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When I entered the tiny room, there were huge water containers lined out. I didn’t question Charlotte when she instructed me to lift one and bring it to the stall that had a standing shower. However, I got an idea of what was happening when I spotted a contraption that seemed to have been built onto the shower head.
She told me to put the huge container on a raised platform, which I was able to reach without the stepping ladder she brought out. She had to use the ladder to get high enough to fiddle with the strange-looking contraption. I watched her closely, ready to step in if she stumbled because I didn't like the way she balanced on one foot.
When she stepped down, I glanced at her with amusement because her excitement was so obvious.
“Check this out,” she said, pulling a lever. The bottle tilted with a slight screeching sound that indicated the makeshift shower had been up for a while. Water cascaded through the shower head.
I laughed. “Wow. Very innovative.”
“I know, right? It'll have to be quick and it won’t be warm but enjoy your shower, Jamie. Happy birthday.”
Shaking my head as I eyed the setup, I chuckled. “Thanks. Did you invent this?”
“No. A coworker who has since retired did. I miss Keanu, he reminded me so much of my dad, always resourceful.” There was a wistful note in her voice. “I didn’t work with him long since I’ve only been here for a few months, but I learned a lot from him.”
I was curious about her father because of the sad look she had when she mentioned him but her expression quickly brightened.
“I see. The setup is impressive, but you should go first. Then I’ll mount another bottle for myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. You need to get off your feet so go ahead and take the first shower.”
“Alright. Thanks. Do you mind bringing me the clothes we found? We can spare another bottle to rinse the mud off these.” She looked down at her soiled pants and T-shirt.
“Sure.”
As I went to fetch the garments we’d luckily found, I thought about how Charlotte would be mere feet away from me, naked. “Christ,” I muttered, trying like hell to keep my lascivious thoughts at bay.
It was quiet and dark, with the exception of the battery-operated lantern that sat in the middle of the room. It provided enough light for Charlotte and me to at least see each other. She sat on a sleeping bag mere inches from me, leaning against the wall. Her still-swollen foot was propped up on a pillow. I leaned on the wall as well, staring through the window across the room—not that I could see much in the black night. Even the moon and stars were hiding from the bad weather it seemed.
The storm raged outside, its fury unleashed on the cabin. The wind and rain battered so hard against the log structure that I feared it would crumble. I looked up each time the roof reverberated with each howling gust, expecting our shelter to be torn away.
Charlotte chuckled. “Don’t worry too much. It may not look like it but this little cabin is sturdy. It has stood firm against full-blown hurricanes.”
“It sounds so crazy outside it’s hard to believe that it’s just a tropical storm. I’d hate to be here for a high-category hurricane.”
Charlotte shrugged as if she was accustomed to weathering storms. I gazed at her for a moment, wondering if I should pry into her life. Perhaps it was best if I didn’t learn too much about her. It might make it easier to ignore my attraction to her. However, my curiosity got the better of me.
“Where are you from, Charlotte?”
She glanced at me. “A small town called Golden Beach in Oregon.”
“What brought you to Hawaii?”
Her eyebrows rose slowly. “Are you bored, Jamie?”
“Why?”
“Because you want to talk. You weren’t interested in talking last night.”
I was sure she could see my sheepish expression in the semi-darkness. “About that…” I sighed. “Look, Charlotte, I was feeling out of sorts and… I’m sorry that I snapped at you.”
She just nodded and went on to stare ahead without a word as if she wasn’t interested in further conversation. The longer I watched her, the more the urge to make things right grew. She deserved honesty, but should I do this? Make my feelings known? I felt like I was betraying Lincoln… again. I already kissed Charlotte but being alone with her like this, I couldn’t ignore the temptation, so I gave in.
“You were right. I am into you.”
When her eyes snapped to my face, I almost winced because I sounded like a high schooler. While relationships have never been my thing, I dated—and hung out with—plenty of women, and I was usually smoother than this.
