I walkalong the jetty leading to Dad’s yacht. The muscles in my arms burn with the evidence of a great day spent free climbing. None of my family wanted to come when I extended the invitation. Not that I expected them to. The extreme sports, the adrenaline, that’s my thing, not theirs.
Sullivan calls me The Risk Taker. But I’d take free climbing over playing piano in front of a room full of people any day. The weirdo says he finds it relaxing. Yeah, well, I find doing things that get my blood pumping and have a risk involved relaxing. It’s the way they force me to focus that does it. There’s no time to worry about anything else when you either have to concentrate or put yourself in real danger.
The yacht’s moored at the end of a jetty by itself. My father’s always loved being on the water, and his boat is a giant gleaming white testament to that. He likes us all to use it as a family as often as possible. He even bought a house here near Cape Town, which is one of his favorite places. It works. Our diamond mines are in Botswana, so he can fly there to take care of business, then come back.
He’s due back soon, the same as Sullivan and Sinclair who went out together for the day. And Uncle Mal and Mom, who were going to visit a local market.
I pass one of the yacht’s new catering staff as I walk along the jetty.
“Hey.” I grin in greeting.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Beaufort,” he says politely. “I’m collecting supplies for tonight’s dinner, but if you need me to come back onboard now to?—”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
He must be the only staff member currently onboard. We don’t keep a full staff on there all the time. The team usually comes on to prepare meals and then leave.
I carry on up the jetty.
“Please listen to me.”
The unknown man’s voice further along the jetty has me slowing my advance.
“You shouldn’t be here,” my mother hisses. “I’m with my family. Sterling’s due back any minute.”
“Good. We can tell him together.”
“Tell him? No, absolutely not!”
“Elaina, I love you and you love me. I know you do. I came all this way for you and I’m not leaving without you.”
“I can’t, Neil. They’re my family.”
“Tell me you don’t love me,” the man’s voice rises.
“I…”
Nausea swirls in my gut as my windpipe constricts like someone’s crushing it. I tuck in alongside another boat, out of view so I can listen.
Don’t say it, Mom. Whoever this asshole is, tell him to get fucking lost. But I already know that no matter what she says, nothing will ever be the same again.
She’s cheating on my father. She’s cheating on all of us.
“It’s not that simple,” she says.
“Tell me.”
I fist my hands as I lean out from my hiding spot enough to see them. The guy is around her age. He looks desperate as he reaches for her, pulling her into his arms. She goes willingly, and the sight is like a knife to my heart.
Whoever he is he has nothing on my father. The idea that she would risk everything for a stranger makes my blood boil.
“You know how I feel.” My mother’s soft voice breaks like she’s crying. “But I can’t leave them.”
“You were supposed to be with me. You always were.”
“You left,” she cries. “And I have a family now.”
“Elaina…”
