“Jeez, guys, get a room,” Beth said.
“Really,” Tom added.
Annie wiggled out from under her and jumped to her feet, rushing into Tom’s arms. He picked her up and swung her around, the two of them giggling like kids. This was Tom’s first visit here, and he already looked the part of a local expat—sandals, shorts, guayabera shirt, and a straw porkpie hat. Annie was hoping to convince him to move down here. Gwen had her doubts that he would go for it at all, or very easily. She’d promised Annie to help convince him this weekend. Maybe she could talk him into opening a business of sorts. He wasn’t the kind to stay idle. Still, Annie’s motivations were good. She wanted her whole family here, real and adopted. Gwen felt the same way.
Beth, for example, was already as close as a real sister. Standing there in Tom’s shadow, she looked like an entirely different person from the one tied up in Bill and Susan’s basement. Once sprung from the hospital, she’d cut all her hair into a pixie, and now that she spent most of her time outside, she hardly seemed related to Annie. Trixie was like the kooky aunt she’d never had. Her clothes and hair had always been outrageous, but here in Belize, that kookiness had taken on an entirely new level of wacko, now with locally made jewelry and clothing. All their neighbors here on the cay loved her. Even Tom was like a second brother to her now—closer in some ways. They’d spent many evenings together coping with Annie’s imprisonment and Beth’s initial transition to home care. She might not have gotten through any of it without him.
Annie, suddenly realizing she was still in the chair, held a hand out for her.
“Come join us, Gwen. We’re thinking of eating at the little restaurant we like so much.”
A prickle of tears made Gwen suddenly grateful for her dark sunglasses, but she blinked them away and levered herself to her feet. Annie’s hand in hers was warm, comforting, and her fingers gave hers a slight squeeze. Annie was staring at her, her expression slightly concerned.
Gwen shook her head. “Just happy.”
Annie smiled, her expression so dazzling that the natural beauty around them faded.
“Me, too.”
The others had walked back toward the boat, and the two of them had to jog to catch up. As Tom gallantly helped all four of them climb in, Gwen realized they’d be able to convince him to come back and stay for good.
Their future, once so dark and uncertain, stretched in front of them with light and hope. Gwen pulled Annie into a deep kiss, and the others whistled and hollered. Gwen ignored them and kept kissing.
About the Author
Charlotte was born in a tiny mountain town and spent most of her childhood and young adulthood in a small city in northern Colorado. While she is usually what one might generously call “indoorsy,” early exposure to the Rocky Mountains led to a lifelong love of nature, hiking, and camping.
After a lengthy education in Denver, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and New York, she earned a doctorate in literature and women and gender studies.
An early career academic, Charlotte has moved several times since her latest graduation. She currently lives and teaches in a small Southern city with her wife and their cat.
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On the Run Page 23
