Inheritance

Chapter 15

Every Thanksgiving weekend, my family upheld an annual tradition of yachting through the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was something we'd done since I was first adopted by my uncle. I figured the only reason he chose to continue the tradition until now was because Thanksgiving had been his late wife's favorite holiday. She loved the ocean and, as an artist, it was the muse behind many of her best-selling works.

My uncle never fully recovered from her passing, given its devastating nature. Ten years ago, her life was taken by an underage driver in a motor vehicle collision that left all involved parties either permanently injured or dead. Since then, my uncle had made it his yearly mission to return to the very waters where they'd spent their first honeymoon.

I made sure to never miss a trip. 

My uncle often endorsed a questionable character at times, but one fact no one could ever deny was how much he loved his wife. These trips were evidence of that, as we attempted to uphold the honor of her cherished life's memory. 

On the other hand, I tried to enjoy the brief escape from reality that these aquatic voyages seemed to provide because I recognized how important the protected moments were to Frank and my uncle. They never failed to bring us closer together, even during rough patches where we'd been either relentlessly fighting or arguing with one another.

"I could get used to this view." Coco hummed to herself from the lounge chair beside me, as she sipped on a cocktail and applied more sunscreen to her bronzing skin. "Babe, come help me put this on." She waved her hand over to Ahmad, who'd been preoccupied by the captivating ocean view curated by the drifting seaside yacht. 

Even so, he immediately abandoned his inspection of the tropical scenery to heed to Coco's request. Taking the sunscreen bottle from her hands, he squeezed a generous amount into his hands, then lathered it onto her back. I found myself melting at the way they were already beginning to behave like a couple.

The scene before me was a reminder of one of the many reasons why this year's trip would be different from the others. Coco had always been my guest. But, she now had her own plus one. Since Ahmad and her were more or less dating, I figured she'd bring him along but I hadn't anticipated that they'd be this clingy. 

Since the start of the trip, I'd barely had any time to talk to her alone. She'd been so committed to spending every waking second kissing and touching on Ahmad, that it was beginning to become a bit insufferable to be around the infatuated pair. 

Personally, I was surprised when Coco had mentioned to me earlier in the day that they weren't exclusive yet. Might as well have been, considering the dependence they were clearly beginning to display for each other.

"You two are so cute." I complimented dryly, rolling my eyes when they began to giggle at an inside joke shared between just the two of them.

"Sasha, don't be a hater. I told you a million times that Ahmad has a bunch of rich friends that he could easily hook you up with." Coco replied in a chastising manner.

"First of all, no thanks. Secondly, I don't need a man to feel happy. I do perfectly fine taking care of myself." I iterated, then lowered my crocheted hat so that it perfectly shielded my face from the glaring sun and Coco's rolling eyes.

When Ahmad eventually finished applying sunscreen onto Coco's tanned skin, he proceeded to plop an open-mouthed kiss along her shoulder. She resumed reading her magazine, while he pulled out his phone. I, on the other hand, continued to soak in the warm sun, opting to take a short nap.

"There you guys are! We've been looking all over for you." Patricia squealed, making a grand entrance in her skimpy two-piece bikini. 

As the only child of my father's best friend, Patricia was often extended an invitation to most of our family vacations. So, seeing her today wasn't necessarily a surprise. However, having Kendall by her side was a dignified chess move that even I hadn't been properly prepared for.