“Oh, please don’t?—"
I burst into loud sobs. “What if nobody finds us?”
“Someone will find us. But even if it takes a few days or weeks, I can keep you safe and fed.”
“Weeks? I can’t be here for weeks! I need to … I live on Guy Time.” Okay, so I know that made no sense at all to him, but it’sthatthought that does me in. My voice is swept away from me by all the obligations that are waiting for me. My sister. My parents. My job. Li’l Rhythm. “I need to get out of here.”
“We will. I promise I’ll get you out of here alive so you can go back to your real life. It just might … take a while.”
I stare into his eyes, that I’m noticing for the first time are the most incredible shade of deep blue. The look on his face tells me he means what he’s saying. He intends to get me out of this. Alive. Nodding, I whisper, “Okay,” even though none of this is even close to being okay. We’restranded, and nobody knows where we are, and my sister is getting married in a few minutes, and I won’t be there. I’ll miss it, and there’s no way to get that moment back. I bury my face in my hands and let the tears flow.
A few moments later, I feel a blanket around my shoulders. It’s scratchy on my bare skin, but it’s warm and comforting. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I’m not normally such a wreck, but I’m afraid you’ve met me on the worst day of my life.”
“Well, that makes two of us.” He holds up an energy bar to me, his eyes filled with kindness. “Here, I heard you say you hadn’t eaten since yesterday.”
“Shouldn’t we save it? If we’re going to be stuck here?”
“You eat. The last thing I need is a hangry bridesmaid.” He gives me a half-grin, then opens the wrapper and places the chocolate-covered bar into my hand. I feel the warmth of his skin as he presses my fingers around it. “There’ll be plenty of food to find once the storm passes.”
“Really?”
“Yup. All these islands have fruit trees and I’ve got my fishing gear. You won’t starve.” He gestures with his head for me to eat the bar, so I take a bite.
The chocolate melts in my mouth as I chew, and I realize this might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. He offers me a tentative smile before disappearing into the back of the plane. Maybe he’s not such a jerk after all…
I manage to turn in my seat, even though my dress gets in the way. I crane my neck to see that he’s folding down a seat at the back. He opens a bin and takes out a pillow and blanket. He makes up a bed, then stands and walks back to the cockpit. “You might as well go have a nap.”
“Isn’t it a little early to go to sleep?” I ask.
“Time doesn’t matter right now. You’ve been through a lot. You should rest.”
The word ‘rest’ reminds me of how utterly exhausted I am. Sleep suddenly sounds so appealing to me, if only to escape this horrible day. “Okay, yeah, maybe I should.”
I stand up and squeeze past him in my stupid puffy dress, trying not to notice how tall he is next to me, or how good he smells—all crisp and clean like fresh linens drying outside on a sunny spring day. As I walk to the back of the plane, I realize I’m being selfish. “Wait. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep? You’re the one with the head injury.”
“I’m fine,” Mac says, shaking his head. “Besides, there’s no way I can sleep right now. I need to think.”
“Okay,” I say, lying down and pulling the blanket up to my neck. “I really am tired.”
“I’m sure you are. Get some sleep.”
I turn so I’m lying on my side, facing the back of the plane. I think about Tiffany in her wedding gown, waiting for me to show up so they can start the ceremony. I think about my parents and how disappointed they must be with each second that passes without me arriving. Silent tears slide down my face and into my hair. I’m missing it all and my mom was right about everything, including all those awful things she said about me. I’m also stranded with no way of letting them know where I am or how hard I tried to get there. I think about everything until my brain is overwhelmed and exhausted and I can’t think anymore.
I close my eyes, listening to the steady beat of the rain pounding on the plane and the gusts of wind that would threaten to tip over the aircraft if we weren’t wedged in the sand. Tears pour until the side of my head is soaked and I’m sure my mascara has made a black trail into my hair. Not that it matters. Nothing I thought mattered means anything. Not right now.
I curl up a little more under the blanket, hating that there’s nothing I can do to fix this. There’s no solution. Noplan that will get us off this island and get me to the wedding. All I can do is the one thing I hate more than anything—wait. Wait for the storm to stop. Wait for someone to notice Mac’s plane is missing. Wait to be rescued. Exhaustion takes over, edging out the grief I’m feeling. I allow it to whisk me off to some other place. Somewhere where I haven’t screwed everything up. Somewhere I’m safe and warm and happy. Somewhere far away from here.
9
Opposites Attract. Except When They Don’t…
Mac
Sitting in the cockpit,I pull out my first aid kit and tear open a pack with an alcohol wipe in it. The cut on my forehead stings when I clean it. Taking out some butterfly bandages, I close up the gash, then set to work collecting all of her makeup paraphernalia on the floor and under the seats. Good God, what a bunch of useless crap.
I close the case, then grab the Clive Cussler book I’ve got on the go and make my way to the first row of passenger seats. I sit and read for a few minutes, trying to ignore the trouble we’re in, but it’s no use. This is bad. So very fucking bad, I can’t even believe it. Not only is my plane toast, but the radio was fried before we landed, meaning there’s no signal to show a rescue crew where to find us. It could be weeks before someone spots us, which will mean weeks of Jack worrying about me. Weeks of his bill not being paid, and weeks for Violet to tell him the truth. “Shit,” I mutter under my breath.
I’m also stranded with literally the last person I’d everwant in this type of scenario—a very fragile, irritating, overly-emotional, completely irrational, and … and really beautiful woman.
