“My friends!” he said, the Polynesian accent warm and rough beneath the words. “Thank you for coming!” He gripped every person’s hand between his own while making eye contact, his smile never wavering.
Such a salesman, Eva thought, looking into his hazel eyes. But a hot salesman, at least.
After they boarded the boat, and the purring motor had pushed them away from the dock, the six passengers settled in for the 45-minute ride to the mysterious beach that was even more beautiful (allegedly) than the one they’d been basking upon all week.
Manu assured them for the hundredth time, “It’s completely virgin. Very exclusive! Only my family can go there. Only we have the right. Few people have ever seen it, very few.”
Eva didn’t care about exclusivity. What she craved was adventure. Lying around on a beautiful beach, eating, and drinking and screwing and dancing, is all well and good, but after a week of gorging on luxury she felt cagey and in need of some stimulation that involved more than tourist-trap boat tours or lazy hiking trails.
And now, as the boat pulled deep into the harbor—and the strip of beach became more pronounced—she hoped this little trip would be just the trick.
Fifty feet from sand, Manu killed the engine and released an iron-clawed anchor, knotted to a heavy frayed rope, over the side. “From here you must swim,” he said. “The beach is beautiful and deep. You can see interesting rock formations, and the water is very good for snorkeling, many turtles and exotic fish.
“One rule, please. Do not go into the trees. There are animals and many snakes. The forest is dense and without proper clothes you could get hurt. Or lost. Remember, there are no homes here. No people. All private.”
He smiled widely at this, obviously proud of his access.
“But the beach itself? Very safe. If you happen to see a wild pig, please do not approach it. Let me know and I will take care of it.”
“What will you do?” The tight-lipped woman, who had introduced herself on the dock as Karyn (“with a Y” she’d explained, as if it mattered).
In answer, Manu reached into a cutout shelf next to the wheel and pulled out a four-foot wooden spear with an iron tip so whetted that it filled with fire when the sun caught its surface. “Kill it, clean it, and bring it back for a luau!” He laughed, and the passengers chuckled along. “You are all invited,” he said, too loudly, and Eva had the sudden urge to get away from Manu and the others.
“Is it okay if we …” she said, sharply enough that every set of eyes locked onto her. She felt a moment of discomfort, but then Bryce took her hand, and she went on. “Can we go?”
Manu opened his arms expansively. “Yes! Please, go! Have fun! Remember what I tell you. Trees off limits. I will stay here, get boat ready for return. You may leave any belongings you wish. I will not leave, I promise.”
Eva didn’t think any of the group were stupid enough to leave anything valuable behind. She and Bryce only brought the clothes on their backs and a waterproof bag filled with bottled waters, an apple, a couple paperbacks, towels, and a tube of coral-friendly sunscreen. Mike, the handsome fella who settled all their nerves back at the dock, snatched up his Styrofoam cooler. “Remember, you can all share. I have a dozen cans in here, so two for each of us.”
There was an assorted chorus of affirmations and then they were bustling—grabbing packs and clothes, snorkel masks and whatever else would make its way landward for an afternoon in the sun.
There was a splash and a whoop, and all heads turned to see Terry, a lawyer from New Jersey, poking his head up through the water. “Warm!” he yelled, as if they’d thought it would be anything but. Karyn, who was Terry the lawyer’s wife, tossed him their own waterproof bag, then stepped off the edge of the boat and dropped into the clear aqua sea. Eva and Bryce went next, both jumping off the front like children.
When she hit the water, Eva knew why Terry had exclaimed about the temperature. It was more than warm, it was bathwater. “Lovely!” she gasped when coming up for air. Water splashed the side of her face and she twisted to see Bryce kicking away from her, swimming gracefully, excitedly, for the beach.
THE BEACH WAS HOT.
The bright sun reflected off the pale sand like new-fallen snow.
The three couples had spread themselves out along the strip of beach, giving each other plenty of room. Bryce had laid down towels side-by-side. Eva, wet and warmed by the quick swim, stripped off her soggy t-shirt, shorts and sandals, revealing a white two-piece bikini and sun-browned skin, before settling down on hers. They’d made camp near the tree line, where the sun was gently broken by the tall palm fronds overhead. There was a light breeze, giving the shadows a relaxing motion on the sand. She stared at the harbor, picturesque with the weathered boat anchored amidst the flat greenish-blue water, the darker blue of the open ocean beyond.
For a moment, she got that creepy feeling again, the same one she’d had when Bryce pulled up the satellite image of Bora Bora. That feeling of being a speck in the middle of an impossible vastness, beyond the reach of society. She imagined it similar to being in outer space, an astronaut floating amidst an impossible void.
Beautiful, yes. But terrifying.
“Sorry to bother,” a voice said, and she broke from her thoughts and looked up at Mike, who stood in front of them, shirtless and smiling, holding two cans of beer. “Stacy and I are gonna snorkel, so thought I’d offer the first of your rations while stranded on this horrible island.”
Bryce stood quickly and reached for the perspiring cans. “Thanks, man, very kind.”
Mike nodded and gave them a wave. “Won’t bother you guys again. If you want the other round, just come on over. If we’re in the water, feel free to grab ‘em out of the cooler.”
“Thank you,” Eva said.
As Mike walked off Bryce handed her the cold can, which she immediately popped open, taking two large swallows. “Ah!” she said, the alcohol fuzzing her brain and raising goosebumps on her arms and legs. “That’s good stuff.”
Bryce drank his own, belched, then nodded. “Hell yes. This, my dear, is heaven.”
Eva could already feel herself relaxing after the tense morning of the uncertain trip and long boat ride. She’d been more anxious than she realized and hoped no one else thought her a bitch.
Then she took another long sip and stopped worrying.
“OW! DAMN IT!”
Eva stirred.
She’d been lying on her back, the first beer long gone, dozing gently on the towel, frond shadows playing across her body and the sun bright on her unshaded, but sunscreen-coated, legs.
She got up on her elbows, noticed that Bryce was already sitting up, staring down the length of the beach where the other couples were staggered.
Karyn and Terry were in the middle, close to the water. Mike and Stacy at the far end. It appeared they were done snorkeling and now walked along a rocky outcrop pushing up from the sand like the ridges of a dinosaur’s back. Their eyes were down, probably studying the famous tidepools Manu had recommended.
Thinking of their guide, she looked to the boat, but saw no one on board.
He’s likely taking a nap, she thought. Or spear hunting a wild boar. She smiled at the image of Manu emerging from the trees, bloody spear held high, dragging a slayed black pig behind him, smile bright as the sun, hair loose and wild ….
