“I’ve already been vetted. Richard never wastes time dating anyone who doesn’t have the right credentials. Just in case the relationship goes somewhere. My bloodline has been studied along with anything in my past that might cause embarrassment.”
It sounded so unlike free-spirited Skylar that Emily felt another ripple of concern. “Do you want the relationship to go somewhere?”
“You know me. I think about the journey, not the destination. You can waste your whole life thinking about where you’re going, and then one day you wake up and realize you missed today because you were thinking about tomorrow. I like to live in the moment.”
And yet Richard was the opposite of that. As far as Emily could see, he’d spent his life working toward a single destination, and everything he did was designed to turbo-boost him along that path. “What are you doing with him, Sky?”
“When he isn’t focused on the future, he can be charming. And he genuinely wants to do good and change the world. He knows what he wants. He has a goal. That’s why he gets frustrated when things don’t go the way he wants them to, and people don’t feel the same way he does.”
Emily felt another flicker of unease. “Be careful.” She didn’t know why she said it, except that something didn’t feel right. “And don’t forget I’m here if you need me.”
“Hey, I’m the one supporting you.” Skylar watched as the plane executed a perfect landing. “One day they’ll arrange a direct flight to New York.”
“Then this place would lose its charm.”
“Maybe. I wish I’d bought one of those blueberry pies to take home. I could really—” Skylar’s jaw dropped as the pilot emerged from the plane. “Holy crap, is that—? Tell me I’m hallucinating.”
Emily squinted into the sun. “You’re not hallucinating. It’s Zach.”
“What the hell is he doing here? Do you think Brittany knows?”
“I doubt it.”
“Should we tell her?”
Emily thought about it. “No. She’s in Crete. She’s happy. He might be gone by the time she gets back.”
“You’re right. I can’t remember the last time she even mentioned her ex-husband. Did you know he was here?”
“No. Last thing I heard, he was working as a pilot in Alaska. Should we kill him for her?”
“No. It was years ago, and she wouldn’t want him to know he hurt her that badly.”
“She hasn’t been serious about a man since.”
“I know. Apparently ten days of marriage to him cured her of commitment forever.” Skylar stared at the man standing on the tarmac. Even from this distance there was no missing the power of his physique. He stood, legs spread, eyes hidden behind shades as he talked to an official. “It’s wrong that he should look so attractive. It distracts from the fact he’s a bastard. I hope he’s as good a pilot as that arrogant smile suggests, given that he’s going to be responsible for my life. How do I play this? Do I pretend I don’t know he broke Brittany’s heart?”
“That’s probably best as he’s in charge of the aircraft. I don’t want him to dump you in the ocean.”
“Good point. Instead of wanting to kill him, I’ll be grateful. After all, if he hadn’t acted the way he did, we never would have bonded that first night at college. Do you remember?”
“Of course. I remember all of it.”
“I remember Brittany sticking a photo of him on the wall so that we could draw on it. I gave him a nose ring and pink hair.” Skylar walked back to the car and hugged Lizzy. “See you soon, Tinker Bell. Make me a necklace. And make Emily throw out everything she owns that is black.”
Emily watched her friend leave and then slid back into the car.
She wondered briefly why Zach would be flying for Island Air, and then decided that as Brittany wasn’t here anyway, it didn’t matter. Neither of them stayed in the same place for long. He’d be gone long before Brittany returned.
Keen to get home as fast as possible, she drove back along the coast road to Castaway Cottage. Today there was no blue sky, and the wind whipped the sea into a foaming, boiling cauldron, toying with boats and keeping swimmers out of the water. Surf crashed over the rocks, exploding in a burst of white froth.
Emily kept her eyes on the road.
If she worked really hard at it, she could just about pretend the sea wasn’t there.
Two decades had passed, but she could still remember the moment when the water had closed over her head and dragged her down, hungry for an innocent victim.
Sweat formed on her brow.