Free Full Circle by Donya Lynne Page B

gone.
    Whatever was troubling him was starting to
worry her. If only he would just blurt it out.
    She was about to push him to do just that
when he led her around a curve and into an opening, revealing a
secluded pool. On the opposite side, water flowed down a jagged
wall of rock so dark it looked black.
    “But for now,” he said, “let me show you one
of the most breathtaking wonders of the island.” He stepped behind
her, winding his arms around her waist. “I give you one of the many
falls in the Latille Gardens.”
    For the remainder of the day, she dismissed
Mark’s secrets. He led her from one falls to the next, up dirt
paths enhanced by man-made steps built of fallen branches, down
ivy-covered ridges, through vibrantly flowered gardens, stopping to
swim in one of the larger ponds and rest under the falling water a
while before leading her back to the entrance midafternoon.
    Back at the villa, they napped in the hammock
after eating a late lunch then lounged by the pool until dinner.
Afterward, they took their wine back out to the pool and
relaxed.
    “So, what did you think of the gardens?” Mark
said, his voice quiet.
    The sun hung low on the horizon in a
cloudless sky. A breeze blew off the ocean, rejuvenating her
spirit.
    “They were beautiful.” Maybe for the
islanders, the falls were status quo, but for a Midwesterner like
her, where flat farmland was the norm, the falls were like a
luxurious mirage, too brilliant to be real.
    “Told you.”
    They fell into silence for a while, staring
at the endless ocean and the deepening sunset.
    When she was younger, she had often
fantasized about faraway lands, wondering what life was like in
other parts of the world. To her, everywhere seemed like a happier
place than where she was. Maybe that was a product of being
bullied, but she had wanted to escape and go somewhere new.
Somewhere she could start over.
    She smiled to herself as she made the
connection to making New Year’s resolutions. New beginnings.
Forgetting the past. She’d been thinking a lot about both the past
two days.
    “Have you made your New Year’s resolutions,
yet?” She turned toward Mark.
    He rolled his head on the cushion to look at
her. “No. Why? Have you?”
    “I started, but couldn’t come up with
anything.”
    His gaze drifted back to the clear sky. “I
haven’t really thought about it. I don’t usually make resolutions.
I used to, but . . .”
    The way he trailed off set Karma’s awareness
on end. “Why did you stop?”
    He sighed and turned back toward her, his
expression almost apologetic as guilt shadowed his eyes. “Do you
really want me to say it?”
    This had to do with Carol. Once again, that
woman shot up like a spiked wall between them, interfering, getting
in the way. And she’d had enough.
    She abruptly sat up. “Yes, Mark, I really
want you to say it.” Damn him if he didn’t just get whatever was
bugging him off his chest. She huffed and slapped her hands on her
thighs. “You’ve been hinting for two days that there’s something
you want to tell me. I wish you’d just come out and say whatever it
is, because it’s eating me up. It’s eating you up.” She
waved her hand toward him. “I hate seeing you like this. This is
supposed to be our romantic vacation, but whatever’s bugging you is
mucking it all up. Just when I think it’s gone, it comes back and
gets in the way.” She stood and walked toward the edge of the pool
deck, facing the beach below, arms crossed.
    A moment later, Mark eased up behind her and traced
his palms up her arms to her shoulders. “I know I’m being
secretive. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “What aren’t you telling me, Mark?”
    He let out a heavy exhale and tipped his
forehead against the back of her head. “Karma . . 
I . . .”
    She turned and faced him. “Just tell me.”
When he didn’t answer, she pushed further. “Why won’t you talk to
me?”
    He frowned and looked down with a