56. Caro

"Do you think we should…I don't know…pull him out of the water or something?"

Knox snorted. "Good luck with that."

I felt sorry for Ryder. Yes, he'd been an idiot, yes, he'd lied to Luna, but he hadn't meant to hurt her. He should have owned up to his lie, but the way the truth had come out… Neither of them had deserved that.

Mia Yates, she who'd ruined dinner and so much more, was a friend of Ryder's ex-wife from their college days, and while Shylah had stayed in San Diego with him, Mia had followed her dream for a greener future and taken a job at a company that built wind turbines. And who was about to become the company's biggest customer? The government of San Gallicano. When Black threatened to hold up the funding, the CEO had gathered his best and brightest, hopped on an airplane, and rushed to Ilha Grande in an attempt to salvage the deal. Mia and her colleagues had been checking out the menu board at Coletta's when Mia happened to glance inside and…yeah. Disaster.

We knew that because Shylah had actually called to apologise. Mia had always had a fiery temper and a protective streak, apparently, and she'd been one of the women who'd rallied around in the aftermath of the split. Shylah said she was in a better place these days. She'd even met a new man, one who wanted the same things that she did.

As for Ryder, he spent his free time floating in the pool, staring blankly at the sky, miserable as fuck. Knox said he still did okay at work. It was as if he switched himself on and off.

And now he was off.

Just bobbing around in the pool.

"Ryder, dinner's ready," I called.

Nothing.

I'd been in Virginia for a month, and although I loved the turtles, it was good to be home. And by home, I meant both in the US and with Knox, because wherever he was, that was home now. Our relationship was comfortable and easy, with none of that crushing pressure I'd experienced during my years with Aiden. I came and went as I pleased, I wore whatever I wanted to, and Knox encouraged me to make friends rather than cutting me off from them. Cora and Mercy had invited me out a couple of times, and I'd been able to enjoy myself without constantly looking over my shoulder.

We'd stayed in San Gallicano long enough for the grant money to come through, for Franklin to leave the hospital and begin his recuperation. Tadie loved her new job as much as I was enjoying mine, and I'd definitely go back to Valentine Cay to help out in the future, but just for a week or two, not for three more years. The Blackwood Foundation had even worked out a deal with Emmy where they'd sponsor the flights for any Blackwood employee who wanted to spend two weeks or more volunteering with the turtles. Six people had signed up so far.

Originally, I'd planned to bring Tango to Virginia with me, and she'd had her rabies shot to prepare, but when Tadie sent me videos of her running around at the sanctuary, she'd looked so happy that I didn't want to unsettle her. She loved the beach. She loved swimming in the ocean. Last night, Knox had suggested adopting a dog in Virginia if I wanted company while he was away, and we planned to visit the shelter at the weekend. Cora said it would be fun to have a dog in the office. We worked out of a townhouse near the Blackwood branch in Richmond, and there was a park opposite, plus a small courtyard out back.

"Just leave it—he'll eat if he wants to," Knox said. "I think he's in a funk because he saw the news about Luna."

It had been all over the internet today, the big announcement. That she'd be performing in Vegas for four months in a show billed as a pop extravaganza with old favourites and new surprises. I'd known it was coming. Known she'd signed up to sing at the Nile Palace, and keeping the secret had nearly killed me. But she'd been let down too many times, and I wasn't going to become the latest in a long line of people to break her trust.

We spoke every few days, not for long, but enough that she knew she wasn't alone. When we first met, I'd thought she was the ultimate spoiled brat, a princess used to getting her own way. But now those walls had been broken, and I saw her for what she was. Scared, used, and alone. She'd stuck to her guns and parted ways with her mom, a decision I knew had cost her most of the strength she had left. Amethyst wasn't making things easy, and the lawsuits had already started, but what were they fighting over? Nothing. Because Luna's accountant hadn't died, although she'd said more than once that she wished he had. No, he'd waited until the Puckett family was out of the way, and then he'd emptied all the bank accounts and left the country, heading first to New York, then to New Jersey, to London, to Zurich. Blackwood was tracking him, but he seemed to be taking a tour of the world. At least the theft hadn't made the headlines. That would have been the last straw on Luna's back. The one that broke her.

She never mentioned Ryder, and if I brought him up, she changed the subject. He'd hurt her badly, but I could see things from both sides. What she viewed as an egregious breach of trust, he'd seen as a way of protecting her. Initially, he'd figured that his sexuality didn't matter, that she was just a client who he'd wanted to feel safe, so why tell her the truth? It wasn't as if he'd ever have touched her in a way that made her uncomfortable. But then his heart got involved, and the hole got deeper and deeper until there was no way out. Luna never mentioned why she was so twitchy around straight men, but I could guess. A little of what I saw in her, I felt in myself, but while I pushed through my fears, she shied away from hers.

"She's not doing the show because she wants to. She's doing it because some asshole stole her money, and she needs to pay her rent. Is there any news on that?"

"Not yet. Ryder would be in Zurich, tearing the place apart, if Emmy didn't keep him on a short leash."

"Better than being in Las Vegas."

"Slater had to talk him out of buying tickets to her show."

"He seriously thought of going? That would have been such a bad idea. I'm still trying to explain his side to Luna, but…"

"She doesn't want to know?"

"Not at the moment. Let her focus on the show for a while, and maybe the hurt will fade."

"They would have been good together."

"Yes, they would."

They'd been so close on Valentine Cay. Soulmates. That was probably why his lie had stung her so badly, why she'd reacted the way she did. Perhaps the stars would someday align and they'd find their way back together? It was getting dark as Knox rose to his feet and offered me a hand. I left the outside light on, left Ryder floating in the water, staring up at a glittering sky.

And went to mend one more crack in my own damaged heart.