“Forgive me, Asher, I thought we had something special. I was wrong. These two weeks were nothing more than an enjoyable romantic interlude…as you said, a shipboard romance. I apologize for putting more into it than warranted.”
He looked away, as if struggling not to contradict her.
She faked a short laugh. “I blame all those silly romance books I read. That must be the problem.”
“How’s that?”
“How?” she repeated. “Those books led me to believe in happy endings. This is the real world, so please forgive me for being silly and looking for more. It’s clear you don’t have more to give. It’s unfortunate, too, because I do. You could have had my heart so easily.”
“Daisy, you think this is easy? I’m never going to forget you.”
She didn’t believe him. Out of sight, out of mind. That was what he was hoping for, and she didn’t doubt he would make it happen. “Nice of you to say. I, on the other hand, am going to put the full force of my will and determination toward forgetting I ever met you. It’s what you want, and as you’ve said, it’s for the best.”
He paled but didn’t disagree.
“Before I leave the ship, I want to thank you. When I arrived, I was overworked, overstressed, and strung out. I’m not any longer, and it’s due to the lessons I learned from being with you. Seeing nature through your eyes was a beautiful experience.”
“Thank you.”
In another day, Everly would be back in Chicago and Asher would fill his time with whatever he had planned. What he didn’t know was that she wouldn’t return the same woman who’d left. The Amazon and Asher had changed her, and if for no other reason, she had him to thank for that.
After two weeks away Everly could see clearly where she had veered off the path and become absorbed in work to the exclusion of everything else. Rescuing Jack, taking on responsibilities that were meant to be shared, had cost her far more than she’d realized. It was only when she’d had time to clear her head, and she’d had plenty of that while down with that fever, trapped in her stateroom, that a curtain had lifted, a fog had dissipated, and she could see the woman she had become. It had been eye-opening, to say the least. Everly discovered she didn’t want to be that woman any longer. She had a new set of priorities, and once she was back, one of the first things she intended to do was enlighten Jack.
Before long it was time to leave the ship. Asher chose to skip over their awkward conversation.
“What time is your flight?” he asked.
She told him, and reached for her suitcase when Asher stepped up and tried to take it himself.
“I’ll get that. Thanks anyway.” It was a matter of pride that she carry it herself.
“It’s a shame you never had a chance to visit the opera house or the fish market,” he said, as if looking for nonsensical ways to fill the silence.
“Maybe next time,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. She had to wonder if she’d ever return to Brazil. She hadn’t seen much of the country, other than the rainforest and the Amazon River. In her present state of mind, she preferred to avoid any place that would remind her of Asher.
“The varieties of fish in the market are something to behold,” Asher continued, as if delivering one of his lectures. “The Amazon has the largest number of freshwater fish in the world, with more than fifty-six hundred species.”
His commentary did little to fill the silence. She stood in line, waiting to disembark, looking out at the row of taxis. Within minutes she would walk away from Asher and it would be the end, just the way he wanted.
He went down the gangway with her, something she hadn’t expected him to do, and led her toward the row of cabs. He spoke to the first one in line in fluent Portuguese. The driver nodded and stepped out of the vehicle before taking her luggage and placing it in the trunk.
“I guess this is it,” Asher said. He stood in front of her, his hands resting gently on her shoulders.
Everly broke the contact and stepped back. It had taken this long for her fighting spirit to ignite. “Are you seriously going to let me walk away, Asher?”
He blinked as though her words shocked him. It was clear that as far as he was