Page 16 of Escape to the Sun

Mostly.

“Ash.” He blinked hard, refocusing on Sherri, whose frown had been replaced by her usual bright smile. “It’s not much of a party without music. Find us something fun on my iPod and let’s dance.”

* * *

“iPod?” Heather had to ask. Sherri had just finished explaining to her that they tried to exist as sustainably as possible with solar energy, rainwater, and a garden full of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Many of which, she’d never heard of. The mention of an iPod seemed at odds to everything she’d just learned.

Sherri laughed at Heather’s reaction. “We don’t totally live in the dark ages, honey. Music is good for the soul and until I can get my own live-in band, the iPod is the next best thing. Fire it up, Ash. And bring some more wine over here. I wanna dance.”

Ash laughed from behind the bar, where he was digging around for something. “You don’t need wine to dance, Sherri.” A moment later, music filled the small space. “I don’t even think you need music.”

Sherri tipped her head back and laughed long and loud. It was refreshing to see someone so carefree and in touch with herself. Sherri was the second woman Heather had met who seemed to live her life only for herself. Just like Josie in San Blas, the two women shared many similarities. Watching Sherri was beyond refreshing. It was downright inspirational.

“Come on.” Sherri was on her feet and held a hand out to Heather. “Dance with me. There’s no better way to tune into your very essence.”

Heather wasn’t much of a dancer but that was probably only because of her past. Joe hated dancing with her and told her she had no rhythm. Whenever they had a band brought in to Shelter Bay Marina, she’d sat out or claimed to be not feeling well, or more often than not, she’d make up some excuse to leave early because it was way too hard to sit by and watch everyone else have fun when she only wanted to join them.

She should have.

There were a lot of things Heather should have done over the years.

But one thing was for sure: she was done sitting out.

She took Sherri’s hand. A good dancer or not, she didn’t care. She just wanted to feel the music. And that’s exactly what she did. For the first few songs, which were a mixture of steel drum bands and rock and roll, Heather closed her eyes, put her arms in the air and let her body go.

At first, her movements were a little stiff, but she didn’t let that dissuade her. She just kept moving. Feeling the rhythm through her body, all the way down to her toes. It didn’t take long before she opened her eyes to look into the serene face of Sherri, lost in the beat herself.

“This is amazing.” It seemed like such an inadequate word. Maybe it was the wine, or the long day, or simply the fact that the pounding bass had permeated her brain, but Heather couldn’t think of a better word to describe how she felt in the little lodge of the bed-and-breakfast. She turned and her stomach did a ridiculous flutter when she saw Ash, reclining in a chair, his feet on the table, his eyes fixed on her.

Emboldened by the music and wine, Heather crooked a finger and beckoned him to the dance floor. His smile was slow and so sexy it almost hurt, but he shook his head.

Trying not to feel rejected, Heather turned and faced Sherri again. “He doesn’t dance?”

“Oh, Ash dances.” Sherri spun in a circle.

Heather looked over her shoulder. Ash tapped his foot, but wasn’t dancing.

“He’s not.”

“He will. I can tell by the way he’s watching you.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Honey, it makes perfect sense.” Sherri laughed and grabbed Heather’s hands, taking her along for a spin. “I’ve seen that look in his eyes before.”

“What’s the look?” She was pretty sure she knew, but she needed to hear it from her.

Sherri pulled her in to a turn. “Like he wants to devour you.” She winked and Heather laughed because that was exactly how Ash was looking at her.

A thought stopped her, and Heather stopped dancing, jerking Sherri to a stop as well. “I just want you to know that I really want this job and I’m excited for…what I’m trying to say is I’m not going to screw anything—”

“Oh, you’ll screw something, honey.” Sherri winked. “But whatever your personal choices are, you won’t screw up this job with them.” With strength Heather didn’t expect from her, Sherri grabbed her hand and flung her out into a spin before she pulled her back in. “Just be honest.”

“With him?”

Her smile was kind. “With yourself.”

She didn’t have time to process what that even meant before she was once again spinning across the floor.

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