Page 54 of Reckless Girls
“Me, neither,” I say, but I’m not sure if I actually mean it.
Brittany looks back over at me, but before she can say anything else, there’s a shriek from the pool.
Amma is hanging upside down over Nico’s shoulder, her skin pale against his bronzed chest, her bikini bottom riding precariously low as Nico ducks underneath the water again, pulling her with him. I can feel Brittany’s eyes on me as we watch them horse around.
“Where’s Jake?” I ask when Eliza comes and sits next to us.
She gestures back through the jungle. “He forgot his stupid book, couldn’t possibly enjoy the afternoon without it, apparently. What were you two talking about?”
“Whether we could live here, on this island,” Brittany answers, pushing her sunglasses up her nose with one finger. “We decided we definitely couldn’t.”
“Same,” Eliza says, settling back on the sand. “Love a sunset, love a beach, but there’s so much of the world to see. And honestly, I’m starting to miss cities.” She takes a deep breath. “Not even a hint of exhaust fumes. How is a woman supposed to live on fresh air alone?”
Nico and Amma begin climbing out of the pool, and I watch from the corner of my eye as Nico drapes a towel over her shoulders.
“Where are you headed after this?” I ask, and Eliza shrugs.
“Not sure yet. Jake wants to go to Fiji, maybe Bora Bora, but I’m hoping I can convince him that Bangkok will be a nice change of pace from all these white-sand beaches.”
I feel a pang of envy. I’ll just be heading back to Maui, until Nico decides what we do next.
Eliza glances over and nudges me. “Wanna come with?”
I give a startled laugh even as the idea sends a flare of excitement through me. “To Bangkok?”
She nods, her blond hair coming loose from its sloppy topknot. “Why not? We like you, you’re fun. You clearly want to travel.”
“I do,” I say, and then there’s all the other stuff I should say, about how Nico and I have our own plans, but none of it comes out, not a word.
“Then come!” she says, and I look up to see Nico watching us as he scrubs at his sun-bleached hair with a towel. Did he overhear Eliza’s invitation?
And more important, did he hear me not turn it down?
IT’S EVENING BY THE TIMEwe make our way back to the beach, and as I look out at the lagoon, it takes me a second to realize something is missing.
There are only two boats at anchor now.
TheLast Dance with Mary Janeis gone.
Relief floods through me as I gesture toward the lagoon. “Guess he cleared out while we were gone?”
Nico squints out at the water, shading his eyes with one hand. “Guess so.”
“Thank sweet fuck,” Jake mutters, then grins at us. “I’d say that’s cause for celebration. Come over. Let’s pop some bottles, and toast to the end of that little fucker.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nico replies, his arm slipping around my waist.
It’s hot, both of us are sweaty, and I’m still thinking of him and Amma in the pool, his arms aroundher.I slide away from him.
He doesn’t say anything, but I feel his eyes on me as I climb into our dinghy, Brittany and Amma following.
The sun is slowly sinking below the horizon, and all of us are a little waterlogged as we come aboard theSusannah.
I’m the first to descend into the cabin, already craving a cold bottle of water from our tiny fridge.
But when I reach the bottom stair, something crunches underfoot.
There’s a bit of gray plastic under my shoe. It takes me a moment to process that it’s our radio—or rather, what’s left of the radio. Shattered plastic, bent metal, loose wiring.
