What if it’s not the island watching me… but someone?
Chapter 10
Tropical Pause
The morning thunderstorm had passed,and the resort buzzed with muted urgency. Staff cleared broken umbrellas from patios. Replaced towels. Checked tech. Soothed guests. It had been a violent one.
Lena moved through it all like she was skating just ahead of the next disaster, her chest tight from the routine pressure of keeping everything together while feeling like she might splinter apart. The humidity clung to her skin, thick and oppressive, and every muscle in her back screamed for rest that she couldn’t afford.
She smiled when she spotted a friendly figure curled in a lounge chair near the edge of the infinity pool, laptop balanced on her knees and a hibiscus tucked behind one ear.
“Kate Danvers,” Lena called, her voice rougher than she intended. “You’re looking alarmingly like someone who isn’t terrified of deadlines.”
Kate glanced up and grinned. “That’s because I’ve decided to embrace selective denial: if I don’t acknowledge the deadline, it can’t hurt me.”
Lena snorted, the tension in her chest loosening at the easy banter. “Bold, yet delusional. I like it.”
“Come sit. You look like you’ve been put through a blender.”
“I have. Its name is Ivory Sands.”
Lena dropped into the chair beside Kate, her legs heavy as adrenaline drained away. She stretched them out and let the sun bake into her skin—warmth seeping past the surface tension, finding all the cold, knotted places inside. She badly needed this. To just… stop.
When had she become so tense? Right. Around the third hour of crisis management.
Kate shut her laptop and set it aside before twisting around to face Lena. Those eyes—observant, kind—saw too much. Lena both loved it and hated it.
“Is this your first actual break today?”
Lena nodded, tilting her face up to the sun, eyes closed, soaking in the warmth like she could store it for later. Like it might fill some of the hollow spaces inside. “Yup. Been running on fumes and charm.”
“Guessing the charm is more reliable.”
“That depends. Do bribery and passive-aggressive smiles count as charm?”
Kate chuckled, the sound soft and genuine. “Only if they come with fresh beach towels.”
Quiet settled between them for a moment. Easy. Real. The kind of quietude Lena used to share with Emma before she left, before distance took her away. She shoved the thought away when her throat tightened.
“I never got to thank you. For what you did during the whole… mess. With me.” Kate murmured, her voice vulnerable in a way that made Lena’s heart squeeze.
Lena looked over, surprised. The sun danced off Kate’s hair. “You don’t need to thank me.”
“I do, though.” Kate’s expression was earnest, and Lena felt exposed under the weight of it. “You stood by me. Supportedme. You never looked at me like I was overreacting, even when things got really bad. That mattered.”
The words struck Lena deep, somewhere she’d tried to armor over. Her throat burned. “Yeah, well, I’ve been there. Gaslighting and false accusations are kind of my greatest hits.” Bitterness leaked through despite her best efforts.
Kate reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. A fleeting touch, but it landed like a lifeline. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Warmth spread from where their skin connected, and for a moment Lena wanted to cling, wanted to lean into the solidarity and understanding radiating from this woman whogot it—who knew what it felt like to be doubted, dismissed, attacked.
Instead, she smirked, needing to lighten the mood before the emotion cresting in her spilled over. “Glad you are too. You’re like… if sarcasm and warm banana bread had a love child.”
Kate blinked, then laughed—a bright, surprised sound that made Lena grin. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Don’t get used to it. I’ve got a reputation to maintain.”
Their laughter mingled, light and real, and for the first time since Chester entered her life, Lena felt something close to peace. She didn’t have to constantly tread water. She could touch solid ground if she tried.
