“I’m fine,” Waylen whispers.
“Get that cloth off me and help me get ready to meet Leilani.”
“Mr. Bamford, don’t worry about her right now,” Robert says.
“You need to focus on healing. As soon as you’re better, Leilani will be ready and waiting for you. But you can’t go out in this storm—you’ll die.”
Waylen opens his mouth to protest and tries to sit up, but Robert holds him down and continues wiping his forehead. Waylen struggles and squirms, but every movement hurts. Finally, he lies still.
“Very good, sir,” Robert says.
“Just think, if anything happened to you, who would protect Leilani? Looking after your health is just as important for her as it is for you.”
Waylen slowly relaxes. Robert is right, he thinks. I have to stay strong for her. She needs me, and I can’t fail her. He closes his eyes and imagines the island with all lanterns, candles, and flowers. In his head, he sees Leilani standing in the center of the carousel, her large eyes shining in all the light. He imagines keeling down and kissing her finger before sliding the ring on. Suddenly he opens his eyes and glares at Robert.
“Have you ironed my suit?” Waylen asks, but the words sound strange and slurred come out of his mouth.
Robert squints as if he can’t understand, and Waylen repeats the question. Robert tilts his head to the side and then understanding dawns on his face. He nods.
“What about my shoes?” Waylen asks.
“They’ve been polished,” Robert answers.
“Don’t worry—everything is ready. Just sleep and recover.”
Waylen tries to say something, but no sound comes from his lips. He tries again, but it’s exhausting. He sighs and closes his eyes, drifting into a strange, fever dream. When he opens his eyes, it’s light outside, and the rain has stopped. His body hurts, but he feels a bit stronger.
“What the hell happened?” he shouts.
“You let me sleep through my date! What time is it?”
“It’s six in the morning,” Robert says.
“I’ll have your head, Robert,” Waylen screams.
“Sir, please listen to me, I didn’t have a choice,” Robert says.
“By the time the jet landed in the storm, it was already too late for you to meet her. The doctor warned us against upsetting you, so we lied and pretended it was earlier than it was. Please, sir, we did it for your own health.”
“F.u.c.k you,” Waylen says.
“Where’s Leilani now? Is she upset that I missed our date?”
“Do you remember anything from before?” Robert asks, shuffling his feet nervously.
Waylen shakes his head.
“Well, sir, it seems she left the island and returned to the marina where she got into Andrew Clifford’s car,” Robert says.
“Our men haven’t seen her since.”
“When was that?” Waylen asks.
“Last night,” Robert answers.
“Find her at once,” Waylen screams.
“I swear to God, I’m going to kill Andrew.”
Slowly and painfully, Waylen swings his legs over the side of the bed. He stands and immediately collapses back onto the bed—his head feels light, and everything spins. He tries again, gripping the side of the bed for support. With Robert’s help, he gets dressed in a three-piece suit and shiny black shoes. Then he gets in a car and drives to the marina.
The boat ride out to the island is choppy, and the wind blows sea mist onto the deck. Robert tries to shield Waylen with an umbrella, but the gusty wind turns it inside out. Waylen squints at the island, looking for any trace of Leilani.
“Sir, I think it’s better if you wait inside,” Robert says.
“It’s not healthy for you to be out in weather like this. Besides, Leilani isn’t on the island right now.”
Waylen glares at Robert, and the butler stumbles backward. A strong puff of wind tears the umbrella from Robert’s hands, and it blows away over the sea. As soon as the yacht drops anchor, Waylen climbs down the ramp onto the island’s wooden dock. He rushes across the beach and through the forest to the carousel and gazebo.
The storm has soaked the lanterns, and they hang wet and limp from the trees. The flower petals lining the ground are stained with mud, and the fairy lights have been torn from the tree branches. In the clearing, the carousel still spins, but the music sounds melancholy and heartbroken.
“Mr. Bamford, why don’t we wait on the boat,” Robert says.
“No, she’ll come back here,” Waylen says.
“I know she will. Give me the binoculars.”
Robert slowly passes Waylen a pair of binoculars, and Waylen climbs to the roof of the gazebo. Normally, it would be easy for him to pull himself up, but his arms and legs shake with exhaustion. Standing on the top, he can see above the trees and across the bay to the marina.
After a while, Robert climbs up to the roof and says, “Please, sir, let me do it.”
“F.u.c.k off!” Waylen snaps.
“And get me some better binoculars.”
The wind wh.i.p.s his hair and his suit, but Waylen stays on top of the gazebo, staring through the binoculars. Finally, he sees a Bugatti pulled into the marina parking lot. He squinted, trying to see the driver, but the tinted windows make it impossible. The passenger door opens, and Leilani steps out.
She’s wearing a champagne-colored dress. Though it’s slightly wet and wrinkled, she looks stunning. Waylen feels his heart thud nervously in his chest. Then Andrew gets out and crosses in front of the car to meet her. He takes her arm and whispers something into her ear. He opens his palm and offers her something small and silver.
Waylen adjusts the magnification and sees the world’s smallest gun lying in Andrew’s palm. It looks exactly like the gun he once gave her—even the markings on the barrel are the same. Waylen grinds his teeth and wonders why Andrew is giving Leilani a gun. Leilani says she has nothing to do with Andrew, but why does she end up with him every time I leave her alone? Waylen thinks.
Leilani takes the gun, and Andrew gets back into the car. Within seconds the car peels out of the parking lot and speeds down the road. A Bamford servant runs up to Leilani and points across the bay toward the island. Leilani looks across the water and begins to walk toward a waiting boat.
Waylen climbs off the gazebo roof and anxiously waits for her in front of the carousel. The next twenty minutes feel like hours. He asks Robert to wipe the mud off his shoes, and he nervously straightens his tie. When Leilani breaks into the clearing, he gasps.
Her skin glows in the golden sunlight, and her eyes look brighter than the diamonds on her necklace. Her face is bare, and her hair falls in loose, almost messy waves across her bare shoulders. She slowly walks across the clearing, but her expression remains unreadable. As she gets closer, Waylen sees circles under her eyes. Is she unwell? He wonders.
“Everyone, get lost,” Leilani orders.
“I’d like some privacy.”
She stops three feet away and takes a deep breath. She raises her chin defiantly, and Waylen slips his hand into his pocket to double-check for the ring. The feel of the velvet box reassures him. He stepped toward her and wrapped her in his arms. Her entire body goes stiff, and she freezes.
“Get off me,” she says.
He slowly inhales the smell of her hair and then reluctantly takes a step back. She has every right to be angry, he thinks. I promised things would be different, and then I stood her up last night. Who knows how long she waited out here, worrying about me.
“I know why you’re angry at me,” he says.
“And I swear, I had a good reason for doing it.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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