Page 13 of Lost At Sea With A Billionaire

I nodded, mentally calculating our needs.“There must be a freshwater source on the island.The vegetation is too lush otherwise.”

“Tomorrow we should explore inland,” she suggested.“And we need to set up some kind of signal for passing ships.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” I said, pointing toward the yacht’s broken hull.“If we could retrieve the emergency flares?—”

“They’d be in the bridge,” Janet said.“Which was underwater when we were there earlier.”

“The tide will be lower in the morning.I could try then.”

She frowned.“That’s risky.The yacht’s position could shift at any time.”

“It’s a calculated risk.”I met her gaze steadily.“Unless you have a better idea?”

She seemed about to argue, then sighed.“No.But you’re not going alone.”

“Your head injury?—”

“Is not debilitating,” she cut me off.“And four hands are better than two.We’ll go together.”

The assertiveness in her tone surprised me.Most people simply deferred to my decisions, but Janet challenged me at every turn.It was oddly thrilling.

“Alright,” I conceded.“We’ll go together.”

She nodded, apparently satisfied, and returned to organizing our supplies.The silence between us grew comfortable as we worked.When had that happened?In the short time we’d spent together on the yacht, I’d noticed how easily conversation flowed between us.Even our silences felt natural, not the awkward pauses I often experienced with others.

“Tell me something,” Janet said suddenly.

“What do you want to know?”

“That night before the storm, you mentioned working on contracts.Were you really preparing for meetings, or was that just an excuse?”

Her question took me off guard.“Why would I need an excuse?”

She shrugged.“I saw how you looked at me sometimes when you thought I wasn’t paying attention.”

Warmth settled across my skin.“I respect professional boundaries.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

I sighed, running a hand over my fade.“Yes, I was actually preparing for meetings.A pharmaceutical partnership that would expand access to the antibiotic we developed.”

“The one you created after your sister got sick?”

“Yes.I’m glad you remembered.”

“Of course.”She arranged the canned goods by type.“It’s not every day you meet someone who changed careers to save lives.”

“I didn’t save her life.The doctors did.”I paused as memories flooded back.“But watching her suffer, seeing how close she came to dying from what should have been a treatable infection, changed my perspective.”

“In what way?”

I considered the question.Janet’s disarming way of asking things directly made me want to answer honestly.

“It made me realize how pointless many of my ambitions were,” I admitted.“I was on track to become another Wall Street shark, making millions shuffling other people’s money around.Angela’s illness forced me to confront the emptiness of that path.”

Janet was watching me with unexpected intensity.“So, you switched from finance to biochemistry?That’s not exactly an easy pivot.”

“I’ve never been interested in easy.”

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