“Magic,” Kel said with a smile, slipping the shell into Madeline’s palm. “Or maybe just millions of years of evolution and a really great color palette.”
Madeline laughed softly. Her fingers closed around the shell, cool and smooth. She didn’t quite know what to do with it, but she didn’t want to give it back either. They walked on in comfortable silence, the only sounds the hush of waves and the distant call of some tropical bird. The island was still waking up and for a moment, Madeline almost believed the rest of the world didn’t exist.
With a sideways glance at Kel, Madeline saw that the early light softened her features under her glasses, caught the edges of her cropped hair, and made her look almost serene. Strong. Like she belonged there more than Madeline ever could. There was something about the way Kel moved. Grounded, calm, always aware without being overbearing. It made Madeline feel safe. Not for the first time, Madeline wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. Kel had been with her through the worst of it. When the show was canceled, when Jennie broke her heart for the third and final time, and when the offers stopped coming, she’d stayed when no one else had.
“Do you ever think about what you’d be doing if you weren’t here?” Madeline asked, surprising herself with the question. Kel didn’t answer right away.
She bent to retrieve another shell, this one a soft blush pink, and stood, brushing sand off her fingers. “Sometimes,” she said.“But then I remember that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
At the woman’s words, Madeline’s heart did a weird little flutter. She looked away, out toward the water, pretending the sun was too bright in her eyes.
Before she said something she might regret, a voice called from behind them. “Ms. Whitley? Ms. Lehman?” Both women turned. A resort staff member, a petite woman in a cream polo and khaki shorts, approached them with a warm, practiced smile. She carried a slim tablet and didn’t seem at all winded from her trek through the sand. “Good morning,” she said. “Ms. Leighton asked me to let you know there’s been a change to the schedule.”
Madeline tensed.A change already?
“We’ll be transporting you both and others to a location on the far side of the island this morning. It’s a preview of the site selected for filming. Please dress comfortably. The terrain is a bit rugged, so we’ll be traveling by jeep.”
“Jeep?” Madeline repeated, blinking. “Like an actual jeep-jeep?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the woman said with a small smile. “It’s a beautiful drive. You’ll leave in about forty-five minutes. I’ve sent the details to your suite.”
“Thank you,” Kel said, already slipping into assistant mode.
The woman nodded once and turned to leave, her footsteps light on the sand. Madeline stared after her, then turned back to Kel. “So... a jeep ride with Ruthi Shay. Sounds like the setup to a horror movie.”
Kel’s mouth curved into a grin. “At least it’s not a stuck elevator,” she said and Madeline groaned.
“Don’t give the island ideas.”
They started walking toward the resort, the sun higher now, warming Madeline’s back. She still didn’t know what to expectfrom today.Hell, I don’t know what to expect from any of this, she thought.But I have Kel with me, so it will be okay.She looked down at the shell still in her hand. Iridescent. Strange. A little bit magical.Maybe that’s what this place is. Strange and magical. She hoped she was ready for it.
The jeeps were parkedin a neat row beneath the shade of a massive banyan tree, their glossy white frames gleaming in the early light. The Isle of Dreams logo was discreetly on the doors. Kel spotted Ruthi standing near the lead jeep, arms crossed, dark sunglasses perched on her face like armor. She was speaking to two of the resort’s drivers, her voice low but unmistakably clipped. Even from this distance, Kel heard the sharp cadence of authority in every word.
“No, I don’t care if the terrain is only ‘a little uneven.’ I want the camera equipment secured with actual straps, not whatever bungee cord improvisation you think is acceptable. This is not a vacation vlog. It’s a professional shoot.”
The drivers nodded respectfully, but one of them gave Kel a quick, secretive glance as if to say, “Yeah, we know she’s a handful.” Kel kept her smile to herself.
As they approached, Ruthi turned. Her gaze swept over them like a spotlight, pausing for only half a second too long on Madeline’s outfit. It was a loose, sleeveless linen top in a soft coral and a pair of white cotton shorts that hit mid-thigh. Comfortable, casual, and perfectly suited for the day’s task.
Ruthi’s lip curled. “Well,” she said, removing her sunglasses with a slow, deliberate motion. “I see someone took ‘dress comfortably’ as an invitation to audition for a sunscreen commercial.”
Madeline blinked. “Excuse me?”
Kel felt her spine stiffen. Her fists itched to clench. She stepped closer to Madeline, ready for whatever came next, but Ruthi didn’t bother to reply. She turned toward the jeep and climbed into the front passenger seat without another word. Kel exhaled through her nose. “Wow,” she muttered. “Not even a hello.”
Shaking her head, Madeline sighed. “I don’t think we should ever expect anything like a pleasantry from that woman.”
“I guess not,” Kel agreed, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to throttle her anyway.
The driver was a woman in her late twenties with a friendly smile and a clipboard. She motioned them toward the back seat. “Ms. Whitley, Ms. Lehman? You’ll be in this jeep with Ms. Shay. We’ll be leaving in a moment.”
Of course we will, Kel thought grimly. It was like the universe was actively trying to test her patience. Madeline climbed in first, sliding across the bench seat. Kel followed, settling beside her, their shoulders brushing as the driver shut the door behind them. The interior smelled faintly of coconut oil and leather, and the air was already warm despite the open windows.
Ruthi didn’t turn. “I assume you’ve both ridden in a vehicle before,” she said. “Try not to scream if we hit a bump.”
“Noted,” Kel said, voice cool and even.
Madeline didn’t say anything, but her hand curled into a loose fist on her knee. Kel reached and gave it a light rub with her fingers. Not a grab but contact to convey Kel was right there. The engine rumbled to life. The driver gave a cheerful thumbs-up to the other jeeps, then eased them onto the winding dirt path that led away from the main resort.
