Second on the Right (13 page)

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your
attention. Any further questions may be sent to my email, which I
will answer in due time. Enjoy the rest of the conference, and
please make sure to take time to enjoy the cruise as well. Good
afternoon,” James said with a slight bow as he stepped off the
stage.

Eileen sat in the back row, doing her best to
stay awake during the presentation. Her weariness was no fault of
James. He was a dynamic speaker, having kept the crowd interested
for the last hour. She merely felt exhausted from staying up late
the previous night to spend time with him.
So, I guess in part
it really is his fault
, she thought.

What she couldn’t understand was why she also
felt every ache and pain in her muscles. The soreness was similar
to how she felt in her dream following a day’s work on the
Mistral Thief
. She had only done some walking and lounging
with James, but nothing strenuous. She wondered if perhaps it was
the start of the flu.

Startled from her thoughts by a round of
applause, she rose along with everyone else. She could barely make
out the top of James’ head as he was surrounded by conference
attendees and their barrage of questions. She knew he’d be kept
busy a while and so slipped out of the room for a walk on deck.
After an hour, she settled into a nice secluded spot at the bow of
the ship.

“I thought I’d lost you,” James whispered
from behind. “I don’t like that feeling.”

Eileen turned to see a tinge of panic
subsiding from his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to
worry. You’ve found me now. What is it you keep saying? ‘I’m all
yours?’”

His shoulders relaxed. “Yes. I like the sound
of that.”

She took hold of his hand and pulled him
close to stand next to her. While she stared out over the ocean,
she felt his eyes upon her. James exhaled a sigh.

“What is the plan….for tomorrow, that is?”
she asked, not taking her eyes off the water.

“Saint Thomas Island is tomorrow, though I
have something else in mind.”

“Oh?”

James hesitated a moment. “Well, I’m not sure
if you’d be up for it. I mean, we just met yesterday and, well, it
would seem
very
forward of me, but…”

“James, out with it.”

“Right, okay. I’ve always wanted to visit
Saint Vincent Island. Near Kingstown is a highly rated resort,
Buccament Bay. It would be my treat, of course.” James rattled off
as quickly as possible. He was obviously nervous.

“That is rather forward,” Eileen mused.
“Still, Kingstown you say? I’d love to visit Saint Vincent.”

“Naturally, I would reserve a two-bedroom
suite. I wouldn’t presume to…uh…” He gave a sheepish grin.

She glanced at him. “Naturally.”

James blushed. “I—”

Eileen laughed. “My answer?”

“Please?” James asked, a hint of pleading in
his voice.

She paused for a moment, drawing the torture
out a bit longer before answering, “Yes, I would love to. But we
would miss part of the cruise, wouldn’t we?”

He laughed nervously. “Um…yes….actually, we
would miss the
entire
cruise, including the voyage
home.”

Her eyes widened. “What? How can I
possibly—”

“Leave everything to me. Trust me?” he asked
as he squeezed her hand.

His question sent a thrill through her.
“Yes,” she whispered.

“Never thought you’d be whisked away from a
cruise by a complete stranger?” he asked, winking.

She shook her head. “Never thought I’d find
myself on a cruise. Anything after that is, well, uncharted
territory.”

“You are in capable hands,” James
replied.

Eileen gave him a knowing glance.

He grinned. “You’re right. I meant it the way
it sounds.”

When the cruise ship docked off the shores of
Saint Thomas Island, James and Eileen were ready. Some passengers
offered them curious glances, but said nothing as the couple
disembarked. Reaching the island, James took Eileen’s bag, under
protest, and found transportation to the local airport. During the
short ride, Eileen rested her head on his shoulder. She was
nervous, as this was the biggest risk she had ever taken in her
life. James wrapped his arm around hers, squeezed her hand in
reassurance and gave a light kiss to her forehead.

“You won’t regret this,” he whispered.

She pressed his hand in hers but said
nothing. Instead, she remained quiet through most of the trip to
Saint Vincent Island. The closer the island, the more her heart
seemed to race.
Why do I feel this way? It isn’t as if I would
actually see Benedict on the island.
Images of her dream
continued to flash in her mind, creating an excitement she had
never felt before.

Once the plane landed and they were outside
the airport, she could not stop smiling. The island, though
modernized with some buildings, looked nearly the same as it had in
her dream. While James loaded their bags in the trunk of the car,
she moved slowly in a 360 degree pattern, wanting to take in every
sight and sound the island had to offer. When she finished, she
found James wearing a baseball cap. She grinned at the sight. He
almost looked like a kid with that hat on.

“Ready?” he asked as he opened the car door
for her.

“Ready,” she answered, confidence resonating
in her voice.

The trip was a short one from the small
airport to Buccament Bay Resort. Eileen gasped in awe; she had
never seen a more beautiful sight. Arched pools faced the ocean,
surrounded by a sandy beach. James beamed proudly at his location
pick. He slipped out of the car, around to her side and opened the
door. “I’ll check in. Take a look around if you’d like. I’ll have
the bags brought to our suite. Meet you in a few?”

“You sure? I could go with you,” Eileen
offered.

“And have you stuck at the desk instead of
enjoying this beautiful view? Never! I’ll take care of the dirty
work. I want you to enjoy every minute here,” he finished before
turning and jogging towards the entrance.

Eileen smiled.
He treats me like a
princess.
She strolled down to the beach, wading in the ocean
waves. Glancing back at the island, she found the familiar rise of
the land on the left, the same area in which Benedict had kept his
hideaway. Her curiosity was almost unbearable.
Was it really a
dream or did it really happen? The only way to find out is to
locate his hideout. The only problem is, I’m not sure if I remember
where it is.

“Eileen?”

Ha! As if it exists. It was just a dream,
Eileen. Wake up!
she thought.

“Eileen.” Her name was called out again.

It had seemed so real. The ship, the…ugh,
the sea sickness. That was awful. Steede, Smith, and Benedict,
she sighed.
If only he could see me now.

“Eileen!” James called out louder, placing a
hand on her shoulder.

She looked over her shoulder at him, as if in
a fog. “Hmm?” she said absentmindedly.

“You okay?” he asked with concern.

“Huh?” Then realizing she had been lost in
thought, answered, “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry about that. I just—this
island. There’s something familiar about it. I don’t know. Sounds
crazy I guess.”

“No, not at all. Any thoughts on why it seems
familiar?”

“My dream. It’s
exactly
the way I
pictured it. I must have seen images online or maybe in a
magazine.”

James smiled, “Come on, daydreamer. How about
we explore the island? If you did remember the pictures and your
dream is fairly accurate, let’s see if you can find your way on our
hike.”

“Deal,” she grinned, looking at him from the
side. By accepting her word as truth, James’s kindness rose
Eileen’s confidence in him.

James and Eileen had been hiking for over an
hour. He had convinced her of the journey by describing their
destination: an oasis hidden in the center of the island, where
waterfalls cascaded into crystal clear pools of water. He wanted to
impress her with his skills, but in his haste had failed to look at
the island map thoroughly.

“We’re lost,” James shamefully admitted. “I
swear, normally I’m not like this. I have a photographic memory,
but—”

“You didn’t bring the map with you?” Eileen
asked.

James sighed. “No. I had hoped to impress you
with my ability to remember it, but that has obviously failed. And
now, here we are, stuck and I have no clue where that is!”

“On an island?” she questioned, trying to
suppress her smile.

James turned to look at her incredulously.
Is she teasing me at a time like this? Yes, yes she is.

Eileen was silent for only a moment before
bursting into a fit of giggling laughter. She leaned forward with
her hands on her knees for support as she tried to gain her breath.
Despite his initial embarrassment, James laughed.

The couple finally settled down. It was
during this stillness that they discovered the sound of a
waterfall. Taking the lead again, James hiked through the trees and
over rocks. Eileen followed closely. The vegetation thinned away
and they stepped into a clearing. Not more than ten feet away was a
small waterfall lazily cascading down into a rippling pool.

Happy to have found their destination, James
looked over his shoulder. Eileen gave him a big smile and said,
“You did it. I knew you could.”

She definitely is the woman I want to
marry,
he thought.

James took Eileen’s backpack and set it down
next to his near the water. He paused for a moment to survey the
area. When he turned around, Eileen was gone. For a moment, panic
set in.

“You coming?” Eileen called.

He looked over to see her standing on a small
rock. He did his best to keep his mouth from dropping open. She had
undressed down to her bathing suit. It was a rich blue, matching
the color of her eyes and accenting the auburn of her hair. He
continued to stare, having temporarily lost the ability to
speak.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you
going to swim?" she asked. “Are you lost?” She coughed, barely able
to finish the sentence.

“You did not just say that,” James murmured,
though he made no attempt to move.

She laughed. “I’m afraid GPS is of no use out
here. But wait. If you stare long enough, you might remember how to
find your way?”

“That’s it!” he shouted, stumbling about as
he took his shoes and socks off. “You are asking for it!” he
continued to threaten while wrestling with his pants. Stripped down
to his swim trucks, James tore after her. She shrieked and jumped
into the water. “That won’t save you, I’m afraid!”

She laughed as she swam towards the
waterfall. James dove, but did not resurface. Eileen spun around in
the water. He popped up behind her. She screamed and turned to
splash him. Slipping back under the water, James swam behind her
again. He wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. She elbowed him
hard in the stomach.

“Ooph!” he groaned.

“James! Oh, no, I’m so sorry,” she said
worriedly.

“I….I….can’t….breath,” he whispered.

She grabbed him as he sunk below the surface.
Wrapping her arm around him, she pulled him back onto land. “James,
are you all right? You can’t breathe? Are you having any chest
pain?”

His eyes closed for a moment.
“I…can’t…breathe,” he gasped.

As she helped James to the water’s edge, he
collapsed on the bank. His eyes rolled back and closed. Eileen
checked his pulse, but he had stopped breathing. Bending over him,
she positioned his head, and then pressed her lips against his to
begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. James slipped his hand to the
back of her head as he returned, for Eileen,
her
lifesaving
measure.