“You don’t want to know, Marija,” Mike says with a laugh.
“It’s a scrotum,” Ewan tells her.
Marija shakes her head in disgust.
“Anyhoo… gang, I’d like you to officially meet Marija Horvat from Croatia. Marija is one tough lady and a hell of a barkeep.”
The camera pans to show the pool and the deck surrounding it. “Let’s see who else we can find. Oooh! There he is, Paz Castillo of The Bahamas, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s got himself a very lovely tourista at the resort.”
Mike zooms in to show Paz on the opposite side of the pool, sharing a chaise longue with a woman in a tiny bikini. He’s nuzzling her nose, brushing one hand down her outer thigh. Mike shouts at him, “Hey, Paz, is she the most stunning woman in the world?”
Paz laughs and nods. “Just look at her.”
Ewan’s voice cuts in. “On the planet, Mikey. He tells every woman she’s the most stunning woman on the planet.”
The girl wraps an arm around Paz’s neck, and he goes in for the kiss, which prompts Mike to flip the camera back to himself. “Whoops! We better cut that off before my buddy Paz causes a scandal.
“That’s it for me. My workday is over, and it’s officially party time! Good night, my Moose Calves!”
Huh. Turns out Paz is a bit of a player. I toss my phone on the bed, wishing I hadn’t followed Mike the Moose on TikTok. Deep down I knew Paz was one of the biggest flirts to ever come to Santa Valentina, but finding out he uses the same line on every girl he meets stings a little. It was kind of nice to believe a guy as hot as Paz could find a dowdy girl like me attractive.
I go in search of a glass of water, only to come face-to-face with that crunchy spider plant I should have dealt with already. But the thought of emptying the pot and washing it out at this late hour feels like too much. It’ll have to wait for tomorrow. Or maybe until after the competition is over. It’s not like that plant is getting any deader. Kind of like my love life.
Oh screw it, I really should tackle my to-do list. The fern looks to be beyond hope at this point. Also, like my love life…
16
The Delicate Genius
Theo
“She said that?”I ask Carolina, who has just relayed her conversation with Nora to me.
“Um-hmm,” she answers, looking bored. “But who cares whatshethinks, anyway? She’s nothing to us.”
“I don't care, but it’s a little aggravating to have someone assume we don't understand the concept of justice simply because of our upbringing."
"Yes, I suppose there is a certain irony to it all." Carolina opens the mini-bar fridge and pulls out a bottle of Pellegrino. "Anyway, enough about what's-her-name."
"Nora."
"Whatever. Two months from now we’ll both have forgotten all about her. More importantly, what are you doing this afternoon? I'm in videoconferences until two o'clock, but I thought I would book us each massages after that. I'd say we've earned it."
“I'm going to Eden today with Vincent, so maybe Markos can go with you."
Wrinkling up her nose, Carolina says, "Why on earth would you do that? It's not like you know anything about the wilderness."
"I resent that," I say. "I've had lots of experience in the wild—the Amazon, the Nile, Antarctica."
Flopping down onto my bed, she leans an elbow on it. This is something she's been doing more in the last few days, and I'm not entirely comfortable with it. "I forgot you love to pretend you're a caveman in your time off. But this thing today, you could skip it. Vincent knows what he's looking for."
"Vincent is going to be looking for the best shots and lighting.I'mgoing to be looking for danger."
"And I'm sure it will be found at every turn.” She laughs. “Theo, it's a luxury private island. Do you really think there are wild animals poised to eat the guests paying that kind of money to spend the night?"
"I'm sure you're right about the animals, but I didn't come here to sit in my room. I came to mitigate any risks to Rojas that this competition might produce. Therefore, I am going."
She makes a little huffing sound. "What time will you be back? Because I'm sure I could book later massages."
