“How’s everyone doing?”
“Ready for our beach day, Captain!” Harry says enthusiastically. Could Caleb’s timing be any worse?
I glare at him, noticing everyone’s attention fall on him as if he’s about to deliver a prophecy. It’s amazing how easily he commands a room. He could probably tell the Warren’s to scrub the decks with their own toothbrushes and get away with it.
He catches my gaze for a brief second before turning back to Arthur.
“Right. I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Caleb announces somberly. “The swell on the north side of the island is looking pretty big—not ideal for a safe drop. We could wait a few hours for it to die down, but we might miss our tide window and lose our anchorage tonight at Mamanuca Island.”
“We’re not missing Mamanuca. We’re already booked in for lunch ashore tomorrow,” says Arthur. Apparently, the only thing worse than skipping one activity is missing two.
“Of course,” Caleb placates him. “In that case, I’d suggest we scratch the picnic today. We can have a nice grill on the stern deck, if you’d like. Pull out the Sea Bobs again.”
“Please, spare me,” Patricia scoffs.
“Isn’t there somewhere else on the island we could dock, Caleb?” Harry steps in.
“Unfortunately, no. Nothing we could access safely.“
“What about Stella’s island?” Harry suggests instead, and pinch myself to keep from squealing. “What did you say it was called, Stella? Narara?”
Caleb nods.
“The island’s not far from here. We could certainly try it,” he says. Am I dreaming? Is Caleb actually doing somethinghelpful?
“Last I checked there’s a dock on the Southside, so we wouldn’t have to beach the tender to get ashore.”
I take a long sip of my tea and try not to look so excited. For the first time since I arrived, Caleb isn’t actively working against me. But if he catches a whiff of my hopefulness, Captain dream-crusher might change his mind.
Arthur considers this for a moment, then asks, “Do we even know if they’ll let us in? We don’t have a reservation.”
Patricia rolls her eyes.
“For Christ’s sake Arthur, it’s a conservation center, not the Palmilla. I doubt they have a long waitlist.”
“I can make a call and find out,” Caleb offers. “Stella, did you say you know someone there?”
“Her name’s Joanna—I met her at Cloud Nine. She told me to drop by anytime.”
All of us look to Patricia: therealcaptain of this expedition. At least, the one who decides whether my plan sinks or floats. My jaw tightens in anticipation before she lets out a long sigh.
“Fine. Make the call.”
I nearly squeal in excitement—did Caleb’s advicework?—but I stop myself. Showing actual emotion amongst the Warrens, if not actually illegal, is probably grounds for immediate keel-hauling.
“As thrilling as this little expedition sounds, I think I’ll stayhere and watch for pirates,” Matthew complains as Caleb trots back up the stairs to radio the island.
“You certainly will not,” says Patricia. “It’s not my first choice, either, but this is a family vacation. Not one of your debauchery runs in Tenerife.”
“C’mon, Matty,” Steven elbows him. “It’s not like we have anything better to do.”
It’s clear from Matthew’s expression that he can think ofmanybetter things to do. Not the least of which includes drowning himself in a bottle of Glenlivet on the back deck.
“Don’t worry,” Harry tells his brother, “I’m sure they’ll have a gift shop you can waste Dad’s money in if you get bored.”
A few minutes later, Caleb comes down to give us the green light. I’m so excited I could almost cry. My plan is actually working! I mentally thank whatever mythical sea gods decided to pull up a swell today as we all load into the tender and set off for Narara. Not even Caleb’s perfectly carved forearms and Heathcliff-level tragic expression can distract me today. Operation Un-Grinch is officially in effect.
But there’s still one problem… Jules. She hasn’t so much as looked at me since I went off on her last night. I try to make eye-contact with her once we pile into the tender, but she manages to avoid me without making it obvious. I’m just going to have to sit this one out for a few more hours. Jules is usually quick to forgive, but I saw how much our fight affected her. This might take more than a good night’s sleep to smooth over.
