Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Instinctively, she crouched low and ran toward the house, going straight for the machete. It felt heavy and dangerous in her hand, and she wasn’t sure she could actually use it on a person. But if she had to, she would. Back against the wall, she waited.
Crunch.
Whoever it was stopped. Minnow held her breath.
“Hello?”
The voice was nearly stolen by the wind. She remained where she was, breathing in time with her heart.
“Minnow?”
Louder this time. That voice, she knew it well.
What the hell was Luke Greenwood doing here?
She had no desire to see him, but his presence was better than some hired thug to send her off with her tail between her legs, or worse. Maybe if she stayed where she was, he would just turn around and leave. She closed her eyes and willed him away.
“Ah, come on. I know you’re here, I saw you on the rock,” he said, then added, “I got here a while ago. I was just trying to work up the nerve to talk to you.”
She grabbed the lantern from the table and stepped around to the front, where he stood. Orange light spilled across his face and he offered up a half smile.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Sorry to intrude on you, but we need to talk,” he said.
“About what?”
The question seemed to throw him. “About the sharks. And us. Me. There are things I have to tell you that I should have just come out with on day one.”
“The sharks I want to hear about, but there is nous.”
He bit his lip. “Yeah, I thought you might say something like that. But hear me out at least, please. I need to get this off my chest.”
Standing there in surf shorts and a long-sleeved aloha shirt with boots on, he looked ridiculous. But there was a new vulnerability to him. The wind tossed his hair around like dried grass.
“Fine, tell me,” she said.
“Can we go inside?”
Having Luke in the house again was probably not a good idea, butshe was cold, so she turned and walked in. He followed. She sat at the table and offered him nothing, motioning to the chair across from her. She flicked on the lantern.
His eyes bore into her as he sank down. “Minnow,” was all he said.
“Yes?”
“You have no idea how badly I’ve screwed things up.”
“Do I really need to know?”
“I think you do.”
“Then I want to hear it all. No more of this vague bullshit. Promise?”
He reached out and pulled the large, smooth cowrie toward him and his hand covered it. “It’s a long story, so bear with me.”
Being in such close proximity to him threw her equilibrium off and she didn’t say anything.
