Her cousin laughed.
“Still.”
Rachel felt anger.
“Still what?”
The cousin changed subjects.
Rachel understood then how easily she had once done the same thing.
Reduced ownership to luck.
Ignored obligation when convenient.
Sophie did not decide immediately what to do with Rock You.
For the first two months she barely used it.
Owen ran the engines weekly.
The charter company finished three bookings Benjamin had already contracted.
Revenue went to the LLC.
Expenses went out.
Sophie received reports.
Every report made the yacht less romantic.
Fuel: $4,800.
Generator service: $2,100.
Electronics repair: $6,700.
Slip insurance rider.
Bottom cleaning.
Engine reserve.
Rachel watched from a careful distance.
She wanted to call.
Offer spreadsheets.
Suggest selling before the next depreciation cycle.
Benjamin’s letter sat in her desk.
Do not manage Sophie.
So Rachel waited.
It was agony.
Sophie called first.
“Are you busy?”
Rachel nearly answered too quickly.
“No.”
“You are.”
“I can move things.”
“Can you look at a charter contract?”
Rachel paused.
“Do you want legal review or aunt review?”
Sophie was quiet.
Then laughed.
“Is there an aunt review?”
“Apparently we're beta-testing.”
“Legal.”
“Okay.”
Rachel read the agreement.
The charter management company charged eighteen percent plus certain pass-through costs.
Cancellation clauses favored the operator.
Insurance language needed revision.
Rachel sent comments.
No speech.
No suggestion about the yacht’s future.
Sophie replied:
Thanks.
Rachel stared at that one word for an embarrassing amount of time.
Progress was humiliatingly small.
Owen’s relationship with Sophie was easier.
That irritated Rachel until she understood he had done more earlier.
He visited after Lucas died.
He called birthdays.
He taught Sophie engines.
He had his own failures.
He also showed up.
Rachel had sent checks.
Books.
Graduation gifts.
Practical affection.
Low-risk affection.
She had mistaken reliability of transfer for relationship.
At Thanksgiving, Sophie came to Charleston.
First Cole family holiday in four years.
Hannah did not.
She was polite about the invitation and honest.
“I am not ready.”
Rachel respected that.
The dinner happened at Owen’s house because nobody wanted Benjamin’s empty condo.
Sophie arrived with a pie.
Rachel had already brought one.
They stared at identical pecan pies on the counter.
Owen laughed.
“Genetics.”
Rachel said:
“Pecan pie is not genetic.”
Sophie replied:
“Control issues might be.”
Owen nearly dropped a plate.
Rachel stared.
Then laughed.
The evening improved from there.
Not completely.
At one point Owen’s daughter asked Sophie:
“Are you rich now?”
Every adult froze.
Sophie looked toward the eleven-year-old.
“I own an expensive thing that eats money.”
The child frowned.
“The boat?”
“Yes.”
“Can we go on it?”
“Probably.”
“Then yes.”
Everyone laughed.
Rachel watched Sophie.
No performance of wounded heiress.