“Gunner will meet you at the ferry in Deale, unless you would like him to come and get you,” Zary told me a few hours later.
“No, I have transport. Where is it he’s taking me?”
“A private island in the Chesapeake Bay.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am. And wait until you see the house. It’s amazing. But more importantly, it’s completely private.”
“Who owns it?”
“Gunner does.”
If my predicament wasn’t so desperate, I might’ve laughed. “This sounds too good to be true.”
“I know, but, Losha, it isn’t. Gunner promised me he won’t tell anyone you’re there, or even that he’s seen you. He won’t break his promise to me.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You’re family. No thanks needed.”
My eyes filled with tears. I didn’t begrudge my friend every happiness, but I found myself envying her. Gunner would do anything for Zary.
There would be no knight in shining armor coming to my rescue. I had Kazmir though, and my son made up for everything else lacking in my life.
“After the holiday, I’ll come see you. If you want me to.”
“Of course I do. I’m sorry if I’ve made you think I don’t trust you. It’s just…”
“I understand and I’ll see you soon. Happy Christmas, Losha.”
“Happy Christmas,” I answered, wondering how it possibly could be.
When Gunner pulled up in an SUV and parked next to me, I was relieved to see he’d come alone, as promised.
I slowly got out of the car and waited for him to approach.
“I’m Gunner Godet,” he said, not coming any closer until I responded.
“Thank you for meeting me.”
Gunner took a few more steps. “What do you have with you? Did Zary tell you there are no cars on the island?”
“Yes.” I peeked at Kazmir, who was thankfully still asleep, before walking to the back of the car and opening the trunk.
“Zary mentioned that you aren’t traveling alone.” Gunner pointed to my bags. “May I?”
“Yes. Thank you.” I watched him lug the two suitcases and the baby’s travel crib from the trunk. I opened the back door and unhooked the car seat from its base. If there were no cars on the island, I wouldn’t need the complete setup.
“Who is this?” Gunner asked in a whisper, smiling when I followed him to the dock.
“This is Kazmir,” I whispered too even though the baby had woken up and was peering at me.
“He’s beautiful.”
Most of the baby was covered by blankets, but his gray eyes and curly dark hair were visible. “Thank you.”
He stopped and looked into my eyes. “I’ve hired a boat to take you over myself. It means we don’t have help, but it also means that no one other than myself and Zary know you and your baby are on the island.”
“Thank you. I…” I looked away, unable to finish my sentence. Relying on others had never been easy for me.
“Listen, Zary told me how you looked out for her. She’s my life, which means, I owe you my life.”
“I find myself at a loss for words with both you and Zary. Thank you seems so inadequate.”
“No thanks required. Let’s go. It’s only going to get colder out on the water.”
The boat he hired was over thirty feet in length and had an enclosed cabin.
“Have a seat.” Gunner motioned near what looked like controls and a steering wheel. “I’ll load everything else on.”
“What is all that?” I asked when he made more than one trip back from his vehicle, carrying boxes with him.
“Provisions.”
“Oh, I—”
Gunner held up his hand. “I haven’t stocked the house in several weeks, and it needed to be done.”
“I didn’t think about it,” I said, feeling foolish and careless and like a terrible mother. I was so worried about keeping Kazmir a secret that I wasn’t thinking about the basic necessities of what he and I needed.
“Listen. I don’t know much about babies or having them, but I do know that it’s gotta be one of the hardest things in life.”
“And the best.”
Gunner smiled. “I guess I’ll know soon enough.”
I gasped. “Is Zary pregnant?”
Gunner nodded. “She is.”
“I’m so happy for her, and you. We didn’t think…”
“She said that the KGB told you both that you wouldn’t be able to have children.”
“Stupid on their part to tell women they couldn’t have children. Did they think that would mean we wouldn’t have sex?”
“You make a good point. Although my guess is your handlers, trainers, whatever you called them, were misogynistic enough not to consider unprotected sex.”
“Anyway, please pass on my congratulations.”
“I know she wanted to be here tonight, but it likely would’ve raised questions.”
“Understood.”
Gunner untied the boat and slowly maneuvered it away from the dock. “It’ll take about twenty minutes to get there. I have a golf cart near the landing. It’s covered, but it will still be chilly.”
“Thank you. Zary told me you’re a good man.”
“I don’t know if many people would agree with you about that.”
“She wouldn’t love you if you weren’t.”
He smiled. “I’m a lucky man.”
I smiled too, but it faded quickly as I thought about the man I loved. He was a good man too, but that didn’t mean he would easily forgive my betrayal.