We both hold on as Mike ups the speed of the bowrider, hitting the waves. Roger still hasn’t cracked a smile, just stares at us as if we’re aliens.
“Is this the only way to get to the island?” Lexi asks Mike once we’re hitting bigger waves.
“Ah, no.” He shakes his head. “Guests fly in with the floatplane because it’s quicker. Staff we bring in with the boat because we know you have too much stuff.”
“Nice.” I glance at Lexi. She had a red heat glow on her face minutes ago, but she’s now gone pale. I rub her back in slow circles as she leans in to me.
“I remember that floatplane bit now. It was in the training.” She shakes her head, and the wind whips through her hair. “It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind.”
“We’ll catch on quickly once we’re on the job.”
“Yes. But I suspect this isn’t going to be a soft landing.”
We turn quiet, too tired to talk over the loud hum of the boat’s engine. We pass the Tanzanian coastguard, and they wave at us. We wave back, our smaller boat rocking in their wake.
Fifty minutes later, we’re still at the railing, Lexi green around the gills. I’m grateful that the island is finally on thehorizon. “Next time, you need to take something for the nausea before we head out.”
“Next time I’m taking the plane,” she mutters under her breath. “Don’t know what I was thinking.”
We weren’t thinking, babes.
Mike slows the boat, and I stand at the rail to look into the water. It’s deep here and a dark azure blue, but crystal clear. I lean over, sinking my gaze into the abyss.Right there.A school of fish with the sunlight blinking on their silver skins. The visibility here is going to be phenomenal, and I can’t wait to get my gear on and go for a dive.
Soon corals come into view in the ever-shallower water, dark flecks on the ocean floor that stretch like black tiger stripes over the white sand. I look up, wanting to gauge how close we are. Still at least two hundred yards to go before the island, but here I can see the bottom of the ocean, and that must be at least a hundred feet down. I’m starting to feel like a kid in a candy store. I haven’t been in the sea since arriving at Evan’s house in December, and I’m having withdrawal.
Lexi comes to stand next to me. “Oh my God.”
“Finally going to feed the fishes, are you?”
“This close,” she murmurs, holding her thumb and forefinger half an inch apart.
“Just look at them.” I nod toward the water. “There are so many, not a bit of vomit would be wasted.”
“Eww, Tristan, that hardly helps.” She groans. “What are you staring at?”
I point at the water. “Look carefully. You can see the bigger fish swimming around the coral.”
Lexi stares and stares. “For real,” she whispers as she finally sees what I see.
“Yep. This is paradise.”
She smiles up at me and pushes a strand of windswept hair away from her brow. “All yours to explore and capture on film.”
I want to hug her, so I do, giving her a tight side squeeze. “Thanks to you.”
“Look that way.” Lexi pushes herself awkwardly from my chest.Too much, I note. “My perfect escape, thanks to you.”
I look up as I drop my arm. The island is a breathtaking swath of green, seeming to float in a custard of creamy white sand. Palm tree tufts rise above the lush tropical forest and bow to the water. Nobody is going to come get her here. “Now you can finally relax about the whole Mia Reed mess.”
“Yes. This feels like the end of the Earth, in a good way.”
Buoys line the route the skipper needs to take to avoid hitting the coral, and soon we cross over into idyllic turquoise blue, where there’s only soft sand under the water. On the beach, two people are waiting in the shade next to a sign that saysWelcome to Ne’emba Island.
“Best you roll up your jeans,” Mike says as he switches off the engine. “You’re about to get wet.”
“Who’s waiting for us?” Lexi asks as she toes off her sneakers, stuffs her socks in them, and rolls up her jeans.
“That is Miriam and Don, the current management couple.”
