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She let herself fall back, her arms wide next to her body like a starfish.
He beamed at her as he said, “Yes. It was perfect.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jack slappedReed on his back as he turned the palm leaf package with the miniature fish on the hot coals.
“Smells good, man,” Jack said.
“I’m so happy we get to eat tonight,” Adela said as she sat down next to Zane, who weaved another palm tree frond for their second hut on the beach forty feet away from their initial hut.
“Too bad that last fish jumped from my hook,” Zane said. “It was such a big fucker. I could already taste him.”
Reed laughed. “He took one look at your face and jumped right back into the ocean.”
Zane snorted as he kept weaving the palm tree frond.
Jack sat down next to Adela and stared into the flames. As the sun was about to set, the temperature finally got enjoyable. The late afternoons and the early mornings were deceptively nice at their little beach camp.
If he’d focused solely on his friends talking shit around the campfire, and the warm glow on the beach of the sun setting over the ocean while Adela leaned her head against his shoulder as dinner was about to be served; he could almost fool himself into believing they were vacationing in paradise.
There were too many things wrong in this picture, though. Camilla and Dominic were yet to return from their trip with the girls’ suitcases. They were supposed to return today at its latest. If Dominic and Camilla wouldn’t show up soon, they would have to split up and search for them.
Rodrigo and Gabriel had also left camp yesterday, but they had said nothing about staying the night somewhere else. He’d talked to Reed and Zane this morning about the twins and if they should search for them. They’d given them also one more day before sending out a search party.
Such a bullshit thing to think about, but for the first time since they got stranded, he actually missed his phone. Jack wasn’t big on calling someone and filling them in on the latest. He texted if he had something to say. And his messages were always short and to the point.
Here, he would text Rodrigo and Gabriel something like:where the fuck are you?
Reed pulled out the small package from the coals and opened it.
“Okay, I think it’s done,” Reed said while probing his finger into the tiny fish that easily flaked apart.
Jack’s stomach grumbled while his mouth watered. Reed divided the fish into four minuscule pieces and handed each of them a palm leave with a piece of fish.
“It looks amazing, Reed. Thank you for preparing this for us,” Adela said. She was the only one who’d reminded her manners since Zane and Jack had already devoured their piece of fish in three bites.
He hungrily eyed Adela’s palm leave, which was still filled with fish. He hoped they would find more sources of protein soon. Jack sighed and took a sip of the boiled lake water to fill his stomach.
Adela moaned around her first bite. “Mmm. Where did you learn to cook fish this good?”
Reed pushed out a few fish bones between his lips and spat them into the bucket made of palm leaves beside him. For a minute, Jack questioned if his friend would answer Adela. Jack knew that boating and fishing was a sore subject for him.
“My pops,” Reed grumbled.
Adela glanced at Jack, probably searching for a sign if she should change the topic.
“The only thing that bastard did right in his life was showing me how to sail and fish, and how to gut and cook the fish.”
Reed huffed a sarcastic laugh. “Come to think of it; his sailing lessons proved shit since we turned turtle on the ocean. But at least we can feed ourselves if the fish keep biting.”
“I take it you weren’t close with your father?” Adela asked. Jack held his breath. Normally, if anyone even breached the subject, Reed would flip his shit.
“You guessed right. Let’s talk about something else. I guess you’ve learned a thing or two about fishing while you lived on a sailboat with your parents?”
Adela folded her empty leaf and nodded. “Yes. Maybe we can go together tomorrow and see who can pull out the most fish? I was actually pretty good.”
“Oh, really?” The signature twinkle in Reed’s eyes returned.
