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Now that she looked at it again, this coupon didn’t resemble the others in the welcome packet she’d received when she checked in to the time-share condo a few hours ago. It was just a black-and-white sheet of paper that might have been printed on a laser printer. But the logo at the top was identical to the one that adorned the sign hanging above the store’s front door.
“Yeah, that’s us, but I’ve never—” His gaze fixed on something over Nikki’s shoulder and the confusion cleared from his face. “There’s the boss now. You can ask him.”
Nikki turned and looked through the window. The shop lay midway down an L-shaped pier that stretched like a wooden finger into the bay. Beyond it, the mouth of the bay opened out into the blue Atlantic. Sunlight sparkled off the water’s surface, momentarily blinding her. She blinked and caught sight of a boat moving slowly toward the end of the pier. A flag on top waved in the breeze, red with a white diagonal slash. The sight of the rippling silk sent a surprising wave of longing through her, so strong it halted her breath for a few heartbeats. A scuba flag.
Those days are long gone. And he’s gone with them.
Swallowing back the surge of emotion, she snatched the coupon off the counter. “Thanks, I will.”
Outside, the humid heat slapped at her with an open palm. The breeze carried a distinctive odor, a blend of salt and fish as familiar to Nikki as the smell of cookies baking in her mother’s kitchen in Portland. She paused outside the shop and filled her lungs with the scent of the ocean. Many of the slips on the dock were empty, the boat owners probably enjoying this beautiful Friday afternoon. The wooden pier creaked as the remaining boats bobbed gently in the water, rocked by the gentle motion of this inlet. The scuba boat glided to a halt some distance away. She lowered the sunglasses from their resting place on top of her head and made her way toward the pier’s end.
When the boat had been secured, two couples climbed onto the dock lugging scuba equipment and beach towels. They laughed and chattered as they shouldered bulky bags and headed in her direction. Music blasted from speakers on the boat. Jimmy Buffett, appropriately enough.
“Good dive?” she asked when they approached.
“Great dive,” answered one guy with a wide grin. “We saw an eight-foot moray eel.”
The girl walking beside him shoved his shoulder. “What a fish story. It was not eight feet long. But what about that school of yellow-striped fish? Does anybody know what kind they were?”
Then they were past, their voices carrying to Nikki as she neared the boat. The two men inside had their backs to her as they tidied up the deck. One picked up a weight belt and ducked into the cabin as the song ended. A few seconds later, Jimmy began singing about grapefruit and Juicy Fruit.
The second guy straightened and caught sight of her. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Fine.” She spared him a smile. “Are you the owner?”
“I’m one of them.” He shielded his eyes with a hand. “What can I do for you?”
Nikki extended the coupon toward him. “I dropped by to make a reservation for a sailing excursion with this coupon, but the guy in the shop didn’t seem to know anything about it.”
He glanced at it. “You’re staying at the Pelican Resort, right?”
“That’s right.”
He unhooked a dive tank from its holder, nodding as he spoke. “Someone called and bought a gift certificate over the phone yesterday and had us deliver it to the Pelican. My partner took the call and told me about it. We don’t sell many gift certificates.”
Allison. A smile stole across Nikki’s lips at the thought of her generous friend. As if letting Nikki use her family’s time-share at no charge wasn’t a generous enough birthday present.
The second man emerged from the cabin carrying a pair of fins. Nikki caught a glimpse of his profile as he crossed the deck in two long strides, then bent to store them beneath the bench.
“That must have been my friend,” Nikki told the first man. “So, when can I—”
Shock snatched the rest of her question out of her mouth. For a second that lasted a lifetime, her world skidded to a halt.
She knew that profile.
Ben? Here?
Panic slammed her in the stomach, robbing her breath. A single, frenzied thought pulsed in her brain and catapulted her feet into action.
I can’t let him see me.
She whirled and ran.
Even before his mind could fully register her presence, Ben jerked upright, his body reacting to the oh-so-familiar timbre of her voice.
Nikki.
It had been over two years, but he would recognize the woman running down the dock even if it had been forty. Her long legs, the familiar curve where her shoulders met her slender neck, even the way she ran with her hands pumping at her sides.
He dropped the fins, leaped from the boat to the dock and sprinted after her. “Nikki, stop!”
She kept running. Ben kicked up his speed, ignoring the startled looks he collected from two men cleaning the morning’s catch on the dock beside their boat. Pain raked his bare feet as they pounded the rough wood. She reached the edge of the pier and hesitated before turning toward town. Just a moment’s hesitation, but it was enough. Ben overtook her before she’d gone five steps in that direction.
“Hold up a minute, will you?” He grabbed her arm and jerked them both to a stop, then stood panting and looking down into her face.
She’d changed. The smile lines at the corners of her mouth had deepened, and he saw the beginning of creases at the edges of the eyes she kept averted from him. She was a few pounds heavier, but the extra weight only softened the sharp angles he remembered. In Mexico, he’d fallen in love with a carefree girl, but the girl had grown up. Matured. She was a woman now.
A beautiful woman.
Her shoulders drooped with a nearly imperceptible sigh, and she raised her eyes to meet his. “Hello, Ben.”
“Hello?” He vented a sudden surge of anger with a bitter laugh. “That’s all you have to say after two-and-a-half years?”
A pause, and then her lips tightened. “I could say let go of me, instead.” Her voice snapped with the spunk he remembered so well.
She jerked her arm away, and he realized he’d been gripping her so hard his fingers left red splotches. He started to apologize, but couldn’t force the words out. If anybody owed anyone an apology here, it wasn’t him. She’d packed up and left Cozumel while he was out on a dive. He had come home in the evening to find her clothes gone, the apartment somehow hollow and empty even though all the furniture remained. Her note gave no explanation, just two words—Goodbye. Nikki.
He tried to shove his hands in his pockets, realized he was wearing swim trunks, and folded them across his chest instead. “What are you doing in Key West, Nikki?”
Her eyes darted around as though searching for an appropriate answer. Then she lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. “I’m on vacation. Just got in a couple of hours ago. I’m, uh, sorry for running like that. It was a shock. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone I know.” The brief smile she turned on him didn’t reach her eyes. The polite smile of a stranger. She gestured toward his shirt, which bore the logo for Key West Water Adventures. “So, you live here now?”
The disappointment that surged through him at her impersonal conversation surprised him. So that’s the way she was going to play out this awkward meeting. Polite. A chance encounter between two former friends.
Okay. Fine with him.
“Yeah, I moved here a few months ago.”
“Still diving, I see.” Was that a reference to their last argument, the one about settling down and becoming responsible? Though the afternoon air was warm, it seemed to Ben he was caught in a bubble of frigid air, one that surrounded him and this stranger he once knew so well.
He flipped his hands out, palms up. “Of course. You know me. I can’t give it up.”
She tilted her head and the sun glinted off her sunglasses. “I didn’t think you’d ever leave Mexico.”
A shudder threatened at the memory of his last fearful days in Cozumel. Ben pushed it away and awarded Nikki a tight smile. He certainly wasn’t going into his reasons for leaving. Not here. Not with her.
“The pay’s better here,” he said briefly, then changed the subject. “What about you? Where do you live now?”
“I moved back home to Oregon.” Her gaze drifted sideways, as though planning her escape route. “I work for a finance company there.”
“Sounds interesting.” Actually, it sounded unutterably boring and normal. But that’s what she said she wanted over two years ago during that last, heated argument. A normal life. He caught a flash of gold from a cross hanging around her neck. So, she hadn’t gotten over her religious phase yet. He hesitated before asking the question that had plagued him periodically over the years. “Are you married? Have kids?”
She wrapped her arms around her middle, a clear signal that the question was unwelcome. The muscles in her slender throat moved as she swallowed. “I’m not married, no.”
The wave of triumph that surged through him took him by surprise. She hadn’t found everything she’d been looking for when she left, then. His heart suddenly and inexplicably lighter, Ben combed a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ve got to get back and help unload the boat. But how about if I take you to dinner?”
For a minute he thought she would agree. She hesitated, her lips parting. Then she closed them again and shook her head. “I, uh, have plans.”
“Lunch, then. I’ll get someone to cover the morning dive.” He cocked his head and pasted on the smile that used to melt her resolve. “It’ll give us a chance to catch up. I want to know what’s happening in your life.”
For a moment, something darkened her eyes, like a shadow of the feelings they’d once shared. But in the next instant, a door slammed shut in her face. The polite stranger’s smile returned.
“Thanks, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She took a backward step. “It was good to see you, though, Ben. Goodbye.”
He was still trying to come up with some way to counter her obvious dismissal when she turned and walked away. Quickly, as though she couldn’t wait to get away from him.
At least she’d said goodbye in person this time.
Nikki’s back burned. She could feel his eyes on her as she hurried away. The clip-clop of her sandals changed tone as she stepped off the wooden dock and onto the street. She didn’t dare glance backward, but her ears strained to hear footsteps coming after her. Would he follow?
Please, God, don’t let him follow me.
Pain throbbed in her chest, a dull ache that she’d thought was long gone. Just like she thought her feelings for Ben had finally faded. Oh, she’d never forget him, that was a given. How could she, when his face loomed in her mind every day? But she’d really thought she’d gotten over her feelings for him. Or at least, wrapped them up and stored them in the deep recesses of her heart, where they couldn’t hurt her anymore. One look at him, and she knew she’d been lying to herself.
Which made it even more important that she get away from him. Her heart was no longer her own. It belonged to Joshua now.
And she would never tell Ben about the son he didn’t know existed.
TWO
A shadow moved just beyond the circle of light that illuminated Nikki’s patio. Her grip on her cell phone tightened. Was someone there? She sat straight up on the chaise longue, eyes searching the darkness, ears straining to hear anything out of place.
She heard nothing. Well, crickets and the distant sounds of splashing water and children’s laughter coming from the direction of the resort’s pool. But in the vicinity of her patio, everything was quiet. Peaceful. She forced her spine to relax.
“It’s beautiful here, Mom.” She settled back in her chair and continued her conversation. “Palm trees everywhere, and there’s an orange tree in full bloom right outside my patio. You should smell it.”
She inhaled the sweet, tropical scent deep into her lungs. Even though the sun had set half an hour ago, the air around her was still deliciously warm. After the harsh winter that had plagued Portland this year, Nikki relished the heat.
“I’m glad you’re having a good time, honey.” Her mother’s voice was as warm as the air. “What did you do today?”
Nikki’s brain conjured an image, but she pushed it away. She’d struggled all afternoon to avoid thinking about Ben. Her first instinct after seeing him had been to run back here to the condo, repack her belongings and catch the first flight home. She still hadn’t ruled out the possibility, but had finally decided to wait a day or so to make that decision. Tomorrow was her thirtieth birthday, so she might as well spend it as she’d planned, lounging in the sun, sipping chilled pineapple juice and losing herself in a good book. She’d be fine as long as she stayed far away from Key West Water Adventures, and Ben Dearinger.
She forced herself to speak normally into the phone. “I took a train tour of the island to get my bearings. Everything’s really laid-back. Cats everywhere, and chickens roaming free on the streets. Joshua would love it.” A pang of regret stabbed at her.
Mom’s voice became stern. “Don’t do that. You deserve some time alone. Joshua and I have a big week planned. He’ll be fine.”
I know. A tear pooled in the corner of her eye. But I miss him.
“What are you planning to do on your birthday?” Mom’s cheery voice refused to let her become morose.
She steeled her voice against any quivering. “I’m not sure yet. I brought my passport, in case I can find a cheap day trip down to the Bahamas or something.” She paused, missing her son more than she would have thought possible after only a few hours apart. “Let me talk to him one more time. I want to say good night.”
“Just a minute. I’ll get him.”
“Thanks. And, Mom?”
“Yes?”
Nikki swallowed against emotions that threatened to clog her throat. “I really appreciate you keeping him while I’m gone. Thank you.”
The voice on the phone softened. “It’s my pleasure to watch my grandson.” A low chuckle. “Of course, I’m going to be worn out by the time you get back. It’s been a long time since I’ve had charge of a two-year-old for a whole week.”
A clatter sounded as her mother set the phone down. Nikki heard the music of Joshua’s favorite DVD through the receiver, a cartoon about a race car. She didn’t allow him to watch it before bedtime because it got him too worked up, but apparently the rules at Grandma’s house were lax. Nikki closed her eyes, picturing him in his pj’s, hair still damp from his bath, sprawled on the floor, his brown eyes fixed on the television set.
A soft sound interrupted her thoughts. An oddly familiar sound, but out of place. She jerked her eyes open. Her gaze zeroed in on a thick bush with lush, tropical blooms that bordered the private area surrounding her patio. Its branches rustled, though not even the hint of a breeze stirred the leaves on the orange tree in front of it. The hair along her arms prickled. Was someone there?
Nikki leaped out of the chair. Muscles tense, she strained to see beyond the patio light, into the shadowy darkness. Everything was still. With an effort, she forced herself to relax. She was imagining things. Or maybe it was a cat. There were plenty of those around. No need to be alarmed.
Still, she kept her eyes fixed on the bush as she stepped inside the condo and closed the glass door.
A beloved voice piped in her ear. “Mama, Speed Racer go vvvrrrroooooommmmm!”
The strange movement forgotten, a swell of love brought a smile to her face. “He did? Tell me about it.”
She settled herself on a plush couch cushion and focused on her son’s enthusiastic retelling of the story they’d watched together a gazillion times.
But her gaze strayed repeatedly to the patio and the deep shadows beyond the orange tree.
Ben steered his bicycle through the front entrance of the Pelican Resort. He’d passed this place lots of times in the five months since he moved to Key West, but he’d never been inside. Lush foliage lined a narrow footpath beneath tall palms and mature trees with Spanish moss dripping from every branch. A half dozen two-story buildings lay scattered around the property in no discernable pattern. The randomness gave the place a casual, relaxed feel, perfect for island vacationers.
Ben hopped off the bike and walked it along the path, squinting in the dim light of decorative lanterns to read the letters mounted on the front of each building. According to the records at the dive shop, the gift certificate had been delivered to unit C-1. After a moment’s search, he found building C tucked into a quiet corner at the back of the property. Eight condos in each building, four upstairs and four down. Number one would probably be on the ground floor. A light shone in the window of a corner unit and another in one of the units upstairs.
He left the bicycle on the pavement and stepped off the path beneath the thick, low-hanging branches of a tree. Long strands of lacy moss deepened his cover. He leaned against the trunk where he had a good vantage point of the corner of the building and the illuminated downstairs window.
With hands that trembled, he pulled the note out of his pocket and clutched it with a fist. Just the feel of the paper sent shivers sliding up his spine. It had been shoved under his apartment door for him to find when he got home from work. The words were proof that his first thoughts this afternoon had been right. Nikki showing up at the pier today had not been a coincidence.
Seeing her had given him the shock of his life. It was too much to believe that a woman from his past—his Mexican past—chose Key West for a vacation, and then within hours of arriving, just happened to show up at the shop where he worked. There were a dozen dive shops on the island. Why pick his? Nikki had seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see her. And she hadn’t looked all that pleased, either. Was she in league with the Reynosa cartel? He would never believe that. Was she an unwitting pawn, then? The unsettling questions had plagued him all evening.
And then he found the note.
He raked a hand through his hair, the uncomfortable lump in the pit of his stomach becoming heavier by the minute. This was the most alarming in a recent series of disturbing incidents. A couple of months ago, he came home to find his apartment had been gone through. Nothing stolen, and nothing obviously out of place, so he’d had no reason to contact the police. But the moment he walked through the door, he’d spied evidence that someone had been there. A kitchen chair slightly skewed. The mattress on his bed almost imperceptibly cockeyed on the frame. The aspirin bottle on a different shelf of the medicine chest.
Then a week later, his car was broken into. He almost never drove the thing—nobody on the island did—so he didn’t even realize it until one of his neighbors pointed out the busted window. That time he did call the cops, because he needed the police report for the insurance company. Nothing had come of it, though. Nothing had been taken from inside the car. The investigating officer told him it was probably teenagers, drunk or high and looking for something to hock.
After Cozumel, Ben wasn’t so sure.
Now he had proof that his paranoia was founded on fact.
He snatched a handful of Spanish moss and crushed it with his fist. But what could he do about it? He didn’t like living with this jumpy, paranoid feeling, searching every stranger’s face, wondering if they were on Reynosa’s payroll, but he couldn’t risk going to the police. He’d end up as gator bait, face down in a swamp somewhere. No, it was better to mind his own business until they figured out he was no threat and left him alone.
