Page 12 of The Sailor in Polynesia
Jonas laughed. “Ja. As many coconuts as you want.”
After so many weeks of being by myself constantly, it was a shock to be in the center of a close-knit group. Voices rose and people laughed. Marcella was the consummate hostess, popping up to get us anything we needed, and Eivind kept us laughing.
Elayna was quieter now, casting glances at Jonas. There was definitely something there, something in the way they interacted with each other that gave me a twinge of discomfort. Had something happened between them? Or was it just difficult crew dynamics? What would it be like to be a crew member who could be asked to leave the boat anytime?
After dinner, we stayed out in the cockpit, drinking. Since I’d been told to help myself to drinks, I went into the main salon and opened the fridge, looking for another beer. The drawer opened faster than I thought it would, and a husked green coconut rolled into view from the back.
I smiled to myself and grabbed a beer next to it.
* * *
Before I left, I said my goodbyes and hugged everyone good night.
Lila grabbed my elbow. “What time tomorrow for free diving?”
I held my arms out wide and shrugged.
She smirked. “Nothing on the agenda, huh?”
“Another day in paradise.”
Jonas drove me back toWelinaand held on to the rail for me. I stood up and offered him a hug.
He accepted it awkwardly, wrapping one long arm around me and accentuating how short I was compared to him.
When I pulled back, he blushed. “Sorry, about everything.”
“It’s okay. I mean, it’s kind of weird, but it’s okay. You know me really well, and I’m getting to know you.”
“Ja, I know.” He huffed a self-deprecating laugh, and I felt a little bad for him. He was nervous, and we all handle nervousness in our own ways.
“I like the part I’m getting to know, though,” I offered.
“Really?” He smiled shyly.
“Yeah.” I looked back over my shoulder atEik, all lit up in the darkness, the stars spread above her and laughter still echoing around. “Thank you for having me tonight. It was a lot of fun.”
“You are welcome.” Jonas offered me his hand and I gripped it, hoisting myself up to sit onWelina’s deck. Jonas might be a little awkward around me, but his grip was firm and strong. I liked it.
“Night, Jonas.”
“Good night, Mia.”
Five
The next morning, I woke up and lay in bed, listening to the soft noises of the boat sitting at anchor, willing myself to get up and make coffee. I cocked my head when I heard a soft little noise, a new noise, every time the boat rocked.
I got up to investigate, climbing out of the cockpit and looking at the starboard side. There, sitting on the deck between a stanchion and the toe rail, was a husked green coconut. This wasn’t a beautiful coconut, husked with a sharp machete into a pleasing shape, the idyllic drink served at a resort on a tropical beach. This was the rough-hewn bare nut of the coconut, which rolled gently from side to side on my deck, no flat bottom to keep it upright. The boat swayed, and I watched the coconut thunk against the stanchion.
When I looked up, I saw Jonas sitting in the cockpit ofEik. He raised his hand in a shy little wave. I was too far away to see his face, but I had no trouble imagining pink climbing his cheeks and a bashful smile on his lips.
Why was he giving me a coconut? Was this a gift from a fan, or something different? Something more... personal? I picked the coconut up and ran my fingers over the coarse husk. Jonas would have intended this to be a friendly gift, from neighbor to neighbor, surely. But it meant more to me.
It was a lot of work to prepare a coconut, and one of the things I’d fought over with Liam. He had complained that they were messy, they took up too much space, and they were too much work to get open. He’d never given me one, and here I had a man I barely knew who’d given me two already, just because he knew I liked them.
It felt a little like being pampered. Even with no one here, I ducked my head, blushing. Jonas didn’t know how much this sweet gesture meant to me, how it made my heart ache.
It’s just a coconut, Mia.
