“When did this happen?” she breathed in horror.
“Earlier today.” He sounded grim. “A dozen resorts along the coast were hit, and some towns are completely destroyed. It’s a clusterfuck over there—thousands dead, missing, trapped under debris.”
Her horror only grew the longer they watched the news reports. It was almost unfathomable—buildings and houses submerged, cars and garbage and debris floating in a sea of water that covered what was formerly land, the dirty, bloodstained faces of survivors. And the footage of the monstrous wave brought tears to Mari’s eyes.
“Those poor people,” she whispered.
Austin reached for her hand and stroked her knuckles. “I can’t even begin to imagine what the survivors are going through,” he said sadly.
For the next twenty minutes, they watched TV in silence with their fingers interlaced. It was after a particularly heartbreaking interview with a man whose wife and son had drowned when Austin spoke again.
“My agent called before you got here.”
Mari’s gaze flew to his. “Why?”
“He wants me to fly out there.”
“Out where?” Her jaw fell open. “You mean, there?” she demanded, pointing at the screen.
“It’s a great freelance opportunity,” Austin answered softly. “But more than that, it’s a chance to help those people. They’re setting up triage stations in areas that haven’t flooded, and they could always use more volunteers. I checked the flights online and—”
“Wait a minute, you’re actually considering going?” she cut in, incredulity hanging from her voice.
“It’s what I do. I take pictures of important events. And not just the pretty ones. I capture real life, Mari, no matter how ugly it is. And that—” he hooked a thumb at the screen, “—that’s fucking life.”
She bit her lip in dismay. “You can’t go to Malaysia. I mean, look at it. The entire area has been destroyed. It’s dangerous and reckless and…”
She trailed off, suddenly realizing how heartless she sounded. He was right—the victims of the tsunami did need help. The makeshift hospitals and triage stations were overflowing with patients and desperate for volunteers. How could she possibly tell Austin not to go and offer his assistance?
But…she had to wonder, was that truly why he wanted to go? To photograph the destruction and help those in need?
She wanted to believe his motives were that pure, but she’d noticed how distant he’d been acting this week. Restless, like he was itching to leave Paradise again so he wouldn’t have to deal with his strained relationship with Della and Rice.
“The flight I’m booking leaves tomorrow night.”
His quiet admission snapped her out of her troubling thoughts. “That soon?”
He nodded, then paused uncertainly. “There’s one other thing.”
“What is it?” Butterflies of uneasiness fluttered in her belly. For some reason, she was expecting the worst.
But Austin stunned her with his next words.
“Come with me.”
Chapter Ten
Mari’s eyes widened as the request sank in. He wanted her to go with him? To Malaysia?
“Are you serious?” she exclaimed.
“I am.” His expression conveyed an unusual combination of uncertainty and determination. “I really want you to come with me. I guess…I guess I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet.”
“Then don’t.” She shook her head in frustration. “Let’s stay in Paradise. Together.” As she voiced the suggestion, she suddenly remembered what she’d been doing for the past two hours, and she felt slightly sheepish as she met Austin’s eyes and said, “I got a job offer today.”
His brows shot up. “You did?”
Her gaze drifted back to the screen, and she couldn’t help but sigh. “I know it’s probably selfish and insensitive to bring it up right now considering what’s happening on the other side of the world, but yeah, I actually got offered a job today. It was all thanks to your mother.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I went over to her house today. You know, just to hang out.” She gave a little shrug.
“Just to hang out?” he echoed, sounding more and more suspicious.
“I like her,” Mari said defensively. “And I thought it would be nice to drop by and spend a little time with her.”
“And somehow this led to you getting a job?” he asked in a skeptical voice.
“Pretty much, yeah.” She quickly told him about Harriet Burns and the teacher with the broken leg, then finished up the story. “So your mother called Harriet, who wanted to meet with me today—I guess she’s really desperate to find someone to fill in for Jessie. We spoke for about a half hour and then she offered me the job on the spot. She’s calling my old school and running a criminal check, but that’s just a formality. If I take the job, I’d start on Monday.”