With a sense of déjà vu, Colette scrambled out of bed. Something off to her left crashed and shattered on the floor, and she stumbled, trying to keep her balance in the darkness as the floor shook and trembled beneath her bare feet.

She made her way out of the cabin, looking around her. Breathing a quick prayer of gratitude for Gannon's improvements to her barns, she ran, stumbling, toward the bridge. She could hear shouts coming from the village, but she couldn't make out any words from that distance. She feared the bridge would collapse as she crossed it, yet she set one foot on it, then another. It swayed sickeningly from side to side, but it felt strong. She hurried across as fast as she could, holding her breath the entire way.

The villagers were in a panic. People milled about in a bewildered mass in the darkened streets, frightened and aimless. She pushed her way into the crowd, trying to gather everyone together and feeling a bit like a herding dog trying to quell a stampede.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but really was only perhaps half an hour, the sky began to lighten. The ground no longer convulsed beneath their feet, but now came aftershocks in shuddering waves. As the sun rose, they all paused and took a good look around them, then they gathered together to check that everyone was safe and accounted for and to survey the damages.

Thankfully, no one had been seriously hurt—no more than some bumps and bruises, and Chen's son, Charlie, had a cut on the back of his head where he'd been struck by one of the many items falling off the shelves of his father's store as they'd stumbled past toward the doors. Surprisingly, damage was minimal. The buildings had been constructed to withstand the tropical storms that blew through every season, and they survived this quake, too. The only thing that had collapsed was the ruined remains of the tiny old lighthouse on the islet just east of Colette's farm—and it had been falling apart stone by stone for decades, anyway.

As soon as she was certain no one was hurt, Colette rushed back home to check on her animals. Her cow and hen were alarmed but uninjured when she checked on them. She spent a lot of extra time caring for them that morning, stroking them and speaking soothingly to them, until at last they seemed reassured.

After checking on her animals, she hurried back to town to check on Will, wondering how he'd weathered the quake in his boat. As it turned out, since he was moored off the shore of the island farthest from the epicenter, he hadn't noticed anything amiss—he'd slept right through it. Once she told him about it, though, he quickly joined her in assisting the village with the cleanup.

Although no houses had been damaged and no one had been badly injured, there still had been considerable havoc wreaked inside the homes and businesses of the village. Carol had four tourists staying in the hotel that night, too—a young married couple, and two friends who had been spending their summers at the hotel for years. The married couple canceled the rest of their visit and returned home on the morning ferry, but the other two stayed on.

As she helped Carol clean up the mess left by the earthquake, Colette asked, "What about tidal waves? Don't you get tidal waves after an earthquake in the ocean?"

"Sometimes, yes, depending on conditions," the innkeeper replied, straightening the paintings on the lobby wall. "But we're fortunate here—the scattered islands diminish the waves before they can gather enough strength to form anything too destructive. So generally, we just get somewhat larger waves until everything settles down. It's supposed to make for good surfing, or so I'm told. Don't be surprised if we get a few surfers arriving on the ferry tonight, hoping to find some good waves still!"

Colette laughed, but as she opened her mouth to reply, there was a sudden clamor outside. Glancing at each other in surprise, Carol and Colette hurried out to see what was going on.

"Colette!" Lanna squealed, diving through the small, noisy crowd gathered in the street and grabbing her arm. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"There's another new island! Kirk spotted it a little while ago from his boat!"

"A new island?" Colette echoed in surprise. "When—how...?"

Lanna shook her head. "No one knows! It just suddenly appeared! The geologists that came out on the ferry this morning are investigating—Kirk just now left the dock with them! How exciting! I wonder what it's like?"

Kirk and the geologists returned some time later, and to everyone's surprise, they announced there was not one, but two new islands—most likely really two peaks of the same rocky formation. The south-western island was the taller of the two, and was largely comprised of a smooth, even slope up to the peak near the western end. The north-eastern island, by contrast, was fairly flat and rose barely ten feet above sea level and seemed likely to form a salt marsh. The geologists were also thrilled by their discovery of a perfectly cylindrical cenote or blue hole at the very peak of the slope on the southwestern island. Although blue holes weren't completely unheard of in the region, none of them had ever seen one of such flawless symmetry before. They discouraged visitors to the new islands for the time being, however, stating that they could not in good conscience declare that the islands were stable as long as there were still aftershocks jolting the islands. Once they had ceased, then another survey of the islands could be made. After that, they boarded the night ferry and returned to the mainland to write up their findings and announce the birth of the new islands.

Afterwards, Colette sought Will out. "Hey, can we go somewhere to talk?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest nervously.

"Certainly. Where would you like to go?" he replied, looking a little surprised.

"How about my place? That is, if you don't mind how small it is. I'll even make dinner."

"In that case, how could I refuse?" he smiled at her. They walked in silence through the town, except when she stopped to ask how those she passed in the streets were doing in the aftermath of the quake. Even though damages were minor, everyone had been unnerved by the event, and some were recovering from the shock more slowly than others.

Finally they reached her cabin. "Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes? Just make yourself at home. I need to go look in on my animals, make sure everything is safe and secure for the night. I won't be long," she promised.

A quarter of an hour later, she returned to find him relaxing on her sofa, flipping through a book of photography. He glanced up as she walked in. "I hope you don't mind?" he asked, waving to the book with an apologetic glance.

She smiled and shook her head, then pulled out some clean clothes and headed toward her bathroom. "Excuse me just a minute," she said. "I'd like to change out of these—I've been working all day in them." A few minutes later, she emerged, dressed in faded shorts and a t-shirt, pulling her hair out from the back of the neckline and wrapping an elastic band around it.

"Economy of space prevents me from stocking a large selection," she said, flipping her ponytail back behind her, "but can I offer you a drink?"

"I don't suppose your selection includes bourbon?" Will replied, setting the book down on the ottoman.

"No, I'm afraid not," she replied. "I have vodka, tequila, rum, gin, and Grand Marnier. I'm told I make a pretty decent margarita, if that interests you?"

"That sounds refreshing, thank you."

She mixed up a small pitcher of margaritas, salted a pair of glasses, set everything on a tray, and brought it over. Placing the tray on the ottoman and taking a seat in an adjacent chair, she poured them and handed a glass to him.

Will took a sip. "Mmm, delicious. Thank you, Colette. Now, what did you want to discuss?"

She took a sip as well, sitting stiff and nervous on the edge of her seat. "I... I want to apologize for yesterday, Will. I know you meant no harm, that it was just a spontaneous gesture, and I overreacted. I thought about it a lot last night—and even more today, after the earthquake. I was so relieved that no one was seriously hurt.... Okay, to be honest, that you weren't hurt." She turned red and quickly took another sip of her drink.

"There's no need to apologize, Colette. I should have been more considerate, more... sensitive. I promise, though, that in the future, I will stand back and allow you to set the pace, to move at whatever speed you find comfortable. It pains me to have upset you as I did, and I don't wish to do so again. I find your company very enjoyable, and I should very much hate to frighten you away."

She sighed in relief, visibly relaxing. "Thank you for understanding, Will. Now... how about that dinner?"

After a light meal of trout, herbed pilaf, and a fresh, crisp garden salad, followed by dishes of ice cream topped with homemade chocolate sauce and soft mounds of whipped fresh cream, they sat side by side on her little sofa, sipping coffee.

"There is still so much about you I don't know, yet feel as though I should," he mused. "I realize we haven't known each other very long, but at the same time, I feel as though I've known you all my life. So perhaps... we might play a little game?"

"What kind of game?" she asked, sipping her coffee as she looked at him curiously.

"Well, I thought perhaps we could take turns asking each other questions, then both of us would have to answer."

"So, kind of like Truth or Dare, only without the Dare?" She considered for a moment. "All right, but I'm reserving the right to pass on questions that I'm not comfortable answering. Of course, you can do the same," she added.

"Fair enough. Why don't you go first?"

"All right.... I guess I'll start with some basics. Who's your favorite author?"

"Hmm, well, I enjoy thrillers and spy novels, at least for light reading. I suppose I would say that John le Carré is my favorite. Who is yours?"

"I'm partial to mysteries, myself. I'd have to go with Dorothy Sayers, though there's a number of authors I enjoy."

"I enjoy her books, too," Will admitted. "Now, my turn. Which is your favorite kind of music?"

"Well, I used to listen to a lot of electronic music—you know, techno and electronica and all that. It wasn't my favorite, but it's what everyone seemed to listen to, especially at parties and clubs. But honestly...." She paused for a moment. "Honestly, I like nice, peaceful music. Classical music, and also Celtic and Asian music—they're all relaxing to me."

"How nice, I enjoy the classics as well. I'm especially partial to Baroque music—I appreciate the richness, the depth. But that isn't to say I don't like more modern music," he hastened to add with a smile.

She smiled back at him. "My turn again... what's your favorite color?"

"Well, I would have said blue if I had been asked a week ago. But I think now gold might very well be my new favorite," he said looking into her eyes until she turned bright red. He laughed, saying, "Sorry, I'm just teasing, though only a little—your eyes really are incredibly beautiful. However, I'll stick with blue—the color of the sea. What is yours?"

"Mine is red," she admitted, gesturing at her furnishings, "as you may have already guessed."

"A most passionate color. It suits you well, too. What's your favorite food? Though I may already know that one," he said with a chuckle.

"Doubtful! I do love ice cream, but it's not my favorite. My favorite is citrus fruits. I can't get enough of their tangy-juicy-sweetness. I always have at least lemons, limes, and oranges on hand, and usually grapefruit—or at least grapefruit juice. What's yours?"

"I'm very partial to grilled seafood. Especially lobster and shrimp, but also salmon, swordfish, mahi-mahi—anything firm enough to grill, really. Of course," he added with a laugh, "your favorite and mine pair very nicely together."

"So they do," she agreed. "Hmmm.... Oh, how about animals? What's your favorite animal?"

"Wild, domesticated, or either?"

"How about both? Wild and domesticated."

"Really that's two questions, but I'll let it go this time," he said with a grin. "Domestic is easy—I love dogs. Horses, too, but definitely dogs. As for wild animals, I'd say leopards."

"Interesting, I'd not have guessed either of those," Colette said with some surprise. "If you don't mind telling me, why leopards? And why don't you have a dog? I'd have thought they'd do far better on board a boat than a horse would."

"I admire the stealth, the graceful beauty, the sheer power of the leopard," he replied. "As for dogs, I did have one until a few months ago. Lady was my faithful companion for the past twelve years, but alas, old age caught up with her. I haven't had the heart to look for another pup—not yet."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Colette exclaimed, looking distressed. "I didn't mean...."

"No, don't worry yourself about it. As you yourself said to me so very recently—you couldn't have known," he replied with a reassuring smile. "Now, what about you?"

"Horses, definitely. I was crazy about them growing up. I missed them more than anything when I left home—even more than my family, except possibly my father. I like both cats and dogs, but I love horses. Wild animals... this might sound a little strange, but... I really love swans."

"What's so strange about that?" Will asked. "They're beautiful birds."

"Well, yes, but only on the water. Take them out of their customary habitat, and they're clumsy and graceless."

"Are they? I never knew that. Well then, what about them fascinates you?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "They kind of remind me of... well, of me. People would talk about my looks, how beautiful I was and what a nice body I had and what I wore. And before I came here, that was something that was... well, it was important. I don't mean to me personally, but my appearance was very important in my career at the time. But I never felt as beautiful as people said I was—I felt awkward and gawky, like a swan out of the water. So I identify with them."

"I see," Will said thoughtfully. "So perhaps that's why you seem so uncomfortable when people compliment your appearance? Is it because you really don't feel beautiful? Or is it more that you feel as though you're being judged superficially, that others aren't interested in the real you deep down inside?"

She blinked. "I... I suppose a little of both. But now you mention it, maybe it's more the latter. My previous line of work was very critical yet also very superficial—they didn't care much what kind of person you were, provided you looked damned good. Up to a point, anyway," she added in a low voice.

Will held out a hand to her, and after a brief pause, she set her hand in his. Caressing her hand as he held it, he replied, "You that you are indeed beautiful—one of the most beautiful women I've ever met in all my travels. But please allow me to reassure you that I would very much like the opportunity to become better acquainted with the real you, if you will permit me."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then released it. "I suppose I should be going. It's getting late, and rumor has it that farmers rise with the sun," he said as he stood.

"I do, anyway," she replied with a laugh. "Thank you for coming over... and for listening."

"The pleasure was all mine," he replied with a slight bow as he kissed her hand at the front door.

Turning red, Colette hesitated, then looked up into his eyes and gently touched her fingertip to her lower lip. He looked startled, then his gaze softened. He kissed her lips tenderly, then he turned and left, disappearing into the darkness as she watched him go from the doorway of her cabin.