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“Okay. Let’s start walking towards the boat, and you can rip off that bandage on the way. I’m here to support you,” I added, and laced my fingers through his.
He pressed the icon to call Annie and we started walking down the steps. Jason was right, I had been so distracted that I never did get a real count of them all.
“Annie? Hey, I know it’s late, but I don’t think we should wait any longer. You know what I’m talking about. Because I’m here in Fiji in the room you booked us and you never showed, so I think it’s pretty clear—”
I couldn’t hear the words she said, but I could hear the pitch of her voice lift. I squeezed Jason’s hand encouragingly.
“Annie,” he interrupted her. I pinched my lips together to keep from laughing at the image of her in my head—how stunned she appeared at him standing his ground with her. I knew the face she would make too well, which is why she never really liked me. I never let her get away with any bullshit back in school, let alone her attempts at getting me to back down. The first time I’d said no to her, she looked like I’d slapped her across the face and called her something foul. I was only a little ashamed of how entertaining I found it.
“Annie, we both know it’s over. When I get home, I’ll call a lawyer and get the divorce papers set up. We’ll figure all that other stuff out when I get back. Wait, where are you? I can hear things in the background and that doesn’t sound like anywhere I know. Cancun? Spring break? Jesus.”
Annie was in Cancun for spring break? I supposed it was true that some people never really grew up.
“Fine, enjoy your vacation. Don’t do anything stupid, and we’ll talk when I get back.” When he hung up, he looked confused. “That’s not how I thought that was going to go.”
“It did seem a little more pleasant than I imagined,” I agreed. “But now it’s done.”
He pressed the back of my hand to his lips and smiled. “It’s done. For me. Let’s hurry back so you can pull the ripcord on Fred.”
Nine
Uninvited
Afew hours later, our nearly empty boat was almost back to the pier of the small island where we were staying. I couldn’t believe what was happening, even with all the time to contemplate it along the way. I felt the same exhilaration with Jason as I had soaring through the forest the day before. We could barely pull our hands from each other, could barely stop kissing.
As we neared the shore, I could see that the beaches were practically devoid of people, save a lone figure sitting on the innermost pillar of the dock where we were headed. The closer we got, the more familiar the shapes became. It was a dark haired man sitting next to a small rolling suitcase.
“That’s weird,” I said, too observant for my own good.
“What?” said Jason, his lips brushing against my shoulder.
“It looks like a man just arrived on the island alone. But, why isn’t he moving toward the check-in building? Or any building?”
“Maybe he’s just taking in the view.”
“At almost midnight?”
He looked up to see what I stared at, but as we docked, my stomach fell. The dark curly hair, the pale skin, the glasses he cleaned absentmindedly as he sat, and the hard case expandable suitcase in silver I bought him for Christmas two years ago.
“Fred?” I gasped.
Jason sat up straight, removing all physical contact between us as the boatman reached over to help me onto the dock. I turned to Jason, confused and cautious. “Oh no,” I said. “I was not expecting to have to do this face-to-face. Here. Please don’t leave my side.”
He nodded, squeezing my hand reassuringly, and helped me out of the boat.
“Gemma!” said Fred, standing up and replacing his glasses. “I’ve been waiting for ages. Nikki said you were on another island and you’d be back soon.”
“Fred, what the hell are you doing here? Did Nikki call you? Why aren’t you in Chicago?”
“I finished the job early,” he blurted, “but that doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I forgot our anniversary. I can’t believe I did it and I am so sorry. It’s a silly thing, but I know how much it means to you. Didn’t you get any of my messages?”
“Messages?”
“I’ve been calling your cell phone since Monday, but it went straight to voicemail. I thought maybe you were punishing me. I didn’t realize that this trip was meant as an anniversary gift. I know I can be such an idiot. But I’m here now.”
