Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“From sand?”
“I don’t know!” I say as I throw my arms in the air. “You gotta figure something out! You can’t just show up here with a plane and tell me it’s not flyable anymore!”
“It’s not flyable anymore,” he says, breaking it to me not-so-gently.
I drop my head, take a few deep breaths, and then look up at him with my shoulders sagging. What’s one more disappointment on a pile of disappointments? This whole experience has been a giant shit sandwich anyway, so might as well pile on some more! A plane with no gas? Why not! Pile it on!
“How did you end up here?” he asks after a long moment.
“That’s… personal,” I say as I step back and cross my arms.
“Were you in a plane crash or a shipwreck?”
Geez, this guy doesn’t know when to quit.
“What part of personal do you not understand, buddy?” I say as I fix him with my sternest glare.
He puts his hands up and then looks around with a sigh. “I guess we’re both stuck here now.”
“No, no,” I say as I wave my hands at him. “This is my island. I was here first.”
He just stares at me.
“You have to find another island to live on,” I add when he doesn’t leave. “I think there’s one that way.”
I point to the ocean. He looks at where I’m pointing and then looks back at me with a blank stare.
“Like I said,” he repeats in a voice that’s struggling to remain calm, “we’re both stuck here now. Together.”
He can’t stay here! I like to swim topless, and sing as loud as I can, and go to the bathroom without having perverts in the bushes watching me. I can’t do all of that with him here!
“No, no, no, no,” I say in a panic as reality comes crashing down on me. “You can’t stay here.”
“I don’t think I have much of a choice.”
I jump back and grab my pointy spear stick off the ground and aim it at him menacingly.
“The choice is to leave now or die,” I say as I glare at him. I hope I’m looking like a scary badass because I’m totally bluffing on the inside.
He takes off his sunglasses, tucks them into his back pocket, and locks eyes with me as he slowly walks forward until the tip of my stick is pressing into his chest.
“Last chance,” I warn him in a shaky voice. “One thrust and I’ll pierce your heart.”
He grabs the stick and holds my gaze. “This is driftwood,” he says in a calm deep voice. “It’s as brittle as a breadstick.”
I gulp when he pulls the stick into him and it easily snaps in the middle.
It falls harmlessly to the ground as my cheeks blush wildly.
“I was bluffing,” I blurt out.
He smiles that sexy smile. “I figured.”
I drop the rest of the stick, take a deep breath, and shrug as I look at him with a forced smile. “So, should I show you around our island then?”
He nods as those smoldering brown eyes make me very aware of my own heartbeat.
“That would be wonderful, thanks.”
I guess there’s nothing I can do except show my new roommate this beautiful lonely little island.
After the tour, I’ll eat another granola bar.
Um, maybe two.
CHAPTER THREE
Wendy
* * *
“So, this is where I sleep,” I say as I show him my pitiful accommodations. It’s just a bunch of dead leaves piled on a large flat rock. I’ve gotten used to it by now but seeing it through his eyes, I’m realizing all over again just how pathetic it really is.
“That’s your bed?” he asks as he stares at it with his brow furrowed.
“Yeah, and don’t think about stealing it.”
I don’t think he’s thinking about stealing it.
“What do you do when it rains?”
“Yeah, good question,” I say, nodding with my hand on my chin. “I get soaked. It’s horrible.”
“Hmmm,” he says as he looks around.
I frown as I stare at him. What, does he think he can do better? I’d like to see him try!
“I have a big tarp in the plane,” he says as he surveys the surrounding trees. “It was covering my grandfather’s plane in storage and I just tossed it into the back. There’s rope in there too. I can hang it up on these branches and we’ll have a large tent.”
My mouth drops as I watch him point it out. No more nights tucked in the fetal position while a waterfall of cold rain crashes down on me? I think I love this guy.
“I can take out the two rows of seats in the back,” he says as he runs a hand through his hair. Oooh, I like when he does that. His arm gets all flexy. “We can use them as beds. They’re not perfect but…”
They sound pretty perfect to me. Anything to get me off that hard rock ground.