Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
“There it is.” My uneasy gut twists around on itself as the plane circles in the tropical air above us.
I thought I’d be working for Agile by this time, not calling them to help me. But I wasn’t expecting things at home to take a turn for the worse. And yet, here we are.
It’s a wonder I have any fingernails left. Between the mysterious heirloom in my purse and the rush to get my grandmother away from brewing trouble, I’m running on nothing but stress.
My eighty-year-old grandmother tips back her hat and looks skyward. “Right on time. I like punctuality.”
I edge our golf cart closer to the wide strip of grass that surrounds the island’s only airport. “Act like you’re doing something, anything.”
Nan pulls a banana out of our beach bag. Slowly, she peels it and takes a bite.
I shake my head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“No one will think we are running if I’m having a leisurely snack. Here. Have a banana.”
“We’re not exactly running. We’re just leaving quickly. Anyways, I couldn’t eat that if I had to. You, obviously, want me throwing up on the plane.”
“You always throw up on the plane.”
She’s right. I do. And when I flew from Utah to Isla Rosa, I kept my losing record going. Airplane 40: Kate 0. “Stop. Just stop. I don’t need to be thinking about that right now. It’s hard enough not losing my breakfast now from anxiety, anyway.”
She rests a loving hand on my clammy forearm and looks at me over the top of her gigantic pink sunglasses. “Dear. Everything is going perfectly as planned. Now, just relax. No one is watching. We’ll be on that plane and out of here in no time.”
“I hope so.” Getting off Isla Rosa right now is the only thing that does make sense. Everything else in my peaceful island nation is topsy turvy.
“You did everything right.”
I edge us closer, pulling our cart under the mottled shade of a palm tree.
She passes me a paper fan. “Lean back, dear. Cool yourself. Sip some of that mango juice and act like you’re out for a little plane watching with your Nan.”
“Dear god,” I mutter as I do my best to feign relaxation. I force my shaky hand to lift the bottle of fresh mango juice.
“Much better.” Nan slowly eats her banana. Chattering about something else that I can’t keep up with. Finally, she asks, “How did you get rid of the guard that always follows me around?”
“I can’t even say it out loud.” I’m mortified that I would do such a thing to one of my father’s guards, even if it’s mostly harmless.
She giggles. “Told you. Benadryl works like a charm.”
“He was having a nap when we left.”
She smiles proudly. “I knew it would work. It was brilliant of you to cut those flowers and bring them inside. Poor guy, he’s always been so allergic to springtime on this island. I’m surprised he doesn’t try to take off for someplace else when things start blooming.”
“He was kind of a sneezy mess.” I lean up for another look. The sleek black private jet circles the far end of the airport. “Looks like they are on the final approach.”
“They know this is a grab and dash, right?”
I stare at my Nan. Grab and dash? WTH? “Have you been watching American television?”
“I love those shows. So exciting. So many big, strong heroes.”
Yeah, well, I met one. And I’m wondering if the tall, gorgeous man is on that plane.
But the last thing he’s going to want to get involved with is my kind of problems. Cringing, I face the fact that he’s going to think I’m a rotten person.
I didn’t want to stand him up. But getting to Isla Rosa was all that mattered.
And now, that’s not something I have the luxury of worrying about. Getting off Isla Rosa with Nan, and getting to the bottom of the problems brewing at my father’s hand are the only things I can think about. Both of those things require getting off this island.
The tapping of my nervous foot is so loud it makes my grandmother frown at me. I press my hand to my knee to hold my foot flat. “Let’s pray that Agile Security and Rescue lives up to their reputation or we’re going to be boiling like a lobster.”