that errant strand of hair over her shoulder once again and glanced out over the waiting room, which was gradually clearing out.
“It may not look that way, but this is one of our slower times.” She looked at the sign-in sheet. “It’ll stay that way until after lunch.”
Deakin was having a hard time understanding why exactly he was even here. Could he fly out before Theo realized he had arrived?
“Are you still seeing new injuries?”
“Some. There are a few buildings that still aren’t stable. So we’re seeing crush injuries. And with those unstable buildings come gas lines and electric wires, so there’s a chance of electrocution and burns—”
She was still talking, but that last word was all he heard in that moment. It was the second time she’d said it.
Deakin’s father had replaced his boat. It was right there in the rebuilt boathouse. Leaving it to Deakin in his will had seemed like the ultimate slap in the face, but since they’d left everything else to him as well it probably hadn’t been meant like that. But Deakin had kept it, taking that vessel out for a spin every time he came home—which wasn’t often. But the guests that booked his home were granted full use of the grounds—including his Jeep and the boat.
“Hello?” Lea snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Are you okay?”
He frowned, hating being caught thinking about his past. “I’m fine. I’m just dealing with a serious case of jet lag. I need a shave and a shower.”
“You must be exhausted. Did you come straight here after landing on the mainland?”
“Yes, but I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but it had nothing to do with being tired.
There was no way he was going to share any of that with her. Temporary visitor, remember?
Petra interrupted. “I talked to your aunt this morning. She was sure you were arriving today and said to send you straight over to the house. She’s put a moussaka in the fridge for you.”
His Aunt Cecilia was in charge of renting out his parents’ house and his cottage to tourists. It seemed better than letting them sit empty and untended.
“Great.” He glanced at the wall behind the reception desk, frowning when something caught his eye.
Dammit. What was that doing there?
He shook his head and tried to continue his thought. “Where did you end up staying?” he asked Lea.
“At a private cottage a few miles from here.”
Petra laughed. “A few miles from here in that direction.” Her hand waved a few times in the air before pointing to the west.
There probably weren’t all that many bed and breakfasts operating right now. Not that the damage to the island was horrific, but he could pretty much guarantee that tourist income was down. Hadn’t his aunt said that his house had been sitting vacant ever since the earthquake? Who wanted to vacation in a place torn apart by a natural disaster?
He couldn’t think of anything on the west side of the island except for the expensive houses owned by people like his parents. Although... His house was in that general—
“Whose cottage?”
The receptionist smiled wickedly, while Lea looked thoroughly confused. “Theo, Cailey and your aunt figured it was the best place to house her, since the hotel she was staying at was damaged by the quake. So she’s staying in the cottage, Deakin. Your cottage.”
THIS WAS DEAKIN’S HOUSE?
She set a skillet on a burner to heat and gritted her teeth.
Why hadn’t Theo told her? She’d assumed it was a relative’s house or something. But the tiny white building behind the opulent house was perfect, and she loved staying there. The formal manicured grounds here made the Serenity Gardens look like something out of a dollhouse, although it was a gorgeous setting. The clinic’s grounds were informal, while the house she was staying so close to screamed money. Even the boathouse had a tiny apartment over it.
She had never really stopped to think about who on the island could afford something like this. Theo had said he and his friends’ parents had been part of something called Mopaxeni Shipping. They’d all been wealthy. She didn’t know the whole story, and although the clinic was state of the art she had gotten the impression that they were only scraping by and looking for fundraisers.
Like that calendar over the desk in the main entryway at the clinic that boasted photos of twelve very hunky locals. Some of them were doctors, or employees of the clinic, and others were firefighters or involved in other lines of public service.
Deakin was somewhere in the main house at this very moment. It had been more than obvious that he wasn’t happy with her being here. The look on his face when he’d realized exactly which cottage Petra was talking about had been priceless...and embarrassing. But unless she just wanted to leave the island there wasn’t much she could do about it. And she was enjoying the work far too much to let Deakin’s grumpiness drive her away.
The property was usually rented out when Deakin wasn’t there, Theo had finally admitted when she’d called him and confronted him about the cottage. He hadn’t been positive Deakin would come back when he’d offered it to her, and they’d needed her at the clinic. And for that to happen she’d needed someplace to sleep. It had been the only logical solution.
That didn’t make it the most comfortable one now that Deakin was home. He’d claimed it didn’t bother him to have her staying there, but his voice told another story.
Cracking an egg, she listened to the satisfying sizzle as it hit the heated oil, the earthy scent filling the air, making her mouth water.
She made her way to the refrigerator for some orange juice, pulling a small glass from a cupboard on the way. She could do this. From what she’d heard about Deakin, a plastic surgeon who specialized in treating burns victims, he didn’t stay in one place for any length of time. He probably wouldn’t be here for more than a week or two. As soon as he could Deakin would be on his way.
He didn’t like the island. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. It was in the way his eyes shifted from thing to thing, that ever-present frown on his face. Something here held bad vibes for him.
Maybe he’d been injured on the island?
It didn’t matter.
She hadn’t come to the island to speculate on its residents, past or present. She’d come here to escape.
No. Not to escape. To start over.
There was a difference. Starting over involved staying here on this earth, not—
Dammit.
A piercing shriek shattered her thoughts in an instant, and her brain struggled to locate the source.
A
