Page 12 of Unruly Defender
Those fights always used to be about my father’s infidelity.They would always lead to my father saying their marriage wasn’t one of love.And that would be the point where my mother would throw out how he married her for her name and the wealth attached to it.
I’ve heard this story over and over but my grandfather explained it to me when I was older.He bought a commercial freight and shipping company and Spencer—my father—was the CEO at the time.My grandfather thought he was a good match for his daughter seeing my mother never actually got over her crush when he left for Italy.
I remember the fighting between my parents all too vividly.When I was younger, I used to lock myself in my room or head for the marina to visit my grandfather.At a young age I was always around this place and enjoyed spending time with my grandfather.He was the one who taught me how to sail.I love the water.Swim, sail, surf, dive, or just soak in the sun and hear it slosh against my sailboat.
That last part is what I’m going for now, to relax in the sun while touching up my tan and let my mind trail off with the sounds of the water and the marina.Finn is wearing his orange life jacket and happily humps his stuffed shark before he collapses into a peaceful sleep on his blanket next to me.
I love this boat.It’s not too big, not too small, and designed perfectly for my needs.Most times I just plaster myself on the pillows like I’m doing now while I have a bottle of wine in a holder and a glass in my hand.
I’m taking tiny sips and with each one I relax a bit more and feel my frustrations ebb away.I think I’m going to sleep here tonight.There’s a large double bed below and the tiny cabinets are stocked with food so I can easily whip up something if I get hungry.
I’m about to give my glass a refill and put some more sunscreen on when I hear people arguing.I place my glass in the holder before I stand to see what the fuss is about.Finn follows me as I stroll to the back of my boat and to my surprise, I see both Clemente and Henley standing in front of my boat getting in each other’s face.
“What the hell are you two doing here?”I snap.“Not to mention I came here to avoid you, Henley.And Clemente, I texted you about meeting somewhere later this week or the next to have lunch.So, I ask again, what are you two doing here?”
They both start to ramble simultaneously.My eyes hit the sky for an instant before I shush them and point at Clemente.“You first.”
Yes, I deliberately skipped Henley because I’m still pissed at him for what he said to me.
Clemente smirks and says, “I wanted to catch up with you but Travis told me you left and mentioned you were probably at the beach.Seeing I didn’t want to get sand in my shoes without knowing for sure if you were there, I located your phone through an app and saw you were at the marina.Henley here followed me when I told him I wasn’t going to honor his request.Or make that a demand, whatever, it’s not going to happen.”
At my mother’s funeral Clemente made me add him to an app so we could see where the other person was, just in case we were in trouble.At the time my mind wasn’t really processing but he was genuinely concerned about me.That’s why I mindlessly processed his request.
“Well, as you can see, I’m fine and I was trying to relax, but with the two of you arguing, my peace and quiet has come to an end.”I direct my attention to Henley.“Clemente wanted to catch up because I haven’t seen him in a long time, as for you...what are you doing here?”
“I need to speak with you, privately,” Henley growls.
“Or you can just say it with me standing here,” Clemente easily supplies.“He doesn’t want you anywhere near me.Which, by the way, is pretty damn hypocritical if you ask me.”
“No one is asking you,” Henley snaps.
“Between me and you, I’m the one who has all the rights to be here,” Clemente says in utter calmness.His eyes meet mine and they soften before he says, “I’m your half-brother, Gracy.I’ve had my suspicions since the day we met.With us having the same eyes as my father, it wasn’t hard to make the connection when your mother and my father reconnected.But when I took over my father’s business...it came with a lot of undisclosed secrets, including this one.I wasn’t going to say anything but this asshole here thinks he can ban me from your life.But instead it’s the other way around.”Clemente’s gaze swings sideways and his tone turns to ice as he says, “I won’t have you near my sister and let you drag her into the shit you’re wrapped in.”
“What about the shit you’re wrapped in?”Henley fires back.“Are you going to stand here and ignore the fact you’re the head of one of the biggest—”
“Shut your mouth,” Clemente hisses.
My mind is boggling over the flow of information and these two idiots are going at each other as if they are the ones having issues.Okay, maybe they are, but all my mind is screaming at me is “What?”And it’s too insane to be true and they are dragging away my ability to process.
“Stop it!”I scream, making Finn bark along with me as both Clemente and Henley fall silent and stare at me.
“Hey, Finn.It’s okay, little man,” Henley says and shakes his head at me.“Did you really think it was necessary to add a shark fin to his life jacket?”
“Yes,” I hiss.“It came with a stuffed shark for him to hump, alright?”
The corner of his mouth twitches and his whole demeanor changes along with it.“Good to know.Can you bring him by my bungalow later tonight?He’s my dog too, remember?I’ll leave you guys to it, and Gracelynn...call me if you need me.”
He doesn’t wait for a reply but strolls away instead.A deep breath flows from my lungs and I rip my eyes away from Henley to address Clemente.“Don’t just stand there, climb on board and start explaining.”
I head to the front where I left my wineglass and sit down.Taking a few sips, I grab the bottle and refill my glass.Okay, I might have thrown back the whole glass in one go but really, I need it with the little tidbit Clemente just threw at me.My half-brother.Half or not, I have a brother.
“Do you have another glass?”Clemente asks.
I wave my hand in the direction where he can get his own glass.Clemente grabs one and hisses when Finn decides to give him a warm welcome by humping his leg.
I groan and grab the stuffed animal from his blanket and wave it in front of Finn.“Come on, Finny, stuffed buddies only.”
Finn happily hobbles my way and snatches the stuffed shark from my hands to give it special treatment on his blanket.
