Sienna chuckled and then bit it back before anyone noticed she wasn’t paying attention to Themba’s speech about safety rules. “Twice,” she said truthfully. “Once in Rwanda when the Jeep broke down in Akagera National Park, but that was only for a minute, and the second time in the Australian outback. Again, only for a minute, thanks to satellite and a very determined park ranger.”
Holly looked taken aback, but then she shook her head and stared at Sienna as if she should’ve expected it all along. “I should’ve known,” she said, smiling. “I’d love to hear all about it.”
“Well then,” Sienna said, smiling back. “I hope you impress me today.”
She was flirting. Definitely flirting. Finally, she was acting like the bachelorette on the hunt for love. Finally, she was doing what she came here to do.
“I’ll do my best,” Holly said.
Sienna winked.
Then her gaze drifted back to Themba, who was finishing the tail end of the safety briefing. “Never leave a fire unattended. Out here, even a small mistake can lead to disaster.”
Before she could help herself, she was staring at Vivian. Their eyes met. Sienna wanted to hold on to her gaze. She wanted to somehow teleport her thoughts into Vivian’s brain and apologize for the other night. It was something she should’ve done yesterday, but the entire snake fiasco had conveniently distracted her. And then she wanted to promise it wouldn’t happen ever again. But then, suddenly, she didn’t want that.
Because she wasn’t sorry. She had wanted to kiss Vivian. The tequila wasn’t to blame. Yes, she could’ve gone about it better, maybe not stripped down to nothing, maybe not pounced on Vivian like a leopard on a duiker, though Vivian was probably more of a lithe, graceful nyala.
She stopped that thought just as quickly as it came. She had to. She was finally getting back on track and back to focusing on the nine remaining contestants who were here for her. She owed them her full attention, and the only way she could do that was to forget all about that kiss, and about the inconvenient, ridiculous crush she had on Vivian.
At least Themba started toward them, a hopeful distraction for now at least. “All right, ladies, we’ll divide into three groups.” He pointed to Sienna, Marie, Nisha, and Lucille. “You’ll all go together to the fire-making station.” He gestured toward a small clearing beneath a blackened tree where a few stone circles had been laid out for practice fires. “Matty will help you there,” he added, then pointed to the rest of the group and divided them into navigation and tracking.
“I usually prefer to stay away from fire,” Nisha said, wrinkling her nose. She looked every inch an indoor person with her neatly pressed linen shorts, manicured nails, and skin thatlooked like it had never even sustained a mild sunburn. But she was cute and thoughtful and Sienna wanted to get to know her a little better.
“You know that snakes are scared of fire, right?” Lucille said. “Maybe next time you find one in your tent, you can light a candle.”
Nisha pulled a face.
Marie laughed. “Or maybe you can sing to them. You’re a music teacher, right?”
“Therapist,” Nisha corrected. “I use music to help people regulate emotions, not reptiles.”
Marie tried not to laugh, but Sienna could see her lips twitch and the restraint on her face from keeping her shoulders from shaking. “Do you have many clients—”
“Okay, everyone,” Matty interrupted when they reached him. “Fire making is a skill, and it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it. You just need patience, focus, and a little technique.” He crouched down at one of the small makeshift fire pits and picked up a handful of dry grass and twigs. “First you’ll want to build a little nest,” he said, arranging them into a tiny teepee. “Then you’ll strike the flint and direct the sparks toward the kindling. Gently blow to feed the flame but be careful not to smother it.”
“How do you know you’re not going to smother it?” Nisha asked, frowning.
“Give small bursts of air,” Matty said. “Not hurricane-level force. Now, find one of the stone circles and let’s get started.”
Sienna stepped forward, ready to take her place. But then she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and momentarily froze. Vivian stood just off to the side. She had her arms folded across her chest. Her aviators covered her eyes. The lenses were so dark that Sienna couldn’t tell where Vivian waslooking. Not that she needed to guess. She could feel Vivian’s eyes on her, like lasers drilling holes into her skin. And she would’ve been bothered by it if she wasn’t trying this new thing where she ignored the hot feeling in her chest whenever Vivian looked at her. Which was why, when she reached her stone circle, she turned her back to the host.
It was better that way.
“Remember,” Matty said, weaving between them. “When you build your nest, it’s about airflow. Too tight, nothing catches. Too loose, it collapses.”
“If I knew we had to make fire to impress Sienna, I would’ve practiced at home,” Lucille said as she smiled over her stone circle. She already had a perfect little pyramid of sticks.
Sienna smiled back. She could absolutely forget all about Vivian and concentrate on these lovely ladies right in front of her. “I think you’re doing pretty well, actually,” she said.
“Well, I feel like we’re on an episode ofSurvivor,” Marie added. “All we have to do is win the reward challenge, and then we can head on over there and enjoy ourselves.” She flicked her head toward the refreshment station.
“Aren’t you enjoying yourself?” Nisha asked.
“Are you?” Marie shot back.
“Well, I am,” Sienna lied. She would rather get stuck in a thunderstorm than make a fire in the boiling heat. “I think it’s an important skill to learn. You never know when we might need it.”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, including Marie.
