“She just wants attention,” Bonnie said quietly. “My goodness, you are beautiful. Look at those feathers. You’re like a flying rain-bow.” “Senor Dave’s regular! Squawk.” Bonnie giggled and now David felt his cheeks heat. “That’s just obnoxious. Go away, bird.” “Stop it,” Bonnie ordered, stretching up higher and managing to stroke a finger down Duchess’s chest. “You aren’t a duchess, are you? You’re a queen.” “Queen Duchess! Pretty bird Queen. Four, three, two, one, pulse, pulse, pulse.” “Great. A workout with our lunch.” David offered Flora a mouthed apology when she returned with their drinks and the guacamole. Flora merely shook her head and laughed, her knee-length blue skirt bustling around her legs as she disappeared back into the cantina. “You going to wash your hands after that?” David asked when Bonnie took her seat again. “I guess I should.” Bonnie winced. “Be back in a second.” She darted off to the bathroom. “Duchess Queen! Squawk!” A flap of wings and a burst o

She took a deep breath and tilted her head to stare up at the cloudless sky. “How much we give up of ourselves trying to impress or please someone whose opinion, it turns out, doesn’t really matter.” David didn’t think he’d ever heard a sadder statement in his life. “Go back to when you started college. If you’d had a choice, any choice. What would you have done?” “I’d probably still do the business angle, but with a side of something more creative like event planning or maybe interior design. Not that high-end, don’t-touch-it-or-even-breathe-on-it decor, but real-life design that works with people’s lives. Our home, mine and Grams, was always that. A home. I never worried about spilling something or getting the floors dirty. Sounds pretty silly, huh?” “No.” He shook his head, mildly impressed. “It doesn’t sound silly at all.” Flora reappeared with their bill and took away their plates. A few minutes later they were off to find Bonnie some new clothes at the only discount store i

“Double negatives always fascinate me,” he murmured and dipped his head. She let out a sound—a gasp? A moan? She couldn’t be sure until he stopped a breath away from the kiss he promised. His smile widened, those tiny crinkles in the corners of his eyes appearing as he slid one of his hands around her waist. He pulled her close. His mouth brushed hers; a touch so light she wondered if she’d imagined it. In that moment, every cell in her body surged to life. The feel of his warm skin beneath her fingertips left her longing for more as his lips drank her in. Until now, kisses like this had been relegated to the books she read, the movies she watched. The kind of kiss that ignited a woman’s blood and had her craving more from the man in her arms. His mouth was as perfect on hers as it was when he spoke to her; filled with humor and laughter and quiet intensity that demanded a response. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t filled with thoughts of David Stewart. “Squawk! Nice flat

Bonnie kneeled beside the turtle, which had gone scarily still. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.” She plucked at the kelp and plastic debris until she could see the shell glistening in the sun. “There you are. Aren’t you a beauty.” The turtle jerked, flippers flapping as if it suddenly realized it wasn’t in the water. “David , she’s getting restless. You’d better hurry!” “Get those knees up! Work it. Work it!” “Hush, Duchess,” Bonnie snapped. “Got a few different ones. Here.” David dropped down on the other side of the animal. “Cut near the shell if you can.” “Right.” She shoved her wet hair out of her face, lifted a section of the line and pried it free just enough to slip the sharp blade under it. When she broke through, other sections of the line slackened. “Shouldn’t take too much longer,” she said. They worked as one, moving quickly to cut the turtle free. She unwound the last bit of line from around the flipper. The turtle waved it around as if testing that it still

Darkness descended and Bonnie waited, minute after minute, breath after breath, for the worry to cease and the calm to return. One call from her dad and she was right back in the lonely hole she’d been trying so desperately to climb out of. She sighed, regret lodged in her chest. She couldn't blame David. How could he not doubt her when there were times she doubted herself? Duchess’s talons clipped along the fiber-glass deck as she approached Bonnie and dropped her new toy, the plastic keys, into Bonnie's lap. Bonnie managed a weak smile and drew her finger down the parrot’s head. “You’re such a pretty girl, Duchess.” she whispered. “Make it work.” Duchess bobbed her head. “You’re also lucky, Duchess. Flying from boat to boat. Nothing to worry about other than who you’re going to annoy next. No one to disappoint.” “No one’s disappointed in you, Bonnie.” David's voice echoed out of the darkness. She was shocked when she heard him and even embarrassed that he'd heard her, but sh