20. Gaaahhhh!!!!
20
Gaaahhhh!!!!
Paige
As soon as the door shuts, I let out a long exhale. I’ve been a completely wound-up mess since early this morning, when we almost did what I really, really want to do. I have no idea who got things started. All I know is I was sleeping, then I was kissing him and rubbing up against him and moaning and hoping like I’ve never hoped for anything in my life. I was what my grandmother would call a ‘wanton hussy.’ Desperate. Needy. Not caring a fig about the future. I didn’t fully wake up until he told me to go back to sleep, and even then, I was still in a fog of lust, still in a dream world of my own making. But as soon as the door closed, it hit me. That was all actually happening. And oh, the crushing disappointment of stopping. It was like … worse than season eight of Game of Thrones . All that build up for nothing.
I laid there, listening to him shower, the entire time willing him to come back and get into bed with me. But he didn’t. He’s too busy trying to do the right thing, which is so irritating, when all I want to do is get busy.
I stand up and make my way to the sink to wash the dishes. As soon as I plunge my hands into the warm, soapy water, I realize how much I miss Vivian. If only I could talk to her about what’s going on between Mac and me—to tell her all about him and about how mixed up I am. But I can’t. I have to just suck it up and pretend like nothing happened, knowing that he wants me and I want him but he’s not going to let us give in to our more primal instincts because I’m a long-term relationship girl and he’s a just-for-now guy.
After I finish the dishes, I plug my phone in to charge it, in the off chance that there will be a signal here at the cottage. Then I go outside with the book Mac lent me. I spot his bedding laid out to dry and immediately know he’s planning to sleep outside again tonight. A wave of disappointment comes over me, even though I know it’s for my own good.
Laying down in the hammock, I realize it’s already hot out and I’m grateful for the breeze off the water and the shade of the palms. I open the book to distract myself from thinking about Mac, but instead of reading it, I give it a big whiff, catching his scent on the pages. Sighing, I lay back and close my eyes, dreaming about him coming back to find me here. In my fantasy, he tells me he’s falling for me and he’s rethinking his ‘one and done’ rule. He kisses me everywhere and soon, we’re both completely nude doing all the things I’m aching to do.
But that’s not going to happen. He’ll be gone all day, getting done what needs to be done, and when he gets back, we’re going to carry on as though we’re just survival buddies, and nothing more .
I spend the next few hours reading and dozing and dreaming about him, then go back into the house to try my phone. There’s no signal, and my phone is eerily silent without all those notifications that typically come in every few minutes to keep me engaged in my job. I stare at it, wondering what is happening at my office. Does Guy assume I’m dead? Has he replaced me already? I could totally see him doing that. The thought is like a punch to the gut.
And what about everyone I love? Do they think I’m dead at the bottom of the sea? I shake off the thought, knowing that dwelling on it won’t change anything. Opening my messages, I re-read my last texts with Vivian, wondering if she’s figured out that I’m missing. I’m sure she has. She’s probably all over it, and any minute now, the Coast Guard will arrive.
I type her a message, knowing it won’t get to her before I’m rescued. But part of me just needs to reach out to my bestie.
Me
Hey girlie, I hope you’re all right. I wish I could tell you that I’m fine because I’m sure you’re worried. You might even think the worst has happened, but I’m alive. I’m also in love. Yup, with the super-sexy, surly pilot. He’s actually quite wonderful. I sprained my ankle and cut my knee really badly a few days ago, and he bandaged me up and carried me down a freaking mountain. He’s smart and witty and caring, and just so manly. He knows how to do all the survival things and he’s crazy strong (like honestly, the body on him is a knuckle-biting sight). He told me I’m beautiful and he likes my voice. He said it’s strong and smooth, which is a pretty great compliment, no? He also said I’ve got curves for days and it would be a shame if I lost them. A real shame. He also said I’m a good person and I deserve to be happy, and that the only thing wrong with me is that I think there’s something wrong with me. So, yeah, I’ve fallen for him. How could I not? The problem is, he’s never going to fall in love with me. All that to say, I apologize in advance for the hot mess I’m going to be when I get home. Because I will be a. HOT. MESS. Possibly forever. But I will come home, I promise. Love you. Miss you tons. Wish you were here.
Mac gets back to the house long after sunset, looking exhausted. Since I already ate, I reheat some spaghetti in the pot with a little water to steam it while he takes a shower. His bedding dried out and there’s no sign of rain in the air this evening. I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that our night of sharing a bed is going to be a ‘one and done’ thing, just like his trip down the aisle.
By the time he comes out of the bathroom, I’ve got his plate waiting, along with a regular iced tea. No booze tonight for either of us. I need to keep my head on straight so I don’t make a total fool of myself.
“Thanks, Paige. This looks amazing,” he says, settling himself at the table.
“How’d it go today?”
“Good.” He nods while he twirls the noodles onto his fork. “I made it all the way to the northeast corner of the island. I set up the other dummies and made a new S.O.S. sign with some logs. On one of them, I painted ‘stranded on southwest part of island.’ It’s only a matter of time before someone sees one of the things we set out.” He pops the forkful into his mouth and chews, then swallows. “My guess is the signs on the top of the mountain are our best bet, but, if they’re passing by on a boat, those dummies will definitely attract attention.”
I smile at him, a sense of pride coming over me. “I hope so.”
“I know so. You really came up with some creative ways to get us noticed,” he says, having a sip of iced tea. “It’s impressive.”
“Nah, anyone would’ve thought of those things.”
He shakes his head. “Nope. I disagree. You’ve got talent, Paige. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.”
Rather than argue with him, I simply say, “Thank you,” then I bank that sweet little compliment for a future text to Vivian.
“So, that’s all we can do,” he says. “Now, we just wait.”
I let out a long exhale. “I am so bad at that.”
He snorts. “Same here. Not exactly my strong suit.”
“We’ll just have to find ways to keep ourselves occupied,” I say, looking down at the table to avoid making eye contact with him. The eye contact would totally give the game away. But without it, I could be making an innocent comment—one I would make if I were, in fact, stranded here with a group of women.
“Yup, we will,” he answers in a low tone.
I glance up at him, but he’s not looking at me. Instead, he’s focused on his dinner. “We’ll need to start catching fish so we can have some protein. I thought we could make coconut milk for our oatmeal, too. It’s not easy if you don’t have a blender, but it’ll be worth the effort. We should also forage for fruit so we can conserve the food in the cupboard.”
“Definitely,” I say with a bright smile, even though his idea of how to keep ourselves occupied is about as far from what I had in mind as possible. Glancing around, my eyes land on the boardgames and the deck of cards on the coffee table. “And maybe we can play some cards in the evenings.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’m a bit of a mean poker player,” I tell him.
“Are you?” he asks, his lips curving up into a sexy smile.
“No, but I thought that would sound cool.”
He laughs, then says, “It did.”
“Did it?”
“Oh yeah. Very cool. I was almost intimidated there for a second.”
Dammit, now we’re having fun and flirting again, which we definitely shouldn’t do, should we?
MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD …
Email to: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: PAIGE IS MISSING. PLEASE HELP.
Dear Guy,
My name is Vivian Whitlock. I am Paige Chadwick’s roommate and best friend. I need your help. I have called your office several times but have not been put through to you and I’m not sure if you have gotten my messages.
Paige has gone missing and I’m afraid something very bad has happened to her. If I had to guess, I’d say she may have been in a plane crash somewhere over the Benavente Islands. I have flown to San Felipe to try to engage the police and/or a search and rescue team, but I’m afraid they are not taking me seriously, as there is no evidence of her having been on a plane and no one has reported a missing airplane/pilot.
I believe that the best way to apply pressure will be to get as much publicity around her disappearance as possible, and I cannot think of someone more equipped to handle this than you.
Please call or email me as soon as possible so we can start working together and bring Paige home.
Regards,
Vivian
P.S. My phone number is 212-555-5678
Email to: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: PAIGE IS MISSING. PLEASE HELP.
Dear Paige,
Thank you so much for your email. To say I’m alarmed would be an understatement. Paige is vital to the operations here at Prescott Marketing and Ad Solutions. I will call you in exactly three hours and twenty-two minutes, when I will have time to sit down and talk through some options. I am copying Lyle Federer on our communications, as he will be your point man on this once you and I have spoken.
Yours,
Guy
Vivian’s Good Life Vlog
The video starts with Vivian standing on a palm-tree lined street in front of a two-story Spanish colonial-style building. It’s evening and she’s dressed in a pink and orange sun dress and woven sandals. “Hi, my friends, Vivian here. I never thought I’d find myself here in the Caribbean under such circumstances. It’s been four days since I last heard from Paige Chadwick, my best friend in the entire world. She was en route in a small charter plane to her sister’s wedding on Azure Island, which is an island that belongs to the Benaventes, but she didn’t show up. I’ve spent hours on the phone with various people at the airport authority here, but no one seems to know about the flight.”
The sound of a car honking nearby interrupts the video, and Vivian looks up at it, then back at the camera. “Paige’s mom and dad will be meeting me here at the police station in a few minutes, and we’ll be filing a missing persons report. Again, if anyone has any information about a small—and I’m guessing older—plane that is unaccounted for, or has a friend who is a pilot who has such a plane that you haven’t heard from for a few days, please DM me. We need to get the word out about Paige. And we need to act fast or we may not find her before it’s too late.”
THE NEXT DAY
Email to: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Operation Find Paige
Dear Vivian,
It was great to Zoom with you. Guy appreciated your insights and thoughts on this matter. I am reaching out to a list of our biggest celebrity clients in hopes that one of them will agree to put out a video on our behalf. This is a complicated and largely political process, so there is a chance we’ll strike out .
Back to you ASAP,
Lyle
P.S. Let me know if you’d be interested in going for a drink sometime. Obviously when you’re back from the Caribbean.
THE NEXT DAY
Email to: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Great News!
Dear Vivian,
I’ve managed to rope Li’l Rhythm into making a video. I’m currently en route to the hospital with a small film crew. If you have any information about the plane/pilot that we can share, now is the time to send it.
Yours,
Lyle
P.S. Let me know about that drink, okay? I’d like to book somewhere special which could take some time.
Email to: [email protected]
From: [email protected] m
Subject: RE: Great News!
Wow! That’s amazing. Please thank Li’l Rhythm for me and tell him that he was by far Paige’s favorite client. No word yet on the pilot or plane. It’s like this guy didn’t exist.
With gratitude,
Vivian
P.S. No clue when I’ll be back so I wouldn’t be comfortable giving you a firm timeline on that drink. Also—and no offense here—I’m so focused on finding Paige that the last thing on my mind is dating.
TWO DAYS LATER
Email to: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: RE: Great News!
Dear Vivian,
Just wrapped up filming with Li’l Rhythm. It’ll be a compelling video and should garner millions of views. We’ll be in edits and post-production adding music, etc. for the rest of the day. Back to you soon.
Yours,
Lyle
P.S. Obviously I’m every bit as concerned about my beloved co-worker as you are and I didn’t mean for us to go out while she is still missing. I only mentioned it because I’m such a busy guy with a jam-packed social calendar so I wanted to find a way to fit you in.
Email to: [email protected],
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Great News!
Lyle,
Please don’t waste too much time on editing. We need to get the video out immediately. Every hour we wait is an hour too long. To that end, I am looping Guy back into this email thread so as to ask him to ensure this video goes out ASAP.
Paige could very well be floating on a life raft in the middle of the sea, starving, dehydrated, and horribly sunburned.
Best,
Vivian
P.S. Let’s stick to the life and death matter at hand.
Li’l Rhythm Help Us Find Paige Chadwick Vide o
The video starts to reveal aging rapper Li’l Rhythm sitting up in a hospital bed in navy blue silk pajamas. “Hey, y’all. Li’l Rhythm here, coming to you live from St. Michael’s Hospital, where I’m being well cared for by a group of very smart people. I just had my arteries cleaned out and I’m busy making a full recovery here, so don’t worry about me. And don’t worry about taking Vialis either. My heart attack was caused by bad lifestyle choices and had nothing to do with my little magic green pill. In fact, I’m cutting out fast food and will be hopping back on Vialis as soon as my doc gives me the all-clear.”
He taps a fist over his chest a couple of times, winces, then smiles. His smile fades. “But I’m not here to talk about myself because there is someone I want to tell you about. Paige Chadwick. She’s a classy lady who has gone M.I.A. y’all. My girl’s been instrumental in helping me mount my comeback.”
Paige’s photo appears on the top left corner of the screen while Li’l Rhythm continues to talk and sappy orchestral music starts to play in the background. “She’s the hardest working human in the biz. She’s smart, loyal, and knows how to get the impossible done. A week ago, she was flying out of Santa Valentina Island to her sister’s wedding but she never got there. And the police department isn’t taking her case seriously. They suggested she just pulled a disappearing act, but I know that’s not her style. Paige was stupid excited about the wedding. She told me all about it, in fact, so I know something bad happened. So, memorize her face. Be on the lookout for her if you’re in the Caribbean, and if you’ve seen her, call the police and let them know. Even if you don’t know Paige, I want everyone to start calling the San Felipe Police Station, the Coast Guard, Search and Rescue, your senators and congressmen. Tell them we need to find Paige. ”
He takes a deep breath, then continues. “There’s a chance she’s no longer with us, but her family needs to know the truth either way. And she could very well be alive. So I want everyone across the USA to get on the phone right now and put the pressure on these guys to find Paige. Tell them America needs her.”