Page 10 of Duty and Desire

Nick smiled. “Sure, I can do that.”

“How much?”

Nick stroked his barely-there beard. “About four hundred.”

I gaped. “Dollars?”

He laughed. “No, French Pacific Francs. But I can take US dollars too. That works out at about forty.”

“That doesn’t seem a lot for a tour.”

“The owner of the boat charges more for the first tours I mentioned. But I’m not busy—at least, my next booking isn’t for another hour and a half—and if you want to see the island, why not?”

I beamed. “Thank you. Do I pay you now?”

He nodded, and I fished my wallet from my back pocket. Once he’d stuffed the folded bills into his bag, he extended a hand. “Welcome aboard.” I took it and stepped into the stern. Nick pointed to the orange life preservers near the cockpit. “In case you need one. The owner would be happy if you wore one, but it’s your choice.” His eyes sparkled. “You don’t look as if you’re about to dive off the boat.”

I snickered. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be my first choice.” I sat on the padded seat next to the console. “I’m Gio, by the way.”

“I’m Nick.” He reached down to start the engine, then pulled away from the dock. It wasn’t until we were about forty or fifty feet from the shore that I remembered my groceries.

Oops.

“So how long does it take to see the entire island by boat?”

Long enough that my milk and other chilled foodstuffs were going to go off sitting out in theopen?

Oh well. I guessed I’d be doing more shopping when this little jaunt was over.

“That depends on our speed.” Nick pointed toward the land. “See the ring road? There’s a bus that takes about an hour to complete a circuit.” He steered the boat north. “So… are you here on vacation?”

“Not exactly. I’m a writer. A friend loaned me the use of his bungalow for a few months.”

He gave a polite smile. “Sounds like a good friend. You’re from the States?”

“San Francisco.” I stared at the lush dense canopy that covered the island as far as the eye could see. “Which is nothing like this.”

“Itisa beautiful place,” he agreed. Nick pointed to the highest peak. “That’s Mount Pahia. Legend says the war god Oro descended from there on a rainbow.”

I grinned. “I love rainbows. Where I live, you can’t walk down the street without seeing one every few feet.” When he gave me a puzzled glance, I chuckled. “I live in the Castro, which is kind of the gay heart of San Francisco. Pride flags everywhere.” He fell silent, and I supplied an answer to his unspoken question. “And yes, I’m gay.”

“I see.” He smiled. “Then you came to the right place. Bora-Bora is very LGBTQ+ friendly. We get a lot of same-sex weddings here. The resorts are pretty inclusive.”

That had been one of the first things I’d researched.

I gazed at the tree-covered slopes of the mountain. “Is it possible to hike up there?”

“Yes. It’s a fantastic trek through orchards, forests, orchid fields and fern-covered crevices.”

I smiled. “You sound as if you’re reading from a brochure. Is it something you’ve done yourself?”

He nodded. “Sometimes I work for a travel company that organizes jeep safaris around the interior of the island. But in my opinion, it’s best to explore it on foot.” He pointed to the second peak. “That’sMount Otemanu. You get the most amazing panoramic views of the atoll from up there. But I’ve hiked up to Mount Pahia too.” Nick smiled. “The trail can be a little slippery and it’s a good mix of fun and danger. Amazing views from the top.”

I grinned. “I think that just got added to my To Do list.”

Nick pointed to the shore. “Over there are American cannons, left from the Second World War. The airport where you landed was once a US air base.”

I left my gaze drift along the shore line. “The island lives up to its name, doesn’t it?”

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