Chapter 10
1172 Words
"I'll have you know that I have a lot of experience working as a babysitter. Please explain how you are familiar with Sophie. College friend? You don't have the bearing of an archaeologist, do you? He had the natural self-assurance of someone who had never been in a situation that he couldn't handle, and now he was handling her, coaxing information out of her that she didn't want to give. He had never been in a situation that he couldn't handle.
"Yes, we met in college."
"Well, how is she doing these days?"
"When she contacted you to ask you to babysit, she didn't inform you of that, did she?"
It was a text message, and no, she did not share any information with me. Is she continuing her excavations in Corfu?
“Crete.” Stella's mouth had a dry feeling to it. "She is currently located in Western Crete." There was something about those dark eyes hidden below the hood that made a lady feel more comfortable divulging private information. "So Sophie has been a lifelong acquaintance of yours?"
"When she was in the first grade, I intervened to stop a brawl between two of her classmates. She had brought a piece of Evelyn's sea glass to school for show-and-tell, but one of the students took it without her permission. It was as if a human firecracker had gone off inside of her. They were able to see the sparks as far south as Port Patricia, which is a good distance away.
Because it was so eerily similar to Brittany, she didn't even bother to examine whether or not his narrative was true.
As she let out a sigh of relief and drew a big breath, she noticed that his eyes had momentarily wandered to her chest.
At one point, Sophie made fun of her by saying that God had reduced her height by six inches so that he could increase the size of her breasts. Stella would have preferred to have more height if given the choice.
“You knew Evelyn?”
"Yeah, I knew Evelyn. Does it mean you're going to let me in through the front door? His tone was gruff and delighted at the same time. "The community of Kiribati Island is very close-knit. Islanders do more than simply know one another; we also depend on one another. Especially during the colder months, after the summertime crowds have left. People tend to congregate in settings like this one. To add insult to injury, Evelyn was a very good friend of my grandmother.
You have a grandmother? I'm impressed. She tried her best to picture him when he was young and defenseless, but she was unsuccessful.
“I do. She is a wonderful lady who has not given up on the possibility of rescuing me from my depraved ways. So, how long are you staying?" The manner in which he asked it threw her off guard. It opened her eyes to the fact that she had not adequately prepared herself. She did not have a tale. There is no justification for her being there.
"I haven't decided. Look Mr.—"
The name is Oscer Nunez. He then took a step forward and extended his hand, leaving her with no other option but to shake it.
She felt something flash through her at the same time that warm, muscular fingers closed around hers. She had never experienced such a powerful s****l charge before, but that didn't mean that she couldn't identify it for what it was. It glistened in the air, moved across her body, and penetrated all the way down to her bones. She pictured those hands wrapping over her body and that mouth speaking out of her own mouth. Uneasy, she tore her hand away, but the low hum of awareness remained even after she had done so. It was as if the simple act of touching him had set off a mechanism that she was unable to figure out how to turn off.
She took a few steps back after being startled by a connection that she had not anticipated. "I'm sure Sophie will appreciate you stopping by to check on the cottage, but as you can see, everything is good, so..." "I'm sure Sophie will appreciate you stopping by to check on the cottage."
"I wasn't making any inquiries about the cottage. I wanted to see how you were doing. My best guess would be Eleanor. Or perhaps, Joan." He did not move an inch from his position, his legs stretched apart. It was clear that he wasn't going to move until he was completely prepared to do so. “Wendy?”
“What?”
"What is your name? The inhabitants of Kiribati Island are quite welcoming. The first thing that we find out about someone when they enter this community is their name. Then we go deeper."
Her chest suddenly tightened up. Was that intended to be sexually suggestive? There was something about that deep, velvety voice that made her wonder if it could have been, but she didn't need to glance in the mirror to realize that a man like him was not likely to waste his time on someone like her. He was the kind of man who preferred his women to be thawed rather than completely frozen. "I don't think I'll be seeing too many people," the speaker said.
"There is nothing you can do to stop it. It's not a very big island. You'll have no choice but to go shopping, eat out, and have fun, all of which will need you to interact with other people. Spending the winter here will really teach you what it means to be part of a community. There is no better way to bond with your neighbors than to suffer through the onslaught of hurricane-force winds and thick fog at the same time. You're going to have to get used to it if you plan on making this place your permanent residence.
She just couldn't get used to it no matter what. She was responsible for ensuring the well-being of a child, and she took that job seriously, despite the fact that she frequently questioned whether or not she was up to the challenge.
"Mr. Nunez—" [traduction]
“Oscer. It's possible that your mother eschewed the conventional in favor of something a little more out there. Amber? Arabella?”
Should she provide him with a fictitious name? But why would he need to do that if he already had such a good understanding of Sophie? She was completely out of her league. Her entire existence revolved around maintaining order, yet suddenly everything around her was in disarray. The future, which had before appeared to be secure and well-defined, now appeared to be riddled with treacherous chasms that were only waiting to engulf her.
In addition, she was no longer the only one she needed to be concerned for.
"Stella, " she called out in the end. "My name is Stella."
- Writer
