Not that she had time to wonder where Vivian was, or how she’d disappeared without her noticing, because Holly was suddenly at her side; so too were Carla and Brooke.
“How was your flight?” Holly asked.
“As good as any international flight can be,” Sienna said. “Long and tiring, but thank goodness for eye masks and neck pillows.”
“Have you ever been to South Africa before?” Carla wanted to know as she flicked her golden blonde hair off her shiny tanned shoulder.
“Nope,” Sienna answered. “This is my first time.” She wasn’t going to say that she’d done some extensive traveling to other countries in Africa. She’d seen the red dunes in Namibia, stood under the mist curling off Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, sat two feet away from three lowland gorillas in Rwanda, and had her Jeep break down in the middle of a salt pan in Botswana.
She had wanted to visit South Africa; it was on her bucket list, and she was going to, but that was around the time travel had become less of a joy and more of a job. She had found that she wasn’t just traveling and writing about it anymore. Instead, it seemed she was producing a product.
Besides, that type of detailed information was reserved for one-on-one dates when she needed something interesting to fill the awkward silences. Especially since there were bound to be awkward silences.
“Well, you’ll have to come back,” Brooke said. “There’s so much to see beyond the game reserve. The beaches are to die for. Cape Town is probably one of the best cities ever, and then you should do a road trip to the Garden Route.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sienna said, smiling as warmly as the heat that was currently causing friction between her thighs. Fi had suggested rubbing Vaseline on her skin between her legs. You know, to counter the whole chafing situation. Sienna had laughed it off. Now she wished she hadn’t.
“And the food,” Carla added. “Don’t even get me started on the food. Have you ever heard of Woolworths?”
“I haven’t,” Sienna said, shaking her head. She wondered if Vivian had ever heard of Woolworths and then stopped herself immediately. “Are you all seasoned travelers?”
“Not me,” Holly said. “This is actually my first time out of the US.”
There was a collective gasp from Carla and Brooke, who stared at Holly like she was one of the elephants out on safari.
“Well, congratulations,” Sienna said quickly, though she wasn’t entirely sure if congratulations were appropriate. Those were usually reserved for births, weddings, or other major life milestones, not for braving an international flight. Still, Holly looked pleased with herself, and Sienna would never burst anyone’s bubble.
“I can’t even remember the first time I went on an overseas—” Brooke started.
But the sentence abruptly died on her lips when someone from the far edge of the boma screamed, “HIPPOS!”
Sienna flinched.
Half of the contestants rushed off toward the viewing deck just beyond the boma, but Sienna didn’t want to rush off anywhere because rushing meant she’d probably trip over something. Which meant she’d either break a finger or add another scar to her forehead. So she took her time. Just as she turned toward the river, a guttural grumble rolled over the water. Then another, and another. By the time Sienna reached the deck, she could see the hippos as their slick backs rose and dipped like small islands in the faint moonlight.
“Did you know that hippos can’t actually swim or float? Their bones are too dense. Instead, they just walk along the riverbed and bounce up for air,” said a voice beside her, smooth and close enough to make her skin prickle.
Sienna glanced to her right and gulped for air. Vivian was leaning against the railing, one hand draped over it, andthe other holding a glass of bubbles. Her blonde hair looked silver in the rising moonlight, and then Sienna, who had no idea why, found herself wishing Vivian were one of the contestants instead.
“I… I didn’t know that,” Sienna stammered, her cheeks on fire.
Vivian smiled. “Well, now you do.”
Chapter Five
Vivian wasn’t exactly ready for day two considering she hardly slept last night. It wasn’t the noise that had kept her up, but rather the absence of it. There were no car horns or distant barking dogs. There was no Mikey, the quirky man from the street who would come storming into the lobby singing Piano Man just for the hell of it. Eric, the concierge of Vivian’s low-rise in Hancock Park, would bribe him to leave with Kit Kat candy bars.
Just silence. Except, of course, for every time a lion roared or a hyena laughed, she shot up in bed, ready to fight for her life.
Yawning, she picked up her cup of coffee, touched the rim to her lips, and breathed in the delicious aroma while she stared ahead. The view from her deck was gorgeous. Morning light spilled like syrup across the acacia-studded plains. A herd of impalas grazed near the bank and a small group of zebras stood huddled together a short distance away. If she squinted, she could just make out the graceful bounds of several springboks zigzagging across the grass. But better than the view was the temperature. A comfortable sixty-eight degrees.
On her lap sat her iPad. The screen glowed with the itinerary for the day. The contestants were all expected to attend breakfast in the main dining area, followed by a guided bush walk along the riverbank. Vivian was to join them for the start of it to say something vaguely profound about connection to the earth before reporting back to production to go through the schedule for the rest of the day.
Sometimes, though not often, she felt a little prickle of jealousy when it came to the activities. Last season thecontestants had gone grape stomping, which was an activity she had always fancied doing. Instead, she had to watch them from the sidelines, fake-smiling like she enjoyed seeing them have fun. Maybe Elise would allow her to go on the game drive at least. Surely she had some critical insight to offer about the ladies gazing through binoculars, searching for elusive leopards. Either way, she wasn’t above groveling.
And then she caught herself. Just yesterday she had frowned at the thought of dust and heat, and mosquitoes. She’d shuddered every time the lions roared like thunder just beyond the fence line. Didn’t a game drive involve all those things?
So, what had changed? Nothing, she told herself, ignoring the strange buzz in her stomach like she’d somehow swallowed a handful of bees. But the buzz didn’t go away. Even with the coffee. Even after she’d taken a deep inhale. Which is why she was grateful when a knock echoed through her villa.
