Sheira’s face was white but she nodded.
The children ran ahead. The trees were blowing like crazy, and the rain hurt Amara’s face. She took off her hat and tied it to Sheira’s head. Then she lifted the baseball cap that was tied to her pack. With that on, they kept pushing through the brush, following underused trails.
A sound rumbled behind them. A rushing of the wind, but deeper. “Oh no! We have to run!”
As they pushed faster, Amara’s eyes scanned for anything on higher ground, any tree that was not a palm tree, anything they could climb. Nothing. She shouted to the kids, “Run, run to the wall! Shout when you get there.”
They took off, racing ahead. She hopped and pulled and half ran with Sheira at her side. They tripped and skidded in the mud, but Amara pulled her up, adjusted her pack, and pushed on. The noise behind grew louder. The ground at her feet became more soggy.
“What is happening?”
“The water is rising. Quickly.”
Sheira whimpered but picked up her pace. Amara didn’t know how she managed to push through the pain, but she was grateful.
Shouts up ahead made Amara cry and laugh. Suddenly they were joined by two more men from Sheira’s village, one apparently her husband. He picked Sheira up, and the other grabbed Amara’s pack and raced back toward the wall.
“Where are the children?”
“Up ahead.”
They ran, knowing they were barely ahead of the flooding. They reached the clearing, the cliff face up ahead. And Amara breathed in relief as she saw that the opening was certainly high enough to keep out the flooding. Ropes hung from two of the entrances. Amara turned. Trees were bending, and she could see the progress of the water coming toward them. “Hurry!”
They tied Sheira’s waist with the ropes. Then her husband went up after. The man motioned for Amara to go next, but she heard a sound behind them—another call? A cry for help? She took off toward it, running as fast as she could, splashing through the water at her feet. She knew she was doing something crazy, but then she heard the cry again. She crashed through the brush and found a child. It was Tahki.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came back for Dad. I heard he was down by the water.”
“No, he’s with your mother. Come, quickly!”
He raced with her, but Amara ran faster. The water was coming up upon them. She moved, tugging on his arm, but he tripped and slid behind her. As they entered the clearing, she knew she had moments to get him up before she and the other man would be stuck in the water. So she scooped him up, water now up to her knees, and pushed through. She handed off the child, pushing him up the wall while the other man hugged him and was pulled up with the rope. Water rushed in around her waist.
She raced to another opening, grabbed the rope there, and was lifted into the air as the water came rushing in, splashing up against the wall around her ankles.
She rose quickly, reaching the entrance safely. She scrambled in and was pulled into an immediate embrace. “Amara!”
“Arlo?” She hugged him back desperately, happily. “I saved them. We made it.”
“Yes.” His eyes looked as though he would swallow her whole. They moved to the edge. “Do you think we are high enough?”
The water kept rising, faster than Amara had thought possible, but it was still twenty feet below their location.
“I hope so.” He pulled out his radio. “I’ve let them know where we are. The helicopter is in the hangar along with clothing and food and supplies. We just have to wait this out here.”
She fell back into him. “You’re here.”
“So are you.”
She nodded against his chest. They were alone in the cave. “Where is everyone?”
“The caves connect. They’ve all gone back to a shared spaced.”
He held her face in his hands. “I’ve been worried sick.” His eyes spoke of his love, his whole body rigid with feeling. When he pressed his lips to hers, she was filled with a new kind of peace and love, a happiness she had never known. His lips were warm against her cold mouth, his arms solid, comforting. He cradled her and loved her. She felt such a warm, welcoming love with every touch, she was overcome. “I love you” she rasped out in between kisses.
“I love you too.” He held her like he would never let her go. “I can’t live without you.”
“But, Arlo.”
“What? What could be the problem? I’m going to be the king. Who cares what people like the Finleys think.”
“I do.” She couldn’t speak, but she hoped that he would understand. She couldn’t live a life with him when everyone around them made him think she was the wrong choice.
“We’re going to fix this.” His mouth was firm, his eyes flashing with determination.
She snuggled closer and kissed him again. Why not? No matter what happened with the storm, these might be some of their last moments together like this. He pulled her down at his side on the cool cave rock and held her upper body in his arms. His mouth explored hers slowly, intentionally. Her lips tingled with yearning. Her arms pulled him closer, her body called out for more. Then a noise towards the back eased her desire and they both paused.
She smiled. “Whatever we do, I’m just grateful for this moment.” She kissed him once more. “And I’m so happy these people are safe.”
“Me too. As soon as I saw the hurricane’s path, I had to come.” They peered over the edge. The water was considerably higher. “You don’t think we’re gonna have to evacuate from here do you?”
“How long until the storm moves on?”
“We have several hours yet. And the swell can last as long as the storm or longer.”
They both watched the water. “It has slowed.” Amara willed it to stop.
They both lay along the floor of the cave, peering over the edge.
“You were very brave.”
She turned to him in surprise. “You saw me?”
“Yes, I watched the whole thing. See.” He pointed out to the forest. She could see the rough outline of a trail leading all the way back to the bare evidence of a dwelling. “I saw the rustling in the green. I saw the struggle. I saw the children come rushing in calling for help. I didn’t see you until you entered the clearing, but I almost leapt from this cave. The team stopped me. And thankfully so, because I didn’t see Tahki leave. I didn’t know he’d gone. You did. When you rushed back into the water, toward the flooding, I knew what had happened and I blessed your courage at the same time I cursed it. I’ve never been so happy to lug your sorry butt up a cliff.”
She laughed. “Are you thankful for all our rock-climbing days?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but they certainly gave me experience.”
“You’re the best belayer I’ve ever had.”
“The only one who lifted you to the next ledge, I’m certain.”
She shrugged and then reached her hand out to rest it at the back of his head.
“But really. You ran back, without a care, and carried that child. The water rushed up around you. I was sick and proud all at the same time.” He held up his phone. “And someone got it on video.”
“Whatever.” She shook her head.
“No, you’re gonna want to see this someday. When it’s not so raw.”
She nodded. “I don’t know about that.” Her breathing had finally settled, but her shaking continued, though she just assumed she was cold.
“Come here.” He sat up and leaned back against the rock wall, holding her close up against him.
With her back to his chest, she looked out over the island from their vantage point. “We have a beautiful home.”
He nodded and then rested his chin on the top of her head. “That we do.”
“I love these people. The citizens of Karpathos are the best in the world. No matter where I go, I never meet any I love as much as ours. And these villagers.” She had to stop. A tear fell. “I wouldn’t have been able to go on had they died here
.”
He held her tighter, the strength of his arms giving her comfort.
She leaned her head back against his chest, beginning at last to feel warm.
12
The water receded, but it took two days. The people in their great foresight had food. It wasn’t the most delicious, but the grains, when ground and added to water, made an edible paste that kept the worst hunger at bay and gave them the energy they would need to climb down out of their safe places.
When at last they could leave, Arlo radioed his team, and they accompanied the villagers back to their homes. And, true to the sad predictions, everything had been washed away. Arlo’s emotions were close to the surface, his throat tight, as he watched the people go through their land, finding it almost barren, go to their food storage, finding it washed away, or go to where their fishing boats were tied, finding them unlashed and swept away. He watched them as they gathered together in the center of their village and their leader said, “We will rebuild.” His nod of determination was repeated by the others, and Arlo reached for Amara’s hand.
Then Arlo called out, “Until then, we have shelter and food for you. We have a place.”
Their leader nodded. “Thank you.”
Perhaps they would accept help in their rebuild also. Perhaps Arlo could get some foundations and solid homes built for these people. He signaled his team and motioned for the others to follow. Then he watched as they were led, as one group, back through the forest. Their heads were high, their hearts seemed hopeful, and why not. Not one of them had been lost.
“They’re gonna be okay.” Amara smiled.
“Yes, they are.” Now that the villagers were taken care of, his heart immediately turned to the rest of the country. “I have to get back.”
“Yes. I can stay…”
“No.” His tone came out more abruptly than he planned. But he squeezed her hand. “Don’t leave me. Please. I need you.”
She studied his face. And then she stretched up on her toes to reach him. He pressed his lips to hers. “I’ll stay with you.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you.”
The sound of the helicopter approached. “Our ride.”
“Oh, that’s great.” She laughed. “We’re gonna have to dig one of the Jeeps out of the deep jungle one of these days.”
“Is that how you got here?”
“Yeah. Until it wouldn’t go any further.”
“You’re amazing. All by yourself. What were you thinking?”
“I didn’t need to think. I just needed to be here.”
“And it’s a good thing you were.”
He looked up and waved the helicopter down to their little clearing.
When they finally landed at the palace, a team approached and immediately started talking to Arlo. He held up his hands. Then he turned to Amara, kissed her on the mouth and said, “Come to the council room as soon as you can.” He held up his phone. “And please answer your texts?”
She blushed, and he loved every bit of the pink that spread across her cheeks. Then she glanced around at all the others and said, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Perfect.”
Then he followed his team to his parents and the mountain of work that awaited. As soon as he walked into the control room, he was caught up in the energy of good people at work. The rest of the island had been hit pretty hard. Everywhere he looked, so much destruction filled the screens. “What is the casualty data?” He held his breath. No fatalities. Please.
A guy came over with a clipboard. “This is what we have so far.”
Arlo ran a finger down to fatalities. Zero. His breath left in great relief. Thirty casualties, just ten in the hospital. Way better than he’d thought. “That’s good news.”
As he went through the room, he felt the greater impact of the destruction from the storm. They’d been hit hard. Their infrastructure had been severely damaged. And the cost to replace or repair was going to be steep. When he at last approached his parents, his heart felt heavy. “The good news is we saved the villagers. Not one is hurt even. They are living in the hangar temporarily and have agreed to allow our help in building sturdier houses.”
“Well done, son. I’m happy you were able to help them.” Something in his father’s tone gave Arlo pause.
“Is something wrong?”
“What is she doing in here?” His mother’s eyes went to the doorway.
“Mother, that tone is hardly appropriate. I asked her to come. She’s a valuable asset. This is what she studies. And I trust her thoughts and opinions.”
“We know how you feel about her.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Everyone in the country knows what you two have been up to.” His mother’s frown grew.
And then the news playing in the back of the room showed him and Amara. Someone turned up the sound as Amara approached.
“What’s this?” she asked.
He reached for her hand. “Nothing good.”
She squeezed tighter.
The newscaster’s voice filled the room. “While the royal family met in close conversation with news and disaster crews across the island, Arlo was nowhere to be found, until this footage was captured.” Arlo and Amara’s kiss filled the screen. “Seems the prince had better things to do. Who can blame him when his gardener is this beautiful?” An image of Amara filled the screen, and she sucked in her breath. She tried to jerk her hand away, but Arlo held tight. “Don’t run. We have to face this.”
The expression she turned to him was desperate, hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss the sadness away, but he knew the solution would be greater than that. It would require some serious apologies from and understanding with his parents. He turned to them. His father frowned. “What do you two have to say for yourselves?”
Arlo’s mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about? You know what we were doing. I just told you about the villagers. You know that’s just a bunch of news hype.”
“But you were kissing…” His mother looked from one to the other of them as though they’d been caught doing something wrong.
Amara looked down, and Arlo was even more irritated. “Yes, we kiss. Lots of people kiss.”
“Not princes. Not on television.”
“I was just with all the princes. And let me tell you, they kiss.”
Amara still had not looked up. “Look, that was uncalled for. I feel betrayed by my country. And I’m unhappy about the way they treated Amara, as though being the gardener’s daughter is the sum of her identity.”
“Well, honey, that’s…”
“Don’t say it, because you know it has never mattered to me.”
Amara jerked her head up. “But it does matter to me. It matters. I can’t live like this. I can’t feel like I’m never good enough for your parents. Forgive me, Your Majesties. For your nation, for your press, for everyone in this room, I’ll always be the gardener.” Her eyes were filled with sadness and his heart broke a little bit, watching her stand up to the entire country. “But I deserve better. I deserve a situation where I’m not only wanted but treasured.” She turned. “Bye, Arlo.”
He took a step toward her. His mom gripped his arm. “Let her go. She’s wise to step away.”
But he shook her off. “No. I won’t. This is unfair and you know it.”
He ran to her before she reached the door.
Then Therese Finley stepped inside, blocking their exit. Her sisters crowded in behind her and her parents followed.
“Is that Therese? Oh come in, darling.” Arlo almost rolled his eyes at his mother’s obvious show of favoritism.
She smiled with sympathy at Arlo. “I saw your show today. I’m sorry you were so abused by the press. That was unfair.” She clucked. “But really, you should be more careful.” Then she walked past them both and greeted Arlo’s parents. The entire Finley family followed. Each one greeting Arlo and overlooking Amara entirely.
>
After they had all passed him by, he called out, “Her name is Amara.”
When they didn’t turn or acknowledge him, he shouted, “Hey.”
The room went silent. “Her name is Amara. And these are the Finleys. You’ve met some of them, you’ll remember.”
“How do you do?” Amara nodded. “I’m Amara Cohen.”
The Finleys mumbled a response. And then they all talked among themselves again.
Arlo turned to Amara.
“Can I go now, please?” The anguish on her face hurt Arlo to his core, but he didn’t know what to do to ease her pain. As soon as he found out who had leaked the video and run the story, there would be words, and perhaps even some firings, but that wouldn’t take back what Amara saw, nor would it heal the hurt it had caused.
He kissed her cheek and said, “I’m sorry.”
As soon as she walked out the door, he wanted nothing more than to leave with her, but he had work to do.
And so he dug back in, trying to stay as far away from the Finleys as possible. Even so, he was grateful to them. They’d pledged a very generous amount of money to help rebuild. And he knew Karpathos needed their assistance. Did his country also need Therese? He studied her. She was actively talking and planning with one of his team members. He wasn’t sure but he thought they were talking about water supplies. She had stepped right in and knew what to do to help.
She did seem perfect for the part she would play in his country. But that didn’t mean she was perfect for him. And he planned to marry for love.
But at this point, he couldn’t tell if Amara would ever take him. Was she correct? Were they destined only for hurt and unhappiness?
He refused to believe it. Not when everything else about her made him so happy. But by the time he left the room, the hallways were empty. She was gone.
13
Amara ran as far and as fast as she could. She had to get out of there. Her country was full of need, full of disaster relief, and that was Amara’s specialty. She didn’t need to sit around while her picture was shown on the television, while she was accused of distracting the prince during a national emergency. Not when she’d done everything she could to help, not when aiding in situations like this was her passion, not when she loved the people so much.
Best Friends with a Royal Billionaire Page 7