and an okay dad.”
The teasing earns me a small shove and a look down as he grins and shakes his head. “Yeah, she’ll be okay. Her therapist says we caught it early, so she’s optimistic about us getting solid results before the year ends.”
“That’s amazing, Ger.”
We exchange smiles, don’t say more, and watch the waves together. He doesn’t ask how I’m doing, and I prefer it that way. The answer to that is unknown even to me.
“When did you arrive?” I ask after a while.
“With Father. We had a meeting early in the morning.”
“I see. Did it go well?”
He nods, eyes still on the ocean. “Our inheritance just got a lot more profitable.”
The way he puts it makes me laugh.
About ten minutes into this weird and silent bonding between siblings, he clears his throat and stands. “Mother sent me to fetch you. She wants to make sure you’re ready on time.”
He extends a hand to help me up, and I take it, sighing. Begrudgingly, I pat my behind before we return inside.
Let the show begin.
