Under her stare, I tightened my jaw, the wind whipping strands of hair across my face. My gaze drifted—from the curve of her lips to the small dent in her chin. At the urge to touch her, I clenched and un-clenched my fingers, then eased a few steps back, letting the rough curve of a boulder catch my shoulder.
“I’ve always fished. Some nights, when I was a boy, what I caught was all I had to eat.”
Chloe blinked. “That’s terrible.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I survived. We can’t all have picket fences and flowers. The water became a way of life. A comfort.” I leaned into the solid weight of the stone behind me. “The feeling stuck. I find the waves soothing.”
Chloe joined me, settling against the boulder, her arm lightly brushing against mine. “How exactly?”
“Out there, I’m just me. I’m not someone’s dad. On the water, I don’t owe anyone anything. I can just… breathe.”
I cringed at my words. They were a little heavy for a first one-on-one hang out. In the silence that followed, Chloe’s eyes were all over me, like they were peeling back layers, leaving me exposed.
“But youarea father.” She paused, allowing her words to sink in.
The softness in her voice drew me in, and I sighed. “Yes, Iam. And Sophie’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” I gave a wry chuckle. “And the thing I struggle to understand the most.”
Chloe smiled. “She’s a pre-teen. I don’t think there’s much understanding to be done. As far as I can work out, having kids is more of a long-game, with a side-order of tolerance.” She leaned into me a little. “At her age, she just needs some guidance, patience, and love.”
I huffed a breath. “I haven’t been very good at providing any of those.”
Chloe slowly turned her head in my direction, and I swallowed.Okay, enough with the over share, Maxime. Ididn’t want her to think I was crazy. She was probably toying with the idea of hijacking the bike and leaving me here.
Instead, stillness settled between us, the pulse of the ocean and the engine of a distant car the only noise.
“This may be an impertinent question, but it might help me understand Sophie more. Who is her mother?”
I shifted on my boots. I’d expected this question since Chloe arrived. I even thought about what I’d say. Something neat. Polished. The version I gave to everyone.
“I met Valerie under unusual circumstances.”
When I didn’t continue, Chloe turned her face into the sun. “Feel free to enlighten me. I’ve lived through some unusual circumstances myself. I once shared a bunk bed with a goat-herding contortionist on a sleeper train through northern India.”
I laughed at her ridiculous story. She could be absurd—even so, she made me smile.
Something inside me loosened. If I told her a little of Sophie’s backstory, maybe she’d understand why the two of us were almost strangers. I looked away, jaw tight.
“I worked for Valerie’s family. They’re extremely wealthy. I drove their cars.”
Chloe blinked. “Like a chauffeur?”
I nodded, pulling my fingers along the back of my neck. “I like speed, and they owned some beautiful vehicles.”
She tipped her head, drawing more words out of me. “Yes, but driver to father? How does that work?”
I huffed a wry laugh. “I’m sure you can imagine the scenario. Chauffeur meets beautiful heiress. Heiress finds ways for them to be alone. Chauffeur gives in to desire, despite his better judgement.”
I examined her face for telltale signs of reproach. A tightening of her eyes. A crease on her brow. But nothing.
“Heiress?” she murmured. “Do those things even exist in real life?”
“They do. But they rarely fall pregnant by their drivers. It doesn’t look good on paper.”
Chloe gave a tight smile. “I guess not. But can I ask a question?”
I nodded.
“If she was an heiress, was she younger than you?”
