warning look.
Avery turned to the beer drinkers. They were grown men. Many of them were tattooed with pictures of fish, or possibly their mothers. But they looked down into their beers as if there was something urgent to be seen there.
Kyra lowered her camera to glare at Troy.
“Seriously?” Nicole asked. “Not one of you is willing to tell us who lives on that island?”
There were shrugs. Large boat-shoe-covered feet shuffled.
“Good God,” Avery said. “I really can’t believe this.”
“They could have at least given us fair warning,” Nicole added.
“Sorry, ladies,” Troy said, his tone making it clear he wasn’t. “But we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, now would we?”
Chapter Five
Maddie felt a little bit like George Washington crossing the Delaware sitting in the bow of the boat. Except for all the luggage piled around them. And the motor. And the life-vest-jacketed grandchild in her lap.
She only hoped they weren’t headed to war.
Dustin’s dark curls blew in the breeze. The sky’s blue paled in comparison to the turquoise water. Pulled cotton clouds hovered high above them. He laughed happily. The network camera crew paced them in a small boat, which Anthony drove so that Troy could shoot. His camera moved occasionally but it always came back to Daniel Deranian’s golden child. Kyra had her video camera on her shoulder and was shooting the receding marina, the birds wheeling in the sky, the approaching mangrove-shrouded island, Captain Hudson Power at the wheel, along with everyone’s reactions. Maddie could see the wariness in all of their faces as they waited to see the house they’d be working on and the person or persons who owned it.
Avery looked decidedly pained as the marina faded behind them into the distance. “I can’t believe we’re going to be working on an island.”
“It definitely presents a few unexpected logistical challenges,” Deirdre said.
“No shit,” Avery said. “I thought the worst part was going to be finding workmen and materials. It never occurred to me I was going to have to worry about how to get them on and off the work site.”
“Well, people must be used to that here. You’re probably not even allowed to live here if you don’t own a boat,” Maddie pointed out. “I think it’s kind of cool. Maybe they just drive their boats over and park . . . I mean, dock.”
“Yeah, unless they’ve all hung out their Gone Fishin’ signs,” Avery said.
“I can’t wait to see whose island it is,” Nicole said. “You have to have money to own an entire island. I kind of wish I hadn’t turned down Joe’s offer of a list of possible candidates. Maybe the owner is lonely and single and just waiting for me to find him a spouse.”
“Maybe the owner is antisocial and hiding from the spouse he already has,” Deirdre said. “You don’t usually decide to live on an island if you don’t like to be alone.”
The network camera tilted up to what Maddie assumed was her face. Her newly layered hair whipped around, stinging her cheeks, a feeling she liked but which would undoubtedly leave her looking like Medusa. Nicole had her scarf, Avery’s hair was short, and Deirdre’s wouldn’t dare budge even out on the water. Kyra’s long dark hair was twisted in a knot at the back of her neck and she was doing everything she could to block Troy’s shots of Dustin. Maddie sighed. She wasn’t sure how big the island was. She only hoped it would be big enough for the both of them.
As seen from the marina, the northern side of the island was bordered by an almost impenetrable wall of mangroves and what Maddie thought were sea grape trees—at least, they had the same broad round leaves that she remembered from Bella Flora. Rounding the island, a line of tall, skinny palms arrowed toward a half-moon of white sand beach bisected by a sphere-shaped tidal pool where seagulls and other small birds chased after food on matchstick legs.
Slightly
Avery turned to the beer drinkers. They were grown men. Many of them were tattooed with pictures of fish, or possibly their mothers. But they looked down into their beers as if there was something urgent to be seen there.
Kyra lowered her camera to glare at Troy.
“Seriously?” Nicole asked. “Not one of you is willing to tell us who lives on that island?”
There were shrugs. Large boat-shoe-covered feet shuffled.
“Good God,” Avery said. “I really can’t believe this.”
“They could have at least given us fair warning,” Nicole added.
“Sorry, ladies,” Troy said, his tone making it clear he wasn’t. “But we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, now would we?”
Chapter Five
Maddie felt a little bit like George Washington crossing the Delaware sitting in the bow of the boat. Except for all the luggage piled around them. And the motor. And the life-vest-jacketed grandchild in her lap.
She only hoped they weren’t headed to war.
Dustin’s dark curls blew in the breeze. The sky’s blue paled in comparison to the turquoise water. Pulled cotton clouds hovered high above them. He laughed happily. The network camera crew paced them in a small boat, which Anthony drove so that Troy could shoot. His camera moved occasionally but it always came back to Daniel Deranian’s golden child. Kyra had her video camera on her shoulder and was shooting the receding marina, the birds wheeling in the sky, the approaching mangrove-shrouded island, Captain Hudson Power at the wheel, along with everyone’s reactions. Maddie could see the wariness in all of their faces as they waited to see the house they’d be working on and the person or persons who owned it.
Avery looked decidedly pained as the marina faded behind them into the distance. “I can’t believe we’re going to be working on an island.”
“It definitely presents a few unexpected logistical challenges,” Deirdre said.
“No shit,” Avery said. “I thought the worst part was going to be finding workmen and materials. It never occurred to me I was going to have to worry about how to get them on and off the work site.”
“Well, people must be used to that here. You’re probably not even allowed to live here if you don’t own a boat,” Maddie pointed out. “I think it’s kind of cool. Maybe they just drive their boats over and park . . . I mean, dock.”
“Yeah, unless they’ve all hung out their Gone Fishin’ signs,” Avery said.
“I can’t wait to see whose island it is,” Nicole said. “You have to have money to own an entire island. I kind of wish I hadn’t turned down Joe’s offer of a list of possible candidates. Maybe the owner is lonely and single and just waiting for me to find him a spouse.”
“Maybe the owner is antisocial and hiding from the spouse he already has,” Deirdre said. “You don’t usually decide to live on an island if you don’t like to be alone.”
The network camera tilted up to what Maddie assumed was her face. Her newly layered hair whipped around, stinging her cheeks, a feeling she liked but which would undoubtedly leave her looking like Medusa. Nicole had her scarf, Avery’s hair was short, and Deirdre’s wouldn’t dare budge even out on the water. Kyra’s long dark hair was twisted in a knot at the back of her neck and she was doing everything she could to block Troy’s shots of Dustin. Maddie sighed. She wasn’t sure how big the island was. She only hoped it would be big enough for the both of them.
As seen from the marina, the northern side of the island was bordered by an almost impenetrable wall of mangroves and what Maddie thought were sea grape trees—at least, they had the same broad round leaves that she remembered from Bella Flora. Rounding the island, a line of tall, skinny palms arrowed toward a half-moon of white sand beach bisected by a sphere-shaped tidal pool where seagulls and other small birds chased after food on matchstick legs.
Slightly
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