16. A Lady’s Guide to Being an Evil Mastermind…
16
A Lady’s Guide to Being an Evil Mastermind…
Paige
Texts from Vivian to Paige:
Vivian
I had a look at the weather network and it showed a huge storm blew through the area you were in right after we were texting. I’m now in full panic mode and will be notifying the Coast Guard if I don’t hear back from you right away. So, if you’ve disappeared on purpose, please let me know because I’m about to launch the mother of all searches. Otherwise, hang on, my friend. Help is on the way.
Apparently, in order to launch the mother of all searches, the Coast Guard needs more to go on than a ‘tiny, sketchy plane with a super sexy but surly pilot about to take off for Azure Island.’ Seriously, can they not just figure it out? There’s got to be a plane missing from somewhere. And a pilot. I’m going public with this. See if I can force their hand.
Vivian’s Good Life Vlog
The video starts up to show Vivian sitting on her green sofa in her pajamas. Her eyebrows are knit together in concern. “Hey, my friends, it’s me. I was going to make a video showing you how to make the world’s creamiest hot chocolate, but I’m afraid I need your help today instead. You’ve all met my best friend in the whole world, Paige.”
A picture of Paige and Vivian smiling with their cheeks pressed together appears on the screen. “Well, I’m afraid something horrible has happened to her. Two days ago, Paige was on the way to Azure Island in the Benavente Islands for her sister’s wedding, only she never showed up. The last text from her was to me to tell me she had found a ride on a…” Vivian looks down at her phone. “… tiny, sketchy plane with a super sexy but surly pilot about to take off.
“There was a huge, fast-moving storm that blew through the islands right around the time she sent that text, and yesterday, I got a text from her sister, the bride, who told me she didn’t make it. I don’t have any information about the flight she was on or the pilot. No one does. And when I spoke with the airport authority in San Felipe, which is the town she flew out of, they had no record of a flight taking off at that time, which means it was most likely a private seaplane.” Vivian’s eyes fill with tears and her voice cracks as she says, “They said they couldn’t send out the Coast Guard to look for a plane that they don’t even know took off. But I know Paige, and she would never just disappear like this. Not without telling me. She’s the most responsible person I know, and she was determined to get to her sister’s wedding. If anyone out there has contacts on Santa Valentina Island and might be able to help me track down this plane or the pilot, please DM me right away. There’s a chance they crashed into the water, but it’s still early enough that, if they did, they could be alive.” Her chin quivers a bit, and she takes a deep breath, then adds, “Any information could be the difference between her getting home safely or … not. Please share this video with everyone you know. Please help me find Paige.”
Text Conversation Between Vivian and Daniela Chadwick (Paige’s mom, in case you forgot because her name has only been mentioned once, and while we’re on the subject, why don’t more books include this type of helpful info? I can’t be the only person to forget a character’s name when it’s rarely used…)
Vivian
Daniela, I know you may be under the impression that Paige never left New York, but I assure you she did. I’m afraid something has happened to her. I heard from her just as she was taking off in a charter flight and she believed she was on the way to the wedding. I’m flying to San Felipe first thing in the morning to file a missing persons report and to try to find the airplane she was on. I suggest you meet me there because I have a feeling the police will take the matter more seriously if Paige’s parents are there.
Daniela
You’re scaring me, Vivian. Are you positive she isn’t hiding out somewhere in New York?
Vivian
100% positive. There is no way she would disappear like this on purpose. She also has no reason to hide from me. Something is very wrong. I’m afraid she got caught up in that big storm that blew through the area right around the time I heard from her.
Daniela
We didn’t get a storm here, but we could see clouds in the distance when we were doing photos. You don’t think she could’ve been in a crash, do you?
Vivian
I honestly don’t know, but the fact that no one has heard from her in three days is making me believe something happened to her.
Daniela
Oh my God, now I’m panicking. Phillip and I will meet you there tomorrow. Send me what time you’ll be there.
Text from Vivian to Paige
Vivian
Just landed in San Felipe. I figured I can do more from here. I’m getting hundreds of DMs, but so far, no one has provided me with a match of the plane/pilot. Heading straight to the police station to file missing persons report. Your parents are meeting me there. Between the three of us, we’ll find you!
And Back to Our Heroine…
By the time Mac is back, I’ve got six different outfits laid out on the love seat, including my bridesmaid dress and a scuba suit I found in the closet. I’ve also taken my brightest red lipstick and drawn on some of the clothes to make it look like blood.
Mac walks in, his arms loaded up and a smile so wide it’s making his dimples pop. “We’re in luck. There was one can of paint—I’m pretty sure it’s the blue they used for the table.”
He sets the things he brought on the floor. When I hop over to take a look, Mac grabs a chair from the kitchen and sets it down in front of the pile. “Here, have a seat while I show you what I found.”
I do as he suggests, that warm feeling coming over me again.
He glances at the love seat, looking excited. “Wow! You’ve got some great outfits here. And … is that supposed to be blood?”
“Yes, it’s lipstick. I thought we’d go full-on spooky Hallowe’en. I didn’t do my bridesmaid dress because it’ll attract enough attention on its own,” I tell him, even though the truth is that I just couldn’t bring myself to draw on the dress. “And the scuba suit is too dark so it won’t show up,” I tell him. “I thought we’d find some coconuts for heads and I can draw faces on them. We’ll need some big sticks to hang the clothes on, and some fishing line to tie them up into trees. What did you find?”
“I found a tarp,” he says, pointing to the light grey canvas fabric. “I thought we could paint a message on it and I could run it up to the top of the mountain and hang it like a flag,” he says, as if zipping up the mountain is the easiest thing in the world to do .
“Oh, we could also use the extra sheets for that as well.”
“Good idea. In this case, more is more,” he says. “What if I find some big rocks and driftwood logs to spell out S.O.S. in a few locations? We can paint them blue so they’ll be more noticeable. At first, I was thinking about using palm fronds, but if a big wind kicks up, we might lose them.”
“Sounds perfect.”
He points to the door and says, “There’s an old oil drum out in the shed that we could use to start a fire. We can get it all set up with some wood and green leaves, and if we spot a plane or a boat, we can start it up. It’ll make a thick black smoke, which should attract attention.”
I grin at him, optimism coming over me in another delightful wave, then I snap my fingers. “I nearly forgot. We should flash any boats or planes we see with the mirrors from my makeup kit.”
He gets a goofy look on his face, and I know where his mind is going. “That’s a very smart plan. Especially if you’re the one flashing them.”
I give him an annoyed expression, trying not to laugh. “Yes, I’ll work the mirrors,” I say, then mutter, “Even though I’d say you’d attract more attention in a flashing contest.”
He gives me a hard look, then says, “You could not be more wrong about that.”
My heart patters a little, then I clear my throat. “I suppose it would be audience-dependent,” I tell him. “Anyway, I’d say we’ve got an excellent marketing strategy. Shall we get to work?”
“Yup.”
We start by preparing for the fire in the oil drum, which Mac set up far away from the cottage to keep the smell away. The rest of the morning is spent painting, making ‘attract-crows’ and flags. I make pancakes for lunch while Mac finishes creating the first S.O.S. sign just down the beach from the cottage. We eat in the lounge chairs, watching the waves roll in and talking about the next steps of our plan. We’ll wait for tomorrow for Mac to take the big flags to the top of the mountain, but after we eat, he’s going to take two of the attract-crows and walk down the beach to set them on different sides of the island.
As I take the last bite of my pancakes, I realize I feel … happy. Not just ‘make the most of it’ happy. But actually happy. We’ve not only managed to work together to come up with an industrious plan, but we’re also having fun. It’s flirty and silly and we can’t seem to stop looking at each other. If this were a real relationship, I’d call it the perfect one because we’re a team. But it’s not, and it’s crazy important for me to remember that.
Mac polishes off his pancakes, and sets his fork down on the plate. “Thanks, New York. That hit the spot.”
“Thank you, for all your hard work today.”
“No problem,” he says, standing and taking my plate. “I’ll wash up since you cooked.”
I stand and follow him inside. “No, I’ve got this. You have more important things to do.”
“You sure?”
Nodding, I say, “One-hundred percent. The most important thing is to advertise that we’re here.”
He stares at me for a second, and I’m not sure if he’s worried about me or a little disappointed that I still want to leave. My heart wants him to be disappointed, which is exactly the worst thing it could want right now.
Finally, he says, “Okay, I’ll get going then.”
He starts for the door, then turns back. “Hey, don’t overdo it while I’m gone, okay? Put your feet up and play some solitaire or have a nap or anything that lets you rest that ankle. Aside from getting rescued, that needs to be our top priority.”
I give him a flirty salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
As soon as the door closes behind him, I let out a happy sigh. “I kind of love that man,” I whisper. I don’t, obviously. But if I did, boy, would I ever love him.
After I wash up the dishes, I go outside to lay on the hammock, letting the lazy breeze off the water rock me slowly from side to side. It’s the hottest part of the day and my mind wanders to Mac, wondering where he is right now and when he’ll be back. As much as I wish I could do more, I know he’s right, and that my job is to heal up so I can be back to full strength quicker. The work we did today should give us an excellent shot at getting rescued. Now, all I can do is wait, which means for the first time in my adult life, I literally have nothing to do. Closing my eyes, I let myself doze off, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in years. I dream about Mac. We’re sitting across from each other at the kitchen table eating burgers and fries. He’s giving me that smile and I know when we finish eating, he’s going to take my hand and lead me to the bedroom, where we’ll kiss while we strip off each other’s clothes and then fall onto the bed together and make love all night. I’m hot and satisfied and completely happy in a way I have never been before.
A crack of thunder wakes me from my dream and my eyes fly open. I glance around to see some huge black clouds have moved in. Lightning flashes off-shore, telling me it’s time to go inside. I manage to hold the hammock steady while I get off, then limp back to the house. I stop for a second to gather Mac’s bedding, but some evil part of me stops me from doing it. Well, not evil so much as horny. If I leave them out here and they get soaked, I’ll have no choice but to offer for him to share the bed. The love seat is far too small for either of us to sleep on.
No, that would be wrong. To manipulate things in order to get Mac into bed. If a man did it, people would say he had no morals. Well, that he was manipulative, anyway, which is true. I can’t. I need to pick up his things before they get soaked. Oh, there’s the first few drops of rain. It’s now or never.
Come on, hands, pick up his pillow and blanket. Do it now. It’s the right thing to do.
But my hands aren’t cooperating. They want to press themselves against every inch of his hard body instead. And now the rest of my body is going along with the idea because I’m hopping right past the lounge chair and into the house. I shut the door behind me, my heart pounding wildly at what I’m doing.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror over the love seat.
Oh, Paige Chadwick, you wicked, wicked woman. You are going to have the best time of your entire life.