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“Is there anything else I can do for you before I head back?” he asked.
“I’m set for now—I think. Do you have a generator, too?”
“No.”
“Then let me give you your lantern—”
“Keep it,” he said before she could turn away. “I’ve got several flashlights and some candles. I can get by.”
She’d have powerandthe good lantern? She’d grown up in a large family, where she’d had to share everything, so she felt guilty taking all the best resources. “I’d rather you have it—”
He interrupted by raising his hand in the classic stop position—apparently in lieu of a refusal because he didn’t say anything more about the lantern. “You have food and water, right?”
“I do.” Now that she had her basic needs covered—for the immediate future, anyway—her concerns had shifted. What she needed was someone to convince her that Remy had nothing to do with the items she’d found in his closet.
“Can I give you my number, in case anything comes up later?” Bo asked. “I’m just in the bungalow on the property behind this one, so not far away.”
Getting his information seemed prudent. Although he was a stranger, and certainly looked as though he’d be a formidable foe if she ever had to fight or resist him in any way, his manner and his help with the generator was making her more grateful than wary. After all, the Windsors knew and trusted him. That lent him some credibility. And if he had any intention of harming her, he could easily have done so by now. He knew how vulnerable she was.
Instead, he was keeping a respectful distance and trying to help her through a frightening ordeal.
“Of course,” she said. “Good idea. Then we won’t have to rely on Remy and Annabelle if we need to communicate.” Except this time, she hadn’t brought her phone to the door. It was back on the charger. She was planning to keep the battery as full as possible in case the generator gave out before the storm. “Can you come in for a second?”
“I’m wet,” he said. “I’ll wait here.”
Her trust in him shot up several more notches. He certainly wasn’t trying to get inside the house. “There’s no need to stand out in the storm. Never mind if you drip on the floor. I can wipe it up after.”
Trying to keep the wind from ripping the door from her grasp, she stepped to one side to make room for him, and after a brief hesitation, he came in and helped her close the door.
“Whew! Now maybe we can hear each other speak without having to yell,” she said and went to retrieve her cell from the kitchen counter.
When she returned, she found him exactly where she’d left him, right inside the door. “Here you go,” she said and handed him her phone so he could type in his information.
“If something comes up, don’t hesitate to call me, even if it’s late,” he said when he handed it back.
“Thank you.” She hit the Call button to ring his phone, so he’d have her number, too. “And I’d like to make you the same offer. If you need something tonight, feel free to reach out. As you can see, I’m pretty comfortable here and have enough groceries and water to share.”
After acknowledging her words with a nod, he headed out, and she once again braved the wind and the rain to watch him descend the stairs.
When she couldn’t see him anymore, she locked up, then leaned against the door. It felt odd knowing there was a stranger staying not far away, who’d given up his lantern for her. So what if he worked for the Windsors? Why did that mean he had to be the one to go without, especially whenshehad a generator?
“The privileges of money.” She wasn’t convinced her parents would approve of her letting him sacrifice when he already had less. But then...she wasn’t even convinced they approved ofRemy. Although they hadn’t said much, except that they wanted her to be happy, she knew they had to wonder why, since she and Remy had been together for so long, they’d never met him. He’d spoken to them several times over the phone, but every time she thought she might finally bring them together in person—for Christmas, Thanksgiving—Remy would end up having a conflict.
Thinking of her parents made her miss them, the rest of her family, and, more than anything else, the familiar. She’d been excited to come to Mariners for a couple of months. Who wouldn’t want to experience such luxury? Staying in a place like this was usually reserved for the very rich. Without Remy and his family, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity.
But the storm and what she’d discovered while looking for a lighter had left her feeling a bit like the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter inRebecca, which had been her favorite book as a girl. There were secrets in this cottage. Even after the storm passed, the island recovered, and life carried on with its influx of tanned and beautiful tourists wearing designer sunglasses, she wouldn’t be able to forget the duffel bag she’d put back behind the wall in Remy’s old closet.
Generator’s working. All’s good.
Bo sent that message to Annabelle Windsor as soon as he got home and removed his coat. Since he hoped to remain in his current situation for the foreseeable future, he planned to keep her happy.
He peeled off his shirt, which was wet where the rain had seeped down the back of his neck while he’d been working, and tossed it onto the washer. Then, using only a flashlight, he went into the bathroom to dry his face and hair with a towel. Hopefully, Ismay Chalmers was set for the night and he wouldn’t have to go out again.
He paused while he pictured the face of the woman he’d just met. She was beautiful. No one could argue with that. But beauty didn’t matter much to him. He wouldn’t still be thinking about her, except there seemed to be something more to Ismay, something he would hate to see get crushed or turned into a reflection of Remy or even Remy’s mother, who was a much better person than her son. Ismay seemed fresh and unjaded, sweet and concerned about others. He wished he could warn her away from the Windsors.
“Money ruins people,” he muttered, recalling Annabelle’s words yet again. But, like him, Ismay probably thought she could be the exception.
With a sigh, he pulled on a dry shirt and returned to his small living room, where he built a fire to stave off the cold. There wasn’t much to do with the rest of the afternoon, except prepare what food he could make without an oven or microwave—and read.
