Page 54 of Doyle

Her gaze went to Hope House, to where the stone monastery sat on the hill, with the old clay-tile roof, the gardens, the wall around the grounds. It looked like something out of a Spanish tour book, with the bell tower rising from the front entrance, the arched doorways in the back leading to the refectory turned medical clinic. Sunlight shone against the rose window in the church that Doyle had repaired and turned into an art gallery.

“There’s so much potential there,” he said quietly. “If we can just figure out how to keep it safe.” He looked at her then, those blue eyes on hers, and she wondered if maybe he meant something else.

“I think this trail leads to the old airport, but the sulfur mine is on the way.” He kept walking.

“I didn’t know there was an airport on this island.”

“Back when it was an enclave for the wealthy. On the other side of the island—near Sebold’s resort—is a village of abandoned, destroyed homes. It took the hit from the hurricane that simply ravaged the town. That’s where most of our kids are from. A few of the wealthier homes also got destroyed.”

His footfalls landed softly on the loamy soil. “My guess is that without the community to support them and with the infrastructure destroyed, the wealthy on the island cut their losses and moved to St. Kitts, just down the sea, so to speak.”

“My family has a home on St. Kitts,” she said, not sure why.

He looked over at her. “Really?”

“Yeah. We don’t visit it often.”

He nodded.

“I know you’re thinking, What is a rich girl like me doing on this island, scrubbing for cash? And the answer is, I would have preferred if you didn’t know I came with money.”

He glanced back at her, eyebrow up. “Why?”

“Because it complicates things. I thought Edward was the only guy who saw me for me because he grew up with our family. Now, I’m not sure, but... it’s just hard for me to trust people when I know they know.... Anyway, apparently you knew all along.”

“I did,” he said. “Although when you first showed up, that was the last thing on my mind.”

“What was the first thing?”

He said nothing.

“Doyle.”

“I don’t want to say.”

Oh.“Because you thought I was bossy.”

Another beat.

“No. Because I thought you were pretty.”

Oh, and her heart thumped.

“Andbossy.”

She laughed. “I might have thought I could whip this place into shape. But it’s starting to feel like it’s trying to whip me into shape.”

They came around a curve in the trail and looked over a cliff, the ocean spitting against the rock, creating thunder, spray.

“Is the tunnel down there?”

“Somewhere, yes. Maybe.”

“What’s your big plan, then? We import our supplies to the tunnel and bring them through the cave?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but yes. Although right now, I don’t see the lava tube.”

“It could be under water. Tide is high. Let’s keep going.”

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