“Waterresistant. It’s not a good idea to mess with it before the bleeding stops.”
“Thanks for the TED Talk.” She winced slightly at her tone. “Okay, fine. Carry me to the shore.”
Zack helped her hop back to the side of the boat, where she perched while he lowered himself back into the water. Then he wrapped one arm under her legs, placed the other behind her shoulders, and lifted her up with surprising ease. “I’ll come back for the boat,” he said as he trudged through the water. They reached the sand, and he lowered her carefully to the ground before running back into the water to tug the boat up onto the sand as well.
“Thank you,” Olivia said, examining her dry, injured foot.
“No problem. So now what?”
“Well, my phone still doesn’t have any reception, so I guess we have to head to the other side of the island.”
“You wait here. I’ll go.”
“I’m not sure that’ll work. There are only a few houses, and they’re kind of hidden in the woods. You’ll never find them when it’s this foggy.”
“Then I guess you’re getting another ride on the Zack Express.”
“Absolutely not. We’ll just find a stick for me to use as a crutch. I’ll be fine.”
With a sigh, Zack jogged over to the pile of mangled, wet wood and returned with a tall, jagged slab. Olivia took it gingerly from him and immediately felt at least three splinters pierce her skin.
“It’s fine,” she said, throwing it onto the sand. She hooked her arm through Zack’s and began to half limp, half hop down the beach. “See? No problem.”
He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
That’s when the first raindrops began to fall.
They hopped along in silence, thunder rolling in the distance. Olivia’s hip was starting to ache from the awkward movement, but she gritted her teeth and kept moving. There was no other option here, at least not one she would entertain.
“There should be a little footpath up ahead on the right. Turn there.”
A moment later, Zack veered to the right and began to trudge up a steep slope. She could feel him breathing heavily, but he never seemed to falter. “I think I can see a house,” he panted. “Do you know the people who live here?” he asked, pointing at the gray-shingled cottage nestled among the trees.
“Kind of. The family’s called the Varicks. I think they’re distant cousins of Bill’s.” She took Zack’s arm and resumed her hopping, bolstered by the knowledge that this would soon be all over. The rain was coming down hard, and the temperature seemed to have dropped fifteen degrees within minutes. She didn’t care about asking near-strangers for a favor at this point; all that mattered was finding somewhere dry and warm to rest.
“Wait here. You don’t need to bother with those stairs yet.”Zack bounded up the wooden steps that led to the front door and rapped a few times. He waited, then knocked again, and Olivia felt her heart sink. “It doesn’t seem like anyone’s home. Should we find somewhere to take shelter and wait for them to come back?”
“They’re not coming back,” Olivia said weakly. She felt like she might cry again. It’d be some kind of record for her.
“How do you know?”
“There’s no generator running. It’s too quiet.” She hadn’t noticed it at first with all the rain and wind, but now she was certain.
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no electricity on this island. It’s all run on generators. They buzz all summer—at least, once people open their houses, which the Varicks clearly haven’t.”
“So what now?” Zack asked, sounding truly weary for the first time.
“I’d say we’re stuck here.”
CHAPTER TENMarigold
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Hugo said, still staring agape from the doorway of his cottage. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“Neither did I. But it turns out we’re still married.” The words flew out before Marigold could stop them. So much for easing into this conversation.
“What are you talking about?”
