Page 57 of Escape to the Sun

She looked at him with narrowed eyes and tilted her head sideways. “Do what?”

“Let’s fight.” The idea flooded through him with so much intensity he wanted to jump up and sort it out right away. “We can fight it your way. But I’m in.”

“You?”

“Yes. Me.”

“You’re in.”

“I’m in.”

Sherri was quiet for a minute but finally she asked, “What does that mean?”

“You have some herbs and vitamins up here.” He waved his arm in the vicinity of the counter and the bottles he’d just finished organizing. “You even have some modern medicine.”

She nodded because he wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t know.

“But we can do better.”

“We can what?”

“Do better.”

Ash swallowed hard. He’d done his best to protect his personal life and more importantly, details of his past from anyone in Panama. Including Sherri. She knew about Carlie. She knew what he’d been through. But she didn’t know everything. “I can help.”

“You already do, Ash.” Her hand squeezed his.

“No.” Ash stared into her eyes. “I can really help, Sherri. I have…resources.” It was an understatement of the largest degree, but he didn’t know what else to say. How else was he supposed to explain that he had more money than he’d ever be able to spend in ten lifetimes? He couldn’t. So he didn’t try. “Whatever you need. I can make it happen.”

“I have everything.”

“You don’t. We can do better. So let’s do it.”

“Ash, I—”

“No, Sher. Let me do this. You can do this your way. It’s your battle to fight. But let me be your army. Let me fight for you the best way I know how.”

A tear of his own slid down his cheek but he didn’t move his hand to wipe it away. They sat in silence, his hand in hers. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Sherri spoke. “Okay.”

* * *

She was definitely not havingmuch luck when it came to boats. First the canoe, and now the panga. When she got back to land, she was totally not going to be in a hurry to get back in a boat anytime soon, that was for sure.

If she got back.

Heather looked around for what had to be the dozenth time but still there was nothing she recognized. All she could see was mangroves. Lots and lots of mangroves. And that was it. There was a current Heather didn’t expect dragging her through the trees. Was she going farther into the maze or out to sea? She had no idea but what she did know for sure was that if she didn’t get the boat started soon, she was only going to get more and more lost.

She should have put an anchor down and she would have too, if there’d been one. Just like she would have started paddling if she’d had a paddle. Heather was going to have to have a talk with Ash about outfitting the boat properly when she got back.

If she got back.

She tried the boat again, pushing the negative thoughts out of her mind. She couldn’t dwell on what could happen. It wouldn’t get her anywhere and she’d never been one for looking at the negative side of things. But it was certainly very, very hard not to at that moment. All she wanted to do was sit in the floor of the boat and cry.

A tear slid down her cheek at the same time that a swell of panic started to rise inside her gut. No. She couldn’t let bad thoughts take over. She couldn’t give them space to fester and grow. What she needed to do was figure out the boat.

“Okay, Heather.” She spoke to herself calmly, forcing the words to come out strong and assured. Even though that was the exact opposite of what she was feeling inside. “Pull it together. You’ve got this.”

She smoothed her hair back and took a deep breath before she turned to face the engine.

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