Page 44 of Escape to the Sun

“Tomorrow?” Of course he couldn’t get back in one day. Logically, she knew that. It was upsetting to hear him say it out loud and even more disconcerting that she was upset by it. It was only because there was a storm, she told herself. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she might actually miss him.

Not at all.

Before he could object, or tell her she was being ridiculous, which she already knew, Heather gave him a quick kiss. “Go,” she said. “Be safe.” She turned and said one more good-bye to her guests as Ash hopped down into the boat before untying the bow line and tossing it into the boat.

Ash didn’t waste any time before whipping the boat off. Amid a handful of waves and hoots, they were gone, zipping across the water toward Bocas.

Heather stood on the dock until she could no longer see them. Thor, whining at her heels, reminded her that there was still a lot to do.

They’d be fine. Her guests. Ash.

He’d stay the night in Bocas and be back in the morning. It was the safe thing to do. Besides, it’s not as if they were married or anything. He certainly didn’t need to risk his life in a tropical storm just to return to her when they were only…what? What were they?

It didn’t matter and she didn’t have time to think about it. Refocusing on the mounting to-do list at hand, Heather forced thoughts of Ash out of her head and got to work. She managed to get the shutters secured and tied down on grande casa without much trouble, but the rain started by the time Heather headed out to the bungalows to make sure they were secured. Camila had retired to her own little house in the trees earlier, so she was on her own to get the guest rooms protected before it was too late.

By the time she had the majority of the bungalows secured, Heather’s clothes were drenched and stuck to her skin. Her hair was pasted in wet streaks across her face and she was chilled to the bone. Despite the fact that it was a tropical rain, it was really freakin’ cold when you were stuck in the middle of it and the wind whipped all around you. Damn cold.

She tucked her chin to her chest and went out into the storm one more time to check the far bungalow. The same bungalow she and Ash had gone swimming off of. There hadn’t been anyone staying in it, but she hadn’t checked it and if there was a shutter loose, it could cause massive amounts of water damage inside.

Heather tugged on the door and walked around to check each shutter. They were secure but something out in the water caught her eye. The swim platform. Or more specifically, the ladder on the swim platform.

The water level was rising with the increase in rain. It was something Heather didn’t expect, but then again she’d never experienced a tropical storm in the jungles of Panama before. The rainwater, combined with the fresh water coming off the streams in the hills, was causing a rise in the level, which meant the ladder on her swim platform was no longer resting on the ocean bottom, but was lifting and getting dangerously close to floating away.

“Dammit.”

If she lost the ladder, it probably wouldn’t be the end of the world, but at the same time, it would be a pain and they did have more guests coming soon. Besides, that would be the first really big screw-up she’d made since being in charge.

She didn’t want that. Not at all.

The canoe.

It was tied to the main dock and it wouldn’t take much to paddle it over and secure the ladder. Then everything would be taken care of and she could get inside and ride out the storm.

Her decision made before she’d thought it through, Heather rushed back to grande casa and out to the dock. The canoe had already been tied tightly and with her cold fingers, it took a little bit longer to work the knots, but she managed and jumped in with the paddle.

The waves were bigger than she’d expected and despite the short distance she had to travel, the paddling was hard. She finally reached the swim platform, grabbed the rope in the bow and hopped out. It would be easier to tie up the ladder from on top of the platform.

The rain came harder now, and Heather’s teeth chattered together painfully from the cold. But she was almost done. It would only be a few more minutes and she could go warm up.

It took her a few fumbling tries to tie the canoe to the cleat on the side of the platform and then she quickly turned her attention to the ladder. After a quick assessment, she decided it would be best to pull the ladder up instead of leaving it in the water. It was a job that would have been easier to handle with another set of hands. But she was on her own. She could do it. She’d prove to Ash and to Sherri that she was a good manager and Casa del Sol was in good hands with her. Trying to get some leverage, Heather stood and tugged on the ladder. But the wood was slick beneath her feet and they slid right out from under her, sending her crashing to her ass.

The pain from her tailbone radiated up her spine, but she didn’t have time to think about it. The waves were getting bigger and started to wash over the platform. Some of the larger waves crashed over the top and filled the boat.

“Come on, Heather.” She gritted her teeth and pushed to her feet. “You got this.”

The truth—if she was honest with herself—was that she most certainly did not have it. She reached down one more time and tried to get a grasp on the slippery ladder, but once again she crashed to the dock. This time the pain from her tailbone was sharper. Heather knew if she hadn’t cracked it, she’d most certainly done some major damage. But she couldn’t give up. She was invested now. One more time, Heather picked herself up and reached down for the ladder. This time, she squatted deep and heaved with her legs. The ladder moved. She gritted her teeth and heaved again. It moved more. And then it was coming up onto the dock. And on top of her.

Right before the ladder came all the way up, she was able to wiggle out of the way and avoid being completely crushed by it. But she didn’t have time to celebrate, because the wind had picked up and with it, the waves. Now, almost every second one washed up and over the dock. And into the canoe.

“Shit.”

She scrambled on her stomach to the cleat and lashed the ladder down so it was secure before she turned her attention to the canoe, which was now half filled with water.

She needed to bail. And fast.

“Where’s the…”

Her words were swallowed by the wind. Not that it mattered, because there was no bailing bucket. There was nothing. And if she didn’t do something, soon there would be no canoe. It was filling quickly.

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