Chapter Nine Olivia #2
“So where are we heading?”
“Land.”
Zack bit his lip. “Okay, I really don’t want to accidentally mansplain here… but aren’t we going the wrong way?”
“We’re too far from the mainland, and the current is pushing us away from Sandpiper Island. There’s a smaller island over there. There are a few cottages on it—we’ll find someone with a landline.”
“Got it,” Zack said, sounding impressed. “I didn’t realize I was out here with Captain Nemo.”
For a second, Olivia allowed herself to imagine what it would’ve been like to have Andrew on this expedition with her.
Would he have been similarly impressed by her nautical skills?
Would it have made him look at Olivia in a new light?
Then again, none of this would’ve happened had Andrew been with her—he would’ve never dropped the key in the water.
Or if he had, he would’ve dived in after it.
According to Instagram, he’d spent two weeks last year at an intensive free-diving workshop in Morocco.
They fell silent for a few minutes as Olivia found her paddling rhythm.
The current was more or less pushing them in the right direction, so she kept the paddle mostly on the port side.
The air grew misty as the sky darkened, and even the effort of rowing wasn’t enough to stave off the chill.
In the distance, thunder rumbled ominously.
“I’m sorry,” Zack said again, even more contrite than before. “I fully acknowledge that this is mostly my fault.”
“ ‘Mostly’?”
“Eighty percent, at least.”
“Any reasonable person would know that dangling a key over the water could lead to said key being lost. The outcome was foreseeable.”
“Great, I forgot that Captain Nemo also went to law school.”
“You didn’t forget. You bring up my ‘soul-sucking’ job every five minutes.”
“I’m sorry, I was being a dick. I just have a thing about smart, driven people devoting so much time and energy to making rich people richer. You’re a badass—think about what a force you’d be as a public defender or working for the ACLU.”
“And I just have a thing about lecturing people you barely know. Do you realize how na?ve and shortsighted you sound? Sure, I could be a public defender with two hundred cases at once, rolling up in court without any time to review the evidence, let alone craft a strategic plan, and eat instant ramen for dinner every night just in case I can’t get my loans forgiven.
Or I could work for a big firm, do tons of pro bono work, and make significant donations to causes I care about…
which, for your information, includes the ACLU. Now sit down. We’re almost there.”
Zack did as he was told, looking slightly chastened. “How can you tell?” The fog had grown so dense, they couldn’t see more than a few yards ahead of them.
“I can feel the bottom when I paddle. The water’s getting shallow. We’ll probably hit ground in about—” The boat lurched to the side as a scraping sound filled the air. “Oh, shit.”
“What just happened?”
“We hit a rock. It’s not safe to paddle any closer. We’ll have to tow in.”
“Tow in? With what?”
In answer, Olivia unlaced her sneakers, loosened the rope attached to the side of the boat, and slid down into the water. It was only about waist-high at this point, but cold enough to make her grimace.
“Hold on,” Zack called. “This doesn’t seem safe. Can’t we just stay in the boat and call for help? If we’re this close to the shore, won’t someone hear us?”
Olivia took a few careful steps, tugging the boat behind her. “There are only a few houses on the island, and they’re all on the other side. No one will hear us.”
“No one can hear you scream,” Zack muttered. “Cool, cool.”
Olivia kept one arm stretched out in front of her, feeling for rocks, and managed to keep walking until the pebbly mud beneath her feet turned to damp sand.
Up ahead, she could just see a narrow beach obscured by wisps of fog.
They were almost there. Eager to get out of the water, she sped up, then yelped as a jolt of pain shot up through her foot.
“Are you okay?” Zack shouted. “What happened?”
“Nothing, I’m fine. I just stepped on something sharp.”
“Get back into the boat. I’ll tug us in.”
“I said I’m fine.” Olivia took another step forward and winced. She looked down to see blood swirling in the murky shallows. “Okay, maybe I’m not.”
Zack slid into the water and waded toward her. Then, without a word, he placed his hands on her waist and hoisted her onto the side of the boat. “Let’s take a look,” he said, splashing her injured foot to clear away the mud. “Oh boy…”
Olivia crossed her leg and placed her foot in her lap, smearing blood on her shorts. The cut wasn’t wide, but it looked weirdly deep, and the amount of blood pouring out made her head spin.
“Don’t worry,” Zack said. “You’re going to be fine. Is there a first aid kit?”
“In the cabinet under the bench.”
Zack pulled out the white metal box, fished around for antiseptic and bandages, then came to help Olivia hop onto one of the seats. “Keep your foot elevated up here,” he said, rapping on the side of the boat. “I’m just going to clean the cut and then we’ll get it wrapped up.”
“I can do it,” Olivia said wearily.
“I have a better angle. Just relax; it’s all under control.”
Olivia watched as Zack expertly disinfected the cut—holding her ankle gently but firmly as she involuntarily jerked away from the sting—then wrapped it in a water-resistant bandage. “Not your first rodeo, huh?”
“I spent many summers as a camp counselor. You become an expert very quickly. Kids are walking medical emergencies.” He snapped the kit closed and placed it on the seat next to her. “Do you want to rest here a bit and I can go to shore to find help?”
Olivia shook her head. “We can’t leave the boat here. There’s nothing to use as a mooring—it’ll drift away.”
“Okay, no prob.” He turned in the direction of the beach. “It’s not that far. I can carry you.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Are you doubting my strength?”
Olivia looked him up and down. She’d initially objected because it felt awkward and overly dramatic. But now that he’d mentioned it, yes, it seemed unlikely that a skinny guy about his height would be able to carry her easily. “The bandage is waterproof. I’ll be fine.”
“Water resistant. It’s not a good idea to mess with it before the bleeding stops.”
“Thanks for the TED Talk.” She winced slightly at her tone. “Okay, fine. Carry me to the shore.”
Zack helped her hop back to the side of the boat, where she perched while he lowered himself back into the water.
Then he wrapped one arm under her legs, placed the other behind her shoulders, and lifted her up with surprising ease.
“I’ll come back for the boat,” he said as he trudged through the water.
They reached the sand, and he lowered her carefully to the ground before running back into the water to tug the boat up onto the sand as well.
“Thank you,” Olivia said, examining her dry, injured foot.
“No problem. So now what?”
“Well, my phone still doesn’t have any reception, so I guess we have to head to the other side of the island.”
“You wait here. I’ll go.”
“I’m not sure that’ll work. There are only a few houses, and they’re kind of hidden in the woods. You’ll never find them when it’s this foggy.”
“Then I guess you’re getting another ride on the Zack Express.”
“Absolutely not. We’ll just find a stick for me to use as a crutch. I’ll be fine.”
With a sigh, Zack jogged over to the pile of mangled, wet wood and returned with a tall, jagged slab. Olivia took it gingerly from him and immediately felt at least three splinters pierce her skin.
“It’s fine,” she said, throwing it onto the sand. She hooked her arm through Zack’s and began to half limp, half hop down the beach. “See? No problem.”
He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
That’s when the first raindrops began to fall.
They hopped along in silence, thunder rolling in the distance. Olivia’s hip was starting to ache from the awkward movement, but she gritted her teeth and kept moving. There was no other option here, at least not one she would entertain.
“There should be a little footpath up ahead on the right. Turn there.”
A moment later, Zack veered to the right and began to trudge up a steep slope.
She could feel him breathing heavily, but he never seemed to falter.
“I think I can see a house,” he panted. “Do you know the people who live here?” he asked, pointing at the gray-shingled cottage nestled among the trees.
“Kind of. The family’s called the Varicks.
I think they’re distant cousins of Bill’s.
” She took Zack’s arm and resumed her hopping, bolstered by the knowledge that this would soon be all over.
The rain was coming down hard, and the temperature seemed to have dropped fifteen degrees within minutes.
She didn’t care about asking near-strangers for a favor at this point; all that mattered was finding somewhere dry and warm to rest.
“Wait here. You don’t need to bother with those stairs yet.
” Zack bounded up the wooden steps that led to the front door and rapped a few times.
He waited, then knocked again, and Olivia felt her heart sink.
“It doesn’t seem like anyone’s home. Should we find somewhere to take shelter and wait for them to come back? ”
“They’re not coming back,” Olivia said weakly. She felt like she might cry again. It’d be some kind of record for her.
“How do you know?”
“There’s no generator running. It’s too quiet.” She hadn’t noticed it at first with all the rain and wind, but now she was certain.
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no electricity on this island. It’s all run on generators. They buzz all summer—at least, once people open their houses, which the Varicks clearly haven’t.”
“So what now?” Zack asked, sounding truly weary for the first time.
“I’d say we’re stuck here.”