“I’m not,” Vivian replied. But she was. She was very, very surprised.
“You are,” Sienna said, studying Vivian’s face so intently that Vivian felt her cheeks heat up. Thank goodness for the low light. Not that she was prone to blushing. “Is it weird that I spent some time at a snake sanctuary?”
“I mean…” Vivian hesitated, because it was obvious. Yes, Sienna, it is weird. Why not spend your time volunteering at a cheetah sanctuary? At least they’re cute and fluffy. Instead, she said, “You don’t exactly have a great track record for avoiding accidents. I guess I’m just surprised to see you here. Alive.”
Sienna chuckled. It was quiet and soft, but yet somehow loud enough to make Vivian’s fingers tingle. “It probably wasn’t the smartest choice. Antivenom isn’t exactly easy to come by there. Which, by the way, I only found out on my last day after I’d helped handle a spitting cobra.”
A shiver ran right down Vivian’s spine straight to her toes. “You weren’t scared?”
“Of what? The snakes?” Sienna asked. Then she shook her head, her thick, wavy strands toppling over her shoulders. “People are actually way scarier than snakes.”
Sienna was right; the world was full of horrendous people doing horrendous things. Vivian opened her mouth to respond, but then someone behind them squealed. When Vivian lookedback over her shoulder, she saw a man holding a wriggling brown snake at arm’s length. Where were the tongs?
“That’s just a brown house snake,” Sienna said, smiling. “It’s completely harmless.”
The man walked past, and Sienna looked like she was actually going to reach out and start playing with it. “You know,” she said, tilting her head. “They’re surprisingly soft. They actually feel a little like satin. But you have to remember, if you do stroke them, you should always go in the direction of the scales. Otherwise, you can irritate them.”
Vivian had no intention of stroking a snake. Ever. But she nodded anyway and smiled because this woman standing in front of her was the same Sienna who had face-planted head first on the deck, who had tripped over her feet before breakfast, who had a run-in with hot stones, and yet somehow she was calm and confident talking about handling snakes as if it were as easy as handling puppies.
And then Vivian was hit with the memory of the other night, the very reason she’d been avoiding Sienna in the first place. She wanted to ask Sienna why she had kissed her. Was it just the alcohol? Would she have kissed any of the contestants if they’d walked her back to the tent?
Vivian wanted answers. But before she could get them, Nisha came barreling out of the darkness toward them. “Sienna,” she said, skidding straight into Sienna’s arms, nearly toppling her over. “Did you hear about the snake? It was in my bed. In myfuckingbed.”
Sienna wrapped her arms around the woman and stroked her hair. “Don’t worry, it was just a little brown house snake. They’re completely harmless and usually more scared of you than you are of them.” She caught Vivian’s gaze over Nisha’s shoulder and winked.
Then, one by one, the rest of the contestants appeared from the shadows. Holly and Dani rounded the corner first, their flashlights wobbling in the night. Followed by Marie and Brooke, both of whom were wearing black silk pajama sets.
“Was there really a snake in your tent?” Holly asked Nisha, who was still clutching onto Sienna. Except now she’d turned just enough to face everyone else while Sienna still had her arm wrapped around her waist.
“Inmybed,” Nisha said, her voice all trembly. “I didn’t even notice it until I climbed under the covers. Then it was right there. Looking at me.”
“That must’ve been so traumatizing for you,” Marie said sympathetically.
Holly nodded, looking equally morose. “And terrifying.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if that happened to me,” Brooke said.
“Me either,” Holly said. “I hate snakes. Not as much as spiders, but pretty close.”
Vivian felt herself shrink a little into the background. Then Lucille, Imani, and Lara showed up, all with terribly worried expressions on their faces. Soon, Vivian was practically invisible, lost behind the cluster of wide-eyed women whispering about snakes.
There wasn’t even a chance she’d catch Sienna’s eye again, but why would she? There was nothing more to say. The answers she wanted didn’t feel as urgent anymore. Sienna was the bachelorette. She had her flock of contestants around her, exactly where they should be, and that was it.
Vivian picked her moment. She slipped back toward the main lodge, letting the shadows swallow her. Tomorrow, she’d put this all behind her. She’d act as if nothing had happened. She’d let Sienna do what she came here to do: find love.
Chapter Twelve
Sienna understood the importance of basic bush survival skills, but she didn’t think it was fair that they had to learn them while being slow-roasted alive. The air felt thick enough to chew, and the barely mid-morning sun was baking the clearing just beyond the lodge. There was a wide patch of red earth hemmed in by mopane trees that offered little shade. At least production had thought to set up a little shaded oasis under a canvas teepee. Beneath it stood a long wooden table with a neat line of glass bottles. There was sparkling water, homemade lemonade, and passionfruit iced tea. Each pitcher was frosted and beaded with condensation. A few woven loungers sat nearby, and a fan was set up behind them. It was more than just a little luxurious.
Themba stepped into the center of the circle. His hat was tipped low to block out the glare, and his khaki shirt showed dark sweat stains spreading beneath the arms. “Out here, the bush has its own rules,” he said. “If you ever find yourself stranded, you’ll need to know how to survive.”
Vivian, who had been standing off to the side a minute ago, stepped forward to join Themba. Sienna had been entirely, almost painfully aware of her since they’d walked down to the clearing fifteen minutes ago.
“Which is exactly what you all will be doing today,” Vivian said. She looked absolutely stunning in a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, jean shorts that flared to just above her knees, and a pair of dark aviators perched on her head. She wasn’t sweating. She looked nowhere near as bothered by the heat as Sienna. “You’re going to work through three stations.” She held up three fingers and counted them down. “Fire making, tracking, and navigation. Work together, learnsomething new, and whoever impresses Sienna the most…” She paused and glanced around the circle. Her eyes met absolutely everyone’s except for Sienna’s. Not that Sienna was overthinking it. Vivian was speaking to the contestants and therefore definitely not avoiding her. Not that she cared. “Will win a one-on-one date with our bachelorette tomorrow evening.”
There were a handful of claps and cheers. Not exactly enthusiastic, but then again Sienna figured everyone was busy thinking about making fire when they already felt like they were on fire. She couldn’t blame them. Even her sunscreen felt like it was sweating.
Holly, who was standing beside Sienna, whispered in her ear, “How many times in your life have you ever been stranded in the bush?”
