Chapter Twelve
Sienna understood the importance of basic bush survival skills, but she didn’t think it was fair that they had to learn them while being slow-roasted alive.
The air felt thick enough to chew, and the barely mid-morning sun was baking the clearing just beyond the lodge.
There was a wide patch of red earth hemmed in by mopane trees that offered little shade.
At least production had thought to set up a little shaded oasis under a canvas teepee.
Beneath it stood a long wooden table with a neat line of glass bottles.
There was sparkling water, homemade lemonade, and passionfruit iced tea.
Each pitcher was frosted and beaded with condensation.
A few woven loungers sat nearby, and a fan was set up behind them.
It was more than just a little luxurious.
Themba stepped into the center of the circle. His hat was tipped low to block out the glare, and his khaki shirt showed dark sweat stains spreading beneath the arms. “Out here, the bush has its own rules,” he said. “If you ever find yourself stranded, you’ll need to know how to survive.”
Vivian, who had been standing off to the side a minute ago, stepped forward to join Themba. Sienna had been entirely, almost painfully aware of her since they’d walked down to the clearing fifteen minutes ago.
“Which is exactly what you all will be doing today,” Vivian said.
She looked absolutely stunning in a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, jean shorts that flared to just above her knees, and a pair of dark aviators perched on her head.
She wasn’t sweating. She looked nowhere near as bothered by the heat as Sienna.
“You’re going to work through three stations.
” She held up three fingers and counted them down.
“Fire making, tracking, and navigation. Work together, learn something new, and whoever impresses Sienna the most…” She paused and glanced around the circle.
Her eyes met absolutely everyone’s except for Sienna’s.
Not that Sienna was overthinking it. Vivian was speaking to the contestants and therefore definitely not avoiding her.
Not that she cared. “Will win a one-on-one date with our bachelorette tomorrow evening.”
There were a handful of claps and cheers. Not exactly enthusiastic, but then again Sienna figured everyone was busy thinking about making fire when they already felt like they were on fire. She couldn’t blame them. Even her sunscreen felt like it was sweating.
Holly, who was standing beside Sienna, whispered in her ear, “How many times in your life have you ever been stranded in the bush?”
Sienna chuckled and then bit it back before anyone noticed she wasn’t paying attention to Themba’s speech about safety rules.
“Twice,” she said truthfully. “Once in Rwanda when the Jeep broke down in Akagera National Park, but that was only for a minute, and the second time in the Australian outback. Again, only for a minute, thanks to satellite and a very determined park ranger.”
Holly looked taken aback, but then she shook her head and stared at Sienna as if she should’ve expected it all along. “I should’ve known,” she said, smiling. “I’d love to hear all about it.”
“Well then,” Sienna said, smiling back. “I hope you impress me today.”
She was flirting. Definitely flirting. Finally, she was acting like the bachelorette on the hunt for love. Finally, she was doing what she came here to do.
“I’ll do my best,” Holly said.
Sienna winked.
Then her gaze drifted back to Themba, who was finishing the tail end of the safety briefing. “Never leave a fire unattended. Out here, even a small mistake can lead to disaster.”
Before she could help herself, she was staring at Vivian.
Their eyes met. Sienna wanted to hold on to her gaze.
She wanted to somehow teleport her thoughts into Vivian’s brain and apologize for the other night.
It was something she should’ve done yesterday, but the entire snake fiasco had conveniently distracted her.
And then she wanted to promise it wouldn’t happen ever again.
But then, suddenly, she didn’t want that.
Because she wasn’t sorry. She had wanted to kiss Vivian. The tequila wasn’t to blame. Yes, she could’ve gone about it better, maybe not stripped down to nothing, maybe not pounced on Vivian like a leopard on a duiker, though Vivian was probably more of a lithe, graceful nyala.
She stopped that thought just as quickly as it came.
She had to. She was finally getting back on track and back to focusing on the nine remaining contestants who were here for her.
She owed them her full attention, and the only way she could do that was to forget all about that kiss, and about the inconvenient, ridiculous crush she had on Vivian.
At least Themba started toward them, a hopeful distraction for now at least. “All right, ladies, we’ll divide into three groups.
” He pointed to Sienna, Marie, Nisha, and Lucille.
“You’ll all go together to the fire-making station.
” He gestured toward a small clearing beneath a blackened tree where a few stone circles had been laid out for practice fires.
“Matty will help you there,” he added, then pointed to the rest of the group and divided them into navigation and tracking.
“I usually prefer to stay away from fire,” Nisha said, wrinkling her nose.
She looked every inch an indoor person with her neatly pressed linen shorts, manicured nails, and skin that looked like it had never even sustained a mild sunburn.
But she was cute and thoughtful and Sienna wanted to get to know her a little better.
“You know that snakes are scared of fire, right?” Lucille said. “Maybe next time you find one in your tent, you can light a candle.”
Nisha pulled a face.
Marie laughed. “Or maybe you can sing to them. You’re a music teacher, right?”
“Therapist,” Nisha corrected. “I use music to help people regulate emotions, not reptiles.”
Marie tried not to laugh, but Sienna could see her lips twitch and the restraint on her face from keeping her shoulders from shaking. “Do you have many clients—”
“Okay, everyone,” Matty interrupted when they reached him.
“Fire making is a skill, and it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
You just need patience, focus, and a little technique.
” He crouched down at one of the small makeshift fire pits and picked up a handful of dry grass and twigs.
“First you’ll want to build a little nest,” he said, arranging them into a tiny teepee.
“Then you’ll strike the flint and direct the sparks toward the kindling.
Gently blow to feed the flame but be careful not to smother it. ”
“How do you know you’re not going to smother it?” Nisha asked, frowning.
“Give small bursts of air,” Matty said. “Not hurricane-level force. Now, find one of the stone circles and let’s get started.”
Sienna stepped forward, ready to take her place.
But then she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and momentarily froze.
Vivian stood just off to the side. She had her arms folded across her chest. Her aviators covered her eyes.
The lenses were so dark that Sienna couldn’t tell where Vivian was looking.
Not that she needed to guess. She could feel Vivian’s eyes on her, like lasers drilling holes into her skin.
And she would’ve been bothered by it if she wasn’t trying this new thing where she ignored the hot feeling in her chest whenever Vivian looked at her.
Which was why, when she reached her stone circle, she turned her back to the host.
It was better that way.
“Remember,” Matty said, weaving between them. “When you build your nest, it’s about airflow. Too tight, nothing catches. Too loose, it collapses.”
“If I knew we had to make fire to impress Sienna, I would’ve practiced at home,” Lucille said as she smiled over her stone circle. She already had a perfect little pyramid of sticks.
Sienna smiled back. She could absolutely forget all about Vivian and concentrate on these lovely ladies right in front of her. “I think you’re doing pretty well, actually,” she said.
“Well, I feel like we’re on an episode of Survivor,” Marie added. “All we have to do is win the reward challenge, and then we can head on over there and enjoy ourselves.” She flicked her head toward the refreshment station.
“Aren’t you enjoying yourself?” Nisha asked.
“Are you?” Marie shot back.
“Well, I am,” Sienna lied. She would rather get stuck in a thunderstorm than make a fire in the boiling heat. “I think it’s an important skill to learn. You never know when we might need it.”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, including Marie.
Sienna arranged her sticks carefully, angling each one like Matty had shown.
She lifted the flint, struck it against a piece of steel, and watched as a few embers shot out into the dried grass.
A puff of smoke suddenly billowed up, stinging her eyes.
She coughed, waved it off, and tried again.
The second round of sparks flickered along the sticks, and Sienna thought she had it.
Actually, she wished she’d had it because, honestly, those cold drinks were calling her name.
But then the tower of sticks wobbled and collapsed, a few falling close to the edge of the stone circle.
“Careful,” Vivian whispered behind her. She moved close enough that her shadow fell over Sienna’s shoulder. “We don’t want you setting the entire bush on fire.”
Sienna felt her face heat up. Her chest fluttered, and her hands started shaking as she tried to refocus.
“I think you should angle the sticks more,” Vivian said, stepping closer. “You don’t want them to collapse on themselves.”
Before Sienna could react, Vivian crouched beside her. She was so close that Sienna could smell sunblock and a perfume that was sweet and intoxicating. Then Vivian’s hand touched her back and brushed lightly against her blouse. Suddenly Sienna didn’t know if she was coming or going.
And then, without expecting it, without ever imagining it would happen, Vivian’s other hand reached for one of the sticks Sienna was holding. Their fingers met and lingered. They nearly melted together under the sun’s heat.
As if Vivian realized what she was doing, she yanked her hand back so fast it looked like she’d been burned. She was upright before Sienna could even glance over her shoulder. She was heading back to the lodge before Sienna could even process what had happened.
What had happened?
Whatever it was, the other contestants had noticed it too. Every single one of them was staring, including the ladies at the other stations. Sienna felt their eyes boring into her like a thousand tiny spotlights.
She cleared her throat and hoped she could somehow direct everyone’s attention away from whatever that was. “So, what if we can’t get the fire going?”