First Time in Forever (Puffin Island 1)

Ryan didn’t hesitate. “White Pine House. But there’s no way she’d stay there.”

“Why?”

“Because getting there is a nightmare. It’s in the middle of the island at the top of a trail that is impassable in bad weather. I wouldn’t even try it if I were you.”

“Can you give me direct

ions?”

Ryan shrugged. “They’re your tires. Do you have a map? I can show you.” He was polite and friendly as he took the map of the island from the man’s hand. “You want to take a right at the forest trail. It’s a pretty rough road, but it’s the only way up to Heron Pond. Be careful as you take Pond Bridge. There was some structural damage over the winter, and repairs haven’t been finished yet. You might want to park and walk.”

The guy stepped away with a nod of thanks.

“What a douche,” Anna muttered as he walked away. “Please tell me he’s going to blow out his tires on the way to the pond.”

“He will.” Ryan was calm. “And if by chance he makes it as far as the bridge, he’ll probably take a swim.”

“He’s going to be calling for help,” Anna said happily, and Ryan smiled back.

“He’ll try. There is no cell phone coverage by the pond. He’s going to have a long, tiring walk back down to the road.”

Emily wasn’t so easily reassured. “He knows about Castaway Cottage. He must have gotten the details from the hospital.” She was sickened by it. “What if someone tells him where it is?”

“How can they, when none of us has ever heard of Castaway Cottage?” Ryan winked at her and then called Kirsti over. “Is it done?”

“It was done twenty seconds after you gave me the nod. Check your phone. And for those who don’t text, we’ve been calling around leaving messages.”

Ryan pulled his phone out of his pocket, smiled and handed it to Emily. There on the screen was a text warning the islanders about the journalist, complete with a photograph.

“How did you take that without him noticing?”

Kirsti smiled. “I’m sneaky.”

Emily couldn’t relax that easily. “What if he comes back?”

“I guarantee you by the time he leaves the island, he won’t want to come back in a hurry.” Ryan dropped to his haunches and grinned at Lizzy. “Hi there, tiger. Time to come out.”

“Ryan!” Lizzy wriggled through legs and backpacks and launched herself into his arms. “It was him.”

“I know, honey, but he’ll be leaving again soon. In the meantime, how do you feel about spending the day at Harbor House with Agnes? She really needs your help with Cocoa while she packs boxes.” He stroked her back gently, and Lizzy wrapped her arms and legs around him like a monkey.

“Will you be there, too?”

Across the top of Lizzy’s head, Ryan’s gaze met Emily’s. She saw something flicker in the depths of his eyes, and then he set the child down, peeling her arms from around his neck.

“Later.” His voice was husky. “First, I’m going to make sure Mr. Photographer never bothers you again.” He turned to Emily. “Don’t leave until I text you. John Harris is going to let me know as soon as he’s safely on the ferry.”

She nodded. Without his quick thinking, Lizzy’s presence would have been exposed, and she wanted to express her gratitude. She wanted to pull back all the things she’d said, but then she saw Lizzy slide her arms around his legs and cling, and knew she had to stand firm.

“Thank you.” She told herself it was the overwhelming gesture of warmth from the community that made her feel like sitting down and sobbing her heart out. For her whole life she’d felt like a small piece of a jigsaw puzzle that had been dropped on the floor and lost, fitting nowhere. Now she felt as if she’d found her place. A small piece, fitting perfectly into a bigger picture. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she belonged. There were people looking out for her.

The price she had to pay for that was not being with Ryan. She’d thought that was the simple option.

Now she was wondering if it might kill her.

*

EMILY SPENT THE rest of the day packing boxes with Agnes and picking up texts from various islanders determined to give her a nonstop commentary on what was happening. She was grateful for any activity that stopped her thinking about Ryan.