Page 95 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

I laugh. “I’m guessing Hallie’s over Ian, then?”

“Let’s just say I’ve done my best to distract her from her breakup.”

I smile, knowing him better than to believe his flippancy. “Is it serious?”

“I’m working on it.”

He’s echoing my own words, and I chuckle.

“Seriously, though,” he says, “I didn’t know that you thought Dad blamed you for what happened to Elora. It’s unfair for him to lay any of the blame at your feet, and it’s wrong for you to believe him.”

I sigh. “I hate how we can make decisions when we’re young that resonate like a bell through the rest of our lives.”

“It makes me angry that, of all people, Dad is so critical of others and judges them so harshly. What does Luke say? ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven’? He conveniently forgets the quotes that don’t suit him at the time.”

A summer breeze blows in through the open sliding doors, bringing with it the scent of the jasmine that grows near the steps. Once again, I feel the sensation of change in the air. Fraser, Elora, and I have lived under our father’s shadow for fartoo long. Elora has suffered most, I think, stifled by his care and concern; I’ve struggled with wanting acceptance and approval that’s never going to come; and Fraser… maybe Fraser’s suffered more than I realized from being the eldest. I’ve always thought of him as the golden boy, the one who could do no wrong. But his bitterness when he mentioned making our own choices surprised me.

“I’ll cook dinner tonight,” he says. “Fancy a steak?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got a couple of sirloins in the fridge. I might start it soon—I’m starving.”

We eat dinner together on the deck, talking about the Relentless and the excavation, and about Fraser’s plans for the Museum going forward. Afterward, he puts a Miles Davis album on the record player, and I work in the dining room while he reads in the living room for a few hours.

When we’re done, we pour ourselves a whiskey each and decide to watch a movie, choosingMaster and Commander, even though we’ve watched it a dozen times already.

It’s close to midnight, and we’re nearing the end of the movie when my phone buzzes with a text. I pick it up, my heart lifting at the thought that it might be Zoe, as I haven’t heard from her all day. But it’s not from her.

“I’ve got a text from Linc,” I say.

Fraser pauses the movie. “Oh?”

“It says, ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got time for a chat?’” I text back,Yeah, sure, everything all right?and read it out to Fraser as I send it.

Linc:Yeah, we’re fine. Is Fraser with you?

Me:Yes.

Linc:Okay, good.

A few seconds later, my phone rings, and I answer it.

“Hey,” I say. “You’re on speakerphone, and Fraser’s here.”

“Hey, Fraser,” Linc says.

“Hi,” Fraser replies. “How are you doing?”

“Yeah, good. We’re staying the night in Milford Sound.”

“You’ve finished the cruise?” I ask.

“Yes, all done. It was cool. You’d have liked the archaeology conference. Lots of great people there. And it’s been good to see New Zealand again. It’s put on a great face for us.”

“Did you catch up with your sister in Dunedin?” I ask. Linc has recently discovered that the man he thought was his dad wasn’t in fact his birth father, as his mother had an affair with a man named Edmund. Linc and Elora met Edmund and one of his daughters—Linc’s half-sister—in Queenstown, and Edmund pointed out that his other daughter lived in Dunedin.

“Yes, Claire. It went really well. Odd though, to discover you have a whole family you didn’t know about.”

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