Page 56 of Royal Shark
The memory isn’t too difficult for me. Adrian stayed with me until I met up with my mom at the health clinic. I got a lot of special attention at home, everyone fussing over me, even five-year-old Chloe brought me snacks so I wouldn’t have to hobble around on my hurt foot. Maybe Icouldsee the north beach again. I bet it’s exactly the same. Adrian said the only part of the island that was developed since the last time I was here was the spa and casino.
I’ll wait to see it with Chloe. It’s only around five o’clock. We should have time.
The car Adrian requested for me pulls into the lot a short while later and gives me a ride up the long winding road to the palace. We’re going to pass my old cottage. It’s the first time I’ll see it in daylight. This morning when I drove down with Adrian, I purposely focused on him instead of looking at it, pretending I was unaware of it. Now that I’ve already cried, I don’t feel like I’m hanging on so tightly to my control. Like it wouldn’t be such a sudden rush of emotions that would overwhelm, but more like another wave of water. My foundation is already rocked. I know I have to start over again. I don’t think I could feel any worse, and maybe it would make me feel better. A healing of sorts.
Oh! There it is! It’s exactly like I remember—white with a blue door, blue window boxes, and blue shutters. It’s a two-bedroom single-story cottage. There’s a patio out back with a view. I wonder if the elderly couple still lives there. Suddenly I want to see the inside, but I’ll wait to get Chloe first.
Adrian was right. Adult me can handle this. I definitely would’ve had a breakdown seeing all this when I was still a struggling teen trying to keep our little family together, but now it’s doable. In fact, I feel stronger already. My parents loved this place, and they wanted my sister and me to have carefree summers out in nature with fresh air and the sea, away from the stifling hot summer in the city. I’m lucky I had Villroy in my life. That was a gift they gave me, and it gave me Adrian and Silvia too. I feared Villroy and its memories for so long, but it was always just a gift.
A sense of peace washes over me. I really want to share this with my sister.
I go back to the palace and head straight for Chloe’s room. She’s not there. I text her.Where are you?
No reply.
My heart is in my throat.Okay, do not panic.She often turns off her phone when she’s studying. I find a servant and ask if they know where she is, but they don’t. Then I ask for directions to the palace library, but she’s not there either. I try the gardens. No dice. I text her again and tell her to get back to me so we can tour Villroy together. I’m ready now.
I wander through the gardens, which I’ve never been to before, and find myself down at the beach. I sit there for a while, thinking hard. I’ll go through my waiting list of players and start a new game. The problem is most of my waiting list are friends of my guys, who will probably hear about the other Manhattan game and want to get in on that. I could go back to waitressing, look for an office manager position, too, but that was such an exhausting grind. Then there’s Adrian. He offered me a job here, a place to live free of charge. It’s ideal in many ways, but it’s also a commitment to him. What if it doesn’t work out? Then I’m stuck here and he’s my boss. That could get ugly.
And then there’s Chloe. I can’t live so far from her. I know she still needs me, even if she thinks she doesn’t.
I check my phone. No response from her. I stand up and brush the sand off me. Where could she be? It’s an island, so she couldn’t have gone far. I’m too wound up to sit any longer, so I decide to do the tour of summers past by myself. Maybe it’s better this way. If I break down in tears, no one has to witness it. I’ve always tried to be strong for Chloe.
As soon as I get back inside the palace, I ask the first servant I see for a driver to take me around. It’s not long before a Mercedes pulls up to the courtyard, and I hop in the front seat. I smile at the driver, a thin man in his fifties wearing a cap over his bald head. “Hi, thank you for driving me. I’m Sara.”
“Yes, ma’am. We all know who you are. I’m Antoine.”
Really? They all know who I am? Maybe Adrian had to clear my stay and inform everyone. “Nice to meet you, Antoine. I’d like to see the north beach.”
He inclines his head and then we’re off. We pass my old cottage on the way down. There’s a light on in there. I imagine the elderly couple shuffling around, maybe getting dinner ready.
As soon as the beach comes into view, I see the black rock. It’s just as big and imposing as I remember. Wow. We really swam out far, considering we were only twelve. It’s way past the breakers.
“I’ll just be a few minutes,” I tell Antoine.
“Take your time, ma’am.”
“Thanks.”
I step out of the car and make the long walk down to the beach. I stop to take off my shoes and socks and let my toes dig into the soft sand, closing my eyes for a moment as memories flood my mind—sandcastles, digging for crabs, smoothing spots out for the perfect picnic blanket placement, the cabana and our sand card-playing area. I open my eyes and breathe deep. It’s all good. I’m okay.
I spent most of my time here with Adrian, Silvia, and Chloe, plus an entourage of guards and a nanny. My parents joined us sometimes, but I think they also liked having their couple time. I never asked them what they did when we were here. Maybe they went to another beach and set out a couple of chaise lounges, enjoying the peace and quiet away from the city and their two rowdy daughters. Chloe was the truly rowdy one. I was just exuberant and enthusiastic. I want to be that girl again instead of feeling so bogged down by heavy responsibility.
I keep walking toward the sea, letting the waves run over my feet. The water is cooler than it was in the summer now that it’s early October, but not too much. I bend and run my fingers through the baby waves too. I turn. The beach is empty, but I can picture my last summer here so vividly—me and Adrian playing poker in the cabana. Chloe and Silvia building an elaborate sandcastle. Bike riding. Swimming. Silvia reading.
Adrian and Silvia grew into the fully bloomed versions of their kid selves. Silvia went from bookworm to book editor, and Adrian went from an ace poker player to a card shark running his own casino. It’s just me and Chloe who don’t match up. The break in our path to adulthood was too harsh to let us bloom on that same path. Chloe should’ve been a free spirit, maybe marching for Greenpeace or something, instead of a serious no-fun student. And me? I feel like I’m just starting to get back to what I truly enjoy—poker—after slogging through a never-ending struggle.
The breeze feels like a caress over my skin, ruffling my hair. This wasn’t so bad. In fact, I feel really good about seeing my life with a new clarity. I head back to the driver and direct him to the cottage. I’m hoping the couple who lives there won’t mind letting me take a peek inside. I only met them a couple of times as they were on their way out, but I’ll just remind them who I am. They should be friendly enough. They knew my dad’s family in France.
It’s not a far drive, and I’m surprisingly calm as I walk up to the front door and ring the bell. The light’s still on in the living room, and there’s an old Renault parked in the driveway.
I press the bell again. This time I hear heavy footsteps. The door springs open to a young shirtless guy with impressive muscles, wearing jeans and nothing else. His blond hair is short, his angular features a little intimidating. A tough guy. What happened to the elderly couple?
I plow ahead. “Hello, I’m Sara Travers. My family used to rent this cottage when I was a kid, and I was hoping to take a peek inside for old times’ sake.”
“Sara?” a familiar feminine voice calls.
“Chloe!”
