“I’m surprised.” His voice had taken on a familiar swagger, leaning further into the air of camaraderie. “Hard to believe the girl who ran away to Greece would have a problem taking time off.”

Her back stiffened at his words, blood running cold. How dare he bring that up, knowing exactly why she’d run.

“Excuse me?” she asked, smile completely evaporated.

His brows knitted in anxious regret, clearly understanding his mistake. “Hey, Alex, I didn’t—”

“Yoo hoo!” Dev shouted from the dock, an exhausted-looking Bee behind him. “Danny boy!”

He gave Alex one last uncomfortable look before putting on his most diplomatic smile and waving down to them. Alex watched his hand move, the well-groomed fingers and the gold signet ring, all the superficial signs of a class he wished he’d been born into. Her eyes flicked over to the court, where she was only one point from winning.

She wondered how she could have ever been friends with this man—how she could have ever thought they might be friendly again.

7. Cap-Ferrat, France

7

CAP-FERRAT, FRANCE

Now

Bee and Dev were up before everyone, so attuned to the needs of their twins back home that the slightest noise sent them jolting awake. By the time Alex arrived for breakfast on the aft deck—at a very respectable 9:15 AM, mind you—they had already finished their meal and were on their second round of coffee, basking in the silence so rarely afforded to them. The glass door sliding closed behind her, Alex took a moment to appreciate the scene before moving over to the table: she had never seen such natural beauty. There were the countless boats bobbing gently, the glimmering sunlight reflecting off the blue-green water, and the coastline dotted with colorful façades. Her heart pinched briefly at the thought of her parents: people who had worked so hard but would never see a place like this, and certainly not from such a privileged vantage point. She raised her phone to snap a few quick photos for them, and, although it was a little braggy, one for social media.

“Good morning!” Dev called over, breaking her solo moment. Alex brought down her phone, smiling.

If Bee were always a bit neutral toward Alex, Dev was the opposite. He respected diligence above all else, which explained his fundamental affection for her and Danial—he knew they had to work that much harder to get to the same place in life that the rest of them seemed to have arrived almost by accident. He was Danial’s roommate in their Columbia days, and she had fond memories of the long afternoons they’d spent watching movies and getting into weedy conversations about whatever news happened to make headlines that week. He was still worlds away from her, a true member of the Club, but he remained one of its more magnanimous ambassadors.