Chapter 6 First Taste
The next morning, I wake up to the smell of pancakes and syrup. Maeve sits cross-legged on the bed beside me, grinning over a silver-domed tray like a gremlin who’s just stolen treasure.
“Lucian said to get whatever we want. So, I ordered the works.” She lifts the lid with a flourish. “You’re welcome.”
There are pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, hash browns, fruit slices arranged in a spiral, and two tiny glass bottles of fresh-squeezed juice. Also? Whipped butter in a rose shape.
My stomach growls loud enough to answer for me.
“You know this is like… ten breakfasts, right?”
“Exactly,” she says, handing me a fork. “We deserve ten breakfasts.”
After a lazy morning, I head into the bathroom.
I turn on the water and let out a happy sigh just looking at the water pressure.
The water quickly heats, and steam fills the room.
I step inside and groan softly as the water hits my skin.
Maybe hot water does heal all. As I use the fancy soaps, the scents swirl and fill my lungs.
The grime of everything goes down the drain and my muscles relax.
I can’t even remember the last time I had a hot shower.
Or ever where I wasn’t rushing to get through it.
For the first time, I feel clean. After getting dressed and settling on the couch with Maeve, Lucian brings me different treats that he remembered from my childhood. My favorite is a delicate custard tart, topped with strawberries. Maeve’s favorite is the chocolate cream puff.
He takes Maeve and I to the aquarium. We marvel at all the fish and stop at every exhibit. We get little jars with floating jellyfish in them from the gift shop.
The next day, Lucian takes me on a walk around the hotel. We talk and with every word my body relaxes. I learn more about my grandparents, my Grandma Gracie. She was strong, confident, and she didn’t take shit from anyone. I’m honored to have her name and I’m determined to live up to it.
Maeve pulls me out of bed the next morning with one mission: retail therapy.
She ignores any protests and drags me into one boutique after another.
Lucian and his men trailing behind us. As a CEO it must be nice to have security guards.
Silk blouses, pleated skirts, and sunglasses I could never justify buying.
I try things on with mounting skepticism, but Maeve? She’s lit up.
“You’re hot,” she says as I turn in the mirror. “Own it.”
Lucian insists on buying me multiple pairs of shoes. If I even look at a pair for a second too long, he calls an attendant to get it in my size to try on.
I’m trying on a pair of boots with boxes surrounding me on all sides. I stand to walk around in the boots then look in the mirror.
“What do you think of these?” Lucian tilts his head. “They look great on you.”
“They feel good. It’s kind of weird. I don’t know when the last time I got a pair of new shoes. Always just got what I could get for cheap at the thrift store.”
Lucian’s face frowns.
“Your mom didn’t get you shoes?”
I stare down at my feet. “When I was around eleven or twelve she really just stopped paying much attention to me at all. She was always high or passed out.”
Lucian’s silent for a moment, then he steps over boxes to me, placing his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Gracie. You deserved more than that.”
“It’s not you who should be apologizing.” I raise my face to his. “I was taken from you.”
His eyes scan mine then he pulls me into a hug. “I’ll always be here for you now. Anything you need, I’ll get it for you.”
By the end of it, the guards carry so many bags Maeve and I can’t stop laughing.
“That one looks like he might tip over.” She cackles.
Lucian chuckles with us.
That afternoon, we hit the pool. Maeve sunbathing in oversized sunglasses and a cherry red bikini, her headphones in.
I wear an oversized T-shirt over my suit, ankles dangling in the water, watching the clouds pass.
The bruises are now a yellowish green, but mainly, I can’t stand to look at my scars.
“Iz?”
I hum, turning to look at her.
“Don’t stay here for me.”
I pull my feet out and walk to her, sitting on the lounger beside her. “You’re my sister. You would be the only reason I’d stay.”
She slides her sunglasses up onto the top of her head, looking at me. “Because you’re my sister from another mister, I want you to have a better life. You go, get to know your dad, and make a better future for yourself.”
My eyes water. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“You’re not.” Maeve sits up. “No matter what happens, I will always be here for you. Only a phone call or text away. You’ve been through hell; you deserve a slice of nice.”
I hold her gaze, seeing the truth in her eyes. “I do want to know him.” I stare at my feet.
“I know you do. He’s the only parent who seems to actually give a damn. So, fuck this hellhole and going to community college. Go get your fancy on.”
I laugh. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” She winks, lying back.
I mirror her.
“What if my step-sister is evil?”
“What’s her name again?”
“Dakota.”
Maeve sighs. “I mean, most stories, the stepsister is an evil bitch.”
“True, but the way Lucian describes her, I have a tiny bit of hope that she won’t be.”
“For your sake, I hope she’s not. You’ve dealt with enough.”
The car smells like leather and something expensive I can’t name. The seats are too soft, like they’re trying to lull me into comfort, but all it does is make me feel more out of place.
Maeve’s beside me in the backseat, chewing on a piece of gum and bouncing her leg like we’re headed to a field trip.
Lucian sits up front with the driver, occasionally glancing back to check on us.
I grip my new duffel bag in my lap like I’m holding onto reality itself. Like if I let go, this will all slip away. When we pull through the gates and onto the private airstrip, I pinch myself.
“Holy shit,” Maeve whispers, pressing her face to the window. “That’s a jet.”
Not just any jet. Sleek, white, and shining in the morning sun like something out of a spy movie. It looks like it’s never known the words coach or economy.
My eyes widen. “We’re flying in that?”
Lucian turns in his seat and nods. “Yes. It’s more comfortable this way.”
“I’ve never even been on a plane,” my voice barely above a whisper.
He studies me for a beat. “Then I’m glad your first flight will be one where you’re safe.”
Maeve practically has her head out of the window. “There’s a carpet. There’s a literal carpet on the tarmac.”
The car stops. The driver opens my door before I can find words.
Lucian steps out and offers me a hand.
Maeve follows, spinning once to take it all in. “God, this is some movie shit.”
“I don’t belong here,” I murmur, my feet sticking to the ground.
Lucian turns to face me. “You do. Whether you believe it yet or not.”
Behind him, a steward is already loading my bags. Another person waits at the foot of the stairs to the jet.
Maeve nudges my arm. “Go. Live it up. I’ll hold it down back home. I’m going to call and text you every single day until you block me.”
I turn to her, heart lodged in my throat. “I’d never block you. You sure you’ll be okay?”
She shrugs, but her eyes are glassy. “You’re the one getting on a spaceship, Isobel. I’ll be fine.”
I pull her into a hug that doesn’t feel long enough.
“I’m going to miss you,” I whisper into her hair, the tears welling.
“Not as much as I’m going to miss you.” She sniffles.
“Ride or die, forever.”
“Ride or die, forever.”
When I turn back to Lucian, he’s watching us with a softness in his gaze.
“You ready?” he asks.
I don’t say yes. I just nod and step toward the stairs. The sun reflects off the panels of the jet. My first time flying… straight into the unknown.
The inside of the jet is quieter than I expected.
The air itself knows it’s supposed to be rich and still.
The carpet beneath my shoes is cream-colored and soft enough to sink into.
The chairs aren’t chairs at all—they’re armchairs, wider than the twin bed I grew up on, upholstered in butter-soft leather with little silver buttons that probably do things I don’t understand.
Lucian gestures for me to sit wherever I like. I hover by one of the windows before lowering myself into a seat.
There’s a blanket, a silk pillow, headphones, and… a menu?
“Is this real?” I whisper, flipping the small booklet open. I blink. “You can order steak. On a plane.”
Lucian settles into the seat across from me. “They’ll ask if you’d like anything once we’re in the air. Don’t worry. It’s all included.”
I look around again in disbelief.
A steward comes by with a quiet smile. “Miss Ashthorne, would you like sparkling or still water before takeoff?”
“Uh… just normal water, please,” I manage.
The steward nods and disappears behind a curtain.
I glance at Lucian. He has one ankle perched on his knee, leaning back in the seat with his arms relaxing on the rests.
“I feel like I’m living someone else’s life.”
“You’re not.” He folds his hands in his lap. “This is yours.”
“Wait, you always have access to this?”
“Yes.”
I let out a shaky breath, then glance out of the window. The tarmac stretches out below, the sky pale and cloudless. Everything feels too still. The engines hum to life, a soft vibration under my feet. My heart races. My fingers grip the chair.
“Hey,” Lucian leans forward. “Look at me.”
I do.
“You’re safe.”
The jet begins to move, taxiing smoothly down the runway. I clutch the armrests like they’re lifelines.
My breath catches as the ground falls away. My stomach drops. I watch as trees shrink and buildings turn into toy blocks. The sky opens wide around us like it’s been waiting for us.
“I’m flying,” I say, half in wonder, half in disbelief.
“You are.” Lucian smiles.
I step out of the car. The sun warms my face. Seagulls cry over head. I fill my lungs with the salty air.
Lucian steps beside me. “Have you ever been to the beach before?”
“No.” I shake my head. “At least not that I can remember.”
Lucian smiles as we walk towards the sand.
“I used to take you to the beach every weekend in the summer. It’s one of the most relaxing places to me. I wanted that for you too.” He stops at the sands edge, stepping out of his shoes.
I copy him. The moment my feet hit the sand, I’m giddy. The water gleams ahead of us.
Lucian takes my shoes. “Go. Run.” He nods toward the water.
I start running toward the water.
Running through sand is harder than I imagined, but I push through. When I reach wet sand. I roll up my jeans before stepping into the cool water. It laps around my ankles and the sound of the waves soothes me.
My eyes stare out into the water. The wind kisses my face.
Fear and awe tangle together. I feel small, but not in a way that makes me want to disappear. More of the vastness of the unknown. What life is about to bring. With each crash of the waves washing over my feet, a piece of the darkness loosens its grip.
Lucian walks up beside me.
“You know, I made myself a promise that as soon as I found you, I’d bring you here.” Lucian smiles out at the water.
“Here we are.” I smile up at him.
“My mom always brought me to the beach as a kid too. And eventually I’d come on my own and let the waves take my worries away. Let it quiet my mind.”
“I can see why.” I stare back out at the waves.
We stand there for a moment, the ocean filling the silence between us. I try to picture him younger, before the power he must have now as a CEO, the responsibility. Just a boy with sand between his toes and salt in his hair.
“It’s strange,” he says, his voice low, “being here with you now. I never thought I’d get the chance. I never gave up, but it was hard to hold onto the hope as time went on.”
I look up at him. The hard lines of his face soften.
“I understand that. I learned that hope can be a dangerous thing to hold onto. It can hurt as much as it can heal.”
He nods.
“I missed so much,” he whispers.
“I did too.” My voice breaks, but I don’t look away.
“I’m just so happy you’re here now.” Lucian smiles squeezing my shoulder gently. “We’ll make new memories.”
As another wave rolls in, I let myself believe him.