Page 24 of Love Overboard
The sunlight shone through the stone columns of the walkway—casting thick, rigid shadows on the floor at her feet. She’d realized the inevitability of “the talk.” But it was finished, and it hadn’t been the disaster she’d expected. They’d rehashed the past, and Jon would leave her alone. This trip was a good idea after all. So good she wanted to cry with relief. Yes, that’s why tears were stuck in her throat.Relief. Everything would be fine from here on out. She was sure of it.
Until she looked at the beach.
Lacey jumped up and hollered over the railing at the woman sitting below. “Emily, where’s the boat?”
CHAPTER 10
LACEY CAREENED DOWN THE STAIRS. She descended round and round the narrow lighthouse. Her speed increased until she reached the bottom and slammed to a stop. Right into Jon’s back. He stood in the open doorway and lurched forward as she crashed into him.
“Sorry.” She ducked under his arm and ran to the beach. Her feet sank in the powder-soft sand, slowing her gait. Lacey pushed harder, not that it did any good. The lazy teal waves rolled in front of her without a single boat to mar their postcard perfection. She doubled over, bracing her hands against her knees, and gasped for air.
Jon caught up at the water’s edge. “What’s wrong?”
Chest heaving, Lacey waved at the spot where Fernando’s boat used to be.
Jon groaned. He scanned the water and pointed to a speck on the horizon. “There.”
Lacey straightened, and her neck swiveled to Emily and Gerry at the table. She marched across the beach, Jon at her heels.
“Where’s Fernando?” Lacey stopped in front of them and twirled around as if she expected him to appear.
“He had an emergency.” Emily held a plastic bag. “Don’t worry. He said he’d be back in a bit. And he left the sandwiches for us, so we won’t starve.”
“A bit?” Lacey swung her head from side to side. “What does that even mean? It took us an hour to get here. If he’s going home, that’s two hours round trip. Did you even bring your medicine with you?”
“Relax, dear.” Emily unzipped her purse and riffled through it. “I took a dose before we left. And there are lots of things to see here in the meantime. Fernando said that path over there leads to a crop of ancient Mayan ruins.” She withdrew a pair of aviator sunglasses from a leather pouch, put them on, and motioned to a trail at the far end of the beach. “You and Jon go explore them while we wait.”
“I’m supposed to return to the ship in time for the first dinner seating.” Lacey’s hands rose to her waist, palms up as if asking for a benediction from above and waiting for the right answer to drop into them.
“This won’t do.” Jon moved around Lacey and crouched in front of Emily. “You must have his phone number. Call him. Even if he’s already left, it won’t add too much time to his trip to come and get us now.”
“Out of the question.” Emily stared him down, his face reflected in her mirrored lenses. “It was urgent.”
“Don’t worry.” Gerry pulled a novel from her woven purse. “He’ll be back soon. I brought an extra book if someone wants to borrow it.”
Gerry passed the novel to Lacey, who cringed at the amorous couple embracing on its cover. She tossed the book on the table.
Emily shook her head as she retrieved the novel. “Young people are always in such a hurry.” She hummed as she opened the story to the first chapter.
Jon was no help. He said nothing.
Lacey’s mouth formed words, but no sound came out. This must be illegal. They were being held hostage by two granny gangsters. She clenched her fists, gave a tiny squeal, and stomped away.
Jon eyed the placid little ladies as they read, then suppressed a chuckle. The whole crazy situation would be funny if Lacey weren’t so peeved. In the distance, she stormed along the beach, kicking sand right and left. A perfectly understandable reaction.
The setup was too blatant. An obvious bid to force them into close proximity. This remote south side of the island took hours to reach by dune buggy. Calling a Monarch employee to come and get them was an option. But by the time they reached the ship, it would be the same difference as waiting for Fernando. Plus, the journey might be hard on the senior citizens, and he wouldn’t abandon them to wait for the motorboat alone.
They were stuck.
Fifteen minutes ago, he’d have welcomed the chance to spend quality time with Lacey—before she played the just-friends card, consigning every tender memory they’d ever shared to the garbage pile. He wasn’t feeling friendly right now.
Had the good old days only been good for him? Granted, they never officially defined their relationship back when they were together. But theyweretogether. Any spare moment was spent in each other’s company.
Jon wandered around, digging in the dirt and collecting seashells, but somehow his feet kept pointing Lacey’s direction. He gave up and walked toward the beach. She sat in stony silence next to the water’s edge, staring at the last place they’d seen Fernando’s boat. She spoke as soon as he stopped beside her.
“I can’t believe they went this far.” She hunched, hiding her face in her hands.
“Who?” He sat on her right, careful to leave a few inches of empty space between them.
