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expected his technician to have restored communication on the island.
    Then he would set to work, find out who the devil this woman was and where she had come from.
    Then he’d send her right back where she belonged.

Chapter 3
    S ahar listened as David Rashid’s angry footsteps faded to a distant echo. Confusion shrouded her brain. She lifted her hand to her forehead. Why in heavens did she know the meaning of the name he had just given her? Did she know Arabic? Or just the meanings behind Arabic names? And why did she feel honored, touched, by the name David had given her? Was it because of the raw look she’d glimpsed in his eyes as he’d spoken it? Or was she trying to read meaning where there was none?
    Watson misread her confusion. “Your head hurting?”
    “Uh…no. I…I’m just trying to remember.”
    He smiled. “No need to try and rush the process. The body is a wonderful thing in the way it can heal—and protect itself—but you must give it time.”
    Time. She didn’t have time. Why did she feel she was running out of time?
    “I’ll come back once you’ve got some clothes on and had something to eat. We can do some more tests then, okay?”
    She nodded, watched the doctor make for the door. “Dr. Watson,” she called out. He halted, turned around.
    “About Kamilah…the mermaid thing?”
    He hesitated. “The child hasn’t spoken a word in two years,” he said. “Not since the death of her mother.”
    “What happened?”
    “Aisha Rashid drowned in a boating accident not far off the coast of this island.” He smiled sadly. “David took a huge gamble coming back here. Returning to Shendi was a final bid to bring life back to his child. He’s done everything within his power to try to get Kamilah to speak again. Nothing worked until now—until you arrived.”
    “Me?”
    He nodded. “That’s right. Kamilah Rashid had not spoken in nearly two years—until she found you on the beach.”
    “And she…she really thinks I’m a mermaid? ”
    “The fact that she thinks you’re a fantasy creature is key,” he said. “You’ve helped bridge the gap between her silent, private world and the real one.”
    “So…so why is her father so angry?” The range of unguarded emotion she’d seen cross David Rashid’s face in the space of a few beats of a heart compelled her to ask.
    A broad grin creased the doctor’s sun-browned face. “Ah, a couple of things have got his goat, I suspect. Rashid likes to be in control. He wanted to be the one to make his daughter well again. Now he’s faced with a mermaid who’s done the trick for him.” Dr. Watson chuckled. “You’ve wounded the man’s pride, but don’t worry. He’ll be fine once he’s licked his wounds. He always is. I’ll be back later.”
    Sahar watched as the doctor closed the heavy door behind him. She was desperately grateful to have some time alone. She needed to think. She swung her feet carefully over the side of the bed and stood slowly, not wanting to repeat the fainting episode. The tiles were cool under her bare feet. She steadied herself against the bed, waiting for a momentary dizziness to pass. Then she wound the sheet neatly around her body and moved over to the long oval mirror nestled into a tall dark-wood closet at the far end of the room.
    She hesitated, almost afraid to look. Then she sucked in air and stepped squarely in front of the mirror. She stared at the person reflected in the glass.
    The eyes that stared back were her own. Logic told her that. She stepped closer, touched the reflection with her fingertips. There was something vaguely familiar about her image. It was as if she was looking at someone she’d crossed paths with once or twice before. But she couldn’t place where or when.
    She studied the face. It was a face she was comfortable owning. It felt like her. But how? How did she know what it felt like to be her?
    Was she a tourist? Somehow she didn’t feel like one.
    Could she dive? She thought