Chapter 16
Clayton
"Clayton? Clayton Palmer? Is that—is that you?"
"Fuck off," I grumble through a pang of guilt and take a sip of my long neck. "It hasn't been that long."
I video called my younger brother, Dunlop, because it actually has been that long. I've been MIA these past few wee—er, months, spending all of my free time with Vaughn and Mabel.
After what happened the other night, I thought it might be best to give him some space.
Despite being happy to progress at his pace, I can't deny I was disappointed, even a little hurt, that he still doesn't trust me enough to tell me the whole truth.
That's not fair on him, but where is it written that emotions have to make sense?
"Oh, hey, Clayton," Dun's husband, Robbie, pops into view. "You're alive. We were starting to think you'd been Steve Irwined." His head snaps between me and Dunlop. "What? Too soon?"
There's a beat of silence, then we all start roaring with laughter. I liked the guy the second he walked into a job interview and basically called Dunlop a prick to his face for his shitty behavior. Had a feeling he'd be good for him, and I was right. I've never seen Dun happier.
The three of us talk for close to two hours.
They bring me up to speed on how the aged care center Dun bought and developed is going, their plans for a holiday to Europe next year, how Bremmer and Kelsey are doing.
It's nice. I like listening to them talk, and whenever the conversation swings around to me, I take a leaf out of Vaughn's playbook and answer without any dodging but also without any extra detail.
I'm not ready to tell them about Vaughn because I don't know where we stand.
We're at an impasse because of my hurt feelings but also because it's time for me to find some closure about Melinda and River.
That one's tricky. Not because I'm pining to get back together with them, but in order to move on, my brain needs to know the why, the reason we didn't work out, so I can process and learn from it.
It's a huge roadblock I haven't figured out how to navigate yet.
As the conversation wraps up, I ask, "And how's Dad?"
The way the light dims in Dun's eyes tells me everything. "Not great," he replies.
"But that's about to change. Right?" Robbie bumps him with his elbow.
Dunlop smiles, but it's not his usual sunny smile.
"What's going on?" I ask.
Robbie swivels toward the camera. "I'm going to whip Anson Palmer into shape."
I bring the long neck to my mouth, intrigued. "Go on."
Robbie exhales. "You may not know this, but my brother, Jarvis, has had a rough time of things.
But he's back on a good path now, and he's just gotten his fitness qualifications.
I've taken him on as a personal trainer in my business.
Jarvis loves a challenge, and there's no bigger challenge than getting your dad out of his funk. "
"You're getting Dad a PT?"
"Exactly." Robbie beams even though there's no way I see Dad agreeing to this. "And since Dun, Bremmer, and even Kelsey have zero faith that your dad will go along with it, it's only made Jarvis and me even more determined to make it work. Team Small for the win!"
"I like your enthusiasm."
"But you don't think it'll work?"
I don't, but I don't want to say that. By the sound of things, Robbie has enough naysayers around him.
"It can't hurt," I say, and when I see the diplomatic approach doesn't work, I add, "And, hey, if anyone can get a Palmer man under their control, it's you."
After the call, I'm restless.
And maybe a little tipsy.
And maybe infused with just the right amount of courage I need to clear the air with Vaughn. I pride myself on being emotionally intelligent, and while ignoring the guy may be an emotional response, it's certainly not an intelligent one.
I slip on a tank top and a pair of thongs and traipse down the pier to Vaughn's boat, waving to a few liveaboards cooking their dinners and relaxing on their decks along the way.
I reach Vaughn's boat, but he's not home.
I check the front office in case he's working late.
No sign of him there either. Hmm. That's weird.
Vaughn never leaves the marina. The furthest he ever goes is the beach.
I scan it, but the only people there are a family of four, walking along the water's edge.
Concerned, I head to Rove and Leo's. Their sleek, flybridge yacht rises elegantly from the water, its tinted windows offset against the pearl-white body. I cross the gangway onto smooth timber decking. That's when I hear a stream of bubbly giggles I instantly recognize.
Relief washes over me. I'm not sure if it's because Mabel was literally dumped in my lap and I was assigned with protecting her or that she's a bundle of joy and warmth no one can resist, but I have fallen in love with her.
And she may not be the only person I'm falling for, even if her father is a slightly more complicated character.
"Hey, guys!" I call out.
"We're down the back," Leo yells.
I make my way to the sun deck aft. Leo and Rove are sipping drinks on a blanket they've laid out with Mabel between them.
"Where's Vaughn?" I ask.
"Went to the post office in town," Leo answers. When my brows shoot up, he explains, "He only ever leaves this place once a month to send money back home. We've been doing it for him since…you know, the incident, but he said he was ready to go himself now."
"I see."
I hate that my first thought is So if he's ready to move on from the incident, why wasn't he ready to tell me the truth?
"I realize there are worse places in the world to be," Rove continues, "but anywhere can feel like a prison if you’re stuck there."
I nod in agreement when I hear someone shouting, sharp and urgent.
"Do you guys hear that?" I ask, and they both nod.
Leo gets up and strides over to the railing. His eyes widen. "It's Vaughn. He's running. Something's wrong."
I scoop Mabel up in my arms, and we rush to the passageway to meet him. Vaughn is on the pier, bolting toward us, his face streaked with worry, a throwback to our first meeting.
"I saw them again," he gasps between ragged breaths when he reaches us.
"Who?" Rove asks, but when Vaughn's fear-stricken eyes meet mine, I know. Whoever he's running away from.
"I know what to do." Three sets of eyes land on me. "You guys stay here," I say to Leo and Rove, then I turn to Vaughn. "You and Mabel will come with me."
"What's the plan?" Leo asks. "You guys may not be safe here."
"They didn't follow me, but Leo's right…" Vaughn is still panting. "We have to get out of here."
"Good thing I live on a boat. We'll head out into the open water, and then I'll arrange backup."
"What sort of backup?" Vaughn asks.
"My family has connections. I can have round-the-clock security set up in less than two hours."
"Okay, okay." Vaughn swipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand then looks at Mabel in my arms, blissfully unaware of the shitstorm around her. "We'll just get a few things and be right over."
"Let me take her," I say to him. "You'll be faster solo, which means we'll be able to get away sooner." He nods, understanding the logic of my argument, but I sense hesitation. "I won't let anything happen to her, Vaughn. I swear on my life."
His blue eyes well with tears. "I know, I know. I just—fuck. I hope it doesn't come to that."