She came awake with a jolt and stared into concerned dark eyes. “Rory?”
She was so confused. Where was the mango tree? Instead of being high in the jungle canopy, she was wrapped in Rory’s arms as he knelt on the grass. It felt so good to be with him again that her entire being sighed.
In the sky above, stars glittered, while all around her—darkness. She couldn’t see anyone else, just the vague shadow of a table and an umbrella.
Slowly, pieces of reality came back to her. Her family…Duncan…cocktails by the pool.
“What happened?” She struggled against him, trying to find the others. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re okay. Everyone’s a little disoriented. They’re inside the cottage. Lincoln’s making them coffee.”
“Lincoln?”
This must be another dream. Since when did Lincoln make coffee?
“I know, it’s hard to believe. And that’s the least of it. Do you have the crystal?”
“The what?” It took a moment for that to register. “Oh. It was in my pocket, wrapped in a washcloth. But it was getting kind of hot so I took it out and held it up so I could see…” She felt around in her pocket. “I don’t know where it is now. It’s gone.”
“Shit. Do you think it fell out somewhere?”
She struggled to sit up so she could look around, but he held her steady.
“Easy now. Does your head hurt? Or anything else?”
She did a mental inventory of her body. “Nothing hurts too bad. I might have hit my head on the grass.” Gingerly, she felt the back of her head. “No lump. I’m fine. Help me get up, would you?”
He eased her off his lap, then offered her a hand to stand up. Once she was upright, he looped his arms around her. It felt so good that she just stood there for a moment, soaking it in.
Rory had come for her. He must have feelings for her, real feelings, not just crisis feelings. She wished he would say so. Her heart ached for the words.
She could say it first. I love you.
But her mind kept wandering, things going into and out of focus. It was strangely dark out. Someone had lit a tiki torch nearby, and the flickering light was the only thing offering any illumination.
“Is the power out?” she asked, confused.
“Yes, and I would like nothing more than to explain, but I can’t.” Rory scanned the lawn around her. “When was the last time you saw the crystal?”
“I really don’t remember. It was getting hot, and I took it out to get a better look. That’s really all I can remember. How did you find me?” She blinked at him. “Oh. You came for the crystal.”
He didn’t love her. What had she been thinking? This wasn’t some grand romantic gesture. He was looking for the crystal.
“I came for you,” he said firmly. Since he was still scanning the grass, she didn’t quite believe him. “But it’s important that we get the crystal back.” He strode to the tiki torch and pulled it from its stand. Using it like a flashlight, he scanned the entire grassy area, the pool, the table, under the table…but came up with nothing. “Fuck. I have to go tell him you don’t have it.”
“Maybe someone else picked it up. My mother loves sparkly things.”
“Maybe. Come on, let’s get inside.”
She was still unsteady on her feet, so she leaned on his arm as they walked to the cottage. Before they stepped inside, she stopped. What should she tell her family about Rory, about what they were to each other? She didn’t even know what to tell herself about that! One moment she’d been ready to confess her love, the next she’d been crushed to hear his true purpose here. On top of that, she couldn’t keep her focus from one second to the next.
They needed to be honest with each other before they walked into that cottage.
“Rory…”
But before she could get any more words out, Duncan appeared at the door. “You found her! Are you Rory, Lincoln’s pilot? He said you were out here. Thanks for giving my fiancée a hand.”
Mathilda’s mouth fell open. Had she missed a few beats while she’d been unconscious?
