When they reached the base of the hill, it looked like an almost insurmountable climb. She was already exhausted and dreading what it was going to be like, holed up inside a shell of a house while riding out the storm. Even worse, the spot on her hip where she’d fallen was throbbing. “I’m really not excited about doing this,” she said.
“Seriously? You? The woman who marched me all over this island and had me snorkeling long distances?”
“Seriously. Me.” Deep down, the real reason she wasn’t looking forward to getting herself up the hill had nothing to do with exhaustion. Yesterday, she could stay away from Zane in her own space. How was she supposed to do that when they were about to be living in tight quarters and having to rely on each other to survive?
“It’s okay. We can do it. We just need to get to shelter.” He peered down at her, and all she could think was that this was such a damn shame. He was perfect. The two of them together for a night or two could have been magical. But no.
“Yeah. Okay. Let’s do this.” She led him down a narrow path at the foot of the hill, which eventually brought them to a wider trail that zigzagged its way up the incline. The terrain was mostly low scrub, giving them zero protection from the wind and rain. They both walked with heads down, watching the trail, slogging through what was quickly becoming a muddy mess.
“Is it just me or is the weather getting worse?” Zane asked as they made the final turn on the trail. They were close.
“It is. I wish we had access to an actual forecast. It would be nice to know if this was going to be the worst of it or if it’s only the beginning. I hope this hike won’t end up being for nothing.”
“Better safe than sorry, right?”
She shrugged. “You can’t spend your whole life staying out of trouble.”
“Why do I have the feeling we aren’t talking about the storm anymore?”
She came to a stop at the end of the trail, turned and confronted him. Water was running down her nose and cheeks. She felt like a drowned rat. “We aren’t.”
Zane’s shoulders dropped in defeat. “Allison, come on. I don’t want to argue.”
“I don’t, either, Zane. I shouldn’t have to.” Allison trudged her way around to the front of the house via a crushed-shell path with manicured hedges on either side. Bright pink bougainvillea was trailing from planters situated between the windows of the house. It had been years since she’d been up here, and she had no idea what state the house would be in, but the exterior already looked much nicer than she’d ever remembered, even in the pouring rain.
When they rounded to the front of the house, they both froze, even though they were standing in a complete downpour.
“Holy crap, Allison.”
She didn’t have a great response. It was beyond words. “I know.” There was so much to take in, it was difficult to figure out where to start. First, either she hadn’t appreciated the view when she was younger or it had somehow gotten better over the years. From this vantage point, you could see for miles, even with the disastrous weather. The glassy azure ocean was gone, replaced by a tumultuous cobalt sea, but it was still a sight to behold, and somehow seemed less menacing all the way up here.
And then there was the house. From the outside, everything was definitely upgraded from the last time she’d been up here. The old tiny plunge pool had been replaced with a sprawling one, complete with an infinity edge and surrounded by a gorgeous patio. If she wasn’t already as wet as she could possibly be, Allison would’ve jumped right in.
They ducked under the sizable porch roof. “I’m confused,” Zane said. “I thought you said they were renovating. I don’t know what the exterior used to look like, but it seems pretty damn perfect to me. The pool’s full of water.”
“They were renovating. Or at least that’s what I thought, although I didn’t actually speak to Angelique about it before I came down. It wasn’t like I was going to be staying in the honeymoon villa.” Nor would she be staying here again anytime soon. Her romantic future looked as bleak as could be, hot on the heels of rejection by not one, but two men. First Neil and his cheating ways, and then she attempted to distract herself with Zane, which didn’t work at all. Maybe she needed to just give up on men entirely. Focus on her career. The financial and professional upside with Black Crescent was potentially huge, and now that she wasn’t quite as concerned with hurting Zane’s feelings, she could really put her foot on the gas when they finally got out of this mess of a storm.
Zane turned and cupped his hands at his temples, peering into one of the windows. “Uh. Allison. It looks pretty spectacular inside, too.”
She strode over to one of the French doors and turned the knob, then stepped inside. “Wow. Gorgeous.”
The space was light and airy, twice the size of either of their cottages, but with one noticeable difference—the bed was right in
