helpful.”
“My pleasure. I only hope what you write won’t wind up causing Conner trouble. Where treasure is concerned, people don’t always think clearly.”
She looked back down at the photo. “It’s easy to understand why.”
They said their good-byes. Conner returned her tape recorder and the two of them left the campus. Though Hope would have liked to have seen a bit of the harbor town, they each had a job to do and instead drove straight to the airport.
Unfortunately when they got there, the plane was already gone.
“What are you talking about?” Hope said to the guard at the gate to the private airplane terminal. “They were supposed to wait for us. We have to get back to Pleasure Island!”
He was short and bald, dark-skinned and pudgy. “Sorry,” he said in a heavy Jamaican accent. “Somet’ing come up and dey have to leave. Dey say dey be bock noon tomorrow. Dey pick you up den.”
Hope sighed. “I don’t believe this.” She didn’t say more, just started walking toward the car, trying to think what to do. Conner Reese fell in beside her. When she glanced in his direction, she saw that his mouth was faintly curved, his expression amused, and an unpleasant thought suddenly struck.
Hope stopped in her tracks, forcing him to stop, too. She pinned him with a look of accusation. “Did you know about this? Did you have something to do with that plane leaving early? If you have any intention of…of…If you think this means that you and I are…are…”
“Look, lady, I’m not any happier about this than you are. I’ve got work to do, too. But out here sometimes these things happen. We’ll be back by tomorrow afternoon. This is the Caribbean. Time here is not that big a deal.”
She glanced away from him, off toward the water, feeling like a fool. So far the man had kept his distance, just as she had kept hers from him. He didn’t approve of her being there, and he had made it fairly clear he had no real interest in her.
“Sorry,” she said. “Sometimes I have a tendency to expect the worst from people.”
“By people, you mean men.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Well, don’t worry about it. I’m not the most trusting guy, either.”
She wanted to ask him why. And if, like her, his paranoia ran mainly to the opposite sex.
Instead she got back in the car and sat there while he climbed in and started the engine. “I guess we’ll need to find a place to stay,” she said.
“Not a problem. One of Talbot’s companies owns a string of motels in the islands. Bayside Inns. There’s one in Port Antonio—nothing fancy, but it’s clean and we won’t have to pay.”
“Well, I like that part. But I sure wish I had a change of clothes.”
Reese made no reply, just kept driving along Route A till they spotted the red-painted sign for the motel. As he had said, the rooms were small but clean, with pressboard furniture and aging green shag carpeting. Instead of a queen-sized bed, each room had only a full.
“The afternoon’s almost gone,” Reese said. “I’ve got a couple of errands to run, then I’ll be back. I’ll pick you up at five. I know a place we can have a drink and watch the sunset. Then we’ll get something to eat.”
Her wariness returned. “I don’t think—”
“Listen, Hope. I didn’t have anything to do with that plane going back without us. The fact is we’re stuck here until tomorrow, so we might as well make the best of it. And we both have to eat.”
She tried to look away from those blue, blue eyes, but it was impossible to do. The breeze ruffled his wavy dark hair, and for once the harshness was gone from his features, making him look even more handsome than he usually did.
“You’re right,” she agreed, knowing deep down she shouldn’t. “We have to eat. I’ll see you at five.”
He nodded and turned away, heading back to the car. She watched him as he climbed in, admiring his lean, hard-muscled frame, the way the
“My pleasure. I only hope what you write won’t wind up causing Conner trouble. Where treasure is concerned, people don’t always think clearly.”
She looked back down at the photo. “It’s easy to understand why.”
They said their good-byes. Conner returned her tape recorder and the two of them left the campus. Though Hope would have liked to have seen a bit of the harbor town, they each had a job to do and instead drove straight to the airport.
Unfortunately when they got there, the plane was already gone.
“What are you talking about?” Hope said to the guard at the gate to the private airplane terminal. “They were supposed to wait for us. We have to get back to Pleasure Island!”
He was short and bald, dark-skinned and pudgy. “Sorry,” he said in a heavy Jamaican accent. “Somet’ing come up and dey have to leave. Dey say dey be bock noon tomorrow. Dey pick you up den.”
Hope sighed. “I don’t believe this.” She didn’t say more, just started walking toward the car, trying to think what to do. Conner Reese fell in beside her. When she glanced in his direction, she saw that his mouth was faintly curved, his expression amused, and an unpleasant thought suddenly struck.
Hope stopped in her tracks, forcing him to stop, too. She pinned him with a look of accusation. “Did you know about this? Did you have something to do with that plane leaving early? If you have any intention of…of…If you think this means that you and I are…are…”
“Look, lady, I’m not any happier about this than you are. I’ve got work to do, too. But out here sometimes these things happen. We’ll be back by tomorrow afternoon. This is the Caribbean. Time here is not that big a deal.”
She glanced away from him, off toward the water, feeling like a fool. So far the man had kept his distance, just as she had kept hers from him. He didn’t approve of her being there, and he had made it fairly clear he had no real interest in her.
“Sorry,” she said. “Sometimes I have a tendency to expect the worst from people.”
“By people, you mean men.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Well, don’t worry about it. I’m not the most trusting guy, either.”
She wanted to ask him why. And if, like her, his paranoia ran mainly to the opposite sex.
Instead she got back in the car and sat there while he climbed in and started the engine. “I guess we’ll need to find a place to stay,” she said.
“Not a problem. One of Talbot’s companies owns a string of motels in the islands. Bayside Inns. There’s one in Port Antonio—nothing fancy, but it’s clean and we won’t have to pay.”
“Well, I like that part. But I sure wish I had a change of clothes.”
Reese made no reply, just kept driving along Route A till they spotted the red-painted sign for the motel. As he had said, the rooms were small but clean, with pressboard furniture and aging green shag carpeting. Instead of a queen-sized bed, each room had only a full.
“The afternoon’s almost gone,” Reese said. “I’ve got a couple of errands to run, then I’ll be back. I’ll pick you up at five. I know a place we can have a drink and watch the sunset. Then we’ll get something to eat.”
Her wariness returned. “I don’t think—”
“Listen, Hope. I didn’t have anything to do with that plane going back without us. The fact is we’re stuck here until tomorrow, so we might as well make the best of it. And we both have to eat.”
She tried to look away from those blue, blue eyes, but it was impossible to do. The breeze ruffled his wavy dark hair, and for once the harshness was gone from his features, making him look even more handsome than he usually did.
“You’re right,” she agreed, knowing deep down she shouldn’t. “We have to eat. I’ll see you at five.”
He nodded and turned away, heading back to the car. She watched him as he climbed in, admiring his lean, hard-muscled frame, the way the
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