Page 40 of Isla

I plaster a smile on my face. "Yes. Yes, sorry." I grab my backpack and shuffle past her, my carry-on nearly breaking my nose when I pull it from the overhead bin. I turn away before she can see the tears in my eyes or the way my chin wobbles. I force myself to take slow, deep breaths as I walk past the empty seats and don’t stop until I make it to the car rental counter.

Keys in hand, I walk through a pair of automatic doors into a solid wall of humidity. I knew it was going to be hot, but I didn’t know it was going to be likethis.I start shedding layers right there on the sidewalk, stripping down to my bike shorts and tank top before finding the car. I can’t remember what they told me at the counter, so I press the lock button on the key fob several times, following the beeps until I locate the car. It’s fucking huge. In my head, it had made sense to rent a bigger vehicle in hopes that we’d all be returning to the airport together, but now, seeing it in person, I think I made a gigantic mistake. It’s the biggest car I’ve ever seen.

Doubt starts creeping in. I've always prided myself on being a strong, independent woman, but am I really? Jack has always been there if I needed anything. I've always had enough money to get by. Maybe I've just been faking it my whole life. I take a breath.

I can do this.

I start the car and crank the AC. Pulling my phone out of my backpack, I plug it in and power it on, a text from Charlie immediately popping up.

You're the most incredible person I know, Isla. You can do anything you put your mind to. You're a motherfucking bad bitch, and don't you ever forget it. You've got this.

I made you a playlist just in case you need to be reminded every once in a while.

I wipe away the tear that plops onto the screen with my thumb and press play. “Bad Bitch” by Bebe Rexha blares out of the speakers as I pull out of the parking garage. The GPS tells me I'm thirty minutes from the cabin I rented on the edge of Townsend—a tinytown that calls itself the peaceful side of the Smokies. The drive is beautiful. Wide highways eventually become two-lane roads with forested mountains rising on both sides. It reminds me of the highlands. No wonder the guys felt so at home in Scotland. I turn onto a tiny one-lane road and follow a river for several miles before the cabin comes into view. I pull off the road and stare in disbelief. It sits on a rocky island in the middle of the river, a network of rope bridges connecting it to the mainland.

I clutch the suitcase to my chest as I navigate the bridges, juggling it to one arm in order to punch the code into the door. I drop everything on the floor and head back to the car, wanting to get to the post office as quickly as possible. It only takes me ten minutes to get there and have the postmaster confirm that privacy laws protect PO boxes. Several stops later, I start losing hope. Either the guys don’t live here, or everybody's protecting them. And, hell, can you really blame them?

When I can't ignore the hunger pains any longer, I stop at the closest restaurant. The parking lot is packed with motorcycles, cars, and campers, most of them with out-of-state license plates. I do what the sign says and find a seat, opting for the outside patio to enjoy the views.

Thirty minutes later, I’m licking crumbs from my fingers as I flick through pictures on my phone when the waitress brings my check. Before I can give her my card, she stops me with a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, but I couldn't help but notice the picture you have up on your phone. Do you know Theo?" She pulls a strand of thick chestnut hair over her shoulder, twisting it around her finger nervously.

My heart stops. "Yes. Do you know where he is?"

Sadness clouds her expression. "I don't. I was hoping you did."

"How do you know him?"

"I used to date him and–" She stops abruptly, her cheeks turning red. My gaze flicks down to her nametag. Katie. It takes everything in me not to show any reaction.

"I–I'm happily married now," she stammers, wiggling her ring so I can see. "I owe him an apology, but I haven't seen him in years."

My brows draw together. "Their construction company wasn't here?"

She shakes her head. "Their headquarters used to be in Knoxville. This is where their mama and daddy lived. They grew up here."

My stomach sinks. "Where would they go if they came back here?"

"Back to their parents' place," she says without hesitation.

"Their parents' place? I thought they sold everything."

"It’s just a tiny cabin on the edge of the park where their parents lived right after getting married. The only value in it is sentimental, I'm afraid. There's not enough land for someone to build one of those monstrosities they're building nowadays,” she says, her Southern twang drawing out the syllables.

"Can you tell me where it is?"

Her gaze turns suspicious, realizing she’s already said too much. I hold my phone out to her, encouraging her to flip through pictures of me and the guys together.

"You're dating them."

I nod.

"Good. Don't screw it up like I did. I ruined all of our lives for a long time. And then their parents..." She looks off in the distance, pain in her eyes. "They deserve to be happy for the rest of their lives. I hope you can do that for them."

"I'm trying," I say, my voice cracking. "I need to find them first."

Katie tears a piece of paper from her notepad and scribbles down an address. "This is the closest house to the cabin. Park on the side of the road. There should be a path to the left of the house. Follow that until you come to a stone wall. Turn left there and follow it until you get to the cabin."

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