“It’s a generational curse,” Sienna added.
Vivian chuckled. “You make it sound hereditary.”
“It is,” Sienna said, entirely serious. “My mom fell into a koi pond at her sister’s wedding. My grandmother didn’t keep any glasses in the house because she was always breaking one. I’m just doing my best to carry on the family legacy.”
“Heroic,” Vivian said, smiling even though she didn’t want to smile. Why was she smiling? And why hadn’t she walked away to the dining hall ages ago? Elise was probably waiting for her, furious that she was taking her time.
Right. That was her cue to leave. To move. To remember that she was the host ofThe Sapphic Matchand not some doe-eyed contestant who’d entered the show for a chance at love.
She was just about to bid Sienna goodbye, but then Elise appeared on the deck above them. “Vivian!” she called. “Where the hell have you been? Oh, hi, Sienna. I see you managed to get a dress.”
Sienna smiled and nodded. “Fi helped me out.”
“Well, you should head inside for breakfast. We’re starting the first date soon and wouldn’t want you hungry.” She smiled as Sienna ascended the stairs to the main lodge deck and then gave Vivian the side-eye when she followed her up.
“You know, you really need to forgive me for last season,” Vivian said, though she couldn’t help smiling. Because honestly, she didn’t care if Elise forgave her or not. “And by the way, you look great in those shorts.” She winked.
Elise’s scowl could’ve curdled milk.
And just like that, Vivian forgot all about that little collision earlier. Or at least she pretended she did because, honestly, the palm of her hand was still hot where it had pressed up against Sienna’s side.
Chapter Six
Sienna was concentrating harder than she’d ever had to concentrate. The path Matty, who was Ndloveni’s top guide, had chosen wasn’t exactly the easiest route for a walk through the bushveld. The trail twisted through tall golden grass, skirted termite mounds, and wove through clusters of thorn trees. Small rocks and hidden roots jutted from the sand, and low-hanging branches threatened to swipe at anyone who wasn’t paying attention. Twice Sienna had nearly been hit in the head and had to duck so fast she felt her neck creak like a glow stick.
But that wasn’t the only difficulty she had to contend with this morning. For some reason, Vivian’s hand was still pressed against her side. Not literally, of course. It was more like a ghost of her hand was lingering way longer than it should have. Sienna wasn’t sure why, considering the collision had happened ages ago, before breakfast. Even the strong, slightly bitter rooibos tea, the buttery croissants still warm from the oven, and the perfectly scrambled eggs flecked with chives hadn’t been able to eliminate it. Nope. It was as if Vivian’s fingers were burned into her side.
At least the host hadn’t joined them on their walk. Sienna had no idea what she would’ve done if Vivian and her long legs were walking in front of her, looking out for wildlife. But then again, a fairly large part of her wished she were. A terribly confusing part. A part that was somehow disappointed when Vivian had said goodbye after her little introduction at the start of the walk. She had said, “Ladies, a bush walk isn’t just about spotting wildlife. It’s about noticing what’s around you, and sometimes what’s inside you. Pay attention, stay present, and you might just discover something unexpected.” And then she had left without so much as a glance in Sienna’s direction.
She couldn’t figure out why she was even disappointed. Vivian was the host. She wasn’t a contestant. She wasn’t out here vying for Sienna’s love. For all she knew, Vivian had a lovely boyfriend, or fiancé, or even husband. Although Sienna hadn’t seen a ring on her finger. She’d checked. And yet, somehow, Vivian was the one who kept touching her. She was the one who had burrowed herself into Sienna’s head. Which was fine.
All Sienna needed was one of these ten lovely ladies to do the same. But in order for that to happen, Sienna had to give them all her attention. Every last ounce. She turned to Dani, who was standing beside her and was just about to ask if she’d ever seen a leopard up close when Lucille pointed toward the horizon.
“Matty,” Lucille said, her voice shaky enough for Sienna to whip her head in the direction of her finger. “Umm… should we be worried about that?”
The sun had dipped behind a bank of dark clouds that smudged one half of the sky with bruised purples and slate grays. Sienna hadn’t even noticed them until now. Big, brooding cumulonimbus clouds growing bigger and bigger were like ink spilling across a page. But then again, she’d barely noticed the army of camera crew trailing them. There had been four operators weaving through the group and two drones hovering overhead this entire time.
Matty looked up. He had an olive-green bucket hat on his head and a rifle slung over his shoulder, which he’d reassured them would only be used in case of emergency. Dani had asked what kind of danger and had seemed almost disappointed when Matty had said not to worry because the lions and cheetahs weren’t anywhere near this side of the trail.
“Storms can roll in pretty quickly here,” he said, squinting despite the fact that the sun was completely lost behind the clouds. “Best to stay aware, but don’t worry; we’ll move to safer ground if it turns nasty.”
“Can you imagine a downpour while we’re walking?” Lara said, folding her arms over her chest like she was battling a chill. There was no chill. Just blazing heat that rose from the ground up.
“It sounds like a nightmare,” Sienna said, imagining how much harder it would be to run away from lightning if the rain made it impossible to see.
“Or romantic,” Imani said, looking all glossy-eyed at the approaching storm.
Sienna had a feeling Imani was the type of person to run outside at the first sign of rain. She also probably angled her camera and took a video of herself dancing in a downpour only to post it to Instagram with the caption “Chasing Clouds #Privileged.” But then again, Sienna wasn’t in any place to judge. Social media was her bread and butter.
“How many times have you watchedThe Notebook?” Lara asked, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “The moment Noah finally kissed Allie in the rain has to be the only truly romantic scene in any movie.”
“I don’t watch television,” Imani replied matter-of-factly.
Holly snort-laughed as she looped her leopard-print scarf around her neck. “That’s a lie. Everyone watches a bit of television.”
Imani shook her head and was just about to say something when Brooke suddenly screamed, “Look over there!”
Sienna whipped her head in the direction Brooke was pointing. The others did too. It took several blinks before she finally saw it. There was a lone rhino moving slowly through golden grass. It was enormous compared to the young knob thorn tree beside it. Its horn curved proudly forward, and every muscle under its thick grey skin flexed as it moved.
