David turned to see Isabelle staring at him in shock, before her eyes narrowed and the stare turned into a glare that David was very familiar with. Uh-oh. Isabelle had had that same look on her eyes before she had charged in and beat up those men at Lavinia's bar. He decided to go ahead anyway. Faint heart never won fair lady and all that.
"So, in case you forgot already, Isabelle, did that kiss on Raiatea mean so little to you?"
She turned abruptly and walked around to stand behind her desk. Her arms were still folded, and she was still glaring at him. David understood that she was trying to put some distance between them with the very real presence of her desk.
"What does it matter to you, David?" she finally said.
"It just does," he replied. "It's been on my mind."
"For heaven's sake, why?" she huffed out. Her posture had relaxed somewhat, but she was still tense. "We kissed. It's not as if we've never done that before." She shrugged. "Call it a moment of weakness and moonlight madness," she tossed off flippantly.
David held his ground. From the way that she was avoiding the question, he had an idea that this was part of the reason that she had studiously been avoiding him. He took one step forward.
"That's not an answer, Isabelle," he said, trying to catch her eye. "I'm not going to leave until you give me a real answer."
She finally looked straight at him, her eyes wary. Taking a deep breath, her arms unfolded and she took a step away from the desk towards him.
"No," she sighed, "it didn't mean so little to me. It was…good. I liked it. Why are you being so insistent about knowing how I felt, David?"
David, having gotten the answer that he was hoping for, couldn't help grinning. However, Isabelle's return question caught him off guard. He backpedaled quickly, not sure if he should push this any more than he already had.
"It was bothering me, that's all," he said. He shot her a little smirk. "I just wanted to make sure that I was memorable."
Her mouth dropped a little, and again she was glaring daggers at him. David winced slightly, realizing that the tease had fallen very, very flat. He was tempted to beat a hasty retreat, before Katie's words came back to him. The two of you fit so perfectly. Before Isabelle could turn and order him out, he took a step forward, startling her out of whatever angry reply she was going to make.
"I'm sorry," he sighed. Fidgeting slightly, he faced her questioning gaze. "That was rude, and not at all what I wanted to say. It's just that around you, Isabelle, I don't know what happens to me. You drive me crazy."
She rolled her eyes. "That's certainly one of the stupidest apologies I've heard."
He shook his head. "Listen. I have to say this. Talking with our resident meddler made me understand something, Isabelle."
"What did talking with Katie make you understand, David?"
He grinned. Isabelle knew perfectly well whom he had been talking about. The grin faded as he took a deep breath.
"I understand that I've been falling in love with you, Isabelle."
Isabelle was shocked into complete immobility. David was falling in love with her? David…was falling in love…with her? But his past behavior indicated that he only liked her, maybe lusted after her, never anything close to love. Her head whirled with confusion. Wide-open silvery green eyes stared at David. He could see that he had thrown her for a loop with that pronouncement. He ducked his head slightly and looked into her eyes.
"I know this is coming as a surprise, Isabelle. I don't blame you. If I were you, I'd be stunned by me too. I haven't acted as I should have." He started to pace in front of her, running his hands through his sun-streaked hair nervously.
"Isabelle, I don't treat you fairly. You've proven yourself a good and loyal friend, and an excellent partner, and I never really say anything about it. I'm sorry." He stopped to face her. She was still looking at him with confusion. He stepped closer and took her hands. She gasped slightly as the contact broke the spell.
"I'm saying that I'm an idiot. Probably the biggest idiot in Matavai, if not in the entire South Seas. I've taken you for granted, and I shouldn't have. You're an amazing person, and I should kick myself for not telling you sooner. Can you forgive me?"
Her eyes searched his, looking for any signs of deceit. To her astonishment, he appeared perfectly sincere. David was telling the truth. David thought she was amazing. David was falling in love with her. That last thought was still the hardest to process.
"Well, yes, I forgive you, David. But, about what you said, I mean, you don't really, how long, why now-oh, David!" The confusion in her was rapidly giving way to irritation. She was getting used to being in a one-sided relationship with him, and he was turning her world topsy-turvy. She pulled her hands away and backed up a little. She needed to give herself a bit of space to digest what David had said.
David watched her steadily, his hazel green eyes piercing her. She looked down abruptly, only to see her hands twisting nervously. She pulled her hands apart and reached behind her for the reassuring bulk of the desk. Finding it, she looked up again, only to find his eyes still fixed on her.
David kept himself in place with a sheer act of will. He wanted more than anything to go over to her and at least touch her, but he had the feeling that she would jump like a cat. Instead, he waited until she seemed a little calmer. Even so, when he spoke again, she still appeared startled.
"Isabelle," he said softly, "do you think we have a chance? I mean, would you take a chance? On me?" He didn't hear the plea in his voice, but Isabelle did, and David watched her beautiful eyes soften. A tremulous smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, David, I…" She swallowed hard, and continued. "Yes. I would take a chance on you, on us. I'd like that very much." She bit her lip as his face brightened. "But, if you want me to take a chance on you, David, then why do you avoid me? Why treat me as just one of your friends, or worse, just an annoyance you have to put up with?"
He squirmed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He knew that he had to say this right, or, even though she had said she would take a chance on them, he felt that she would withdraw again.
"You scare me," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly. He saw Isabelle's eyes widen in surprise, and he gamely kept going. "You scare me with your fierce independence, and how strong you are, and how damnably smart you are! And, there's one more thing. You scare me with how deeply you're in my heart. Isabelle, I can't even begin to explain how much you mean to me. You are so different from anyone I've ever known, and I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even Lavinia. It scares me how much I need you."
Isabelle was reduced to a state of barely breathing. She had never thought she would hear David Grief say that to her. She struggled to say something, anything. Finally, the words burst out of her.
"You scare me too," she whispered. "I don't want to want you so much. I've always had to rely on myself, and it's so hard to think of needing someone else. But I need you too, David." She took a shuddery breath to steady herself, but she was still trembling. "If I scare you so much, then why come here and ask me these things?" She waited for his answer, hope and fear chasing themselves around her heart.
"I tried, believe me, Isabelle, I tried, but I couldn't stay away from you," David said, in a low voice taut with emotion. Isabelle stared at him, her eyes wide, her breath coming in little puffs of air. In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined David saying this. Sleeping with her, yes, but expressing this kind of emotion? She was, quite frankly, flabbergasted.
For a long, silent moment, the two stared at each other. David's eyes were full of feeling, and Isabelle felt herself drowning in the intense hazel gaze. She couldn't look away. Finally, Isabelle broke the silence.
"David," she whispered, her voice quivering. She wasn't sure what she was going to say after that, but it didn't matter. The moment his name passed her lips, David was moving. In two steps he reached her, gathering her in his arms and pulling her tightly against him. Her gasp of surprise was quickly cut off as David bent his head to hers and claimed her mouth with his own.
He kissed her deeply, hungrily, with none of the tentativeness that had characterized their kiss in the jungle before Barnes had found them. His lips moved eagerly over hers, tasting, caressing, as he continued to hold her to him. Their mouths clung and held, striving desperately to find the sweetness in the other.
David threaded his fingers through her silky curls, loving the feel of her hair in his hands. His tongue darted out to trace over her lips, silently begging entrance to her mouth. With a tiny groan, she opened her mouth. David finally tasted the unique flavor that was Isabelle, a sensation more heady than the most expensive champagne, as well as an earthier flavor. He laughed silently. She had been snacking on fruits shortly before his arrival.
He tore his mouth away from Isabelle's only to move to the delicate skin of her neck. She whimpered as he kissed and nibbled at the sensitive flesh, her hands clutching him frantically when he found the pulse point just below her jaw. David's own hands were not idle, one keeping her crushed to him while the other ran ceaselessly over her arm, along the dip of her waist and the gentle curve of her hip, then back up to the slope of her shoulder.
David walked forward until Isabelle could feel the wall of her office against her back, and felt David pressing the length of his body against hers. She could also feel how much he wanted her. His kisses moved from her throat up to her ear, where he gently nipped her earlobe before raining tiny kisses along her cheekbone, across her closed eyelids, and then found her mouth again.
Lost in a sensual haze, Isabelle kissed David back, until she felt his fingers start to work at the buttons of her blouse. She twisted her mouth away from his dizzying kisses, gasping.
"David…David, wait," she said, batting his hands away from her blouse. He took a step back, confusion clouding his features.
"Isabelle, if you don't want this, I'll stop," he said uncertainly. Isabelle's face was flushed, her lips rosy from his kisses, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms again. However, he was never one to force his attentions where they weren't wanted.
She shook her head, tendrils of hair dancing across her cheeks. She looked up at him, and he was amazed by the blatant desire he could see in her eyes.
"No, it's not that," she said. Her lips curved into a gentle smile. "It's just that, well, as much potential as this office has, don't you think we would be a lot more comfortable in my room?"
David's face abruptly cleared, and he chuckled as Isabelle took his hand and dragged him out of the office and down the hall into her airy bedroom.
Once there, Isabelle turned and practically launched herself at David, wrapping her arms around his neck and fastening her mouth on his again. He caught her firmly, returning her kisses, one hand cupping her head and the other pressing against her back. They broke off briefly to work on each other's buttons, nearly tearing the clothing off each other's shoulders in their haste. Once Isabelle had divested David of his shirt, she ran her hands along the firm muscles of his chest, dropping feather-light kisses on his bronzed skin.
David closed his eyes in pleasure, before he took his turn and bent his head to nibble on the juncture of Isabelle's neck and shoulder. She tilted her head back, sighing, and gasped as David's hand came up to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her camisole.
"Isabelle," David whispered against her ear, his warm breath sending shivers through her, "if you want to stop, we'd better stop now. Because if we don't, I won't be able to."
She reached up and took his face in her hands, her fey eyes now brilliantly green, his eyes dark with passion. "I don't want to stop, David, I don't want you to ever stop." With that she took his mouth again.
They shed the rest of their clothing, and David caught his breath at the beauty of the slender form in front of him. When she had slept naked against him that one time to keep him warm, he had not had the privilege of seeing her, only feeling her warmth. Now, he raked his eyes over her, the hot need in them raising a blush to Isabelle's cheeks. He smiled and moved towards her.
They tumbled down on the bed, hands everywhere. David was even more magnificent than Isabelle had imagined. She gripped his muscled shoulders as her leg caressed his. David ran his hands over her slim hips and then up her back. She tensed as his fingers touched a scar, the souvenir of her time in prison. He looked at her questioningly, and then shook his head.
"These scars don't make you any less, Isabelle," he said softly, his hand tracing on of the scar lines. "They only show how strong you are." With that, he turned her over and pressed his lips against one of the scars. Isabelle felt tears well in her eyes at his tender gesture, but refused to let them fall. This was a time of happiness, not sadness. She turned back to face him and hugged him tightly against her.
They kissed and caressed, bringing each other to a fever pitch as they explored what pleased the other. David gently smoothed his hands over the silken skin of her long legs and the soft dip of her waist, and she in turn sucked on his neck until he couldn't stand the sensation.
David pulled her up and kissed her again, their tongues dueling frantically as one of his hands caressed her. She bucked underneath him, moaning her pleasure into his mouth. One slender hand reached for him. He groaned.
Unable to wait any longer, he positioned himself between her legs, looking into her passion-glazed eyes to make sure. She nodded slightly, and slowly but surely, they came together. She clutched him tightly, sighing. He felt so right inside her.
David paused, struggling for breath. He drew back and looked into her eyes, tenderly smoothing a tendril of hair from her eyes. She smiled, and he captured her lips once more.
He kept his pace slow and gentle, thrilling to the sighs his actions were pulling from her throat. Finally, however, Isabelle grew tired of the slow pace and thrust her own hips up.
David chuckled softly, and drawing her legs up to wrap around his waist, he started to move faster. He bent his head and claimed one breast as his hand mercilessly kneaded the other. She whimpered, and pulled his head up to kiss him soundly. Her tongue darted into his mouth, imitating what their bodies were doing.
David was on the verge of losing control. Her body was warm and pliant under his, her kisses dizzying, and he could feel the tension building. He ignored the twinge from his injured shoulder. He gripped Isabelle's hips with one hand and suddenly gave into his body's demands to start moving fast and strong. She threw her head back, gasping. They were nearing the white-hot edge of sanity, and Isabelle could care less what happened then.
David was lost in sensation, in the feel of Isabelle's warmth and the silk of her skin, in the taste of her mouth and the softness of her hair. The world contracted until it was centered on them, only them, and Isabelle surrendered to the feeling. She shattered around David, crying out his name as pleasure shuddered through her body. The feel of her release catapulted David into the same realm.
"Isabelle!" he cried out, and with one final movement he exploded inside her as colors burst into starfire behind his closed eyes. With a contented sigh he collapsed on top of her, burying his face into her neck.
"Isabelle," he whispered, hearing her rushing heartbeat slowly start to subside. "Isabelle…I love you."
Isabelle, tenderly stroking his sweat-dampened hair, closed her eyes as two tears squeezed themselves out and slid into her hair. This had been magic, and she had been waiting so long to hear those words from him, but...She kissed his head and pulled him up to face her, staring deeply into his eyes.
"You don't have to say it if you don't mean it, David," she said quietly, working on recovering her breath. "That was…incredible, but I don't expect more from you."
He smiled, and one hand reached out to smooth the tears away from her cheeks. "I'm not just saying it, Isabelle. I mean it. I would never say that to you if I didn't mean it." He grinned impishly. "You'd deck me if I did."
She smiled wryly, turning her head away, but he caught her chin and made her look at him. "I mean it. I love you, Isabelle. I love you."
She searched his eyes, and without warning kissed him. When she pulled back, he looked at her with a bemused expression.
"I love you, too, David, oh, I love you too," she said, her voice catching.
David smiled, and then gently rolled them to their sides, pulling Isabelle tightly against him and tugging the sheet up around them. She snuggled into his warmth, hugging his arms to her. He inhaled the lavender fragrance of her hair, and sighed. Making love to Isabelle had been as close to heaven as he figured he could come without actually going there. Isabelle, for her part, was thinking pretty much the same thing.
Happy and replete, they fell asleep holding each other.
A few hours later, David woke up to feel warmth against him, and he smiled and opened his eyes to see Isabelle looking at him tenderly, her eyes soft. She had propped her chin up on her hands, which were resting on his chest. His arm was still around her. He leaned over and kissed her. He looked her over when he let her go. Her hair was a tangle of tumbled curls, but the smile on her face was absolutely beautiful.
"Hi," he said softly.
"Good afternoon," she replied. His widened as he took in the quality of light in the room, and she grinned at his expression. "We were asleep for a few hours. I'm guessing maybe some people wonder where we are."
He snorted. "I'll bet there's at least one who knows perfectly well where we are."
She laughed, and then cocked her head to the side, raising one eyebrow at him. He sighed. She never had that expression unless she had something serious to say or ask. He waited.
"Are you at all sorry, about this?" she said, gesturing to them. He was not surprised at the question. In spite of the amazing way they had come together, she was too used to being disappointed in life to immediately accept what had happened. He drew her to him and held her tightly, resting his head against hers.
"Never," he murmured. "I would never be sorry about us."
She smiled, and
pulled away until she was in the same position as when he woke.
"I have another question, then," she said. The smile on her face was
genuine, and David knew that while she might still have doubts, at least she
was surer of his feelings than before.
"Go ahead."
"I wanted to ask you how you felt about inviting Mauriri back as a partner."
David made a noise and dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling. He still kept a hold of Isabelle, but she could feel the tenseness that had come over him.
"I don't know if he wants that, Isabelle. Besides, you're a perfectly capable partner."
She turned his head to make him look at her. "I know I'm capable, David, but I'm not as good as Mauriri is. He understands the sea. It's his friend. And asking him back doesn't mean that I'd want out. I would just have less to do with the actual running of the ship, and that's fine with me. Besides, I know he still cares. As mad at you as he was, you're still his friend. You don't think it was me or Katie that made him come out to Raiatea, do you?"
He sighed, shaking his head.
"Well then," she continued, "You need to talk to him. Explain to him that even if he is still angry with you, that you need him as a partner. And as a friend. I think he might be inclined to at least give you another chance. You didn't see his face when he saw you injured on the island."
David stared at her for a long moment, gazing into her unflinching eyes. How was it that the women around him saw far more than he was capable of seeing? He grinned suddenly and kissed her, making a thorough production of it. When he released her, she was dreamy-eyes and smiling.
"Bossy," he said,
trailing a finger along her delicate cheek.
"Of course," she replied archly.
"I like it," he laughed, before capturing her lips once again. They continued on that way, making love until the pleasure swept them away once more.
* * * * * *
Katie took a deep breath, raising one hand to make sure that her hair was in place, and smoothing down the skirt of her dress. After her talk with David, she had gone inside and taken a good look at herself in the mirror in her room. She was shocked that she did, indeed, as David had said, resemble Death warmed over. Wandering downstairs, she had run into Lavinia, who had told her that if she did need to talk more, she would introduce Katie to Colin, the preacher at the church. Katie had waved her off, knowing that business was starting to pick up for the afternoon, and said she would introduce herself to Colin. After changing, she had headed over to the church.
She hesitated, but squared her shoulders and knocked on the door. When no one answered, she cautiously pushed the door open and ventured inside.
"Hello?" she called. Her voice sounded small, even to her. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hello? Reverent Trent?"
A door opened, and a man stood in the doorway.
"Yes?" he called.
Katie walked over and stood in front of him.
"Hello," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Katie Leighton. I was wondering if you had a minute."
Colin took her hand. So this was David's recently arrived friend. Lavinia had told him some of what had happened to David, Isabelle, and Katie on Raiatea. She was more delicate than he had imagined. He could see the shadows under her eyes, and the almost painful slenderness.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Leighton. Would you care to come into my office?"
Katie nodded shyly, and stepped past Colin into the office. It had an open feel in spite of the clutters of papers, probably due to the breeze coming in from the windows. She sat in the chair Colin indicated, and he sat himself down next to her.
"Now, Miss Leighton," he began, only to have her interrupt him.
"Katie, please," she said. He smiled gently at her and began again.
"Now, Katie, what is it that brings you here?" He waited patiently as she fidgeted in her seat, finally taking a deep breath and raising incredibly blue eyes to meet his face.
"I was wondering…if I could talk with you…about something that happened to me. I'm sure you've heard what went on at Raiatea."
Colin reached out and covered her hand with his own. "Certainly, Katie," he said. "That's what I'm here for, to listen."
She smiled gratefully before taking a deep breath and sitting up just a little bit straighter in her chair.
"I came here to Matavai because there had been a problem with some of our South Sea ships. I ran into David, and we agreed…"
Katie talked, and Colin listened, with compassion for the brave young woman pouring her heart out to him. They talked for a long time, until the tears that Katie shed had dried on her face, and she ran out of things to say. They sat there quietly, just listening to the gentle sounds of the island breeze, until Katie looked up at Colin, and, for the first time since she sat down in his office, she smiled.
The next morning David finally emerged from Isabelle's place, grinning like a fool. Correction, he though to himself, you're grinning like a love struck fool. He supposed that that was right enough. He hadn't meant to blurt out his feelings to Isabelle, but she seemed to have taken them in stride. He remembered the way his heart had swelled when she'd whispered her own admission back to him. They had spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the night alternating between making love and simply talking, with a break or two to eat. David suspected that their tryst was no secret-Matavai was not a large town, and he was sure that a few people had seen him heading towards Isabelle's place. He'd woken up to find her gone, but she had left a note telling him that she'd had some errands to run and would be back later.
He whistled cheerfully as he walked towards Lavinia's bar. Images from the day and night before ran through his mind. Isabelle kissing him…Isabelle running her hands over his chest…the smell of her hair…the feel of her body against his…He stopped abruptly, feeling a rising heat in his cheeks. Lost in reverie, he'd nearly walked past the bar. He peered inside. There!
Katie was sitting at one of the tables, sipping tea out of one of Lavinia's delicate china cups and staring out at the morning sun turning the waves to gold. She looked better than she had the day before. The dark circles under her eyes had lessened, and she had an air of peace about her that had been missing. David smiled and headed inside.
Katie looked up at his entrance and her lips curved up. She stretched a hand out, which David took and kissed before sitting down by her.
"Isn't it a lovely morning, David?" she said, still holding his hand. David nodded, taking in the relaxed set of her features. He was glad to see that some of her tension had been released.
"How was Isabelle this morning?" Katie continued with studied casualness, barely able to suppress the grin. She was fairly certain of what would happen if David went to see Isabelle, and his startled reaction proved that her suspicions were correct. He stammered, and then shook his head.
"She's fine," he answered shortly. He was a little flustered, especially by Katie's knowing smile, but realized that everyone would know about this soon enough. He directed his attention back at the girl. "How are you?"
"I'm good, David. I had a nice talk with Reverend Trent yesterday. He's just as good a listener as you are."
So she had gone to see Colin. He knew that Lavinia would likely suggest that as soon as he had left, and was glad to see that Katie had followed up on Lavinia's advice.
"I'm glad to hear it," he said. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of Lavinia, and raised his hand in a slight wave.
Lavinia smiled back at him. He looked wonderfully relaxed. With a slight twinge, she understood what must have happened. He and Isabelle had come to some understanding. They had probably spent the night together. Lavinia was not naïve enough to think that if David talked to Isabelle, the feelings between the two would go on being ignored. She had noticed the spark between them almost from the first, and had seen it grow. She considered Isabelle a friend now, and really was glad that David had found happiness again, but she couldn't help being a little sad. David had played such an important part in her life, but they both knew they weren't exactly right for each other. She wanted him to be happy, but it was hard to admit that she finally had to let him go. She sighed, and turned back to the business of restocking the bar.
She saw Mauriri come in and order a cup of coffee, and saw him exchange the same polite pleasantries with David as before. She caught Katie's eye, and Katie shook her head. It was painful to them both to see such previously good friends still at such odds. She wondered what they could do…
A little later, Isabelle came by and joined Katie for lunch. Lavinia and, surprisingly, Lianni, soon joined them. Isabelle was a little nervous around Lavinia, but the gentle island woman soon put her at ease.
"It's all right, Isabelle," Lavinia said, with a wry smile. "I know about you and David. I could see it in his face. And I am glad for you both, I really am."
Isabelle smiled gratefully. As much as she knew that she and David were right for each other, she had still been worried about the reception from their friends, especially Lavinia, who'd been such a part of David's past.
Katie, with innocent eyes, asked, "Isabelle, did something happen between you and David?"
Isabelle's eyes widened as Lavinia choked out a laugh, and then she herself was laughing.
"As if you didn't know!" she retorted to the girl. Katie only grinned smugly as the other three women kept laughing. They teased Isabelle gently for a few minutes, Katie laughing herself at the pink cheeks of the woman, until Lavinia grew serious again.
"I have something to discuss with you," she began. "It's why I asked Lianni to come as well. It's about David and Mauriri." Isabelle and Katie stopped and paid attention to Lavinia.
"Even though you, Katie, haven't been here to see it, I know you know how close David and Mauriri were. And how much they still care, in spite of everything that happened. Now, I think we all can see how this rift is tearing them apart."
"Mauriri spends too much time looking at the ocean," Lianni interjected softly. "Too much time looking and doing nothing. He doesn't smile as much as he used to. I understand how much David hurt him, but I can see how much my husband misses his best friend, and how much Tevaki and Tahnee miss their Uncle David."
Katie and Isabelle nodded. They had both seen the awkwardness between the two men, and the look in their eyes. There was a sadness between the two that Isabelle wanted to clear away. She cared for both of the men, and wanted to find a way for them to at least try and solve their problem.
"I don't know what we can do," Lavinia continued. "I've tried talking to them both, as I think we all have." Three heads nodded assent. "If anyone has any other suggestions, I think we'd all like to hear them.
The four women sat there and thought. They weren't sure what they could do to help David and Mauriri. Suddenly Isabelle straightened up with an unholy gleam in her eyes.
"I think I might have an idea," she said, "and it's rather far-fetched. But with these two, it just might work." Glancing around to make sure that no one was listening, Isabelle gestured for the others to put their heads together, and they spent the next twenty minutes refining Isabelle's plan.
Later that day, David arrived at Isabelle's stables. She'd sent a note requesting his help on restocking one of her storage sheds. He smiled in anticipation of seeing her.
"Isabelle?" he called. "Isabelle, where are you?" Hearing no answer, he decided to go see if he could find her. She'd said that she wanted to work in the second shed, so he went there. The door was open, and he went inside.
"Isabelle?" he called again. To his surprise, another form appeared out of the shadows.
"David?" Mauriri said in surprise. He'd been expecting Isabelle. Lianni had told him that Isabelle had specifically asked if he would be willing to do some repair work on the shelves in her storage shed. He'd come, and Isabelle had directed him to start on the shelves at the back, which were in minor disrepair.
David advanced a
few steps. He was confused. Where was Isabelle?
"Mo?" he said. "What are you doing
here? I was supposed to meet Isabelle."
"I'm working on her shelves," Mauriri said. "She didn't mention that you were going to be here. I had the impression that I'd be working alone."
David's eyes narrowed. "I smell a rat," he said, "a lovely dark-haired rat who is being meddlesome."
Before Mauriri could reply, they heard a creak. They turned in time to see Isabelle shutting the door to the shed, and then the unmistakable sound of a lock. They rushed to the door, but they were too late.
"Isabelle!" David yelled. "What the hell are you doing?"
Isabelle stepped away from the door, a little leery. David sounded furious. However, the nods from Lavinia, Lianni and Katie reassured her.
"We all think you two need to settle things, David," she called back. "And you need to stay put until you do settle things."
"We?"
Isabelle gulped. "Yes, we. Me, Katie, Lavinia, and Lianni."
"Lianni?" Mauriri yelped in shock, adding his voice to David's.
"Yes, Lianni," his wife said. "I've had enough of you moping around. You and David aren't leaving until you work it out between yourselves."
"Open this door!" David shouted, pounding on the door. It rattled, but held steady. "Isabelle! Lavinia! Katie! This is stupid! Let us out!"
"No," Katie shot back. "You two need to talk, and when you've convinced us that you've worked things out, then you can come out."
"Katie," David growled. The girl merely bid him goodbye and moved over to where the others were waiting.
"Do you think it will work?" she asked anxiously.
Isabelle sighed. "It'd better, or they're going to kill us for this little stunt." She put her arms around Katie's shoulders, and the four women settled themselves to wait.
Inside the shed, David and Mauriri pounded a few more times, and then stopped, realizing that they were indeed stuck. They turned, eyeing each other warily. Finally David took a breath.
"So, what do you say, Mauriri? They're not going to let us out, so we might as well try to talk."
Mauriri was silent for a moment, and then he, too conceded defeat.
"OK," he said. "Let's talk."
So, what will happen between Mauriri and David? And what will happen with Katie? Stay tuned for chapter 8!