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Chase shrugged. “Well, it took a while, yes.”
Silence filled the room. Finally Annie spoke.
“Chase?”
“Yes?”
“Well...well...” She took a deep breath. “Listen, I know it’ll be embarrassing for you to have to admit to your Mr. Tanaka that you and I ended up in the plane together by mistake, but you’re going to have to do it. Tell him anything you want. Whatever’s easiest for you. Lay it off on me, if you like. Say that I suddenly thought of something important back home.”
“Your fiancé,” Chase said politely. “I could say you forgot about him. How’s that sound?”
Annie refused to acknowledge the gauntlet, much less stoop to pick it up.
“I don’t care what you say. Just—just get me off this island, please.”
Chase nodded. She was right. They both needed to leave this place. “I’ll take care. of it.”
“You could tell him the same thing,” Annie blurted as he turned toward the door. He looked at her, and she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. “You know,” she said, because it was too late to back down, “that you have to get back to your fiancée, too.”
Chase looked at his ex-wife. Sitting on the edge of the rocker, ankles crossed, hands locked together, with the rays of the late-afternoon sun streaking her hair with gold, she looked soft, sweet and undescribably vulnerable. He saw himself going to her, taking her in his arms, kissing her and telling her that she was the only woman he’d ever wanted, the only woman he’d ever loved.
“Chase?”
“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Uh, the thing is—we’ve both forgotten something.”
“I don’t think so,” Annie said, fighting against the tears that inexplicably threatened. “Believe me, Chase, we haven’t forgotten a thing.”
“No flight back until tomorrow, babe. No hotel rooms, either.”
“Oh.” Annie chewed on her lip. “Well, that’s okay. I’ll wait at the airport.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“It’s a fine idea.” Annie smiled brightly. “I’ve always liked airports. I can buy myself half a dozen magazines and a hot dog, curl up in a corner and—”
“Listen, we’ll stay right where we are. But we’ll start over. New ground rules. No talking about the past, or about us. Okay?”
“The past, and us, are the only things we’ve got,” Annie said quietly. “I don’t see how we can avoid talking about them.”
Chase looked at her for a long moment. Then he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“I’ll go find the guy who brought us here. He can take us back to shore. And I’ll phone Tanaka and see if he can pull some strings to get you a room somewhere. Or I’ll stay with you at the airport, until you can get a flight out.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Look, we can argue about it later. Right now, let me just put the wheels in motion.”
“What’ll you tell him? Your Mr. Tanaka? About why we want to leave the island, I mean?”
His mouth twisted. “Don’t start worrying about how I handle business at this late date, Annie. It’s my problem, not yours.”
Chase strode from the room and slammed the door after him. Annie sat back in the rocker. She was shaking, and she felt like crying, which was stupid. It only proved how much pressure she’d been under, the last couple of days.
She took a deep breath, heel-and-toed the rocker into motion and settled in to wait for her liberation from this island, Chase, and a thousand unwanted memories.
* * *
“He’s gone.”
Annie blinked her eyes open and swung her legs to the floor.
“Who?” she said, in a hoarse voice. She frowned and rubbed her hands over her eyes. “Who’s gone?”
Chase leaned back against the wall and folded his arms. His face looked as if it had been chipped from granite.
“The guy who brought us here.”
Annie’s head was swimming. “I’m not—I’m not following you. The guy with the boat, you mean?”
“Uh-huh.”
“How can he be gone? Where could he have gone? He couldn’t have walked to...” Her breath caught at the expression on Chase’s face. “You mean, he took the boat?”
“You’ve got it.”
Annie stared at him. “We’re stuck here?”
“Right again.”
“Well-well, phone your Mr. Tanaka. Tell him—”
“Will you stop calling him that? He is not my Mr. Tanaka.” Chase glowered at her. “Anyway, I already tried to phone him.”
