“He recommended I bring them, but they’re from me.” Flint smiles. “Magma seems to be under the impression that I need managing even when I’m not at work.” Flint pulls the chair up and sits. He’s smiling properly now. “Can’t decide if I’m flattered or insulted.”
“I’m sure he means well.” I smile back.
“Absolutely,” he agrees. “It would seem that Magma is matchmaking. He told me that I should ask you out for coffee.”
“Oh, did he now?” I try not to sound deflated.
“He did.”
“And? Are you going to ask me?”
He shrugs. “No.”
I smile. “Then why are you here with flowers?”
“Because I wanted to ask you to dinner instead.”
“Oh, I see.” I pause.
“And?”
“I might need to think about it.”
He laughs. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I expected. A little stiff. My feet are improving already. The swelling has gone down. My worst cut didn’t even need stitches.” I glance down at the bandages. “Apparently I’m tougher than I look.”
“Magma mentioned that,” he says. “I watched you get taken. The moment I saw that Red lift you off the ground—” He exhales and stops. “I was injured. I couldn’t follow. I wish I could have done more.”
“Flint.” I wait until he looks up. “The only reason you got injured in the first place was so that you could distract thatasshole so that I had a chance to get away. Then you organized the rescue party that found us.” I pause. “That counts for a lot.”
“I still wish I could have done more.” He says it quietly.
“You could not have done more,” I say. “You stayed conscious long enough to tell Magma what had happened, or he wouldn’t have known. There isn’t a single thing you could have done that you didn’t do, and I’m so grateful.”
He looks at me for a moment. “Thank you for saying that, Carla.” He gives me the smallest of smiles. “When do they let you out of here?”
“Soon. I hope within the next hour. Robyn is coming for me.”
“Good.” He nods. “That’s good. You should rest when you get home. Stay off those feet for a little longer.”
“I will.”
He gives me a skeptical look.
“I will stay home today, maybe tomorrow, and then I’m going back to work. I’ll go stir-crazy if I sit still for too long. The best thing for me is to get back to normal.” I pull the sheet a little higher. “Has there been any news on the other females? The ones who are still missing?”
His expression shifts to something heavier. “The search is ongoing, but there’s nothing yet.”
“I hope they’re okay.” The thought of those women on that island, in that jungle, makes me feel terrible.
I bite the inside of my lip.
“So do I,” Flint says.
We sit for a beat.
He is a good-looking man. I know this. I knew it the first night I saw him in the bar, and Robyn made me look. He has dark eyes and a strong jaw and the kind of build that would turn any head.
