Her fellow students and the EMTs they called to tend to her had been kind. She remembered that, but not much else about that first day. She was given a sedative that calmed her for a few hours, long enough to miss seeing the buildings collapse in real time, long enough for Jenny to tell them she’d actually spoken with Toby, that he’d been above the point of impact, that he’d had no chance of escaping.

Sitting on the bed, Erin broke down into deep, wrenching sobs as she relived the worst day of her life. The emotional firestorm wasn’t unexpected. Whenever something triggered her anxiety, she went right back to her own personal ground zero, the day that had changed everything forever.

Slim came out of the bathroom, sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her, offering comfort and strength. “Shh, it’s going to be okay. We’ll get you home, and by then, maybe your mom will have some good news about your dad.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping away tears.

“There’s no need to apologize. I totally get it.”

“You have no idea what a mess I am.”

“You’re not a mess, Erin. You got bad news, and it upset you.”

“It’s so much more than that.”

Rather than ask what she meant, he tightened his hold on her and kissed her temple. “I’m sort of glad you told me you’re afraid to fly. I was starting to wonder if you aren’t as into me as I’d hoped you were.”

Pained by his confession, she looked up at him. “I’m very into you. Extremely into you.”

His smile made his eyes twinkle. “That’s exceptionally good news. Let’s get going. Your mom needs you.” He kissed her forehead. “Take the Xanax now so it’ll kick in by the time you need it.”

Erin took the pill and a quick shower and sent Jenny a text to let her know what was going on before they left the lighthouse to drive through predawn darkness to the airport. Rather than think about where they were going—or why—she closed her eyes and put her head back against the seat, trying to calm herself while praying for the pill to do its magic. He held her hand, which went a long way toward calming her.

“We got lucky with the weather,” Slim said, breaking a long silence. “It’s forty degrees, so no need to deice. That saves us some time.”

“Oh,” Erin said, surprised to realize she’d never thought about ice or deicing. Thank goodness he was thinking for both of them. “That’s good.”

He pulled into a parking space at the island’s tiny airport, which was dark and deserted.

“Are we allowed to do this?” Erin asked.