Kali drove the jeep down a path that brought her up behind the settlement where everyone else on the island lived. As soon as she brought the jeep to a stop, the children raced toward her in the gathering dusk.

She reached behind her for the bag of suckers that she kept in the back of the jeep and allowed all the children to take one. There was a chorus of thank yous before they rushed off again.

"A little bribery never hurts," Kali smiled over her shoulder at Vaughn, pausing as their eyes met.

After a moment of them staring at one another, she offered him a sucker to break the tension, and he shook his head.

Kali threw the bag into the back of the jeep and then climbed out and headed toward a small cottage at the far end of the narrow road. "I don't like to drive up to the cottages; the dust gets into everything."

She knocked on the door, and it opened, spilling light into the quickly encroaching darkness.

"Kali," Mona greeted. Her long, dark hair fell in a braid over her shoulder, and she balanced a baby on her hip. When the toddler saw Kali, she automatically reached for her, and Kali didn't hesitate to take her.

"Is Taj here?" Kali asked as she hugged the little one close.

Mona looked over Kali's shoulder at Vaughn. "Who wants him?" she crossed her arms defensively.

"I do, Mona. There's been a misunderstanding, and I think I can help fix it." Kali met Mona's eyes, willing Mona to believe her.

"He's down with Lester." Mona nodded her head in the direction they had just come from.

"Thank you," Kali said, then turned and began to walk with the toddler toward Lester's. "I'll bring Cici back before I go," she said over her shoulder.

Cici clapped her hands, pleased to be going on an adventure.

"This is good," Kali told Vaughn as she switched the toddler to her other hip. "Lester is the most senior in the settlement. If he tells Taj it's alright, no one will argue.

"You just took that lady's baby," Vaughn said, looking at the grinning cherub.

"Yes, we both knew that if I left her behind, she would have screamed the place down, and this way Mona gets a little break. Plus, things won't get too tense if Cici is present. Everyone loves Cici." Kali cooed the last sentence to Cici, who laughed at the thought. "Cici, this is Vaughn."

Cici bounced up and down. "Yawn! Yawn!"

"No V vaaa vaaaughn," Kali drew out.

"Yawn!" Then Cici yawned, and both Kali and Vaughn laughed.

At least he didn't take himself too seriously, Kali thought thankfully.

It only took them a few minutes to reach their destination.

"I'm glad we're closer to the jeep in case we need to make a quick getaway," Vaughn whispered in Kali's ear, and it gave her goosebumps.

"You're on an island, where do you propose to go?" Kali rolled her eyes at his dramatic statement.

He shrugged. "I really hadn't thought that far ahead." Then he grinned, and Kali felt her heart flutter.

Taj must have heard Cici's laugh because as they reached the door, it opened. Taj looked at Kali, then Vaughn, before he held the door open for them to enter.

Taj made the formal introduction between the grizzled Lester and Vaughn as they all sat around the table in the small kitchen.

"I'll get right to the point," Vaughn said earnestly, leaning forward. "Kali has informed me that it's planting season and missing a day of planting is not advisable for the success of the crop."

"Correct," Taj nodded as Lester leaned back and lit a pipe.

"So, I'm asking you why you're not working and what you need to get back to work?" Vaughn was watching Taj closely as if the others in the room weren't there and it was only the two of them.

"We're not getting paid, and we need to get paid," Taj said with a frown. "Didn't you know this?"

"No, I went to see Kali because I had suspected that she had told you all to strike."

"Strike!" Cici yelled. She wasn't a talker, but she always managed to find the most important word.

The others ignored her.

"Kali would never ask us to do such a thing," Lester denied, shaking his head.

"She told me that, and I believe her," Vaughn agreed. "Then she and I put our heads together. She told me that Wednesday was payday and that the only reason no one would show up to work was if they didn't get paid. With Fredrick firing Kali, it's most likely that he forgot or had no intention of paying you."

"He didn't forget." Taj shook his head. "I reminded him, and he told me he couldn't care less if we worked or not, that he had no intention of paying us anything." He leaned back in his chair and studied Vaughn. "I don't see what you can do about it."

"I can pay you. I can't get the funds here until next week at the earliest, but I can get them. I just need you to trust me and go back to work. Kali said you might be willing to work over the weekend to make up time." Vaughn looked over at Kali, who was watching him as she spoke, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"If it helps you make up your mind, I've also hired Kali personally to teach me the inner workings of the island and sugar planting. I figured out that Fredrick has no knowledge or interest in telling me the ins and outs of any of it." Vaughn leaned back in his seat, having said his peace.

"Kali?" Lester asked.

She looked at Vaughn, who returned her look. "I trust him to do as he says." Then she forced herself to look away and back at Lester.

"He's here to buy the island and take your inheritance. Why do you trust him?" Lester's eyes narrowed in concentration as she smoked his pipe.

"I've made my position very clear that I intend to fight Vaughn when the time comes, if I'm able," she admitted.

"And I've made it very clear that she won't stand a chance," Vaughn countered, and Kali frowned.

"Either way," Kali drew out, "no matter who ends up with the island. Those that live here will still need to survive, and missing a planting season won't be beneficial to anyone."

"I agree." Vaughn nodded.

Cici laughed and reached for Vaughn, causing the others to still. Cici didn't know any strangers in the settlement, and it was as if she was saying Vaughn was one of them.

"I guess Cici has made the decision for us." Taj smiled as he watched Vaughn take her onto his lap.

Cici patted Vaughn's cheek, then snuggled into the crook of his arm and yawned.

"I suppose I should be jealous, but Cici has always preferred everyone else to her mother and me. It's like she was born a teenager." Taj stood. "Cici, are you ready to go home?"

"No! I want Kali and Yawn!" she said grumpily.

"You'll see them tomorrow." Taj reached for her, securing her against his shoulder, then wished everyone a goodnight as he left.

"What does that mean?" Vaughn asked, looking between Lester and Kali.

"It means they'll be back at work tomorrow." Lester puffed.

"And so will I." Kali smiled, pleased.

"It was nice to finally meet you, young man," Lester said, holding out his hand. The dismissal was evident but tastefully done.

"You as well," Vaughn agreed. "I hope we get some time to talk about more pleasant things in the future."

Lester nodded his agreement.

"Goodnight, Lester."

"Goodnight," he said as he watched them leave.

"That went well." Vaughn sounded relieved as she climbed into the jeep.

It was fully dark, but a full moon would light the way.

"It's amazing how bright it is out here, and how many stars there are." He rested his head against the headrest and looked up at the sky as Kali drove.

Kali had the same thought many times in her life, but admitting it would only make her sad. The idea that she might lose the island, that it might no longer be her home, hurt her heart. She should start planning in case Vaughn was right, and he won.

Where would she go and what would she do? She had a degree in International Finance and guessed she could use it to survive. She had always been a wiz at making money, and she wished her father had let her help him in that department as well, if he had she might not be in her current situation.

"You've gone quiet." Vaughn looked over at her.

"Sorry, just thinking about where to start tomorrow."

"No, you weren't." Vaughn lifted his head as they pulled back up on the beach near the cabana.

The way the moonlight glinted off the ocean and the sound of the waves should have been romantic, but all Kali could think of suddenly was her future and what it might hold. Vaughn was so sure she didn't stand a chance of getting the island, and maybe she would do well to prepare for that outcome.

"Do you want to share?" Vaughn asked as he climbed out of the jeep.

"No, not really. Do you need me to run you back to the cottage, or are you alright to get there on your own?" It was an absent-minded question on Kali's end.

"I'll be fine." Vaughn studied her as she looked out at the waves, not really seeing them.

"Goodnight, Kali."

"Goodnight, Vaughn."

Kali stood where she was long after he was gone, then she determined that if she was going to have to leave this place soon, she should enjoy it while she still could, so she stripped and dove into the ocean for a midnight swim.

For now, it was still hers.