My heart went cold. That feeling of being humiliated and dismissed, it was sharper than any longing.
"Mommy! Look at this!" Tommy's voice cut through. He ran back, clutching a big shell, and crashed into my leg.
I snapped awake and scooped him up like I'd been electrocuted.
He couldn't see Tommy.
Tommy's eyes were identical to Paul's. If he saw this child, six years of work would mean nothing. What would he think? That I'd had the baby to trap him? Or would he use his family's power to take Tommy from me?
Either way, I couldn't bear to imagine it.
"Casey! Wait!" Paul reached for my arm as I turned.
"Get away from me!" I shouted, clutching Tommy and diving into the hula troupe that happened to surge past.
The dancers' swaying skirts blocked Paul's view. I shoved through the crowd, running blind. I heard him yelling my name behind me, desperate, almost pleading, but I couldn't look back.
I burst into Lina's surf shop and slammed through the back storage room door.
Cold air hit me. Gasping, I ducked behind the farthest shelf, back against a rack of wetsuits, palms soaked with sweat.
My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my throat. I hadn't felt like this in years.
"Mommy," Tommy looked up, confused, "your face is white. Are you sick?"
I forced a smile. "No, baby, I'm fine. Just ran too fast. Got hot."
"Was it because of that man?"
My heart skipped. "What man?"
"The man in black. He called you. Then you ran." Tommy tilted his head, analyzing. "Teacher says if a stranger calls you, don't go with him. Run away. You did it right, Mommy."
I almost laughed. This little person, with his innocent logic, had just given my panicked flight the most legitimate excuse. But my eyes stung anyway.
"That's right. Mommy did the right thing," I knelt and pulled him close, burying my face in his soft hair. "Tommy's so smart. You know the rules."
Lina emerged from behind the shelves. When she saw me looking like I'd barely escaped a shark, the surf wax nearly dropped from her hand.
"Casey? Jesus, what happened?"
Tommy reached up, trying to pat my chest, worry in his eyes.
I closed mine, trying to steady my breathing, then crouched and hugged him tight. "It's okay, baby. Mommy just ran too fast. Go help Lina sort the little shells in the back room, okay? Mommy needs to talk to her."
Tommy looked at me, then Lina, and nodded. He ducked through the shelves toward the back door.
When it clicked shut, I met Lina's eyes. My voice shook. "He's here. Paul. He's outside."
Lina's eyes went wide. She rushed over, voice low. "You mean that Paul? Tommy's father? How could he possibly find this place?"
"I don't know. Some goddamn coincidence. Or maybe his empire finally stretched to the Pacific." I closed my eyes bitterly. "He grabbed me, Lina. He recognized me."
Lina gripped my hands, trying to steady me. "What are you going to do? Did he see Tommy?"
"No," I said. "I ran fast enough. He didn't... I mean, I don't think he saw clearly."
Lina stared into my eyes. I looked away, feeling guilty.
