“Is the boat alright?” Rico asked as he stared ahead.
She was sure he could see the boat or at least the big white form of it but he probably couldn’t see any finer details. She let go of his hand. “I’ll go check.”
“Wait. I don’t want you going in. It might be dangerous.” He squinted hard then shook his head in obvious frustration. “Just stay on the dock and look. You have to be careful.”
She walked to the end and peered at the boat as it now bobbed gently in the water that looked peaceful and innocent as if it hadn’t been battering that same boat against the planks just hours before.
“So far, so good,” she said. “I haven’t seen any damage.”
He nodded, obviously pleased with the news.
“I’m going on board, okay. I want to see if the engine still works.”
He frowned at that. “What did I tell you, Asia?’
“But Rico, how will we know that the boat is really alright? We can’t just stand here all day watching it.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Let’s just be sensible about this. I’m going on board.”
As she watched his face it went from adamant to frustrated to resigned. “Alright,” he said grudgingly, “but be careful.”
She didn’t wait for him to change his mind. Carefully holding on to the edge she climbed into the boat, her sandaled feet sloshing in the water that had gathered at the bottom. She only hoped the boat hadn’t sprung a leak. She checked around for damages or holes but could find none. All that water in the boat had probably sloshed over the side in the storm.
Now to check the engine. She looked up at Rico. “Do you have the key?”
He dug into his pocket and stretched out his hand to her.
She inserted the key and when she turned the engine it kicked in immediately. “Yes,” she cheered and grinned up at him. “Problem solved.”
She could see the relief wash over his face. But then his face clouded over and he shook his head. “Not quite. I can’t see, remember?”
“I can. All you have to do is give me the instructions and I’ll get us home.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s better if we stay put. My people will know where I am. They’ll come.”
Then a thought came to her. “Hey, where’s your cell phone?”
He patted the pockets of his jeans. “Gone. Lost in the water. It wouldn’t have worked from here, anyway. No cell towers. Try the boat radio.”
She tried it, turning knobs, shouting into it, listening. She shook her head. “Nothing but static.”
“It must be the storm. Come on out, then. Let's just go back up the beach and wait.”
“Hey, don’t we even vote on it? Why do you automatically assume we do things your way?”
“Because I’m the man and I’m responsible for your safety.”
“What? That’s so chauvinistic.”
“That may be,” he said, “but we’re safer on land rather than floating around in the ocean with a navigator who can’t even read the instruments.”
Asia admitted defeat then. She certainly did not want to be lost out in the middle of the big blue sea. “Well, monsieur,” she said with a wry grin, “I guess you're stuck with my company for a few more hours.” He was smiling at her so she guessed he didn’t mind.
She hopped out of the boat and back on to the deck then took Rico’s hand. Together they walked back to shore where Rico plopped down on a sandy bank while Asia went off, but not too far away, to see if she could find where their blanket and picnic basket had gone.
Within a couple of hours of their setting up camp - lying on the damp blanket that Asia found and eating the rest of the food that, happily, had survived the storm - they heard the roar of a motorboat in the distance. As Rico had predicted, his personal staff had arranged a search party as soon as the storm lifted.
As they boarded the rescue boat Asia looked back on the island, so peaceful and then so passionate, and in her heart was a twinge of sadness. It was here that she’d found a new connection with Rico.
She’d shown him another side of her and she’d seen him at his most vulnerable. And then they’d lain down after the storm, side by side on the blanket, just talking about their families, their lives, and a whole lot more. Now it was time to go.
But would things change, would the balance be lost, when they got back to their own world?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Something about him had changed. Rico couldn’t quite say what but he just felt different. He didn’t take life quite so seriously these days and he’d actually caught himself singing in the shower. Twice this week!
Another week had passed before he knew it and, unlike his weekends of the previous few months, he was looking forward to this one. And the reason for his anticipation was no mystery. He was going to see Asia tomorrow.
Although he’d been embarrassed as hell when he’d lost his contact lenses on the island, things had turned out rather well in the end. After the storm he and Asia had relaxed on the beach, just talking, and for him it had been a rare and special experience. He couldn’t recall doing that with anyone before. His life had always been focused and driven. When had he had the time to just lie back, let the island breeze flow over him, and share his thoughts with a beautiful woman? And what a woman she was. She seemed to understand him so well. It was as if she could read into his soul.
He’d been anxious to call her during the week, just to talk to her some more, but each time he’d call she’d seemed distracted or busy. He began to wonder if he’d done something to offend her. But, as was his nature, he’d persisted until finally he got her to agree to see him again.
Rico frowned as he stared out the window at his office. Something about him had changed alright. He, Enrico Xavier Megalos, had just spent the better part of an afternoon daydreaming about a woman. God help him.
******
Tonight was the first time Rico had asked Asia out and not ordered her to wear jeans. It felt good to slip into her well-loved ‘little black dress’ and slide her feet into high-heeled sandals. For this date she would look and feel like a real woman.