“I think we have plenty,” he says.
I glance at the fish and crabs. “Definitely.”
I went days without eating after the snakebite—long enough to feel it. Clothes looser. Body weaker. Out here, that’s not something you can afford.
Dane nudges one of the crabs back into the bucket before it can make another break for it.
“Maybe we cook a couple of eggs too, if Pearl and Coral have been generous.”
I look up at him. “Two?”
We never eat like this.
A faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. “I think the extra food will help you heal faster.”
I can’t remember a single time he’s cared about my health. But I’m not arguing.
“Two eggs it is.”
Chapter 8
Dane Gallagher
One of thenets has another tear. I sit near the fire pit with it across my knee, working a strip of palm cord through the gap and pulling the weave tight. The rhythm comes easy—loop, pull, knot.
A few strands of hair fall into my eyes. I blow them away and keep going. Two stitches later, they drop back down. This time they stick to my forehead before sliding into my line of sight.
I shove them back and keep working.
The tear starts to close after another knot. The cord bites into my fingers as I pull it tight.
Then the hair falls again.
“Fuck.”
I drag my fingers through it, tucking it behind my ear. It holds for a few seconds. Then, as soon as I reach for the next section, it slips loose again.
“Your hair’s too long.”
I don’t look up. “It’s fine.”
Another knot, and the strands fall forward again.
Charlotte snorts from somewhere near the shelter. “It’s halfway down your neck.”
I pull the cord tight before answering. “Just sharpened the knives. I’ll cut it later.”
That’s how I’ve always handled it—grab a blade and hack off whatever is in the way. Not pretty, but it gets the job done.
“I could cut it for you.”
My hands stop mid-stitch, and I glance over my shoulder.
Charlotte’s sitting on one of the flat stones, one knee pulled up, watching me work.
“I got pretty good at cutting Ryan’s.”
The memory comes to mind—Ryan sitting on a rock while Charlotte stood behind him with scissors, hair falling as he tried to tell her how to do it. Of course, she did what she wanted anyway.
