Page 91 of Adrift

I hand her her bowl. She’s the last to eat, but she definitely has the best of the lot.

I saved her some of the bananas. Did I spend extra time picking her seeds out? Yes. Did I put the seeds from her bowl into Easton’s? Also yes. I take the plastic cover off the top. I’ve got a few small pieces of plastic I’m keeping, all from the emergency supply kit. They were used as dividers to keep the fishing gear separate. Calvin has come up with another system, leaving the bags for me. They’re a blessing. There’re all kinds of bugs on the beach. Hopefully, we won’t have to fall back on bugs for protein. We still have some boar this morning, and the jerky from the first day is holding on okay in the dry bag. Damn, we could use a few more of those. I checked it this morning, and none of it is ruined.

“I’m going to go collect some palm fronds after breakfast.” Haley looks up from her bowl.

“Oh.” I have to wonder what Calvin and Zane are doing.

“I’m feeling a lot better. Did you notice I didn’t use my crutch to cross the beach?” Haley smiles.

I nod and shake my head to the side.

“What? You know, when you don’t talk, it makes me anxious. I can go into the jungle and get some fronds.”

“Calvin has the hatchet.”

“Right.” Her shoulders dip.

“But I’m sure you could convince him to give it to you.”

Now it’s her turn to cock her head and give me a sassy look. “That thing’s attached to him.”

“So were you last night.” Immediately, I know it’s the wrong thing to say. Her neck bends, and she’s digging in the sand with her toes. “Oh no you don’t. Don’t you regret what happened. I’m just a jealous bear, wishing it was my hand in your honey?—”

“Ew. Stop right there. You... You’re jealous?” Haley’s shoulders rise.

I have to laugh. “You have no idea how much.”

“Oh.” She nods, not looking up from her food.

“Are you okay?”

She sucks in her lips. “It’s a lot, you know. All of this is a lot.” She motions around the beach.

“I get it.” I want to pick her up, sit down on the big log, and put her in my lap.

“I’m sorry we woke you up last night.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t wake me up sooner.”

“Oh.” Her sweet tone rings. “How are you feeling?”

She’s changing the subject. But I’m not having it. “Left out.”

Her laugh is one that could cut a guy if he didn’t have as much confidence as me. Did I set out to share a woman with three other dudes? No. Not something I would have thought I was into. But there’s something about Haley. I’m not going to let her go. Hell, I was into her when I thought she and the captain were hooking up.

My stomach thuds. The captain.

I sit on the log next to her, and she turns her blushed cheeks to me. “Left out?”

“Yup.”

“Oh.”

“‘Oh’ as in good, you want me in the mix next time, or ‘oh, no thank you’?”

“I . . . I like you, Dante.”

I wait for the but. It doesn’t come.

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