Breaking Even

by Lily Bishop

  Ric glanced at his watch. “Well, it’s after four. We need to get back.”

  Ric and Lindsey told Jacquetta good-bye and got back in the SUV. They asked about Rudy, but she said he was playing with the other children. She didn’t want them to go find him in case he got upset over Ric leaving. Dureau thanked them again for the food and said he would bring the food containers back to the resort.

  #

  Once they got back to the villa, Ric parked his car under the portico. Lindsey had surprised him by going to the funeral and by joining in with the activities. It couldn’t have been fun for her to be thrust into an uncomfortable situation like that.

  “You’re leaving the windows open?” Lindsey asked as they got out.

  “It still smells like food, so I’ll let it air out. Besides, we may want to go over to the resort for dinner.”

  “That sounds good. And you owe me a sparring.”

  “I do. Let’s change clothes and see what you can do. I left a uniform in the second bedroom that should fit.”

  Ric changed and went into the workout room. He had wanted to spar with her since he found out she was been part of the fencing club at Florida State.

  He heard her come in, and his breath caught in his chest when he saw her in the traditional white fencing uniform. She carried the helmet under her arm, and her hair flowed free to her shoulders. He shifted his legs, well aware that his pants were too tight to hide any reaction he may have to her.

  “Have you gone to any more meetings of the fencing club?”

  “No, I don’t have time. I ran into Cayden and he still wants to get your help. If you have time.”

  “He seemed nice. I'll see if I can work with him my next visit up. But you are the one I’ve wanted to see in a fencing jacket." He ran his hands down her torso, following the line of the jacket. “Perfect fit,” he said, handing her the smallest gloves that he had on the island.

  “So do you want me to offer pointers as we go, or after?” He had hoped this would be a fun match. He knew he would win, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her either.

  “It will be hard to hear you with the helmet on. Let’s save them for the end.”

  He showed her the foils that he thought might work for her height and she chose one.

  Wearing the black-fronted helmet, Lindsey became a faceless opponent. They each did the traditional salute and took the ready position.

  He won, but Lindsey was tough, and with her speed, she got more touches than he expected. They each removed their helmets and bowed.

  “Want to go again? I think I saw some weaknesses that I want to exploit. You were going easy on me,” she said.

  “Not much,” he said, and then at her frown, added “Maybe a little.”

  “How am I going to learn if you’re not playing tough?”

  Ric heard a car and turned just in time to see Xavier running toward the gym. They both met him at the door. “What is it?”

  “I tried to call. Rudy’s missing.”

  “Oh, God." He shrugged out of the fencing jacket, leaving his white undershirt. "Let's go. Where was he last seen?”

  Xavier lapsed into Spanish. “A group of boys were playing hide and seek, but it’s been over an hour and no one can find him.”

  Ric turned to Lindsey, realizing that she hadn't understood. “Lindsey, Rudy's missing. They have organized a search party. I have to go help. He could be anywhere.”

  “I know. Just find him.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Island Ice

  Lindsey watched Ric and Xavier leave. All she could think about was that little sweet boy, saying he “wanted Wick.” Her irritation with Jacquetta didn't mean she wanted Rudy hurt.

  With no word from Ric, she took off the fencing suit and showered. When she checked her phone for the fifteenth time, he had not called.

  No news was good news, right? She told herself that he wouldn’t call unless he had new information. Unless they found a body, Rudy was out there alive somewhere needing help.

  Restless, she walked out on the wide front veranda. The wind whistled over the dunes, whistling as it whipped through the sea grass. She froze, tilting her head. She thought she heard a whimper.

  She frowned. The sound she had just heard was a whimper. “Rudy? Where are you, baby? Call out to me.” She left the porch and walked toward the dunes, but didn’t hear anything but the wind. She tracked back toward the porch, pausing to listen every few feet.

  There. She heard it again. Coming from the SUV. She ran to the back, but didn’t see anything but a blanket. She opened the back hatch and underneath the blanket saw a foot.

  “Oh, God,” she whispered. She pulled the blanket off and saw Rudy, his face flushed. His eyes were closed, and he was whimpering. He felt hot to the touch. She tried to lift him up, but he was solid, and without him holding on, she worried she would drop him. She opened all the car doors to pull the breeze through the vehicle and ran into the villa.

  Ice. Rags. Towels. She found a bucket under the sink and filled it with ice and water. She tossed a towel over her shoulder and carried the water outside as fast as she could.

  She dipped the cloth in the ice water and started sponging him off. As she worked, she grabbed her phone from her back pocket and dialed Ric's number. She prayed he would answer and when she heard his voice, she almost sank to her knees in relief.

  “Ric! He’s here! In the car. I’m icing him down.”

  “Be there as soon as we can. Keep trying to cool him down.” She put the phone back in her pocket and turned back to Rudy.

  “Rudy? Can you hear me? You need to wake up, sweetie.”

  Lindsey stepped back and gave Ric room to pick up the boy. She was already ahead of him, opening the door. He went straight to the master bath and set him down on the tile. Lindsey started running cold water.

  “Rudy, wake up, buddy. You’re going to be fine,” Ric told him, speaking in a calm, collected voice. Lindsey felt anything but calm and collected.

  Rudy shivered and whimpered. “Wick,” he murmured. “I wuv you.”

  “I love you, too, Rudy.”

  Lindsey heard a commotion at the door and turned to see a man in a white coat running in. Jacquetta raced in behind him, still in her black. Lindsey stepped back to give them room.

  “My baby!” Jacquetta screamed.

  “Shhh. That won’t help. He’s coming around, but let the doctor check him out.” Ric pulled Jacquetta back from the tub.

  “His core temperature has come down. We just need to keep him cool,” the doctor said. “Do you have sports drinks?”

  “In the kitchen,” Ric said.

  “I’ll get one,” Lindsey offered, relieved to be able to help.

  Lindsey ran back into the kitchen and found a sports drink with a cap that made it a squirt bottle. She grabbed grape, since she had never met a child who didn’t like grape.

  Back in the bathroom, Rudy was awake and crying, holding up his arms. He didn't like the cold water.

  The doctor pulled back after listening to his heart. “Let’s give it five more minutes and then I think you can take him out. His heart rate sounds good and his pupils look good. Just keep cool cloths on his forehead and check his temperature over the next few hours.”

  They gave him the drink, holding it for him so he could drink. He refused to hold it, and he had started shivering.

  “Mama,” Rudy cried, begging to be picked up. After a few more minutes, the doctor checked his skin again and nodded. Ric lifted him out of the water, wrapped him in a towel, and handed the crying boy to Jacquetta.

  “It’s okay, baby,” Jacquetta whispered, holding him and swaying to get him calm. “Mama’s here.”

  The four paraded out of the bathroom. They found Xavier in the den, pacing the main room. He turned as they filed out.

  “How is he?”

  “We think he will be okay,” Ric said.

  He crossed himself. “Gracías, Madre Díos!”

  Ri
c invited Jacquetta to stay at the villa with Rudy if she wanted, but she declined. She thought he would sleep better in his own bed. Xavier gave her a ride back.

  Rudy had gone back to sleep as they left. As she walked out the door, Jacquetta turned back and mouthed “Thank you” to Lindsey.

  Lindsey smiled and waved back.

  When they had gone, Lindsey perched on a chair in the kitchen, too hot and sweaty to sit down in the den on his couch. Ric followed, looking as tired as she felt.

  “Will he be okay? Shouldn’t he have gone to a hospital?” she asked.

  “He’ll be fine. The doctor wouldn’t have released him otherwise. We would have flown him to the hospital in Nassau.”

  “Will he be cool enough?” Lindsey asked, envisioning a small house with no cooling ability.

  “They have air conditioning in their house, but they don’t use it much. If we sent them to the hospital, he wouldn’t sleep. On top of that, his mother wouldn’t sleep, and it would take longer for him to recover. She will take a few days off, stay with him and make sure he’s hydrated. He will be good as new.”

  “Where does he stay when she works?”

  “The church runs a half-day preschool, and her sister takes him in the afternoon.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “You saved Rudy’s life, you know. I would have never come back here to look for him. The doctor said he had severe heat exhaustion. It would have progressed to heat stroke given more time.”

  “If I hadn’t been here, you might not have come home so early, so he wouldn’t have hidden in the car—”

  “No, I never stay at those events long. I would have left with Xavier to go look for him, and no one would have found him until it was too late. You kept your head, getting the cold water.”

  “Lifeguard training, remember? I wanted to carry him to the bathtub myself, but I was worried I would drop him. He’s solid.”

  “You did the right thing. Now, it seems that I have worked up an appetite. What should we do for dinner? We can drive over to the resort if you want.”

  “I’d rather stay here. I’ll see what I can find in the kitchen.”

  “I think I have ingredients to make spaghetti with a basic marinara sauce. Are you sure you want to cook? I can call the resort to bring something out.”

  Lindsey smiled at his offer. “You don’t want to eat my spaghetti?”

  “I didn’t say that. I just know this has been stressful.”

  “I don’t mind cooking. Come sit in the kitchen with me. You can make the garlic bread if there’s any of Etienne’s French loafs left.”

  “We may have one or two.”

  “The French missed their calling. They could have ruled the world with their bread.”

  He grinned. “All right, well you start the spaghetti, and I’ll go shower.”

  While Ric showered, he heard his phone’s weather alert ping several times. By the time he got out, a hurricane watch had been declared for the island. Experts predicted it would turn toward Charleston, South Carolina, but he didn’t trust them.

  A text pinged from his on-island armchair meteorologist. Born on the island, Ramando had returned after college. Ric had hired him as his technology chief, and he kept the servers running.

  On top of his IT work, Ramando served as the main local meteorologist. Ric charged him with tracking and forecasting severe weather. The island had a modern weather station with radar and wind measurement instruments placed at strategic sites on the island. Ramando studied Caribbean wind patterns and he had never failed in his predictions.

  He stayed in the bedroom and called Ramando to get the news firsthand.

  “They are reading the wrong model,” his friend warned him. “Hurricane Marco will turn and graze the Eastern coast and lowlands on the island. I think we’ll get wind at the lower end, around 100 miles per hour, but that won’t last long. High swells and torrential rain for three days. Then Marco will pass.”

  “When will the rain start?”

  “Tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Thanks. Keep me posted if it changes.”

  Ric found Lindsey in the kitchen. She would not be happy with what he had learned. He hated to tell her about the hurricane, but he didn’t want to keep it from her either.

  “That looks good,” he said.

  Lindsey laughed. “It’s no five-course gourmet meal, but I think we’re both too tired for that.”

  He helped her move salad bowls to the table.

  “Spaghetti sounds great. It’s not something I get much here. In fact, I bought it because I thought it would be quick and easy. And different.” He sat down, took a deep breath, and plunged in. “The weather forecast has changed.”

  “Let me guess. Sunny in the morning, afternoon thundershowers, and then sunny again? Or did I mix up the order?”

  Ric laughed. “Not that easy. Sorry. No, there’s a hurricane headed our way. It’ll be here tomorrow afternoon, so I called the pilot and gave him notice to be ready for an early departure. There’s a handful of guests that will need to fly out as well.”

  “I can wait—”

  He held up his hand. “If you wait until Tuesday, I don’t know what the weather will be. If the hurricane hits here , or grazes us, we may lose power. Planes may be grounded, even if we have electricity. And while I’m confident you can rough it with me, they will expect you back in class, right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Don’t argue. Let’s just enjoy our last evening together.”

  “You’re right. Leaving is probably the best thing. But I don’t have to like it,” she finally said.

  “I know. I don’t like it either.”

  Ric watched Lindsey all through dinner. They managed to put thoughts of the hurricane aside and focus on other things.

  Lindsey told him about a new program that offered math tutoring to students who needed it. Lindsey had signed up as a tutor. As she talked, she got so excited she was gesturing with her hands and her eyes flashed.

  “What?” she asked when he reached across the table and took her hand. “Do I have spaghetti sauce on my face?”

  “No,” he said, smiling. “You’re beautiful. I was just thinking that this is the first time I’ve seen you show any enthusiasm for teaching.”

  “I always thought when I got to college that all the kids would be eager to learn. I thought that the freshmen would be like sponges, soaking up calculus.”

  He laughed. “And they’re not?”

  “Well, most of the ones who are like sponges get in the honors sections, which aren’t what I’m teaching. The students that I get are okay, but some days they don’t want to be there.”

  “I think any school gets that,” he agreed.

  “That moment when you see a struggling student finally get it, and make a high C on a test, that's a great feeling.”

  “They’re lucky.”

  Lindsey cocked her head to the side. “Why?”

  “To have a teaching assistant who cares so much about them.”

  Lindsey snorted. “Some days more than others, but I get what you’re saying. How old were you when you decided what you wanted to be?” Lindsey asked.

  “Last year?” Ric laughed, a deep rumbling in his chest. “No, seriously. It’s always changing. Who says you always have to do the same thing? You’re young. It will come.”

  “I thought I wanted to be a college teacher, but the classes aren’t always easy to control. Maybe teaching isn’t for me.”

  She looked so unsure of herself it made Ric want to grab her and shake her. She needed more self-confidence. “It’s too early to determine that. You've only had classes for a few weeks."

  “Oh, so now you’re teasing me, talking about sample sizes.” She picked up her glass and swirled the wine. “It’s just that I’ve always had this singular goal in sight, and now I’m questioning that.”

  “It’s okay to question. It’s okay to doubt. I think everyone feels that way sometimes.”

  “Y
ou’re so good to me.”

  “All I want is for you to be happy.”

  She leaned across the table and took his hand. “Right now, you make me happy.”

  After dinner, Ric pushed back from the table, full. “That was good spaghetti. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” She looked up and smiled at him. “Thank you for everything.”

  He smiled at her, and on its own, his hand drifted toward her, absently rubbing her arm. She eased into his touch and didn’t pull away. He noticed her failed attempt to suppress a yawn. “You’re tired. Why don’t you go lie down? I’ll do the dishes.”

  She waved away his concerns. “We can do them together.”

  It didn’t take long before they had everything washed and put away. She had already washed up the pots and pans while she cooked.

  She took his hand and pulled him toward the master bedroom.

  “Now, come cuddle with me. I don’t want to abandon you in the other room.”

  She pulled back the cover, slid in, and patted the bed beside her.

  “Lindsey, I’m trying to be a gentleman here, but you’re not helping.”

  “Maybe I don’t want you to be a gentleman right now.”

  He groaned and sat down. “This isn’t what you want.”

  “I said I wanted to cuddle, remember?”

  He let her show him what she wanted. She kicked off her shorts and climbed into bed with just her panties. Ric followed her lead and slipped off his lounge pants. He slid in beside her in his t-shirt and long-line boxer briefs. The heat in the bed increased when he slid under the cover with her. He offered his arm, and she slid over to rest just under his chest.

  He felt her muscles tense. “I love looking at you, but would it be easier if we turn off the lights?”

  “Maybe.”

  He used a remote control to turn off the lamp.

  “That’s handy,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “This okay?” he asked after a minute.

  “Better than okay. This is good.”

  After a few minutes, when she didn’t tense, Ric let himself relax. He thought she had drifted to sleep when she spoke again.