“Bjorn told me the Kerrs were fighting about some of Lincoln’s new investments in alternative energy. Maybe the you-know-what has something to do with that?”
“Interesting.” She drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “I have a friend who works at a geothermal plant in Puna. We could pick his brain about energy systems involving weird crystals.”
“We?” He looked at her askance. “Explain this ‘we.’”
“I told you I was coming with you, remember?”
“Yes, but now we’re talking about more than finding a cell signal. I’ll have Lincoln to manage, and he keeps saying we’re not safe, and that he doesn’t want a hospital. I don’t want you in danger, Mathilda. Besides, what about…where’s…” He scanned the group, then came back to her. “Where’s Philip Phelps?”
“He left.”
“He did? What…what did you tell him? About Duncan?” He watched her closely with those gorgeous dark eyes of his.
“I sent a message. I suggested that we do a Zoom call once I’m back in cell phone range.”
“So that’s a…maybe? It doesn’t sound like a no.”
“It’s not a no.” She ran her tongue across her suddenly dry mouth. Was Rory going to walk away from her already? She was resigned to it happening eventually, but she wasn’t ready for it yet. “It’s a ‘let’s talk over Zoom so we can get a feel for each other before we make any decisions.’”
“That makes sense,” he said after a long moment, during which her heart nearly stopped beating.
“I need time. I feel like there’s so much riding on this and it feels so rushed, even though I’ve known this was coming since I was twenty-one. How could nine years go by so quickly?”
She felt her throat close up—another early warning sign of a panic attack. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
A strong arm settled on her shoulders. “Hey hey,” Rory said gently. “It’s going to be okay.”
She blurted out a laugh. “Why do people say that when they have no idea if it’s going to be okay?”
His fingers played with the ends of her hair. “I guess it depends on your definition of ‘okay’. My grandmother always says if you can open your heart to what is, you won’t get so disappointed by what isn’t.”
“It’s too late at night for cryptic words of wisdom,” she grumbled, making him laugh. And yet, the panic attack had receded. Either the words of wisdom had worked, or the way he was touching her hair had done the trick.
Her money was on the hair.
The late-night party was breaking up into stretches and yawns.
“Let’s talk about this tomorrow,” he said in a low voice. “I’m dead on my feet.”
But this could all end tomorrow. He was leaving, and they were packing up the camp, and…
She quelled the turmoil in her heart. “Sounds good. Sleep well. Don’t let the menehune bite.”
He stood up and stretched. “You know what, I’m not even going to ask. I need to check on Lincoln Log.”
She laughed and watched him stride across the camp, dark now because Robert was stomping out the remains of the fire.
In her dreamy way, Diane wandered over to Mathilda. “Quick question, woman to woman,” she said, taking both of Mathilda’s hands. “Is Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious fair game? Do you two have something going on? I heard rumors. I never fish in someone else’s pond.”
How to answer that? “I wouldn’t say he’s my pond. But?—”
“Are you in a relationship?”
“No.”
“A situationship?”
“I don’t even know what that is.”
