Page 21 of Escape to the Sun

“The only place you’re going, Romeo, is up to the treehouse with that crate. My things aren’t going to move themselves.”

“Where are you going?” Heather looked between them. “What’s the treehouse?”

Sherri’s smile was broad. “My house, honey.”

“I thought you lived…” She trailed off, because, like Ash, Heather had no idea where Sherri lived. She just always seemed to be around.

“I don’t live in grande casa.” Sherri laughed. “Although I’m sure it seems that way. Truthfully, I’ve been spending my nights there since you came, but it’s time for me to go home.”

Abandoning her basket of mint, Heather picked her way through the garden toward Sherri. She had to walk past Ash, stepping around the crate he’d set down. She tried hard not to breathe in as she moved past him, but it didn’t work. His sexy scent filled her senses and her body shivered involuntarily.

“Cold, Heather?” She ignored him and the laughter in his voice. The man knew exactly what he did to her and she couldn’t decide whether that pissed her off or turned her on.

“Sherri.” She focused on her friend. “I don’t understand. Did I take your room? Where’s home? And why…I mean…why are you…”

“Why am I leaving you?”

Heather nodded and Sherri chuckled before she squeezed her arm. “It’s not like I’m going far. I’m just going up the hill to my house in the trees.”

“But I need—” She stopped herself before she finished the thought. The last thing Heather needed was her new boss thinking that she couldn’t handle the job of running the B&B. After all, she’d only just started. She didn’t want Sherri to fire her for incompetence. More than anything, she wanted to stay.

“You don’t need me, honey. You’ve got this. Besides, I’ll be just up the hill.”

“And I’ll be here.”

Heather squeezed her eyes shut. Ash’s presence was both reassuring and unsettling. She couldn’t quite make out the expression on Sherri’s face. For a moment, she thought the older woman might protest Ash’s comment.

Sherri seemed to hesitate before she nodded. “Yes. Ash will be around if you need anything.” With a gentle hand, Sherri gripped Heather’s chin and looked into her eyes. “You’ll be fine. This is exactly where you need to be.”

She couldn’t find any words that made sense, and afraid she might cry and make a bigger fool out of herself, Heather simply nodded again. She would be fine. And it was ridiculous, because it wasn’t as though Sherri was leaving her permanently. She was moving up the hill. She’d be close.

But if that was true, why then, as she watched Ash and Sherri move away from her, down the path and up the hill, did it feel as if she was losing her friend, just as she’d found her?

* * *

It tookAsh four trips up to the treehouse to get all of Sherri’s things in place. Of course, those were four very long trips, as her treehouse was straight up the hill and, as far as Ash could figure, about five thousand stairs away.

And he was pretty sure he wasn’t exaggerating.

On the last trip up, Sherri came with him. Even with the heavy crate in his arms, she was much slower than he was. Ash stopped to rest a few times and each time, he turned to see her carefully picking her way up the wooden steps. She was moving slow. Too slow.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. There was more to Sherri’s move up the hill than she was letting on.

When he finally reached the top, Ash deposited the crate on the floor next to the others, went to Sherri’s small fridge and grabbed one of the beers he’d stashed there earlier. He sat outside on a bamboo chair, cracked his beer and waited.

A few minutes later, Sherri rounded the corner, ascending the last few stairs. “I expected to see you on your way down already.”

Ash shook his head. “Nah. I wanted to wait for you.” He took a deep slug of his beer, letting the icy liquid slide down his throat. “You know, make sure you got up okay.”

She tilted her head and eyed him suspiciously as she stepped up on the porch. Ash handed her his beer, which she took silently, taking a deep drink herself before she sat next to him.

He waited, and a few moments later, she let out a long breath before she spoke. “You want to know what’s up.”

It wasn’t a question but Ash nodded.

“I’m surprised you haven’t looked yet.”

“It’s your stuff.” He didn’t bother adding that he’d been dying to know what was inside, but then he’d also have to admit that there was part of him that didn’t want to know. In his experience, large secret packages weren’t always a good thing.

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