Page 97 of Stuck in Paradise with You

Luke holds up a hand from where he stands in front of the others down below. I press my fingertips to the window, wishing I could touch him.

Now, he’s running back toward Joe and taking something from him and there’s a voice in my headphones saying, ‘Carrie, Luke is on the radio for you.’

Then…

‘Carrie? Can you hear me?’ It’s Luke’s voice and I’m being handed a radio from someone in a seat opposite me, who’s demonstrating for me to hold down a button on the side as I speak.

‘Luke?’

‘Carrie, I’ve thought about what I was going to say as you left all day and I— Damnit, when it came to it, I just froze.’

I exhale, my words breaking. ‘Me too.’

‘We could have died this week. I could have seen my last sunsets here with you.’

The thought of that makes my tears fall harder.

‘As if seeing you wasn’t enough, the disaster we’ve been through this week has shown me that life’s too short to not at least try to be happy.’ The image of him is blurring now, shrinking to the size of an ant as my ride moves away from Charithonia. ‘I don’t know how many sunsets I have left, Carrie, but I know that I want to spend as many as I can with you.’

His words catch on my next breath. I know exactly what he means because I’ve had the same thought this week, more than once. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself to be rational, not emotional. To remember what’s real, off this paradise island, away from Hurricane Isabel. ‘I know, Luke.’ I sniff. ‘But you’re my client. I’ve worked so hard?—’

‘No, Joe is your client. Hettich is your client.’ His words are urgent. I wish I could see him but he’s gone. All I see is the island and tropical waters surrounding it. ‘I’m just some guy who worksfor them, Carrie. Some guy who is crazy in love with their tax advisor.’

In love?My eyes shoot open, landing on the woman opposite me, the one who strapped me into my seat and handed me a radio. The one who is smiling at me as she hears every word of my conversation.

‘I wish that were true, Luke, but we’ve been here before. I’ve been here before. We risked everything and it went badly.’

The woman’s smile fades.

‘Not this time, Carrie. Because my head is straight this time. I know exactly what I want. What I’ve wanted for the last seven years. Longer. Before I even knew it.’

‘Luke—’

‘That’s you. Only you. I loved you from the moment I was born; I just hadn’t met you yet. So if you tell me the only way for us to be together is for me to walk away from Hettich, then, Joe, I quit.’

I hear Joe in the background, clearly now with no sound of propellers around them. ‘Didn’t like working with you anyway,’ he shouts, making me giggle.

‘I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work,’ Luke says, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice.

‘Including having no money?’

‘I don’t need money. I’m in love with a woman who earns plenty of it.’

I laugh this time. ‘Couldn’t you have told me this before I took to the skies?’ I tease, unable to keep the smile from my voice.

I hear Luke’s amusement. ‘Tell me I can see you when I get back to New York and I promise to tell you to your face. I promise to tell you every day for the rest of my life how much I love you.’

‘Okay.’

‘All right now.’

I’m giggling and smiling so wide, my face aches. ‘So I’ll see you in New York next week?’

‘It’s going to be the longest week of my life.’

42

CARRIE

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