Page 55 of The Billionaire's Teacher

I passed a section of yard near the house where raised planting beds were laid out in three rows of three. I smiled and moved closer. Even without someone tending them, some of the plants had grown and produced vegetables. The storm had bent or broken everything, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t gather what was there. I’d rather have fresh veggies than another of the weird rehydrated egg scrambles.

I could honestly go the rest of my life without eating rehydrated eggs again.

I snagged a fat, red tomato before continuing along the path. There were slight ruts on either side that suggested some kind of small vehicle traversed this way frequently. There was a little overgrowth, but not much. Clearly this place hadn’t been deserted for too long. A year? Maybe two?

The path led under the canopy of trees and I hesitated. It wasn’t likely to be a wild, untamed jungle. There was a house here, after all. But I also didn’t know what kinds of animals I might encounter. Could snakes end up on an island? Any sort of big cat? I honestly had no idea.

I bit my lip and glanced back the way I’d come.

“Don’t be a chicken, Wes.” I muttered.

Fine. Ugh. I kept walking, my pace increasing as the jungle thickened. Jungle? It certainly wasn’t the type of forest I was used to, so the word would work. But locals—not that there were any specifically to this island…probably—more than likely had a different word for it.

I was almost at a jog when the path brought me out from under the trees. I slowed to a walk, then stopped. A grin slowly spread over my face. There was pavement ahead. And not just any kind of pavement. That was definitely a runway. There was even a bright orange windsock, slightly tattered, fluttering on a pole at the near end.

I hurried to the edge of the pavement and propped my hands on my hips. Oh, yeah. If the satellite connection was working again, I could get in touch with the pilots, give them our coordinates, and we’d be home in no time.

Even more than that, this island was incredible. I turned to look back toward the house. I could make out bits and pieces through the trees, and there was a good view of the beach, too. I continued to turn, but the far side of the island was a mystery. There had to be a way to explore. I could walk, if nothing else, but I wished again that the inflatable was still a viable boat. Wouldn’t it be amazing to go around the whole thing and see what was what?

Maybe there was a better marina. Surely private islands with airstrips also had boat access. Obviously, we’d chosen the wrong beach. Not that we’d chosen, really. I’d managed to run into rocks because Sunny had been busy working out a plan.

And that wasn’t on her.

She was a great teacher.

Driving a boat wasn’t anything I’d wanted to learn. Certainly not in the middle of dire circumstances. But she’d been clear and calm and made it seem easy. I wouldn’t be ready to go on my own, but it was nice to know I could handle things in a pinch.

Or sort of.

There was the whole rock situation, after all.

The only other big question I had? What was the diving like here?

Well, that, and was the island for sale? Or just abandoned.

I turned back to the airstrip and walked onto the pavement. It was in decent shape, even after the hurricane. Not crazy long, but enough for the kind of plane I owned with the guys. And that was a large enough craft to take a small dive group.

I’d still want to do more commercial trips. They’d be cheaper, probably, for one. Plus, I could arrange it so people who wanted to do other things in the island could set up a few days of diving and then go off and do the rest of their vacation on their own. Some of the dive operators I’d talked to had been happy to suggest tour operators who handled hikes and zip lines and all those sorts of experiences.

I nodded once, then started back down the path to the beach.

Sunshine was going to be excited.

Well, unless the equipment was damaged and we didn’t actually have a way to get in touch with anyone. That would put a kink in the plans. But I was going to choose to believe we were on our way home.

A sharp pang speared through my chest.

Home.

Away from Sunshine. And the islands.

That was the down side. And it was a big one.

But it wasn’t as if she and I had any kind of future. Honestly, she would probably be glad to get rid of me. That dream of her snuggling against me might have felt real, but it was definitely wishful thinking.

I could be honest and admit I was interested in her, here under the canopy of dripping trees where no one but the birds could see me. But I was old enough to know that nothing could come from my infatuation. There were too many obstacles.

Number one? She didn’t see me that way.

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