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“It's weird being here.”
This has been my home for twenty-four years, except right now it feels like I’m an intruder.
The boat engine fires up, and we’re on our way. Not long after, Otemanu comes into sight. I tap her leg and her head lolls over. “My house is right past this town. We have to get a water taxi because they won’t drop us off there.”
I let out an audible gasp, and Halli sits at attention. Jumping to my feet, I rush to the other side of the boat to get a better look. No, no, no.
“What is it?” she asks.
I blink back hot tears as I stare at the blackened and charred remains where our houses sat just three weeks ago. I ask the driver in Tahitian what happened. A fire a week ago. Who would do this?
“What happened?” Halli asks as the boat continues to pass my destroyed home.
“He says there was a fire. Were you aware of this?” I jerk my head toward her with an accusatory stare.
She shakes her head. “I would’ve told you before we came.” Her gaze darts around the boat, surveying each person before coming back to me and lowering her voice. “Although, I’m not surprised.”
“Why? Who would do this?”
“Think about it, Aspen. Tobias—I mean Rudy—would want to cover his tracks. That means he needs to erase his presence.” And mine.
I wipe a tear from my cheek and plop down on the bench. “But these were our houses. Our lives.” Our fake lives. All my belongings minus the box he sent me are in ashes.
The boat pulls up to the first hotel and I realize we don’t have anywhere to stay. This is great. I watch the first three couples exit the boat while the two workers unload their bags.
“Um… Halli, we have a problem.” I could have called Dante and crashed with him, but I’m not comfortable with how we left things. We need to talk though. I can’t leave my best friend, no matter how much of an asshole he was. Wait until I tell him about my dad, he’ll flip. He always thought he was a little strange.
“Oh,” she says, figuring it out. She finds her phone in her purse. “No worries, I’ll get it taken care of. What hotel should we stay at?”
I tell her about one of the cheaper hotels that usually has rooms available. I relay the information to the guys once she gets confirmation of our hotel.
Staying with the bags while she checks in, I tilt my face away from workers as they walk by to avoid them recognizing me. As if on autopilot they say, “Orana.” I bite down on my lip to stop myself from saying it back. They don’t care if foreigners ignore them. Most of the time, we preferred it.
We locate our hut on the beach and Halli stands outside, spinning in a slow circle, digging her feet into the white sand. “Wow. Everything is so breathtaking.”
It’s definitely hard to breathe.
I’m stuck between reality and make-believe. It’s an odd sensation. I close my eyes and breathe in the humid, salty air. Waves roll onto the beach and I try to clear my mind with just my senses. But I’m easily distracted when I sense Halli move past me. I sigh, giving up.
Instead, I follow her in. “What’s the plan for today?” she asks, opening her bag.
We’re only here for three days. That means tomorrow is our only full day, and I promised her I would show her the island before we left. Despite the jet lag, we need to get busy today.
“I’d like to go by the house first. See if anything is salvageable that I want.” Pulling out a pair of tennis shoes, I end up staring at them, losing myself in a memory of when I got them.
“Those make your legs look hot,” murmurs Ryker from the bench inside the store.
“How do tennis shoes make legs look hot?” I tilt my foot in different positions, testing the fit as I stare at myself in the mirror.
He pushes off the bench and stands so close behind me, his chest hits my back. “It says you’re athletic. Shows off your thin ankles, next up, your gorgeous lean, muscular legs. Makes the eye keep moving up to see more, like your gorgeous ass.” His fingers scrape up my leggings, under my long cardigan until he has a handful of my butt. He squeezes and I squirm in his grasp. My cheeks already heating.
“Ryker,” I warn.
“And then all I can think about is removing them first so I can strip the rest of your clothes off so you can wrap those gorgeous legs around my head.”
I swallow the knot of desire in my throat. “Sold.”
I chuckle at the memory, blushing at the one that came an hour later when his words became actions. Until my memory reminds me he hasn’t answered my phone calls or text. Why would someone give you a phone number and not answer? His phone is attached to him so that can’t be his excuse.
