Page 61 of The Sailor in Polynesia
“Yes, food trucks. Not vans.” He laughed at himself. “When you come back, I will take you out to dinner at the roulottes. You like poisson cru?”
“I love it.” The national dish, poisson cru, was served all over the islands: freshly caught fish soaked in lime juice and coconut milk. “Was it pretty good tonight?”
Jonas slipped down on the bed, lying on his side and propping his head up on his hand. “Very good. Fresh and cheap.”
“How’sWelina?”
“Good. It is too dark outside, or else I would show you, but she is happy to be next door to us.”
“What else have you been up to, other than the roulottes?”
Jonas gave me a look. “Mia, we have been bad.”
“How so?”
“We sat all day and used the internet. We did nothing else.”
I groaned and rolled my face into my pillow. “Iknow. I was absolutely glued to my phone in LAX. Having fast Wi-Fi is like a drug.” I peeked at him. “Were you actually working?”
He wiggled his head. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no.” He slid down even further, lying flat on his side, and I did the same. “Marcella has an interview this week,” he reminded me.
“Oh yeah. I would guess Tahiti would be a pretty easy place to leaveEik, right? Marcella can fly almost anywhere.”
“Ja.”
Jonas was silent for a moment, thinking.
“Are you happy or sad about it?” I asked him.
“I think... I am more sad. Marcella was a special catch for us. She is professional, and really easygoing. And I am worried about how our crew will do without her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” Jonas yawned. He shifted, getting more comfortable on the bed. “There is one other thing I have been doing.”
I raised an eyebrow and Jonas grinned sheepishly.
“I am always thinking about that kiss.”
A flush spread from my chest across my body. “I think about it too.”
His smile widened. “Ja?”
“Of course.” I rolled my eyes, a little uncomfortable with his enthusiasm, my feelings, and a little bit of nasty emotion in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t name.
“Mia,” he said gently. “It has been a long time since Liam, ja?”
“Yeah.”
He settled onto his side, resting his head in the crook of his arm. “Can we talk about him?”
My heart rate picked up and my stomach felt a little queasy. “What do you want to know?”
Jonas looked off camera and ran his fingers through his hair. “How bad did it get?”
“He didn’t hit me if that’s what you’re asking.”
Jonas audibly exhaled. “Okay.”
