Richards would be here too. And she’d have to deal with him.
She’d managed to deal with him on her past few trips to the island, though it hadn’t been easy. It was never easy to see him after their breakup three years ago. A couple of years ago, he’d made it even more uncomfortable when he’d brought his new girlfriend, a giggling bimbo who’d set Zoey’s teeth on edge.
That settled it. If she could handle Oksana the Bimbo, she could certainly handle whatever—or who ever—he might bring with him this year.
The noise of the seaplane engine grew louder as the pilot increased the throttle for takeoff. Zoey squeezed Ella’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Side by side, they then turned onto the path that led to the main house on the other side of the island. As soon as the seaplane took off and its noise began to diminish, Ella slowed her steps. “I have to tell you something. Don’t worry, okay?”
“What is it?”
“Jake, Nate, and Will took the boat to Tortola earlier. There’s some concern about Rebecca’s plane.”
Zoey frowned. There were seven of them altogether, close friends since they met freshman year, though Ella had been a year behind and her brother had introduced her to the group. They’d originally met in the dorms, then shared houses in the following years. They’d stayed close, even though they’d all taken different paths in life.
Zoey was sort of the odd man—or woman—out, growing up in the lower middle class in a tiny house adjacent to a set of train tracks and now a teacher in an inner-city school. Jake and Ella were the jet-setting children of a billionaire tycoon. Will was a lawyer, the son of two prestigious New York attorneys. Matt had been on the baseball team in college. In senior year he’d been signed by the Boston Red Sox and was currently playing in their triple-A minor league team in Rhode Island.
Nathan, Zoey’s ex-boyfriend, was the son of a man who’d been a part of the digital revolution in Silicon Valley. Nathan now worked as a banker on the West Coast.
Rebecca, though—she was the seriously famous one. Her father was a music mogul, and he’d certainly had a hand in her career, but she was also a crazy-talented musician and singer. She had dropped out of college in her junior year to pursue a career in music—and that career had reached the stratosphere. None of them could really believe their hardworking friend had become such an icon.
“What do you mean, concern about her plane?” Zoey asked Ella.
“She was supposed to arrive last night. It was just her and her pilot. But she never got here. No one’s been able to reach her.”
“Oh God,” Zoey breathed.
Ella squeezed Zoey’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’s just some communications glitch. You know how private Rebecca is. Maybe she changed her number and forgot to tell us. Maybe she got the dates mixed up. It could be anything.”
“Yeah. Sure,” Zoey mumbled. Still, fear tightened her chest. Ella was an unrelenting optimist, so of course she’d think it was nothing, but it wasn’t Rebecca’s style to be neglectful like that. She’d always been on top of things, and if there’d been a change in her schedule, she would have let Jake know.
“She’s okay,” Ella said, her voice hard. She was gazing at Zoey with a steely flint in her blue eyes. “She has to be.”
Blowing out a short breath, Zoey nodded. “You’re right. She has to be.” She paused, then asked, “When do you expect Jake, Will, and Nathan to get back from Tortola?”
“Anytime. Hopefully soon.”
* * * *
The clouds kept gathering on the horizon, and it looked like it was going to rain later. So after Zoey got settled in, she and Ella decided to take advantage of the good weather while it lasted. They went to the beach, and for a couple of hours, they lounged on the cushy chairs, talking and taking frequent trips to cool off in the ocean.
It was late afternoon when they returned to the house and took
She’d managed to deal with him on her past few trips to the island, though it hadn’t been easy. It was never easy to see him after their breakup three years ago. A couple of years ago, he’d made it even more uncomfortable when he’d brought his new girlfriend, a giggling bimbo who’d set Zoey’s teeth on edge.
That settled it. If she could handle Oksana the Bimbo, she could certainly handle whatever—or who ever—he might bring with him this year.
The noise of the seaplane engine grew louder as the pilot increased the throttle for takeoff. Zoey squeezed Ella’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Side by side, they then turned onto the path that led to the main house on the other side of the island. As soon as the seaplane took off and its noise began to diminish, Ella slowed her steps. “I have to tell you something. Don’t worry, okay?”
“What is it?”
“Jake, Nate, and Will took the boat to Tortola earlier. There’s some concern about Rebecca’s plane.”
Zoey frowned. There were seven of them altogether, close friends since they met freshman year, though Ella had been a year behind and her brother had introduced her to the group. They’d originally met in the dorms, then shared houses in the following years. They’d stayed close, even though they’d all taken different paths in life.
Zoey was sort of the odd man—or woman—out, growing up in the lower middle class in a tiny house adjacent to a set of train tracks and now a teacher in an inner-city school. Jake and Ella were the jet-setting children of a billionaire tycoon. Will was a lawyer, the son of two prestigious New York attorneys. Matt had been on the baseball team in college. In senior year he’d been signed by the Boston Red Sox and was currently playing in their triple-A minor league team in Rhode Island.
Nathan, Zoey’s ex-boyfriend, was the son of a man who’d been a part of the digital revolution in Silicon Valley. Nathan now worked as a banker on the West Coast.
Rebecca, though—she was the seriously famous one. Her father was a music mogul, and he’d certainly had a hand in her career, but she was also a crazy-talented musician and singer. She had dropped out of college in her junior year to pursue a career in music—and that career had reached the stratosphere. None of them could really believe their hardworking friend had become such an icon.
“What do you mean, concern about her plane?” Zoey asked Ella.
“She was supposed to arrive last night. It was just her and her pilot. But she never got here. No one’s been able to reach her.”
“Oh God,” Zoey breathed.
Ella squeezed Zoey’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’s just some communications glitch. You know how private Rebecca is. Maybe she changed her number and forgot to tell us. Maybe she got the dates mixed up. It could be anything.”
“Yeah. Sure,” Zoey mumbled. Still, fear tightened her chest. Ella was an unrelenting optimist, so of course she’d think it was nothing, but it wasn’t Rebecca’s style to be neglectful like that. She’d always been on top of things, and if there’d been a change in her schedule, she would have let Jake know.
“She’s okay,” Ella said, her voice hard. She was gazing at Zoey with a steely flint in her blue eyes. “She has to be.”
Blowing out a short breath, Zoey nodded. “You’re right. She has to be.” She paused, then asked, “When do you expect Jake, Will, and Nathan to get back from Tortola?”
“Anytime. Hopefully soon.”
* * * *
The clouds kept gathering on the horizon, and it looked like it was going to rain later. So after Zoey got settled in, she and Ella decided to take advantage of the good weather while it lasted. They went to the beach, and for a couple of hours, they lounged on the cushy chairs, talking and taking frequent trips to cool off in the ocean.
It was late afternoon when they returned to the house and took
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