Page 75 of Meet Me on Blueberry Hill

“I’m so sorry. Declan and I headed to Port Joseph, and we’re on the ferry now to return to the island. I’ll be over as soon as we dock.”

“I need a change of scenery.” Sadie pressed a hand against her pounding forehead. “Maybe spend some time with my parents.”

“You want to exchange one island for another.”

“Staying on island’s out of the question.” Sadie reached for her AirPods and inserted one in her ear. Then she dropped her phone on the bed and tapped the envelope against her palm as she paced the room. “Dad has two more months on his enlistment, then they’ll be leaving Oahu. If I want to visit, now’s the time. Want to go with me?”

“Sadie, sweetie. You know I’d do anything for you, but you’re running away. And that’s not going to solve anything. Plus, I don’t want you to go. I’m sure your grandma would say the same thing. Have you talked to Asher yet?”

“No, and I’m not going to.” Opening the nightstand drawer once more, she dropped the letter inside. Then she picked her phone up off the bed and opened her bank app. The shrinking numbers did little to settle the anxiety building behind her rib cage. “You know, I paid for the touring costumes, thinking Asher had only a couple of pennies to rub together.” She scoffed, tears burning her eyes once more. “Eli Noble, on the other hand, could afford a warehouse full of costumes—and even the manufacturing company that produced them. I’m such an idiot.”

“No, you’re not. You’re hurt and angry.”

“How could I be so clueless? You know, there was something that bugged me about him from the very beginning. After seeingthe pictures that girl on the tour flashed, now I can’t believe I’d been so blind.” That same sickening feeling she’d experienced yesterday curdled her stomach.

“Well, for one thing, no one expected Eli Noble to be hiding out on island.”

“Dani knew.” The two words reinforced the betrayal she’d felt from the moment she realized her friend was aware of Asher’s alter ego.

“From what Dani said, she’d given her word to Asher. And you know Dani won’t go back on that.”

Sighing, Sadie dropped on the edge of her bed. “I know…”

A horn blasted, and Sadie’s shoulders bunched around her ears.

“Hey, we’re about to dock. I’ll head to the cottage shortly.” With that, Lily ended their call.

Sadie put her AirPod back in its case, then did a quick search on her favorite travel app for flights. She had just enough in her bank account for a one-way flight to Oahu, but then what?

Mooch off her parents? That felt more like a concession to defeat.

She needed to find a job.

Exchanging her phone for her laptop, Sadie skimmed listings for copywriting jobs that would take her far away from Michigan. Maybe back to Florida. She could stand a healthy dose of sunshine and sand right about now.

She dreaded walking back into that world, but a girl’s gotta eat and make her own way. She couldn’t rely on others. Other than Gran, her parents, and Lily, there wasn’t anyone else she trusted anyway.

The desire to write songs had been snuffed out. Before, they reminded her of Lauren. Now they were a reminder of Asher’s lies and betrayal.

Getting off island and returning to a nondescript cubicle would help her leave behind the complications of falling in love and getting her heart broken a second time.

If only it were that easy.

The vultures were descending, and Asher had to figure out where to go before they desecrated him even more.

Remembering Liam’s lifeline, he reached out and asked for help.

For a moment, it felt good not having to work everything out for himself. But then the reason he needed to leave crashed over him, reminding him what a terrific failure he truly was.

With a baseball hat pulled low over his forehead and dark sunglasses on his face, Asher sat at the back of Cody Hart’s boat and scanned the horizon as Port Joseph came into view.

The scent of fish and sunshine wafted over him.

Maybe he needed to get a boat.

Then he could keep it in the marina and escape into the deep whenever he liked.

Problem was, he wouldn’t be returning to the island.

---