“It was Zach who called me.” He ignored the fact that he seemed to be having a conversation with himself, and finally she stirred.

“Why would he call you?”

He couldn’t believe she’d asked that question. “I guess he heard the rumor that you’d left my apartment wearing the same dress you’d worn to dinner and thought I might like to know.” If she’d picked up on the dig that she should have been the one to call him, there were no visible signs of it.

“He was brave. Please, thank him from me.”

“He’s a gifted pilot.”

She didn’t argue. “Does Brittany know that he’s back on the island yet?”

“I don’t know. I still haven’t told her. Who knows how long he’ll stay, and she isn’t here anyway, so why bring it up?” The last time he’d interfered with their relationship he’d made things worse. “Why the hell are we talking about Zach and Brittany? They’re both old enough to sort out their own relationship. The fact that they don’t is their business, not ours. Are you going to drink that coffee?”

She sipped mindlessly and pulled a face. “You put sugar in it?”

“You need the energy, and this stuff tastes disgusting with or without sugar. When did you last eat?”

“I’m not hungry.”

He was willing to bet she hadn’t slept, either. Looking at the dark shadows under her eyes, he decided she was too tired to be able to decide whether to move forward or backward.

She’d been going through torture, and she’d been going through it alone.

Anger and frustration simmered beneath his own layers of tension. “Hell, Emily, why didn’t you call me? We’re friends.”

Her gaze flickered to his and away again. “We are friends. And as a friend, I respect your boundaries.”

“Boundaries?” He lowered his voice. “You talk to me about boundaries after what we did in bed together the other night?”

“That’s different. This was a problem, and it wasn’t yours to deal with.”

She was the one who was different, and he had no idea why. Was it tiredness? The stress and anxiety of coping alone? Worry about Lizzy?

He decided the hospital was driving them both crazy, and the sooner he got them both home to Puffin Island, the better.

* * *

They kept Lizzy in the hospital for another twenty-four hours.

Despite Emily’s protestations, Ryan insisted on returning the following morning to drive them back to the island.