Vows Written in whiskey

Chapter One: The Yes That Changed Everything I woke up with a diamond on my finger and a stranger's arm across my waist. For one long, foggy second I just stared at the ring. It threw little rainbows on the ceiling. Then the arm behind me tightened, warm and heavy, and a low voice mumbled something into my hair, and my whole body went cold. But no. Let me start where it really began, three days before that ring, before the diamond, before I said the word that turned my life upside down. It began with a "yes." "Miss Vincent?" I blinked and lifted my eyes to the man across the desk. He had waited a full minute while I stared out the window like a fool, and now he was watching me with a patience that made me sit up straight. Silver hair, brushed back neat. A grey beard, trimmed close. Eyes the colour of cool steel that seemed to read every nervous thought in my head. He was old enough to be my father, and still one of the most handsome men I had ever seen in real life. "Sorry, sir," I said. "You asked about my biggest weakness." "I did." He set his pen down. "Most people tell me they work too hard. As if being a martyr is a talent." I almost laughed. I caught it just in time. "My biggest weakness," I said slowly, "is that I don't know how to quit. When something matters to me, I hold on past the point of being smart about it. Some people call that stubborn." I met his grey eyes. "I call it loyal." He was quiet. Then the corner of his mouth moved, just a little. "Loyal," he repeated. "I have interviewed nine people today, Miss Vincent. Every one of them told me they were passionate, driven, and detail focused." He leaned back. "You are the first to tell me the truth." My heart started to pound. I pressed my hands flat on my knees so they would stop shaking. "Can you start Monday?" he asked. The room tilted. I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. Keep it together, Khloe. You can scream in the car park. Not here. "Yes, sir," I said. "Absolutely." "Good." He stood and buttoned his jacket. "Come in at eight. My assistant, Mirabel, will get you set up. Welcome to Halcyon." I stood so fast my chair scraped. I shook his hand with both of mine, which is not professional, but I couldn't help it. "Thank you, Mr Mitchell. I won't let you down." "I know," he said. "That is why I chose you." I walked out of that glass office like my feet weren't touching the floor. Halcyon Group. The biggest luxury resort company on the whole continent. I, Khloe Vincent, who had scrubbed pans in three different kitchens this year alone, was going to be an executive assistant. Real salary. Real hours. A door into a real future. I made it to the lift before I let one small squeak escape. Down in the street, the Cape Town wind hit me and I laughed out loud like a mad person. A man walking his dog gave me a wide berth. I didn't care. Because for the first time in a long time, things were looking up. Two years ago I had dropped out of culinary school. Not because I wanted to. Because my mother's heart gave out on a Tuesday afternoon and the hospital bills came like waves, one after the other, until there was nothing left for pastry classes or dreams of my own bakery. My father had walked out on us when I was nine, gone one morning with the car and the savings and no note. So it was me. Just me, keeping my mother alive and keeping my little sister Grace in her university dorm, one job at a time. Now, finally, one good job. A steady one. I took the train home grinning like a fool the whole way. --- I share a small flat near the old harbour with my two best friends, Maya and Tina. The place is loud, messy, and always smells like Maya's terrible cooking, and I love it more than anywhere on earth. The second my key turned, the door flew open and they both stood there in matching oversized shirts, hair in buns, staring at me with huge eyes. "Well?" they said together. "Well what?" I said, trying to squeeze past. Tina blocked the door with her whole body. "Khloe Vincent, if you make me wait one more second, I will end you." "You called me twenty times," I said. "Twenty-six," Maya corrected, mouth full of biscuit. "And forty texts. So. How bad was it?" I let my face fall. I let my shoulders drop. I sighed the saddest sigh I had. "There were so many other people there," I said quietly. "People with real experience. Fancy degrees. I don't think..." Both their faces crumpled at the same time. Maya put down her biscuit like it had died. "Oh, babe," Tina said, reaching for me. "It's their loss. You are the smartest, hardest working person I know and one day..." "I got it," I said. Silence. "You," Maya whispered, "little witch." "I GOT THE JOB," I screamed, and then they screamed, and all three of us crashed onto the couch in a pile of arms and legs while the neighbour banged on the wall. "Halcyon," Tina gasped. "You are going to work at Halcyon. Do you know how many people would kill for that?" "I do now," I said, wiping my eyes. "I really do." Maya sat up suddenly, that dangerous look in her eye. "This calls for one thing." "No," I said. "We are going out," she said. "Maya." "Tonight." She was already on her feet, sliding down the hall in her socks. "No excuses. My best friend just landed her dream job and we are getting dressed up and we are celebrating like normal young women who deserve a break." Tina grabbed my hands and pulled me off the couch. "You have not been out in months. Not since your mum's last scare. When was the last time you did one thing just for fun?" I opened my mouth to argue. I closed it again. I honestly couldn't remember. "Fine," I said. "One night. But I'm not getting drunk." They looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Sure, babe," Tina said, patting my cheek. "Sure you're not." --- While Maya raided her cupboard for a dress that would "make my life change," I stepped out onto the little balcony and called the hospital. "Ward six," a tired voice said. "Hi, it's Khloe Vincent. I'm calling about my mother, Sandra Vincent. Bed nine." "Ah, Khloe." The nurse's voice softened. "She had a good day. Ate her whole lunch. Asked for you." Something in my chest went tight and warm at the same time. "Can I speak to her?" "She's sleeping now, love. But she's stable. Truly." "Okay." I gripped the railing. Down below, the city lights were coming on, gold and orange along the water. "I got a job today. A good one. Tell her when she wakes. Tell her the money problems are going to get better. Tell her I'm going to fix everything." "I'll tell her," the nurse said kindly. "Go and rest, Khloe. You sound like you carry the whole world." I hung up and stood there a moment longer, letting the wind dry my eyes. I didn't know it yet, standing on that balcony with a full heart and an empty warning bell somewhere deep in my chest, that in three short days I would wake in a strange bed, on the far side of a night I could not remember, wearing a ring I never chose. "Khloe!" Maya yelled from inside. "Get in here and try this red dress before I put it on myself and steal your whole night." "Coming," I called back. If I had known what that dress would lead to, I might never have put it on.