The Millionaire’s Treasure

Merrick strolled through the house switching on ceiling fans to get the air moving. He walked back into the living room just as Chad set down the last of the cases from the helicopter. “The maintenance crew brought along the supplies you requested when they flew out yesterday to clean the house. You should have all the food you need in the kitchen, but if there’s something else, just give me a shout.” “What’s Meryl got you working on this week?” “I don’t know of anything out of the area, so I should be around if you need me.” Merrick noticed Chad had hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans and appeared to be studying the floor. It was a longtime habit that Chad routinely performed when he wanted to say something else. Merrick waited. It didn’t take long. “You know this whole thing with Sasha will blow over quickly. Now she just looks like an idiot and everyone knows her for the gold digging bitch she is.” “I don’t give a damn about Sasha Sanderson or what anyone else thinks of the little stunt she tried to pull.” Concern shone clearly from Chad’s eyes. Their longstanding friendship often allowed them to communicate without words. In truth, Merrick wasn’t very upset about the end of his relationship with Sasha – a relationship that had barely begun. If he was disappointed in anything it was his own stupidity for starting a relationship with her to begin with. The last several years’ success had directly paralleled the decline in the natural open and friendly personality he had once possessed. Sasha wasn’t the first. But he definitely intended for her to be the last. Never again would he trust a woman with his heart. Any future relationships would be on his terms. For now, he just wanted to remove himself from the inevitable ‘talk’ that was bound to follow Sasha’s public humiliation. “Look, you know I’ve got a lot of new ideas that I wanted to work on. The peace and quiet out here will give me plenty of time to do so without any of the small day to day interruptions that happen in the office.” He always found satisfaction in developing innovative ideas for his company. He would immerse himself in work for a while and forget Sasha and everyone else. “I just need a break...some time alone.” Cobalt eyes met brown ones and understanding passed between them. “Well, let’s just hope none of those desperate ‘darlings’ waiting to be the next to date you find out where your island is.” Chad tossed out as he turned back towards the door. “Christ! Don’t even joke about that.” Merrick groaned. Chad’s laughter drifted back to him as he bounded up the stairs two at a time. The sound of the rotors reached him a few minutes before the helicopter rose gracefully into the sky and disappeared into the horizon. Merrick remained in the lengthening shadows of the doorway, breathing deeply of the fragrant tropical air. The quiet surroundings settled over him like a comfortable blanket. The soft breezes flirted with the shade too long hair that curled around his ears. Even from the top of the cliff he could hear the sound of the waves as they lapped repeatedly at the shore. He continued to stand there until the day finally surrendered to the night, the last of his tension dissolving with its final rays. ************* Bright rose and orange fingers speared across the morning sky, some reaching into the small white clouds that dotted the blue landscape around them. He drew in a deep breath and reached both arms down the length of his right leg. He held the stretch for a count of ten and then repeated it on the other side. He re-tied the laces of his running shoes before he took off down the strip of white sandy beach that encircled the entire island. Merrick generally started every day with a jog around the five miles of beach and sometimes ended the day with an easy stroll around half of it, covering a different half each time, checking the beach for debris that might have washed ashore. The main path to his home wound slowly up through the trees from the boat dock to the top of the cliff where the house perched regally looking out over the sea. The cool breezes off the salty water punched into him as he turned the north-east corner of the island and began the long stretch of beach on the windward side. The temperature edged over into the upper 70’s and sweat curled the hair around his ears and across his chest. Exercise was the therapy he needed. He pounded his frustrations into the sand with his feet, the tension dripping away with his sweat. The hot sun beat down on his skin but couldn’t quite pierce into the coldest depths of his heart. The third mile barely begun, his attention snapped into focused when he noticed a large shape on the beach ahead of him. Fifty yards out his footsteps slowed with the dawning realization that the object was a human body. Anger and dread competed for dominance as Chad’s parting words flashed into his mind. “Let’s just hope none of those desperate ‘darlings’ waiting to be the next to date you find out where your island is.” Halting completely, his eyes searched the horizon but only the sun on the water returned his glare. There was no sign of a boat anywhere. He slowly cut his eyes back to the obviously female shape crumpled on the shore. “Aww hell.”