“And I guess having resources to offer will help.”

Zach, Ben, Noah, and Charlie were sitting on the boat as Matt headed over to Sanibel. Charlie was just keeping Noah company on the crossing, and Ben had insisted he was coming to Zach’s appointment with him. They were tossing back and forth ideas to help Daniel get permission to bring teens to Rainbow Key.

Noah was doing a lot of research. Apparently, the school he taught at had a special needs department and the administrator was giving Daniel advice as well. “Being a foster parent is quite straightforward,” Noah said. “Thirty hours of training, full background inspection, and a home visit, but opening a home is an entirely different matter, and we need to go through DCF. I suggested Joshua and Daniel become foster parents first.”

“And there are never enough foster parents,” Charlie said.

Noah agreed. “What we really need is someone with good first aid skills to negate the problem of the whole being an island thing.”

“But not you,” Charlie murmured, and Noah chuckled. Zach knew they must be sharing some private joke.

“I understand you met Chris and Beth? Well, as we all know, they are just the tip of the iceberg. But I saw your photographs of South Sudan. I think you may have more experience than all of us,” Noah said.

Zach listened as Noah related some funny stories. He was thrilled to hear that Noah had done successfully—or was in the process of doing—what he was thinking of. A complete career change. Noah had gone from working in a New York financial firm to training to be a teacher, and as he watched the easygoing man tease Charlie, it seemed to be suiting him. He’d heard the phrase comfortable in your own skin, and that could have been written for Noah. Charlie completely fascinated him. He had a passion about him that was awe-inspiring, and he really wished he could see his paintings. Soon he told himself.

“What are you thinking about?” Ben murmured. Zach could feel the change in the boat’s speed, so he knew they were nearing Sanibel.

“I want to talk to you about an email I got a few months ago,” Zach said impulsively then immediately regretted voicing the thought as soon as it had entered his head instead of waiting until they were somewhere they could talk in private.

“An email?” Ben clarified.

“It’s not important.” He could have bitten his damn tongue off.

“Tell me.” He felt Ben touch his hand.

“It’s a charity.” Fuck, why had he even started this?

“Yes.” Ben drawled the word out in amusement.

“It’s for people born with facial deformities or kids and adults that have injuries…or burns. They wanted me to be their photographer. Take pictures of them to raise awareness.” Zach rushed the words out and cringed.

There was such a long pause Zach wondered if Ben was ever going to talk again. “Is it Everybody’s Smile?”

“You’ve heard of it?” Zach was stunned. It was a very small, little known charity with zero funding. He saw the movement of Ben nodding his head.

“I’ve never heard of them,” Charlie said, and with a sinking feeling, Zach knew the entire boat had heard what he had said.

“They are really small. It was started by a mom whose fourteen-year-old committed suicide,” Ben explained,

“Fuck,” Noah spat out with feeling. Zach took both of Ben’s hands in his.

“What happened?” Zach asked, feeling Ben knew more.

“Have you heard of so called port wine stains?”

Zach nodded. “But I thought they were treatable now?”

“She had laser treatment to lighten it, but her skin had an adverse reaction to it, and you know how cruel children can be. Apparently, something happened at a school dance. The boy she thought liked her had only asked because he had been bet by his friends that he couldn’t stand to kiss her. The skin around her mouth was quite thick. Anyway, she let him kiss her, and his friends were all hiding around the corner or something. The boy fell on the floor and pretended to be dying from catching a deadly disease from the kiss while everyone stood around and laughed.

“She came home without saying a word about what happened to her mom or dad and raided her mom’s pills. When they went to wake her up for school the next morning, she was dead.”

Zach watched as Noah got up and went to stand at the front of the boat. “I’m sorry,” Ben said with feeling as Charlie stood up to follow him.

“What is it?” Zach asked.

“Noah’s little brother killed himself a few years ago.”

“Oh God,” Zach whispered, and a sudden flush of embarrassment and anger rushed through him. Here he was worried about changing jobs, and other people… “How do you know all this?”

“Because, after the last time Steven Dunne published photographs, Cynthia Vasquez approached me through Millie Kline. She’s the mom,” Ben added. “Her daughter was called Rosie.”

“Wanting what?” Zach asked gently, but he had a good idea.

“For me to be photographed.”

“Which I can understand,” Zach said after a few seconds when Ben didn’t add anything else.

“I guess. I haven’t ever replied to her email.”

“But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”

Ben was quiet again. “You seem to give me the courage to think about all sorts of things,” he said lightly, but Zach could imagine how much the words cost him to say. “We always did make a good team. If I ever thought about it, would—”

“In a heartbeat,” Zach said immediately, possibilities running through his mind. He hesitated. “Assuming I can see to take photographs of anything. And I’m not saying that for sympathy,” he added as he sensed Ben start to speak. “I mean it. I need to grow up and stop feeling sorry for myself.” There were thousands of people—very vulnerable people—a lot worse off than him. He wasn’t surprised Seth was always kicking his ass. Noah and Charlie came back over as Matt expertly docked. Ben took his hand and he stepped down.

“Levi!”

The shout was loud, very loud, and at the same time what seemed like dozens of lightbulbs exploded, and he had a microphone shoved in his face.

“Zach Jones? Are you and Levi in a relationship again? Do you have a date to return to the Sudan? Have you stopped working?” And the best one, “Have you decided that you can finally see past his scars?”

Zach growled and shoved at the man in front of him, but in seconds, he felt a large meaty hand—Matt—yanking his arm, and quickly, they were back on the boat. “Ben?” Where—Ben’s hand clasped his, and he dragged him close as the engines roared and the boat swung away.

“Sit down,” Ben urged.

“Are you okay?” Zach ignored the instruction. Still hearing the shouted questions from the jetty.

“Yes.”

“Damn,” Matt ground out as Zach heard the second engine start.

“Don’t worry,” Noah said. “I’m calling Daniel. There’s no way he will let them dock.”

The boat lurched, and Zach decided maybe it was a good idea to sit down. “What the hell?” he snapped. “How the hell did they find out he was here?”

“Ben?” It was Charlie, and Zach didn’t like the tremor in his voice. “I think you need to see this.”

“What?” Zach almost demanded.

“It’s the article he just posted online,” Noah added and passed his phone to Ben. Ben made a tiny distressed noise in the back of his throat. So small, Zach didn’t think anyone else would have heard it.

“Baby?”

“Ben Keeler,” Ben started to read out, “or Levi as he is better known to his fans was one of Millie Kline’s top faces and regularly appeared in top magazines until a tragic fire sent his career up in flames.” Ben paused. “That’s disgusting. Maegan died, and they’re making bad jokes?”

Zach saw quick movement, and he guessed he’d thrust the phone back at Noah.

“You get mentioned,” Noah said, and Zach knew he meant him.

“What does it say?” Zach ground out.

“Zachary Jones, who has built a career on mixing designer shoots with charitable and emotive photographs and famously dumped his live-in lover when he couldn’t cope with looking at his wrecked face, was seen in Levi’s company today at an island retreat in Florida. Sources tell us that Zach may be almost blind following an accident, proving the old saying ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ This reporter can only hope for Levi’s sake that Zach never recovers his eyesight.”

Zach reached wordlessly for Ben. He could barely breathe. He took no notice of Noah who was saying the report was a lawsuit waiting to happen or the boat eventually slowing as they got to the island. He didn’t know what to say…where to start. Steven fucking Dunne was a bastard, but with three sentences, he had just plucked Ben’s worse fear right from his brain and shone a spotlight on it. Ben clasped his hand immediately, but Zach could feel the cold skin in his palm and knew Ben was suffering. He wanted him home, right now.

Zach stood up. Heard Charlie talking on the phone and guessed it was to Joshua. “How did he find out, though?” Zach asked suddenly.

“The photo from the police headquarters I guess,” Noah answered. “But, even though he saw you, it was pretty fast work to make the connection here.”

“I wonder if someone from the police told him?” Zach asked.

“I doubt—”

“It was Nancy,” Charlie interrupted. “That was Josh, and he got a call yesterday evening asking for details supposedly for a booking and asking some really odd questions about types of guests we have. Stephanie took it and passed him the phone when she got uncomfortable, but they’d hung up. He never thought anything about it until May-belle came and found him five minutes ago, saying she had been called by a reporter wanting her to verify the information her daughter had told them. Apparently,” he added, “her daughter was willing to sell an exclusive entitled ‘Misfit Island’.”

“Sit down,” Ben tugged at him gently and he did so. The roar from other engines was getting louder.

“Isn’t this a bit ridiculous though?” Noah suddenly asked. “I mean—no offense Ben—but you’re not a celebrity or some reality TV star. I know a lot of people will look at you and think they know you from somewhere, but it’s only people in the industry that would know your name.”

Zach turned to Ben. Noah had a good point, and he’d never even thought to ask why the photographer had turned up in the restaurant.

“Because he was pissed that I turned him down when he wanted to fuck me.” A shaft of jealousy tore through Zach, and he couldn’t form a reply for a few seconds.

“Wow,” Charlie said quietly.

“When?” Zach managed to get out.

“Do you remember me being late for Seth’s birthday dinner that one time?”

Zach thought but came up with nothing. “No, but that—” he just bit the words off before he said something really ludicrous like “happened often” but it was too late.

“Happened all the time?” Ben asked. His words were brittle. Like they might snap if Zach wasn’t careful.

“I mean you had to work late all the time.”

“Well, this wasn’t work.” Ben jumped up. “This was me being locked out of the studio in January in a pair of jeans and nothing else. It took threatening him with the police to get him to unlock the door and let me get my clothes and my phone.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zach was aghast.

“And I told Davic what happened because I had to cancel a shoot the next morning because of my face.”

“What about your face?” Zach bit out.

“I told you I had fallen, but it was because he hit me.”

“What the fuck?” Zach stood up.

“And Davic told everyone. All the designers dropped him because the models refused to work with him unchaperoned. He never got the GQ cover deal. His brother was a reporter, and I heard he got him a job with some local rag. I never realized it was in Boston.”

It made perfect sense. The man was obsessed because basically, Ben had finished his career. The boat jerked, and Zach put out a hand to steady himself. “Why the hell did you never say anything?” Zach was incredulous.

The roar of the engine was getting louder, and Matt shouted over the noise.

“Ben, Zach, sit the fuck down. These clowns are going to hit us if they don’t slow down.

“And what could you have done?” Ben yelled.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Zach yelled back. “Supported my boyfriend? Checked you didn’t need to go to the ER? Put that fucking reporter in the ER? Any or all of that.” Zach was furious. “But you didn’t tell me because you didn’t fucking trust me.”

If someone had asked Zach later what happened, he couldn’t honestly have said. He just remembered the enraged shout from Matt, the sudden twist of the boat as Matt valiantly braked to avoid the idiot in the motorboat that was trying to get closer to get photographs, and the way he didn’t seem to be able to get his balance. The crack to his head as he fell back and hit the bench seat really fucking hurt.

He took a breath then didn’t feel anything else at all.