ChapterTen
Alex
Sun and water—that’s what I know will cleanse me of the long fucking week I’ve had. Padding my way down the dock produces a twitch in the left side of my jaw, especially when I pass the yacht that looks less intimidating in the light than it did in the dark just days ago. The wood beneath my sneakers creaks. Water laps at the pier, soft sloshes pulling me back into the present.
“Alex?” Evelyn Welles touches my arm, her touch grounding me the rest of the way. I turn to her as she asks, “I was talking to you. Are you all right?”
“Just fine. What were you saying?”
If I keep lying through my teeth, then maybe I can make it true. Fake it till you make it, right?
She smiles. “If you say so.” She gestures toward my speedboat that’s parked a couple of docks away. “I was saying thanks for inviting me out. I don’t know a lot of people around here.”
“You mean the people you might know are all stuck-up rich kids who aren’t the least bit interesting?”
Her giggles infect me, putting a gentle grin on my lips that I didn’t know I needed. Or maybe I did know I needed it. Maybe that’s why I invited her out today.
“Basically,” she says, “and my mother used to clean for your family, so we already kind of know each other.”
“That’s true.”
We do know each other to a certain extent—and I can’t help how curious I am about her. I noticed her more when I returned from my uncle’s place and went to visit her and her mother shortly after my interest in her grew. Having a friendship with someone who isn’t part of the circles I’m attempting to escape makes me feel slightly more balanced.
We step toward my boat, the dingy off-white paint peeling in various places and revealing the wood underneath. She definitely needs a fresh coat. The word FREEDA stands out in red letters on the stern, and rust marks the pointed bow. But overall, she’s a fine boat to use for escaping the hellhole that’s become my life.
At least she’s quick.
I sigh as I motion for Evelyn to step into the boat first. Once we’re settled, I cast off, my chest growing lighter the farther away from the docks we get. Evelyn turns her contented expression to the sky, allowing the wind to whip her hair back from her face. From this angle, she looks like a goddess basking in the sun. What might look like pomposity to someone else appears more like strength to me.
I wish I could harness that.
After zipping toward the center of the lake, I slow the boat’s speed, allowing us to glide leisurely through the water. I plop onto the torn cushion behind me and rest my elbow over the back.
“Your father was a kind man,” Evelyn says while sitting next to me. “I was sorry to hear about his death.”
“Same.”
She nods slowly. “It’s good that you knew him.”
“I wish I had known him longer.”
“I can empathize with that a little bit.”
I turn a curious expression toward her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I…” She fades as she glances across the lake, the sound of the lake taking up the silence between us. And then she whispers, “I live with my mother. Only my mother. I never knew who my father was.”
“You never met him?”
She shakes her head. “He’s always just been a ghost.”
My heart aches for her. “Evelyn, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s made things kind of difficult.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Actually, it would have been difficult even if he was around. Everyone around here is rich.”
“Seems to be a common trait for sure.”
She grins with amusement, but the joy fades as she states uncertainly, “I have no idea if I’m going to attend the Academy or just drop out for work. Someone has to clean the mansions. Mom can’t survive if I don’t help her.”