Edgeli Addison
I could hear people talking about me, about the fact I'd only come back after he'd died to get his money when he had none. I felt like I was being judged just because I managed to escape this town and they didn't.
"You okay there?" Lola asked me, handing me a coffee.
"How did you end up working for him?" I asked her, "my father, you never seemed like the kind of person who'd end up as an accountant at a run down independent hotel," I added, not meaning to be mean but I was genuinely curious about it.
"EJ asked me for a favour, called me the morning after your dad died and asked me for help to sort out the books, I'm currently not working on anything so I agreed," she explained and there was a gap in that story that she clearly thought was filled, "oh wow, you really haven't kept up with anyone, have you?" She asked me.
"I left this place and didn't look back, I don't know that I ever would have if EJ hadn't called me home," I told her and she decided not to bring up that particular raw wound at my father's funeral, choosing to fill in the gap instead.
"I'm a forensic accountant, I consult with the local PD and with the FBI," she explained and I was impressed.
"Not just another trapped local then," I said and took a sip of my coffee.
"I left Neptune Waters for a few years but I didn't go far enough to resist the pull back," she said and I understood what she meant that. I knew if I'd stayed on the west coast then I would have ended up back in Neptune Waters.
"That's why you've got to change coasts and leave the country for half the year every year," I told her.
"Never would have pictured you being a stewardess, Edge," she told me, "you were so combative and angry when you left, I didn't know how you'd end up," she said and I was angry when I left, looking for trouble to hide from my feelings.
"I made it to Florida and I needed work that paid well and found the ad for a charter company, so I put in my CV, lied about my age to work nights, and got my first job aboard the Superyacht Serene Star," I told her and it was the best decision I ever made.
"Did you really not stay in touch with anyone?" Lola asked me as the gossips started circling, listening in on our conversation.
"I decided cut all ties the day I left, staying in touch with people would have made it harder to abandon the life of Edgeli Addison and fully embrace being EJ the yachting steward," I said and I needed a break from the eyes. "I need to get some air," I said and just walked out of the function room.
I didn't normally smoke but today had been stressful so I'd picked up a pack in the morning on the way back from my run. "If Red saw you smoking, he would kill you," EJ said, "after he asked for one," he added and gestured for the packet of cigarettes.
"If Red saw me smoking, he would kill my former boyfriend because I only used to smoke to impress him," I countered and handed him the lighter.
"Want to hear was the gossip mill has been saying about you?" He asked me once he'd lit up.
"Sure, can't be any worse than what I overheard old Ms Guthrie declare as fact," I said and leaned against the wall, looking out at the ocean, "Neptune Waters may be a spirit draining place but damn if that isn't the best ocean view in the states," I muttered and took a drag.
"Niedlemeyer thinks you're back for some hidden fortune of mom's that Dad was keeping from us, Abby Franklin has been telling people you ran off because you were secretly pregnant and your boyfriend wasn't the father and you never returned because you were too ashamed to face him," he started listing, "my personal favourite is Javi and King's theory that you were in witsec for seeing some rich connected Weekender on a killing spree," he added and that was at least kind of original.
"Javi did always have a vivid imagination," I recalled, "the underlying theme I've overheard is that I came back for money was running away didn't work out for me," I told him, "I make more in a two days that dad seemed to be making in a month," I pointed out to him.
"I think he thought if he changed nothing then Red would somehow not be gone and you'd come back," he told me and it wasn't like I'd given my dad the chance to talk me out of leaving before I left.
"He told me to leave so I left," I reminded him.
"I know Edge, I just don't think he thought you'd follow through," he told me.
"Teo isn't here," I commented, changing from one uncomfortable topic to another, and took another long drag, "Is he in prison or did he get out of this place too?" I asked, trying to act like I was unbothered by what he'd done in the past five years when I thought about it whenever my mind got a chance to wander.
"He was done with the man when you were, and I didn't tell him I'd called you back for the funeral," he told me, surprising me with the fact they were still in touch when they weren't ever friends, "he's actually an elementary teacher now, teaches Ever," he added and that was kind of surprising. Teo was that kid who had a brain but used it for getting into trouble rather than actually applying himself to school. He'd started to actually use his brilliant brain because Red got him to get his act together a little but after his death, he spiralled back to old routines.
"I'm happy for him," I said and I was really happy for him, getting his life together, because I knew he couldn't have done that if I'd stuck around. "He was always good with kids," I added and finished my cigarette.
"You can pick up Ev from school tomorrow if you want to see him," EJ offered and I was sort of amazed at that.
"I'm functionally a stranger still, I've been back just over 24 hours and you're going to trust me with your kid?" I questioned him, really concerned about his parenting in that moment.
"We're strangers to you but you're not strangers to us, to Ev, you're his aunt who's off sailing the world," he told me and I was kind of amazed he'd told the kid about me.
"I don't know if I want to see Teo whilst I'm here," I admitted to him, "I worked real hard to move on from him, I mean I have a boyfriend who I live with back in Florida," I said and felt myself itching at my tattoo, the one we'd gotten together.
"Does he know anything about who you were?" He asked me and put out his cigarette.
"Just that I came from California and left after our brother died," I told him and stopped scratching at my tattoo. "I really put everything behind me, you, the hotel, Teo, and I did everything I could to start over," I said and we headed back inside.
"You have unfinished business here, Edge, and I don't think you're going to come back here ever again after you leave so you need to talk to Teo before you do," he told me and he was probably right but I didn't know if I could face that man after I just ran away from him without any real warning or a goodbye.
"I guess but it's not a conversation to have when picking up my nephew," I pointed out to him and he couldn't argue with me there.
"But it is a chance to run into him and suggest going for coffee, and getting Ever home is a good out if it gets awkward," he told me and I wasn't convinced but I'd abandoned EJ when I'd run away from home so I sort of owed him this, him wanting me to get closure with people from this town wasn't exactly the worst thing he could demand of me.
"I've contacted the executor of dad's will, he's coming into town next week to break down the will for us, who gets what and stuff," he told me, which meant I could be out of here by the end of next week.
"I can't believe you're not in witsec, I had good money on that," Javi complained and King looked too smug than someone should at a funeral.
"Only crimes I've witnessed are breaches of Maritime law when it comes to working hours," I told him and he was giving his cousin such dirty looks for taking his money.
"Can't believe that Lil Miss Weekender hater is now working on boats for weekenders," King said and I shrugged.
"I didn't hate weekenders specifically, just the ones around here," I told him and I didn't really want to talk about that any more.
"So where in Florida are you living?" Javi asking, sensing my need to move on from that.
"Over in Port Saint Lucie, about two hours from Miami," I told him, "you are not coming out to bother me," I said and I would stab him in the throat.
"Why not?" King asked. "We got family down that way anyway," he said and I gave him such a thunder look.
"Because my life in Florida is so completely detached from my life here," I said and decided to fuck with them, "and you could blow my cover," I whispered to them.
"Cover?" King asked, and you could see a little spark in Javi's eyes as he realised what I was doing.
"Shit, I've said too much, just forget I said anything," I said, acting like I was trying to brush him off. "I should go do the mourning rounds," I said and walked away from them now I had planted the seed of conspiracy in King's mind for Javi to mess with.
There were so many people who just wanted to grill me on my life rather than talk about my dad, given it was his funeral, so I decided to go hang out with Ever to avoid them. "What's the biggest boat you've been on? Is it bigger than the Addy?" He asked me.
"Much bigger than the Addy," I told him, "the smallest boat I've worked on is at least 10 times bigger than the Addy," I informed him and his little jaw dropped.
"Have you got pictures?" He asked me excitedly. I got out my phone and brought up the photo folder I had with pictures of the boats I'd worked on and some of the crews I'd worked with.
"Wow....I want to captain a big boat like that," Ever decided as he looked through the pictures, "who's that?" He asked as he got to a picture of Me and Skye replicating the moment in titanic on the Icarus in the season we first met, before we started dating.
"That's my boyfriend Skye," I told him. "We met on the Icarus and have been together ever since," I said and I could feel myself smiling looking at the photo of us together.
"Daddy said you're not going to stay very long," Ever said as he gave me back my phone.
"No, I'm not," I said and he looked sad, "Skye's going to be a mess without me," I informed him and I was a little afraid I was going to come back to a flooded apartment but the man was an engineer so hopefully something like that shouldn't happen, and I'd like to believe he'd fess up and call me rather than surprise me with that fun fact when I got home.