Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
THE VILLA BALCONY
Ford didn’t close the folder right away.
He studied the pages again, this time not as an executive reviewing a proposal but as someone imagining the reality of it.
Aircraft landing on the strip below. Teams deploying within hours of disasters.
Medical units. Security. Logistics. It was the kind of response the world kept needing and rarely got fast enough.
He looked up at Ian. “If this happens,” Ford said slowly, “Kasavoa won’t stay the way it is.”
Ian nodded. “I’m aware.”
“There would have to be expansion,” Ford continued. “Hangars. Storage. Housing for teams. Medical staging areas. Communications.”
Kieran leaned forward slightly. “Already part of the planning.”
Ford shook his head. “No. I mean a real expansion. Infrastructure that turns this into a permanent operational base. But with one major proviso: we have to maintain the appearance and culture of Kasavoa, Arudon and the new Tevenne. We need to be aware of the environmental impact.”
Ian’s expression didn’t change. “We can do that.”
Ford studied him for a moment. “And we’d have to work with the Seychelles government. Tevenne might be privately owned, but what we’re talking about affects the entire region.”
Ian gave a small smile. “We’ve already spoken with them.”
Ford raised an eyebrow. “Already?”
Kieran nodded. “They’re interested.”
Ian added calmly, “They see the value in having a permanent disaster response hub operating from within their territory.”
Ford let out a breath. “You two move fast.”
Ian’s expression remained calm. “You know that.”
“You’re sure this is what you want?” Ford asked.
“Yes, we’re offering you the newly created position of chief executive officer in charge of the international disaster response unit for Chase International.”
Ford finally closed the folder. He looked out over the harbor again and stood. “I’ll meet you at your villa this afternoon.”
Ian tilted his head slightly. “For what purpose?”
Ford smiled. “To sign the contract.”
Kieran leaned back with a satisfied look. Ian simply nodded once, as if the outcome was never really in doubt.
KASAVOA – CLINIC COURTYARD
The courtyard finally became calm again.
For weeks, it was filled with tents, stretchers, supply crates, generators, and exhausted staff moving in every direction at once.
Now the noise faded to something calmer.
A few nurses crossed between the clinic and the ward building, and somewhere beyond the walls, a hammer tapped steadily where the construction crews were reinforcing the storm shutters.
Eira stood beneath the shade of one of the old palm trees in the center of the courtyard.
From here, she could see the clinic entrance, the walkway that led down toward the harbor, and the path that climbed the hill toward the villas.
Her mind kept drifting to that path. Ford was up there—and, sooner or later, he would leave.
The thought had been circling in her head for days now. The door behind her opened, and boots stepped onto the stone walkway. “Thought I’d find you out here.”
Eira turned. “Hunter.”
He walked across the courtyard and stopped beside her, glancing around the clinic grounds. “Place looks different when it isn’t in the middle of a typhoon.”
“That’s one way to describe it.”
Hunter folded his arms and leaned lightly against the low stone wall. “I’ve got to catch my flight.”
She gave a small smile. “You stayed longer than I expected.”
Hunter shrugged. “You needed help.”
Eira didn’t argue. The truth was she needed him more than she’d admitted.
Hunter glanced around the courtyard, taking in the quieter rhythm of the clinic. “I spoke with Pete Walter before I came out here.”
Eira’s eyebrow arched. “What did he say?”
“Chase International is going to continue the three-month rotations.”
“For the clinic?”
“And the hospital,” he said. “Doctors, nurses, emergency specialists.”
“That’s good.”
“I’ll bring surgical staff when I come too.”
Her eyes widened. “When you come?”
Hunter nodded. “I’ll visit.”
“How often?”
“Every few months.”
Eira nodded slowly, then hesitated. “I want to meet them—Selma and Beatrix.”
Something shifted in his expression. “You will. And they’re going to love you.”
Eira let out a breath—half laugh, half disbelief.
“They already ask about the clinic, and if they meet Véronique and Kavi…” he shook his head slightly, “that’s it. They’re not letting us leave.”
Eira’s smile faded just a fraction.
Hunter caught it. “They’re attached to you—those two. And to Ford.”
Eira looked away, her eyes drifting toward the path that climbed the hill.
Hunter followed her gaze. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she said. Too fast.
Hunter didn’t let it go this time. “You’re afraid.”
Eira didn’t answer.
“Of what?” he pressed.
Her voice came out lower. “That I’ll lose him.”
There it was—unprotected. Hunter nodded like that made sense. “Did you tell him?”
Eira shook her head.
“Why not?”
She let out a breath, looking back toward the clinic, the courtyard, anywhere but at her brother. “Because if I say it out loud, it makes it real.”
Hunter studied her. “It’s already real.”
Eira didn’t respond. Because she knew that.
Hunter pushed off the wall and stepped closer, his tone lighter but not dismissive. He wrapped her in a warm hug, pressing his lips to her head. “You built something good here.”
Eira shook her head. “We all did.”
He nodded. “Especially Ford.”
Her expression softened again.
“Talk to him.” Hunter looked at this watch and straightened. “Well…”
Eira looked up. “Well?”
“If I don’t get moving, my security team might sedate me and load me onto the plane early.”
“That would be very efficient.”
He stepped forward and pulled her into another hug. “Take care of this place.”
“I will.”
He stepped back. “And remember,” he added with a small grin, “video calls.”
“Every week.”
“And visits.”
“Every few months.”
Hunter nodded, then headed toward the clinic gate. Eira watched him go.
The courtyard grew peaceful again. After a moment, her eyes drifted back to the path that climbed the hill toward the villa and Ford. And the question she still hadn’t asked him.
She was reviewing patient notes when she heard footsteps behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Ford.
Her chest tightened instantly. When she did look up, he was already walking across the courtyard. He looked stronger than a week ago, though he still moved with the careful pace of someone whose ribs reminded him they were healing.
“Hey.”
Eira tried to smile. “Hey.” The words slipped out before she could stop them: “You’re leaving.”
Ford blinked slightly. “That’s what you think?”
Her throat tightened. “Isn’t it?”
He studied her carefully. “Is that what you want?”
The question hit her like a sudden shift in wind. “What?”
“Do you want me to leave?”
Tears filled her eyes almost instantly. “No.” The answer came quickly, breaking before she could steady it.
“Good.” Before she could ask anything else, he took her hand. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Trust me.” He led her across the courtyard and through the clinic doors, down the hallway. Past the rooms filled with patients during the storm until they reached the command room. The same room they used when the typhoon cut the island off from the outside world.
The maps were still there. The big table in the center still held charts and notes from those days.
Ford pulled a large folder from under his arm and spread several documents across the table. “Start here.”
Eira stepped closer. The first map showed Tevenne. Construction plans overlaid the coastline. “What is this?”
“Chase International completed the purchase of the island.”
She looked up sharply.
He pointed to the plans. “Medical facilities. Housing. Emergency staging areas.”
Her eyes moved across the page slowly. “It’s… rebuilding.”
“Better than it was.”
He slid another map toward her. This one showed Kasavoa and the land surrounding the clinic. New buildings were marked in blue.
“What’s this?”
Ford leaned against the edge of the table. “Expansion.”
“For what?”
“First, modernization and expansion of the orphanage. It needs to be more weather-resistant but maintain its current look.”
“And?”
He pointed to another set of markings. “A disaster response agency.”
Eira’s head lifted slowly. “The one Ian mentioned?”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes moved across the plans again.
“Hangars. Medical dormitories. Training facilities.” He tapped each section.
“This is huge.”
“It will be. But with care of the impact on the area. This is still an island community. Ian, Kieran and the Seychelles government want to keep it that way.”
She looked up at him. “When does it start?”
“Interviews for staff positions begin in two weeks.”
Eira nodded slowly, absorbing the scale of it. Her brows furrowed as a thought hit her. “Who’s going to run it?”
Ford met her gaze before saying, “I am.”
Her breath caught.
“If that’s okay with you.”
She simply stared at him. The weight she was carrying for days finally cracked. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, hard enough that he needed to brace slightly against the table behind him.
Ford laughed softly. “Careful,” he murmured. “Still healing.”
She didn’t let go. “You’re staying,” she whispered.
He rested his chin lightly against her hair. “Yeah.”
Eira pulled back just enough to look at him. “Why?”
Ford smiled. “Because somewhere between heatstroke, the storm, and the operating room…” he pressed a kiss to her forehead, “…I realized something.”
“What?”
Ford held her eyes. “You’re my home.”