on his face. Nerves kicked in and she felt the babbling that would come from her mouth before it even started.
‘I just meant that he must be proud of you since he loved the hotel business so much. And since you’re also, in some ways, his legacy, it’s like his legacy running his legacy...’ She shook her head at how silly that sounded. ‘Anyway, that’s why I said he must be proud.’
Blake didn’t respond, and she wondered if she’d upset him. She should probably just have left it alone, she thought as she drove up the inclined road that led to Table Mountain. But it wasn’t as if she was prying. Okay, maybe it was. But she’d only said something she thought was true. Surely he couldn’t fault her for that?
‘I think you might be right.’
He spoke so softly that she was grateful the radio was off or she might have missed it.
‘He doesn’t talk about it much, but I think maybe he is.’
Callie nodded, and was amazed at how those few words confirmed what she’d suspected earlier about his relationship with his father. She considered pressing for more information, but he asked her a question before she could.
‘Where are you taking me first?’
She bit her lip to prevent her questions about his family from tumbling out. ‘Table Mountain. Our number one tourist attraction, and also an incredible experience if you live here. This would be the first place I’d want to see if I hadn’t been to Cape Town before.’ She frowned. ‘But, since you have been to Cape Town before, I’m sure this trip is redundant for you.’
‘No. I haven’t been up the mountain.’
He shrugged when she shot him an incredulous look.
‘I’ve only been here for business or to visit my family. I don’t do touristy things.’
‘But...’ She found herself at a loss for words. ‘Don’t you and your family go out together? I mean, this is the best outing for a family.’
‘For certain kinds of families, yes, I suppose it is. But our family isn’t one of those.’
Again, Callie felt an incredible grief at his words. They’d been driving for less than twenty minutes and already she knew that Blake didn’t know if his father was proud of him or not, that their conversations mostly revolved around business, and that his family didn’t do outings together.
She didn’t know what was worse, she realised as she parked. Having a family—parents—and not having a great relationship with them, or having no parents but wonderful memories of them. She had always known that her parents were proud of her. And suddenly, for the first time since they’d died, she was grateful for those memories she had of her parents, no longer pushing them away.
‘IT’S BEAUTIFUL, ISN’T IT?’
Callie’s voice was soft next to him, and he turned slightly to her, not wanting to move his eyes from the view.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it,’ he said, knowing that the words couldn’t be more true.
They stood at the top of Table Mountain, looking over the city and the harbour. If he walked to the other side, he knew he’d see the beaches and the ocean in a way he’d never experienced before. They weren’t the only ones up there, but for the peace Blake felt he thought that they might as well be. He didn’t think about failure or disappointment here. He felt so small, so insignificant, that thinking about his own problems seemed selfish.
Though he’d just done it, he walked back to the other side of the mountain and looked down at the ocean. There were houses scattered across the peaks of the hills above it, and he felt a tug of jealousy that the residents there were privy to such a spectacular view every day of their lives.
‘I wonder if those people know how lucky they are to live there,’ he said, aware that Callie was standing right next to him.
From the moment they’d stepped into the cable car to get up the mountain she’d left him to his thoughts. Thoughts that were tangled around her and her questions about his family. He hadn’t wanted to talk about it, and he thought she’d realised as much when she’d remained quiet after her last question about going out as a family. But even though she was silent he had never been more aware of her presence. That peaceful, steady presence that he hadn’t expected.
‘Well, most of them are rich tycoons who purchase those houses and rent them out. Some are wealthy Cape Townians who invest or buy just because they can.’ She paused, seemed almost hesitant to continue. ‘And others are very aware of how lucky they are.’
‘You know some of the others?’
‘You could say so.’ A ghost of a smile shadowed her lips. ‘I live there.’
He struggled not to gape at her, but he couldn’t resist the words. ‘You live there?’
‘Yes.’
The smile was full-blown now, and it warmed something inside him that he had thought was frozen.
‘Right over there.’
She pointed, and he wondered which of the spectacular houses was hers.
‘Connor said he lives in one of the main parts of town.’
‘He does, yes. But we don’t live together. He moved out of the house when he went to university. My parents were devastated, but they had me, and I had no plans for moving out. I commuted to university for my first year and then...’ She trailed off and cleared her throat. ‘And now I still live there.’
Her words made him want to ask so many questions. He wanted to break through whatever barrier she’d put up and find out why she hadn’t continued with her story. Instead he settled for one of his many questions.
‘Alone?’
She looked at him, and the pain in her eyes nearly stole his breath.
‘Alone.’
Silence stretched between them while Blake tried to find words to comfort a hurt he didn’t know anything about. But words failed him, and all he could do was wait helplessly.
‘Come on—there’s a lot more to show you,’ she said, after what felt like for ever, and he followed her back to the cable car.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he was reminded that they were there for business, and as soon as the thought registered he took his phone from his pocket. He opened a memo and recorded Table Mountain as an approved place for the investors to see.
‘This must be a really popular place for your tours,’ he said as the cable car began its descent.
‘It is.’
Was that relief he heard in her voice?
‘I usually begin here or end here. Ending here usually works when the tour starts in the afternoon and
