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She adjusted her bracelet to bring the little jewel around to the front. “How long will you be gone?”
“It’ll depend on what I find when I get there.”
“The Windsors won’t give you any trouble for leaving, will they?”
“I don’t think so, especially if Jack will finish the fence for me. I’ll pay him, of course.”
“I bet he wouldn’t mind doing that at all, and he won’t let you pay him. Not with all you’ve done for us. Anyway, he said the hard part’s already been finished.”
“I’ll ask him. I texted Annabelle, and she didn’t seem to have a problem with it. But I’ve never used any vacation days. Or sick days, for that matter. So it’s not like she can accuse me of taking advantage of her.” He’d had nowhere else to go. It was easiest to hide from his past right here.
“Considering how mad Bastian must be, maybe it’s a good time for you to be gone.”
“He’s the reason I wish I didn’t have to go,” Bo said. “I don’t want him harassing you.”
“I’ll be okay. Jack’s here. I don’t think he’d dare bother me.”
He nodded, but if Bastian was what Bo thought he might be...
He couldn’t even let his mind go in that direction. His uncle Chester needed him.
“Will you take an Uber to the airport? Or would you like me to drive you?”
“If you want to drive me, you could use my truck while I’m gone.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.” He’d actually feel better knowing she had some wheels.
Bo searched the crowd near the hot dog stand for Jack and saw that he’d already eaten his hot dog and was in line for an ice-cream bar. “About last night...” he said, thinking he’d better tackle that subject while they still had a few minutes alone.
Ismay immediately started playing in the sand. “I’d rather not talk about it. Not yet.”
“Okay.” He figured he’d given her the opportunity; she didn’t want to talk, so he’d let it go. But in the very next moment, he heard himself say, “Is there any chance you’d like to come back tonight?”
When she twisted around, he could tell she was checking to make sure Jack wasn’t within earshot. “Okay,” she whispered. “I don’t see how it could hurt anything now.”
Ismay waited until the house was quiet before slipping out. Even though it wasn’t far, Bo had insisted she not walk to his place alone, so he was waiting for her, but he didn’t speak when he saw her. He just took her hand and kissed her knuckles before leading her silently through the warm night to his place.
Once he let them both in and they were no longer out in the hushed stillness of the night, that hesitancy to speak was broken. “Are you all packed?” she asked when she saw a suitcase set off to the side by the entryway.
He moved it so they could get into the kitchen. “Packed and ready to go.”
Bo took out two glasses, filled them with a white zinfandel and handed her one. “I wish I weren’t leaving,” he said, leaning against the counter. “The Windsors are used to getting whatever they want. I don’t trust Remy to let you go without a fight.”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “If he’s been cheating on me, he can’t care too much about me.”
“With people like Remy, it’s not about caring. It’s about owning, controlling. He might feel as thoughyouwrongedhimby not letting him have everything he wanted—or fly into a rage for holding him accountable instead of accepting his excuses.”
Ismay was beginning to worry about staying on the island herself. Remy could be so persistent. Bo didn’t know him nearly as well as she did, and yet...it seemed, in some ways, as if he knew him better. What was Remy going to do when she finally drew a line? “I’ll get through it,” she said. “And hopefully you won’t be gone too long.”
“I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
She was eager to feel his hands on her body again, his mouth on hers, but he lingered over his wine.
“There’s just one other thing...” he said.
She set down her glass. “And that is...”
