“I noticed you didn’t sleep on the plane.” Kate paused as they arrived at the speedboat. The driver, a Greek man with swarthy skin and an easy smile, held a hand out to Meredith and she accepted his help to board. The tiny watercraft bobbed and he held onto her arm until she slid into one of the seats.
Kate boarded right behind her, sans any assistance, leaving Terry to board last. Taking the seat next to her, Kate adjusted her sunglasses and Meredith fished her own out. The glare was a bit bright. Settling her purse into her lap, she glanced at their escort. The woman looked at ease wherever she was, no wonder she took care of the corporation’s recruiting needs.
“I don’t actually like flying.” She was especially grateful for the boat, and a little more so due to Terry’s strange animosity. It gave her something to focus on besides the helicopter ride. She’d only ever enjoyed a handful of plane rides in her life. Each time she’d been with…Oh for the love of God, stop thinking about him.
Kate shifted, and even with the sunglasses shading her eyes, Meredith could feel the weight of her stare. “You don’t? Why didn’t you say something?”
She laughed and it was the first real one she’d managed in days. It felt rusty even to her. “Because it’s very difficult to ask anyone to wait two or three weeks while I book passage on cruise ships. It’s a fear, and the only way to conquer fear is not to let it conquer you.”
The roar of the engine firing up drowned out Kate’s reply. Their pilot called something out and Kate responded. It was all Greek to Meredith. A fresh wave of humor bloomed inside of her, and she giggled. A glance at Terry earned her a tight-lippedsmile and some of her newfound cheer diminished. He wasn’t pleased.
The boat pulled away from the dock and they raced across the waves. Meredith forgot all about Terry’s bad mood, her own discomfort at flying, and even her exhaustion. The wind pulled at her hair and she was grateful she’d pulled it all back into a ponytail. Scents of salt and water twined in the air around her, both bracing and refreshing.
If something could smell exotic, then she’d found it. Meredith leaned forward for most of the next couple of hours. She’d been on her fair share of ships, from skiffs to yachts, but the speedboat sliced across the top of the water like it rode the wind and she couldn’t get over the wild freedom it promised.
Note to self,she’d decided by the time she saw the island in the distance.I have to do this again.Maybe she could take a trip the following summer, and pilot her own speedboat.Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants?Just wait until she told…
Meredith sighed and sank back against the seat, another layer of her good mood evaporating. Apparently, not thinking about Sebastian would take some practice.
Twenty minutes later, she stared at the helicopter where Terry stowed their gear with gut wrenching terror. It was so tiny. Well, compared to an airplane at least. The helicopter seemed designed to seat ten people, and only Kate and Terry were joining her in addition to the pilot.
“Three things to remember.” Kate came to stand next to her, sunglasses still shielding her eyes.
“And they are?” Meredith couldn’t get her racing heart to slow from a gallop. It felt like it wanted to beat right out of her chest and sweat slicked her spine. Thank God she hadn’t eaten anything since London or she might have already thrown up.
“I’m a licensed pilot. I can handle this craft. It’s rated in the top 99thpercentile in safety and performance.” Okay,the information sounded a little better. “Two, we’re not flying especially high. We’ll be within a couple of hundred feet of the water. Worst case scenario, you’re going to get wet.”
Twisting, Meredith stared at Kate. Was the woman serious? “Do I dare ask what the third thing is?”
The corner of Kate’s mouth twitched. “There are no sharks in these waters.”
A giggle slipped out before Meredith could stop it and her sides actually pinched as laughter shook her. The absurd dissemination of information burst the fear spiked tension locking up her muscles. “I like you,” she volunteered.
Kate chuckled and nudged her toward the helicopter. “Ditto. Now let’s get you strapped in.”
Terry’s sour mood seemed firmly in place, but he still helped Meredith into the copter and took the seat next to her. Terry buckled her in, not Kate. The other woman took the seat opposite them, her expression unreadable as she watched. The big door closed and the rotors started to spin outside. All at once, Meredith’s stomach plummeted and her heart picked up the pace.
She was going to throw up.
“Miss Blake?” Kate called, leaning toward her. “I forgot to ask?—”
“You forgot to ask what?”
“Can you swim?” The dry question lanced the fresh bubble of fear and Meredith started giggling again. When the laughter precluded her answer, Kate pulled off her sunglasses. “No, seriously, can you swim?”
Meredith laughed harder. It was all so silly, yet so fun. She was on an adventure. When she caught Terry staring at her with narrowed eyes, another fit of giggles erupted. Before she knew it, they were airborne.
Excitement coiled with anticipation, so she gripped the armrests until her knuckles turned white. Terry put a hand comfortingly over hers, and her laughter faded. Waiting a beat, she found a quick smile of thanks for him and then pulled her hands into her lap and looked out the window at the water as the island vanished.
From the corner of her eye she caught Kate looking at her. Terry’s attention was elsewhere, but Kate shifted her gaze to him and then back to Meredith, a question in her expression. Yes, Meredith didn’t care for Terry’s behavior, but no—she could handle it.
She shook her head once and Kate nodded. If nothing else, this adventure introduced her to Kate—she was something else. Maybe they’d have time to get to know each other around the assignment.
“Fifteen minutes,” a voice announced over the intercom. “And we’ve been cleared to land.”
Oh. They were almost there. Amazingly enough, the minutes passed quickly and then they landed with a bump, which made her stomach summersault, but at least it was over. Kate exited ahead of her and Terry went next. Meredith was grateful for the reprieve because her legs trembled violently and she felt shaky all over.
It was probably exhaustion coupled with hunger. A shower, some food, and a good night’s sleep and she would be ready to tackle the Return Times challenge. Some of her relish for the project resurfaced. Unfortunately, she couldn’t avoid Terry’s hand as he helped her down. She mouthed thanks and pulled her hand free, ducking even though the blades were much higher than her head—they were still spinning.
