“What kind of sandwich is it?”
“Jalapeño.”
“This will be a first.”
“You can give them to me if you don’t like ’em.”
“Who doesn’t love jalapeño?”
“Plenty of people, but I’m an addict. And just so you know, there’s some veggies and provolone thrown in too,” he said.
They ate and talked, and Minnow had to quench the fire in her mouth with the beer, which went down too easily. He told her more about the San Juan Islands and she told him about her travels, and they kept it real but safe. They shared the same fork without question and steered clear of the news and the shark hunt. It was too raw to even think about, let alone discuss with Luke. Nor did Minnow mention she would be leaving the island as soon as she could get a ticket. The moment felt perfect and peaceful and she didn’t want to ruin it. There would be time for that later.
“Where are these meteors you speak of?” she asked. She’d kept an eye out for the past half hour and hadn’t seen anything.
“It might be too early. Middle of the night is when the show is really supposed to start.”
They sat with that for a while, and she imagined lying with him somewhere entangled under the stars, the feeling of his sandpapery hands running down her body.
As if he’d read her mind, he stuffed the trash in the bag and stood up. “We should probably head in.”
She was disappointed, not ready for this to end. “Sure, okay.”
They motored in the direction of distant lights. A few minutes later, something flashed behind them. Minnow spun around, but the horizon was black.
“Lightning,” she said.
“Yeah. Those clouds have been lurking all day, but I think they’re finally moving in.”
Another flash, and the whole horizon lit up neon blue and electric white. There was no place more terrifying to be in a lightning storm than on a boat, which she guessed Luke knew too.
Instead, he said, “We have time.”
She wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her or himself, but either way, he was wrong. Minnow kept an eye on the storm cloud, which looked to be larger than the whole island. With the next explosion, a streak of lightning shot down to the water, spilling out in all directions. Every hair on her body stood on end. “I don’t know about that. I’d gun it in,” she said.
“I think you’re right. Hang on.”
He shoved the throttle forward and they hurtled toward land. The first thunder came when they were about a half mile offshore, a low and faraway rumble.
Woody had wedged a solar light into the rocks that stuck out on the north end of the bay and had planted a couple under the coconut trees, and Minnow scanned the dark coastline south of the Kiawe for them. It would have been easier to go in at the resort, but that was another ten minutes away. The wind on her face cooled some, but the water stayed smooth as glass.
“There,” she said. “Can you see the Whaler?”
A flash turned everything white. The boat, the house, the trees.
“Affirmative.”
Luke flipped on a bright light mounted on the bimini top. “I hate to use this, but sometimes you have to.”
Minnow pointed. “There’s another mooring over there. If I were you, I’d tie off and swim in with me.”
Their eyes met and held. It was madness to invite him into the house. She didn’t trust herself alone in a storm with this man, but what choice did she have?
“I should be fine.”
Another bright flash, and two air masses slammed together not far away, rendering the air staticky and charged with energy.
“Leave everything. Let’s go,” she said, grabbing his hand.
