He Gave Our Helicopter Away, So I Stopped Waiting to Be Rescued novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: The Terrace

The terrace had been swept, lit with lanterns and set for forty.

Investors in linen jackets stood in knots with their drinks, and the sea behind them was flat and gold.

I walked in at seven exactly, with Tilda on my hip and the clinic sheet folded in my bag.

Damon saw me from across the deck and his whole face lit with relief.

He crossed to me fast and kissed my cheek.

"You came," he said. "Thank you. You look beautiful."

"Where's Corinna?"

"Getting the speeches ready."

"Of course she is."

He took my elbow and steered me to the head table.

A chair waited there with a cushion, and a high chair stood beside it.

Corinna stood at the end of the table, in a pale dress, with her hair brushed forward over her left temple.

She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

I sat down, and the investors turned to look.

Damon tapped his glass, and the terrace fell quiet.

"Friends," he said. "Thank you for being here after a night none of us will forget. We lost a pad shelter and a beach bar and some sleep. We lost no one."

Applause, warm and relieved.

"I want to thank my wife, who showed what this company is made of. She walked her daughter through a storm." He turned to me with wet eyes. "Lena, I'm so proud."

More applause.

He sat, and I stood.

"May I say something?"

Damon's smile held. "Of course."

"I'd like to ask my husband a favor."

I took the folded sheet out of my bag and held it up.

"Damon, you told me last night that seven people had to be flown out of this island. One of them was bleeding. I wasn't able to find the list. Would you read it aloud to everyone? It's their evening too."

He didn't move.

A fork clinked somewhere.

"Lena, this isn't the place."

"I think it's exactly the place. Everyone here is an owner or an owner's guest. They'd all like to know who was in danger."

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