Page 24 of Uncharted

“I know... I know... Same.” Sam’s lip trembles. “Calvin?” Sam pulls him into an embrace. “I’ve thought about you a lot over the last weeks, months—every time I try to track down a problem and another one appears. What would Calvin do? That’s what I say to myself. I guess I’ve been talking to myself, or rather to all of you. No volleyballs, though, but a heck of a lot of chattering at Penny.” Sam gives Calvin a slap on the back. “I’m really glad to see you.” His lips purse, and I really think he might cry.

“Easton.” He gives him a quick hug. “Good thinking with the jacket.”

“That was Haley’s idea.” Easton points his thumb at me.

“Of course it was.” His smile takes over his face. He turns to Dante. “Good to see you, Chef.”

“Sam.” Dante stresses his name. “I’m glad to see you too.”

“I brought your knives.”

Dante can definitely be bought—a smile breaks out over his face. At the same time, the clouds break and part overhead and a beam of sunlight shines on the lids of several boxes in the tender. He slaps Sam on the back. And I wish they would start to unload those boxes because, right now, all eyes are on me and it’s too much. Too much. I want to run into the jungle and find Pepper. Sit in a tree and hide away from all of them.

“Haley.” He steps closer to give me a hug. I don’t think he’s trying to kiss me, but I turn my head away quickly. A brief hug. I don’t want to make this weirder than it will be. My toes curl in the sand. He’s alive and here, and that’s an awful lot. The rest can be worked out later.

“I’m glad you’re here, Captain.” I swallow and take a step backward.

His eyes cloud over. “Yes, me too.” He takes his own step backward. “Let’s get the supplies unloaded and talk about things. I’ve got a ton of questions for you, and I’m sure you have the same for me.” He’s looking mostly at Calvin, but then he glances back at me.

“Right.” Zane takes the largest black tote off the inflatable. “Damn, this is like the best Christmas morning ever. It’s like you’re Father Christmas.”

“Want help with it?” Easton asks.

“No. It’s light for its size,” Zane says.

“Blankets and things. I only brought necessities for now. I don’t think we can all live on the ship.”

“Water?” Calvin asks.

“Yeah, and weight. I’ve got a collision patch on. One that I’m anxious to have you take a look at.”

Calvin nods. “Me too. How’d it happen?”

“When I got thrown on the reef. It’s not big. But any hole is big enough.”

Calvin grunts.

I’m watching them banter and I’m so confused. I step around Calvin to go to the tender. He moves his hand back, and it brushes mine. It’s not much, just a little touch. But I see Sam’s eyes dart down and back up. I freeze, just for a second, then I shake it off, going to the tender. There’s six or seven of the smaller boxes, the type the provisioner sends us perishables in. I stack two of them. They, however, are a lot heavier than I thought they would be.

“Careful, that’s glass.” Sam looks up from where he’s talking with Calvin still. I can’t hear them, but I assume they’re talking about the mechanics of the Rock Candy.

I nod and put one back. I don’t need to be a hero around here. I’m not trying to prove anything. I follow Zane up the trail to the shelter.

Dante and Easton are right behind me. They’re carrying the largest of the boxes together.

“What’s in that one?” Zane asks. He really is excited.

“I don’t know,” I reply.

“Well, open it.”

I unlatch the salmon pink plastic box. There are six bottles: four bottles of hard alcohol and two of red wine. And Sam grabbed the good stuff. Wrapped in a dish towel is a bottle opener and two wine glasses. I laugh. But then I pull the dish towel to my nose and breathe in. It’s a little musty, but it’s clean and I want to rub it all over my body.

“You’re a drug addict now? Addicted to huffing laundry—I would never have guessed.” Sam’s warm chuckle fills me, and when I look up at him, his laugh lines around his eyes are firing and I want to throw my arms around his neck and give him a real hug this time. I shake it off, temper myself.

“Wine glasses are a necessity?” I smile, holding one up.

“I tucked a few frivolous things into the boxes. I figured we needed a toast. But six glasses seemed like too much.” His lip twists sideways. That’s when he looks up. “Whoa.” He touches the bark on the tree and then moves around the kitchen space. The posts are up to finish closing it off. I want to keep animals out—well, other than Pepper.

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