“Unless you’re scared—”
Reed’s head fell back when he laughed. “Priceless. Okay, sis. It’s you and me and the ocean tomorrow. You’re on.”
Zane and Jack shared a look. If Zane’s smile told him anything, he was also happy that Adela maneuvered their conversation away from Reed’s father. Jack would hate to search for yet another one of his friends gone rogue on this island.
“Those poles are not what I’m used to work with, but they’ll have to make do,” Adela said.
Reed smirked. “Already making up excuses, are you?”
Adela laughed. “No, I’m not. But look at them!”
Reed nodded. “Yeah. I know what you mean. But at least we have something, right?”
“Yeah. You’re right. I can’t wait till tomorrow,” Adela said.
Jack pulled her in with a smile on his face. He was happy that Adela sounded so excited for tomorrow. It was the first time she actually looked forward to something and he couldn’t get enough of her enthusiasm as she and Reed bounced off each other with stories about fishing.
“Hola, senorita! Did you miss me?”
Jack blinked in shock when Camilla suddenly came out of the tangled mass of tropical vegetation nearby their fire pit.
Adela flew from her spot in the sand, running straight at Camilla at record speed.
“Cami! You’re back!”
Dominic followed Camilla with two suitcases stacked in his arms. If the man’s arms weren’t already pumped, they would have been now after towing those horrid yellow and purple suitcases around the jungle.
Jack walked over to Dominic to take the purple suitcase from him.
“Thanks,” Dominic said.
Jack clasped a hand over Dominic’s shoulder. “It’s good seeing you, man. We almost went out looking for you.”
“That would have been stupid. I said we would come today at the latest.”
Jack smiled at his blunt friend.
They walked back to the fire and left a crying Camilla and Adela behind as they hugged each other like they would never part again.
“What’s up, fuckers?” Dominic said to Reed and Zane as he bumped fists with them.
“Not much. We’ve made a shelter and are about to finish the second hut. Jack and Adi got fresh lake water in the cans and Reed made us dinner out of a little fish he pulled out of the ocean,” Zane said.
“Anything left of the fish?” Dominic asked.
“Sorry, we didn’t think you two would show up this late today…” Reed said.
While Dominic hummed, fiddling with the yellow suitcase, Zane and Jack shared a look. It sucked that they hadn’t waited on them for dinner, but what’s done is done.
“It’s a good thing then that we brought these…” Dominic said as he waved a bunch of bananas in the air.
“What?!” Jack shouted.
“That’s right. There’s a banana forest on the island, boys! Vitamins, potassium and minerals hanging from the trees and—”
“Actually, did you know the banana tree isn’t a tree at all? It’s actually a plant,” Camilla said before she sat down next to Dominic, who whispered something in her ear that made her giggle.
Jack watched Adela tow the purple suitcase towards their fire pit.