She made the slightest nudge toward him, the corners of their mouths meeting. With an inhale, his lips covered hers. He licked, he teased, he enveloped; he bit her lower lip gently, prompting her to open, and she did, taking in the fresh, peppermint taste of his tongue. The metal box slipped to the ground as she wrapped her arms around him, traveling over the life jacket and stopping at the back of his neck, where she toyed with his short, wet locks.
Their tongues clashed, their breaths mingled, their souls intertwined. With Simon, she could be the Shanna she’d always wanted to be: capable, confident, and loved. And with her, Simon could be whoever he wanted to be—the charming man on the stage, the smart guy staying away from the limelight; whichever version, the businessman or the adventurer, she’d always love him because, away from everything people saw on the surface, she knew his heart.
They stayed in their embrace, even as their lips parted, content to breathe each other in and share in their warmth.
“I think Chris might think we’d drowned,” Simon said with laughter in his voice.
Shanna nuzzled his nose. “I think we have.”
“Do you want to open the box now or save it for later?”
She almost didn’t care about it at the moment, but they had spent so long getting here it felt right to open it now. She picked it back up. “Let’s see.”
A stale scent mixed into the surrounding moisture as she prised off the lid. Inside was a folded piece of browned paper anda flattened fabric pouch. She undid the spring on the pouch and shook it.
A delicate silver bracelet of intertwined links, with three half-inch onyx stones, dropped into the box. Shanna gasped. “This is it.”
She couldn’t believe after all this time, it was here. She was looking at her family’s Mercurial Crystal. Mom’s prized bracelet. Shanna’s heirloom, Simon’s solution.
She unfolded the piece of paper. It was a letter, the writing unsurprisingly matching that on the postcards.
Dear Shanna,
Words will never describe the hurt I must have caused you. You will call me selfish, and I fully accept the accusation, because a part of me is looking forward to the day I’ll forget the things I’ve done. But until then, while my memory of you is still alive, I owe you an explanation.
When your father forgot me, I broke. I sought every solution I could find. I consulted the cards, the stars, the spirits, even the whispers of our ancestors. You’ll know how those consultations go; more often than not, you think you got an answer for a question you didn’t even ask. And so did I. I came asking for a solution for myself, and found one for you, instead. I had to leave, disappear from your life, because in a vision, I saw you. You came to this far corner of the world, and there was the other half of your soul and the solution to your curse.
But that would never happen if you had no reason to leave home.
So that’s why I left. I won’t lie; leaving the familiar sights behind was a reprieve for my aching heart. Leaving you and Mom, not so much, but I knew you’d have each other. And if I had to cause you pain, I could at least try making up for it with a game.
So I hope you sang and danced in the rain in Wellington, swam like a mermaid in Abel Tasman, enjoyed your foray into the Wild West in Ross, and lived out your Emerald Fever behind this waterfall.
The first time I stepped foot on this land, I felt freedom. I hope that with this, I have given you yours. And know that, even if I don’t remember you anymore, you’ll always be in this witch’s heart.
Love, Mom
Shanna didn’t know how long she stood there, but she must have swayed at some point because she finally found herself supported by Simon, who’d steadied her with his arms.
“She knew. All this time, she knew,” Shanna whispered. “That I’d come, and for the bracelet, no less—that must be why she took it and left it here. But I don’t understand …”
Was this truly worth it? All the pain, all the suffering, all for a vision her mom had?
“Give yourself some time to process,” Simon said. “Trust me. It helps.”
She nodded, storing the letter and the bracelet safely back inside the box. They returned through the waterfall.
“Oh, here you are. I thought you’d drowned,” Chris said in a flat voice.
“Thank you for your concern in calling the rescue,” Simon said.
“I also assumed you drowned slobbering each other. Didn’t want anyone having to witness that view.”
Shanna felt herself blush. “We—uh—didn’t—”
“I’m glad the uncomfortable sexual tension is dissolved, but I don’t need the details.” Chris stood up from a rock and headed for the kayaks. The mere sight of the bright orange boatsinstantly doused any excitement Shanna had left from that kiss and Simon’s confession.
“Look, there’s one of the tourist boats,” Simon said. “Do you think if we pretend we’re stranded, they’d take us on?”
