Stranded Read online

  “Why is that, Grant?” Charles asked curiously, taking a mouthful of the breadfruit and mango “porridge” that Joss had prepared for breakfast. It had a starchy consistency, much like over-mashed potatoes, but fortunately tasted much better. She was getting quite good at preparing creative meals out of the foraged food she found. She considered it quite the score when they’d found a patch of breadfruit trees on one of their walks. He had never eaten it before, but the fruit had proven quite versatile. Even the seeds made a good snack when roasted.

  “I’m wondering if there’s a trade route on the north side, maybe that’s why we haven’t seen any freighters,” Grant surmised.

  Joss looked up from the bird trap she was constructing, tuning into their conversation. She had been wondering that herself, but had yet to pass more than a few miles in any direction from their camp. She had traversed some rough terrain on her various hikes, and on each occasion her path had been blocked by massive rock formations or swampy jungle, and she had to adjust course or turn back. She was optimistic that she would eventually find a way, but to present, it had not shown itself.

  “Joss, what are your thoughts?” Charles asked, knowing that she’d probably have a better understanding of the island, given that she’d been the one mapping it. He saw Grant look up, noting his flat expression. Charles still didn’t quite understand what the captain’s issues were, but for some reason the man seemed indifferent to Joss, even a little cold. It made no sense to him. She’d been nothing but kind, to all of them, including Grant, in spite of his cool demeanor.

  “I think it’s a good idea, Captain,” she agreed, smiling cautiously at him. “I’m just not sure yet how we’re going to navigate our way across.”

  “I’m sure there’s a way,” Grant dismissed, breaking eye contact with her. Joss looked at Charles and shrugged, drawing in a subtle, frustrated breath. He didn’t blame her, but he also didn’t want to take sides or interfere. He had the utmost confidence that Joss was capable of taking care of herself and the last thing he wanted to do was insult her by fighting her battles. Charles offered her a discreet wink, which she returned with a smile that said ‘I’m okay’. They understood each other.

  “You’re welcome to join me next time I go out, Captain. I’m happy to be proven wrong, if it means the difference between rescue or not,” Joss reasoned, her indifferent tone still managing to be polite.

  “What if we go around the island?” Daniel chimed in, so quietly they almost didn’t hear him.

  “That would be a hell of a trek,” Ryan shrugged, tossing a twig into the fire. He had hiked with Joss on several occasions and remembered how rugged the land was. He couldn’t imagine what type of terrain they would run into.

  Joss stared at Daniel, processing his suggestion, then smiled broadly as she realized he might be on to something.

  Daniel nodded and chuckled softly, “It would be a helluva walk, impossible really given the cliffs, but I could build us a raft?”

  “Yes! That might work.” Joss agreed, her enthusiasm building. She had seen Daniel’s handy work and felt confident he could build something sturdy enough to carry them around the island. The others could help him.

  “That’s all well and good, mate,” Grant insisted, tossing Joss a cynical look, “and I hate to throw shade on your plan, but you’ll have to get past the break or the swells will smash that raft right into the rocks. It could crush whoever’s on board.”

  “True,” Joss pressed, “but it might be the only way. We know we are on the south side of the island, right? Two miles inland to the north-west is the waterfall, but we know we can’t safely go further on land because it’s too mountainous. That rough terrain takes up a large portion to the east as well. Essentially we are locked in at the 2 mile mark no matter which direction we travel north, and hiking around the coast won’t work because of the cliffs to the west and the mangrove to the east. The only way around is by water.”

  “We don’t know how many miles we’re dealing with though,” Grant interrupted, “it could take weeks to travel around the island by water, and what if there’s no safe place to pull up to shore?”

  “It does seem dangerous,” Charles agreed, suddenly anxious that Joss might actually attempt it.

  “It could be,” Joss agreed, “but what’s the alternative? What if the captain is right? We could be passively sitting here while cargo ships are passing us by.”

  “We could stay together, where we know we are safe, and wait,” Charles maintained, always the realist. The truth was, he wasn’t confident he could handle a journey like that, not with his health the way it was. Sure, he’d been holding his own, feeling good actually, but could he risk pushing himself like that? He wasn’t sure.

  Joss regarded him warmly for a moment, as though she understood his concerns. No one spoke for several minutes, considering the options. Finally, Daniel broke the silence.

  “I’m going to build a raft anyway, regardless of what decision we make. It will take a few days and in the meantime, we can continue to brainstorm. If nothing else, we can use it to fish a little further out or even do a little more exploring, right?”

  They all nodded, none wanting to discourage him, but each thinking about rescue. It was always on their minds, but it was painful to think about home, their lives, and the people who were missing them. As the weeks passed, it was just easier to put that out of their minds and focus on their lives on the island. To do otherwise was torture.

  “Well, then,” Daniel said, standing up, “I’m going to start collecting materials. Anyone want to help?” Joss could tell he was choking back his emotion, and keeping busy was the best way he coped. They were a lot alike.

  “I’ll help,” Ryan offered. “Grant? Are you going to tinker on the plane or do you want to work with us?”

  Grant looked up and nodded. He seemed pleased to be asked but grumbled his reply anyway, “Sure, I reckon I can spare some time.”

  Ryan looked at Willie, “how about it man, you in?”

  Willie, who’d been quietly listening to the entire exchange, shook his head. “No, brother, I think I’m gonna do some crabbing.”

  “Okay, but if you get done early, feel free to join us.”

  “Sure, man,” Willie replied, returning the fist bump Ryan offered him. Joss noted the exchange and smiled. She knew that she’d never be admitted to the brotherhood, but part of her wished the guys would treat her with the same light affection they reserved for one another. It was endearing.

  “I’ll go out and set this trap and replenish some of our reserves,” she offered to no one in particular, gathering her things.

  “I’ll go with you,” Charles offered, pleased they’d have some time to themselves.

  Joss shook her head, “no, that’s okay Charlie. I think I’ll go alone. I’m not going far today.”

  She hoped he wouldn’t take offense, but she knew what would happen if they went off alone together and she didn’t want the temptation. She was going on a date with Willie later that day and felt it would somehow be disrespectful to him. To both men, actually. There had to be some boundaries.

  He smiled thoughtfully and nodded, “okay.”

  If he was hurt, he didn’t let on. She walked past him, pausing for just a moment to place a hand on his shoulder, wordlessly thanking him, then wandered off into the jungle on her own.

  * * *

  “Willie, what is all this?” Joss beamed, her arm wrapped through his. He led her to the little section of the beach he had prepared for their date. He’d built them a fire and had assembled a small lean to, covered in palm fronds for privacy. He’d even borrowed her yoga mat for them to sit comfortably on the sand together. Beside the fire was a little feast of crab, turtle eggs, and dates for dessert.

  “I thought you might enjoy a picnic, a little break from cooking?” he said, offering her a seat by the fire. She snuggled into the lean to, shifting over so he could join her on the mat. It was cozy, and so very thoughtful of him.<
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  “This is amazing,” Joss gushed, feeling rather giddy.

  She couldn’t explain her attraction to Willie. It was completely different than what she felt for Ryan and Charlie. For the first time in a long time she felt girly. Normally that would have been the last thing on her mind, but with Willie, she enjoyed those feminine feelings. Earlier that day, when she returned from the jungle, she’d enjoyed an ocean bath and had even taken extra time to comb out her hair and put on a little lipstick. He had been sweet enough to ask her out on a “date” and she wanted to look as nice as possible for him.

  “You look beautiful,” he offered, flashing her his signature smile, the one she had come to know and love.

  For their date, Joss had chosen a light grey summery skirt and a white tank top, and underneath, some pretty panties and bra she had tucked away in her suitcase.

  “Thanks,” she blushed. She was flattered but still sat uncomfortably with the compliment.

  “You clean up nice, girl. I almost didn’t recognize you,” he gently teased, using humor to break the ice. Joss rolled her eyes and giggled.

  “Ha ha,” she said back, knocking his knee with her own. “I suppose I could have just come all sweaty with jungle muck still on my face.”

  “No, no. This will do just fine. You smell good too. It’s nice.”

  “Does it beat the musky aroma of five funky men in a humid shelter?” she grinned, this time rolling her knees towards him flirtatiously.

  “Hands down,” he laughed, pleased with the returned affection. He stared at her warmly for a second or two, absorbing the utter “normalcy” of the moment. It had taken him a while to adjust to life on the island, and there were still days when he felt panicked, but Joss could always comfort him. She didn’t even have to speak. Sometimes it was just a reassuring look, or a smile. She was calm and self-assured and there were days when that was enough to make him feel like everything would turn out fine. He wondered if that was her nature at home too. It was an attractive quality.

  “This is quite the spread,” she sighed, breaking the silence, “I’m starving.”

  “I found three nice fat crabs today. I left two back at camp, but the guys insisted I take one for our dinner,” he explained, reaching for the tray of food.

  “So they all know we are on a date,” she smiled nervously. She couldn’t help but worry about dissension in the group, especially if it was caused by her, inadvertently or otherwise. Charlie would be fine. They had openly talked about everything and he had been nothing but supportive and loving. Ryan was not quite as communicative about it, but he was well aware of her situation. They’d even joked about it more than once, but he just seemed happy to focus on their own relationship, and that suited Joss just fine. But the other two? Daniel...and, oh god, Grant? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he thought.

  “Yeah, they were teasing me about it. I guess I must have seemed nervous.”

  Joss regarded him warmly, endeared by the admission. She couldn’t tell if the butterflies in her own stomach were nerves or excitement. Maybe both.

  He had borrowed Grant’s old metal tool box and filled it with sea water, boiling it over the fire. They had been using the tool box for cooking back at camp, and it worked beautifully as a make shift pot. He picked up the crab, tossing it into the water, before turning back to her.

  “I want you to know how much I appreciated our talk yesterday. I haven’t really opened up about those things with anyone. I’ve kept my cards pretty close to my chest. I didn’t realize how much pain I’ve been in. It was good for me to let go,” he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. “I just really wanted to thank you.”

  “No need to thank me, Willie. I’m glad we had a chance to talk. I liked getting to know you more.”

  “Me too.”

  “And I’m happy to be here with you now. Honestly, this is amazing. The ocean view, the beach, the picnic. It’s romantic.”

  “One of the perks to being on a deserted island, I guess. Ready made romance,” he grinned, obviously pleased she liked it.

  “You found turtle eggs?” she asked, picking them up, carefully rolling them in her hands.

  “Just today. I only took a handful. I didn’t want to disturb the nest too much. Can we eat them?”

  “Yes, they are quite the delicacy. We can just boil them for a minute or two, once we pull out the crab.”

  “So, tell me more about Joss. I spent a lot of time monopolizing the conversation yesterday,” he said, leaning back on his elbows.

  “I’m not sure what to tell you. My life is not nearly as exciting as yours,” she shrugged, gently placing the eggs back down. She brushed the excess sand off her hands and laid back, propping herself on one elbow to face him.

  He easily shifted himself so they were facing one another, and smiled. “That’s probably not true.”

  “Well you already know that I’m single,” she began, not sure what to say. It felt awkward talking about herself, it always had. They’d all shared random facts about themselves around their nightly campfires, but it was usually light and playful. Joss was always mindful to only offer the basics. What exactly was he looking for?

  “Yes, you mentioned that. Never married? Engaged?”

  “No,” she offered flatly, “neither of those. You?”

  “Nah. I’ve had a few relationships over the last ten years, but nothing that ever developed into anything serious. I guess I’ve been too focused on my career.”

  “Me too,” she nodded pensively. It was partially true. She had been quite driven, although admittedly for very different reasons. Her job was all she had, at least it felt that way after she’d lost her dad and suddenly had to face life alone. She’d convinced herself that no man would ever want her. She was damaged goods.

  “So never any aspirations for a family?” he asked innocently, completely unaware of the sensitive nature of his question.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Willie smiled warmly, his encouraging expression proving just how badly he wanted to know her. For Joss, it was both endearing and scary. She had closed herself off to loving anyone, protecting herself from the inevitable heartache that was sure to come once they learned she was barren. Marriage never seemed a viable option for her. What man would want to build a life with her? She wasn’t bitter about it, not anymore. It was just her hard reality and she did her best to accept it.

  Willie, sensing her trepidation, decided not to push her. It was clear to him it was a sensitive topic for her and he didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable.

  “So what is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” he asked, casually shifting gears.

  “Does this count? Surviving a plane crash? Living with five men?” she quipped, releasing the breath she’d been holding.

  “It is pretty crazy, but no. I want to know what life is like for Joss at home.”

  “Well I told y’all about walking the Pacific Coast Trail, solo. That was pretty crazy,” she admitted, a proud smile on her face. Willie sensed she was holding back.

  “Anything else?” he pressed, certain there was more. She giggled softly and shook her head, as though embarrassed but said nothing. “Come on, tell me.”

  “Ok, but don’t judge me,” Joss said.

  “I won’t, I promise,” Willie said.

  “I applied to be on the show ‘Naked & Afraid’. Just before I left for Hannah’s wedding, a producer from the show contacted me and set up a meeting.”

  “No shit! That’s awesome. You would kick ass on that show!” he laughed, suddenly imagining her naked. She had an awesome body and admittedly he had checked out her bottom on more than one occasion. He liked a woman with a juicy booty.

  “Would have kicked ass. I missed the meeting. It was actually scheduled for today. Trust me, the irony isn’t lost on me. ‘I’m sorry I can’t make our appointment, I’m currently lost at sea, surviving on a desert island’...” she giggled playfully, her green eyes twinkling wit
h amusement.

  Willie chuckled along with her. It was hard for him to hide his attraction for her. He normally wouldn’t have, but he was cognizant of the others. He appreciated the situation she was in and didn’t want to make her feel any more vulnerable than she might have been already. It had to be daunting being the only female among them, but Joss had proved herself a strong woman. She was no pushover, and certainly no damsel in distress. She could handle herself quite well around the five of them. It was really quite impressive and made her that much more alluring. Alpha females made him hot. They always had.

  “That’s pretty crazy,” he admitted, “brave, but fucking crazy.”

  “It’s what I do, the survival part I mean. Oddly enough, the bigger challenge for me would be disrobing in front of America,” she said, “I’m pretty modest.”

  “That’s true, but I imagine you would acclimate quickly. You seem pretty adaptable.”

  “Thanks,” she smiled, an easier compliment to accept. “What about you? What’s your craziest thing?”

  “Besides this?” he joked, “I’m not sure. I haven’t really done anything that crazy.”

  “Oh, come on now Willie, there has to be something?” she prodded, certain he was holding back on her.

  “Honestly, I don’t have one. I’ve always been pretty disciplined. Basketball has been my focus ever since I was young. I could have used a little crazy,” he admitted, a little pensively.

  Joss sat up and stirred the crab inside the boiling water before replying, “there’s still time.” She looked up at him and grinned, pleased to see a twinkle in his eye. “Crab is ready.”

  “Allow me,” he said, taking the stir stick from her. He reached out, caressing her shoulder, “sit back and relax.”

  Joss looked down at his hand, noting how tender he was. She nodded and sat back, crossing her legs out in front of her. She liked being pampered. It was a rare occurrence but a welcome one, especially from Willie.

  After they ate, they went for a walk down the beach, hand in hand, stopping to wade in the shallow water. Joss pulled her skirt between her legs and hooked it into the waistband, creating makeshift shorts for herself, to prevent the hem from soaking. Together they searched for urchins and clams, laughing, playing, and enjoying a warm conversation. Things were easy between her and Willie. It was the kind of comfort usually reserved for friends who have known each other for years, but with a healthy attraction mixed in. They had chemistry, no doubt. It wasn’t fiery and hot, but more of a slow smolder, a constant heat that burns beneath the surface, ready to be stoked into an inferno.