Page 82 of Escape to the Sun

He flashed her another killer grin. “Looking forward to it. Now, about that list…”

* * *

“Areyou sure you don’t want to come with me, Mom?”

It was the third time Heather had asked her whether she wanted to make the trip into town, and although she didn’t expect the answer to be different, she was kind of hoping it would be. She’d really enjoyed their chat the night before. For the first time in as long as she could remember, maybe ever, they hadn’t fought. Not only that, they’d laughed. It would be good to continue the trend. But just as she had the last two times she’d asked, her mother shook her head firmly.

“I’m quite happy to stay here and learn some cooking techniques from Camila. Besides, I didn’t like that town the first time I saw it. What makes you think it’s improved any in the last few days?”

Heather had to laugh because she completely agreed with her mother’s assessment of Bocas Town. “Okay, you can stay here. I won’t be too long. I need to grab a few things at the store and then I’ll bring our new guests back. You make sure you’re on your best behavior when they get here, okay?”

Her mother looked affronted. “And why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just…just don’t treat me like your daughter, okay?”

That made her mother smile. “It’ll be fine. You are sure you have enough room, though, right?”

They’d already been through it and Heather went over the guest bookings, even showing her mother in order to prove that they did indeed have the room. At least for a little bit, but her mother couldn’t stay indefinitely anyway. It wouldn’t be good for either of them if she did. “Don’t worry, Mom. You’re good. At least for a week, maybe two.”

Heather grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I should get going soon. Can you be sure to grab Ash if he comes back?”

If he comes back.It sounded so strange to say it out loud. Of course he would come back. She shouldn’t even be thinking otherwise. Of course, she never would have expected him to leave without letting her know or leaving a note or anything at all except a broken message from Camila. She’d thought about calling him on the cell phone she’d recently discovered he had, but of course she had no clue what the number was. Short of walking back up to the treehouse and asking Sherri, she had no way to get it either. And she didn’t need Sherri worrying, or worse, thinking she was a crazy obsessed woman. Ash was a grown man and he didn’t report to her. Hell, they hadn’t even defined their relationship. Not that it would make a difference, but maybe it would make her feel as if she should have some right to know his comings and goings.

She was getting ahead of herself, though. She needed to focus on one thing at a time. And right now, it was getting to town by herself for the first time, picking up her guests, and making sure their vacation started on the best note possible. Which meant she couldn’t be late.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m all set.”

Her mother walked her down to the dock, where Luis waited with his boat. Her mom even untied the bow line for her once she got settled. Heather tried not to worry, or think about Ash while they drove slowly away from the dock. She had to focus on Casa del Sol. Now, more than ever, Sherri needed her to do a good job and she wasn’t going to let her down. There’d be time enough to figure things out with Ash later. Because even if he’d pulled a disappearing act, Heather couldn’t imagine her feelings doing the same.

* * *

In hindsight, having drinks with Sara was a bad idea. Not that Ash felt he had any other choice at the time. But what he was hoping would be a simple drink, maybe two, before he excused himself had turned into a round of shots, followed by another, followed by the music being turned up and the whole bar dancing all night. He hadn’t drunk so much in years. Not since he’d first come to Bocas del Toro. But it felt like a celebration that Dr. Friesen was on his way to Panama, even if no one else knew what he was celebrating, and then it just became easier to deal with Sara the more he’d had to drink.

He’d managed to avoid any dances with Sara, at least for the most part. Things got a little fuzzy at one point in the evening, but that was when Ash had the wherewithal to know it was time to retire.

He had a vague memory of stumbling up the stairs to room five before flopping onto the bed and passing out. He woke up at one point in the night to use the bathroom and chug a bottle of water before he climbed back into bed next to Heather’s sleeping form. Ash had a fleeting thought that it couldn’t be Heather sleeping next to him as he faded back into sleep, but then his eyes closed and he fell back into the deep, hard sleep of the intoxicated.

It wasn’t until the sun shone through the blinds and hit him on the face that Ash’s eyes fluttered open again. He groaned and held his head. There was a reason he didn’t drink like that anymore, and the morning after was a large part of that reason. He rolled over to stretch and stared directly at the bare back of a sleeping woman.

A woman?

Shit!

The memory of the night before when he’d woken to go to the bathroom flooded back. He’d crawled back into the small bed with Heather. At least that’s what his tired, drunken brain told him. But it wasn’t Heather. No. Of course it wasn’t. Because Heather was back at Casa del Sol.

Shit. Sara. It had to be Sara. But he wouldn’t…no. Of course not. He’d never.

He’d been pretty drunk, but not that drunk. He would never do anything like that. Not when Heather was…well, just because of Heather. He wouldn’t. But he needed to get out of there.

Ash tried to slip backward out of the bed without waking Sara, but no sooner did he have one foot on the floor then she stirred and rolled over. “Good morning, handsome.”

“Hey.” He reached down and grabbed for his shorts, slipping them on quickly. Why exactly was he naked? “Why are you…what are you…we didn’t…”

Sara sat up, only partly holding onto the sheet that wasn’t doing a very good job covering her naked breasts. “You don’t remember last night?”

“Of course I do.” He didn’t and they both knew it. “It’s just that so much happened and then…”

“You were pretty out of it.”

---