Page 91 of Escape to the Sun

“Hola, mi amigo.” They shook hands and Ash thanked him again for bringing everything back for him and delivering it up the stairs to Sherri’s place.

“Now, you’re still okay to help me with this part?” Ash handed him the box he’d brought. “Remember—not until the sun goes down. Everything should be there. Just paddle it out to the platform and set it up. It should be easy enough to figure out.”

“Si, señor.” Luis grinned. “I have my share of experience with romance, too, you know?”

“I know it, Luis. I know it. Thank you again.”

He waved away his gratitude. “Good luck, mi amigo.”

“Gracias.” I’ll need it.

* * *

Heather didher best to go through the motions for the rest of the day. It was made easier by the fact that her guests were a lot of fun and didn’t seem to need much entertaining. They were happy to hang out and relax. They’d found the storage room full of inflatables and had spent the better part of the afternoon floating on the ocean, drinking mojitos and enjoying the sun.

Camila had cooked up a delicious feast and they’d all gathered around the table to celebrate their first night at Casa del Sol. She wasn’t much in the mood for celebrating, and had never been so thankful for her mother, whose presence was surprisingly a huge help. She never thought the day would come when she would be able to say that, but more and more, Heather was starting to expect anything but the expected.

She sat in the back corner, watching as Mason fired up his iPod and started dancing. Soon, everyone was dancing, even Phoebe, who’d come out of her shell a bit more as the day progressed. Even Luis and Camila had stuck around and were demonstrating their Spanish dance moves. Heather’s mother had played hard to get, but Eric only had to ask once before getting her up on the dance floor, too. No one bothered to ask Heather to join in, a fact she was more than grateful for as she didn’t think her spirit could handle it. It was one thing to play happy hostess as your heart was breaking; it was a completely different thing to join in the festivities. All she really wanted to do was make her escape and go to bed so the day could be over.

After a few songs, Luis and Camila disappeared into the kitchen—likely Camila was preparing a dessert or another round of delicious munchies of some kind. Her mother broke away from the dance party and joined her on the couch. “I haven’t moved like that in years.” She flopped down next to Heather and smacked her thigh. “You should get out there, sweetie. It’ll make you feel better.”

“I feel fine.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

Heather didn’t bother to respond. “I just feel like sitting out tonight.”

Her mother eyed her suspiciously but fortunately didn’t say anything.

“I wonder how long they’re going to—”

“Señorita Heather!” Luis appeared in front of her, looking panicked enough that Heather sat up.

“What is it? Is everything okay?”

“No, señorita.” He shook his head. “There’s a situation in the storage shed.”

“The storage shed?” She looked around. “Weren’t you just in the kitchen with Camila?”

“No, señorita. The shed. You must go.”

Heather looked between Luis and her mother.

“Go,” her mother said. “I’ll make sure everyone has whatever they need and I think Camila is going to serve those yummy cookies we made earlier.”

She looked back at Luis. “A situation?” He nodded. “Okay.” She sighed. “Let’s go.”

“Oh no, señorita. You go. I’ll be right behind you.”

She shook her head, but didn’t bother objecting. It was likely some type of superstition or something. Or more likely, Luis needed to go get a kiss from Camila before venturing out into the dark. Either way, she didn’t have any such requirements. Heather grabbed a flashlight from the shelf by the door and set out the back door. The pathways were marked with solar lights, and as usual, Thor was right behind her. If there was any type of situation that she required backup for, she’d have to rely on the dog.

There was a full moon, which made the traveling easier, and Heather was able to avoid tripping over too many roots and rocks as the path became a bit rougher. If Sherri agreed to her plan of turning the shed into a hostel type of bungalow, she’d have to improve the path for guests. Maybe put a few more solar lights in.

Her pace slowed as she approached the building. Everything looked fine from the outside, but there did appear to be a faint glow coming from inside. Maybe Luis left one of the lights on when he was out there. It didn’t even occur to ask him why he was out in the shed, or what he was doing. It hadn’t seemed important. But as soon as Heather opened the door and stepped inside, it all became clear. And she almost turned right around and walked out.

Twinkle lights had been strung around the room. In the middle of the floor was a large blanket with a vase of flowers in the center. Next to the flowers was a folded piece of paper with her name on it.

She stood in the doorway, battling with herself, trying to decide whether she should just turn around and walk back to grande casa, or whether she should bother with reading the note that was so obviously left by Ash.

---