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There’s no electricity once we get there, and the bathrooms use a specialized gravity-based plumbing system for the toilets and outdoor showers to wash off sand.
I bounce on my feet to settle my nerves. Everyone’s back is to me, so nobody looks my way as they get onto the boat. I adjust my sunglasses, drawing in a long breath to slow my hammering heart.
I only need a few minutes more. If they see me too soon, I could get loaded back onto the yacht to be dealt with. But if we’re already headed to the island, I feel certain we’ll make it there. At that point, they’ll take me to Rhett.
Am I ready for that?
Only five people are left to load ahead of me, and of course they would include Marney from marketing and Gina from HR, both of whom know me well.
I tilt my head down, using the hat as a shield. I have to make it.
When it’s my turn to step on, several people are looking my way. I aim my face toward the front of the boat and quickly sit on a bench near the captain. Panic rises in me. I imagine an entire legion of Dougherty Inc. employees swinging me back and forth, then tossing me to the sharks.
My breathing speeds up. I press my hand to my chest.
The captain turns to me quizzically. “Everything okay?”
“Not so much.”
“Anything I can do?”
I turn to him. He’s dark-skinned with friendly eyes and a well-trimmed beard. Would he help? It doesn’t hurt to ask. “Is it possible to create a diversion so people won’t stare at me?”
He tilts his head, then miraculously says, “You’ve got it.”
He lifts a palm-sized mouthpiece and presses the button. His voice reverberates out of speakers attached to the canopy. “Welcome aboard the Mini Sapphire, porting you directly from the ship to our private island paradise. If you’ll look behind you, you can see the white sandy beaches of the island. Keep your eyes on the water because sometimes dolphins will ride beside the boat. Get your phones out so you don’t miss them.”
He sets the microphone down with a wink. “That’ll keep ‘em busy.”
“Are there lots of dolphins?”
He chuckles. “Not here.”
Oh, a wild goose chase. Even better. “Thank you.”
He starts the engine, and we pull away from the yacht. I hold my hat as we speed up. The wind blows my hair in every direction, and the light spray of the water is cool and refreshing.
I steal a glance behind me. Allen from operations is pointing at something in the water, and everyone has their phones aimed at it. I bite back a smile. Funny how a total stranger can be an ally, and the people you thought were your closest friends can betray you in the worst way.
Sitting in the front of the boat is like flying. We skim across the rolling waves, occasionally bumping enough that I briefly leave my seat.
The panic washes away. I want to laugh out loud, sing into the wind, get up and dance. I’ve done it. I’m here! Rhett can’t take away the feeling I have right now. The trouble has disappeared, and there is nothing but sunshine, blue water, and a gorgeous day ahead.
I haven’t felt this happy in a very long time. In fact, the last time I remember feeling this way, I was on the beach with my dad making a sand replica of the 1986 Corvette he owned when he graduated high school.
We finished the tail lights and sat back to look at it.
“We make a great team, Bailey-boo,” he said. “You’re the best sand crafter I’ve ever known.”
The sun was warm that day, and the beach was quiet. We ate hot dogs and chips with sandy hands, and I remember thinking, the world is mine. I’d just found out I’d been accepted to Florida State, and my life seemed so full of promise.
Today has that same external feeling. Sun. Ocean. Victory.
But all good things do end. The motor throttles down, and we approach the dock. The employees who took the first boat have settled on beach chairs or are wading along the shore.
There will be no escaping detection the minute we all stand up. The step out of the boat is right beside me.
The driver tosses a rope to one of the crew members, and they pull the boat to align with the dock. Behind me, everyone gathers their things to stand.
