Obviously, Wolf didn’t feel the same need to keep things quiet at this juncture.
As if nothing had happened, Wolf walked away with a comment about getting started on lunch, leaving Regan to face what she felt was a firing squad. The expressions on the faces of the people she remained stuck on the island with ranged from shocked to pissed.
After a few seconds, Tabitha got up and slapped her on the arm in apparent encouragement. “It’s about time,” she said with a wink.
However, Regan couldn’t miss the sneer on Geno’s lips. He still didn’t care for her all that much. She knew it, too, but there was little she could do to change his mind. And as far as she was concerned, it was his problem to work through, not hers. She’d apologized and done as much as she knew to do to try and make it right. It was out of her hands.
Fred walked over and gave her an awkward hug, his long lanky arms squeezing her against his thin body. “Good for you! I’m happy for the two of you. You make a cute couple,” he offered sincerely.
Regan blushed at the attention, but nodded. “Thanks.”
Then Regan’s eyes found Lily’s staring back at her. The look of betrayal was hard to ignore. “Lily,” Regan started, but then she stopped herself. What could she say?
Lily shook her head. “I have stuff to do,” she said, spinning around on her heels so that her recently dyed blonde hair flowed behind her as she ran toward the beach.
“Should I go after her?” Regan asked RC, who stood looking after her with mixed emotions.
The older man shook his head. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
“I want to be her friend. I thought we were getting along okay, too—or at least getting there,” Regan said, watching Lily fade into the trees and brush.
“This is a big change for her. You need to give her time. I think she’ll be okay with the two of you being together in time,” RC commented, not selling the story. “I appreciated that Wolf and you were keeping things quiet—that step he took in kissing you right here may have been a bit much for her, but she’ll get over it.
Regan looked to Tabitha helplessly, but the other woman seemed to feel as awkward as she herself did. Regan had a feeling that RC wasn’t okay with the relationship, either—there’d been a lot of intense scrutiny coming from his direction lately, though Wolf told her she’d been imagining it. Still, that was something for Wolf and his father to work out—if RC didn’t like what she and Wolf were doing, it was better that he take it up with his son. She wouldn’t interfere, even if she did want to try and make it right with Lily. Wolf had no idea what his kiss had done, though. Of course, he wouldn’t know, given that he’d taken off and left her to deal with the aftermath. They were going to have a long talk about that later when they were truly alone.
“I’m sorry if we made anyone uncomfortable,” Regan mumbled, not making eye contact with anyone else. “I’m going to get these coconuts back to the house.”
She grabbed all the coconuts she could carry off the ground, using her shirt to carry them as she strode back down the path and left the other coconuts to be gathered by whoever would bother. She was just setting them on the kitchen counter, taking a minute to take a few deep breaths, when Tabitha came in behind her with the coconuts she’d left behind.
“Don’t let it bother you,” she said, handing Regan a wet cloth once she’d set down her own burden.
Regan used it to dab at her face before moving it over her neck and down her arms.
“I think Wolf should have talked to Lily,” Regan admitted with a sigh. “He kind of dropped a bomb on the girl. I know he was married once, after Lily’s mother died, but I don’t know how close she was with the stepmom. Maybe she feels like I’m intruding or stealing her dad away.”
Tabitha moved to have a seat at the dining table in the open kitchen area. “This is normal. I mean, even if we weren’t dealing with an EMP that plunged us into the dark ages, this kind of thing would have happened.”
“If the EMP hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have hooked up with Wolf, and Lily would have her dad all to herself.”
Tabitha shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. It’s not like relationships didn’t happen before all this started. Plus, Lily likes you. She’s been your shadow the whole time we’ve been here. She’s just going through a hard time. I have a feeling the two of you will get along fine once she accepts this.”
Regan threw her head back, looking up at the vaulted ceiling. “Why is it so damn hot?”
Tabitha giggled, standing up from the table. “I hope it gets better. Wolf and his family don’t appear to be quite as miserable as the rest of us. There’s hope we’ll tolerate it better. We need to give our bodies time to acclimate.”
It was a nice idea, but Regan couldn’t imagine ever being comfortable in the high humidity of Florida. She was more of a mild temperature kind of person. She didn’t like the cold, either. She preferred four full seasons with tolerable conditions. Not to mention heat and electricity when things outside got uncomfortable.
Everyone could have their fantasies.
“It’s close to lunchtime. Hopefully, the weather breaks soon. I’m so miserable I don’t even want to eat,” Regan complained.
“Oh, but everyone else does, and we’re on kitchen duty this week. I don’t know what Wolf’s putting together for lunch, but I think it’s another night of fried fish and some fresh salad greens from the aquaponics garden tonight.”
Regan rolled her eyes. “It’s like we had that last night and the night before.”
“You know what Wolf said. We eat the fresh stuff while it’s available and save the canned goods and freeze-dried stuff for later. This could all get worse. We don’t want to have to draw straws to decide who gets eaten first,” Tabitha teased.
Regan stopped at the doorway and turned to look back at her friend. “Gee, you’re so full of hope, you inspire me,” she said dryly.
2
It had been three days since Wolf and Regan’s kiss, and things had only been getting worse. Tensions ran higher and higher with each day that passed, it seemed. In the afternoon, everyone usually hung out in the house, avoiding the point in the day that, given the season, was either rife with downpours or bound to be the hottest part of the day. Lately, Regan dreaded those hours spent inside the house with everyone in close proximity. The house was good-sized, but it wasn’t big enough for each of them to have their own space.
Lily had made herself scarce as of late, but that didn’t relieve any of the tension. Instead, it made it worse. It made Regan feel guilty for being the trigger that had pushed Lily away from the group, and especially her father.
The last few days had been full enough of rain that the ground outside the house was as soggy as the air was muggy, but today had been a rare afternoon of sun. It seemed to have done something to dry out the puddles, at least, Regan thought as she looked out over the yard. Today, she’d been doing her best to avoid everyone else by hanging out in the small screened-in patio until it cooled down a bit.
When the door creaked open, Regan looked up and waved to Tabitha languidly—it was too hot to do much more than that with any gusto, but she took the glass of water her friend offered eagerly.
“Hey,” she said, sitting in the available patio chair next to Regan. “Figured we could both use some more hydration before we go back out into the sun.”
“No kidding. Thanks.”
“Whatcha’ reading?” Tabitha asked, nodding to the book in Regan’s lap.
Regan put down the book she had been reading about hurricanes and looked at Tabitha. “Really? You don’t think it’s the same book I’ve been reading the last few days?”
Tabitha raised her hands in mock innocence. “Can’t a friend say hi?”
“You’re not here to say hi. I can see you have something on your mind and you’re about to tell me what it is. So, tell me.”
Tabitha eyed her and took a sip from her glass, then nodded. “I want to try and help soothe the ruffl
ed feathers in the group.”
Regan knew exactly who Tabitha was referring to, of course. “Lily? Has she said something to you? I’ve tried talking to her, Tabitha, I promise. She doesn’t want to talk to me and always finds something that has to be done—far away from me. I don’t want to chase her around the island and make things worse. She doesn’t want to deal with me, and I’ll respect that.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. But, yes, I want to try and smooth things over with Lily. The girl is really stressed. I have a feeling she’s headed for a preteen breakdown if we don’t help her out. All that angst and nowhere for it to go? Talk about something that’s unhealthy. She needs an outlet. She needs to connect with someone. Right now, she must feel more alone than ever. We need to give her some sense of normalcy. You know what happens when you keep all those feelings bottled up inside,” Tabitha added as she looked at her pointedly, one brow raised.
Regan let out a long breath. “I’m not the one walking around like a ticking time bomb.”
“No, you just run away and ditch us,” she replied, a smile on her face to soften the blow.
Touché.
Tabitha smiled before reaching across the expanse between the chairs, touching Regan’s forearm. “I don’t feel like things are getting done as well as they could be. Everyone is bickering and just bitchy in general. I was thinking we could work in pairs. We can switch up the pairs after a few days. None of us really knows each other all that well, despite the close quarters. We need to build camaraderie. It’s hard to work in a group of seven people, sure, but it’s harder to work alone.”
Regan eyed her friend carefully. “Wolf put you up to this, didn’t he?”
Tabitha threw her head back and laughed. “How did you know?”
“Because I know Wolf, and this is definitely something he would do. It’s like his survival show; putting people in pairs, letting them get used to each other, and then switching things up.”
Tabitha’s soft laughter filled the space. “I never thought of it like that. You’re right, but it worked there, so it makes sense that we can make it work here.”
Regan scoffed. “I nearly killed my first partner, and I think she was feeling the same way about me.”
“That was different. We all get along fairly well here. There are no serious conflicts. The issue with you and Lily isn’t that bad. It will resolve with time. I just want to help speed that process along while helping the rest of us get to know each other a little better. Come on, what do you say?”
Regan groaned, hating the group dynamic drama. It seemed like such a waste of time and energy. Working alone wasn’t as effective maybe, but it was a hell of a lot more peaceful.
Tabitha leaned back in her chair and sipped at her water, staring out over what would technically have been called the yard, although there wasn’t any grass. It was full of thick trees that came up to within about twenty-five feet from the house. The spacing had been arranged on purpose in case a tree blew down in a storm, so that it wouldn’t hit the house and cause serious damage, but somehow it seemed to highlight how solitary the house was, and how large Mother Nature was.
“It’s a good idea,” Tabitha emphasized after a moment, apparently thinking that Regan had decided to move on from the subject. “Working in pairs means we still get to split the workload, but it also gives each of us a chance to get to know someone a little better. Right now, Lily, Wolf, and RC are kind of leading the pack. They know what to do and are trying to do everything or tell us how to do whatever’s left. It’s like we’re in two separate groups, but we don’t want to be freeloaders.” Tabitha leaned over. “They might make us walk the plank or something,” she whispered, adding a dramatic gasp for effect.
Regan rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help laughing. “You’re just a comic genius, aren’t you? I get it. I don’t want to be a burden. I’ll play along with your little game,” she conceded, hoping the irritation she felt wasn’t too blatant in her voice.
Tabitha grinned. “Great! Then we’ll pair up, make BFFs, and life will be great!”
“Great,” Regan echoed. “Let me guess, you and Geno are a pair?” Regan guessed.
“God, no!” Tabitha exclaimed, her face twisting in mock horror. “I spend plenty of time with that man. We do not need to work on our communication or get to know each other any better! We’re good.”
Regan grinned. “So, what’s your plan? Who are you sticking me with?”
“I was thinking you and I could take over the aquaponics system for now. There’s room enough for me to try and grow some medicinal plants alongside the vegetables we’ve got in there.”
“Oh,” Regan breathed out—that didn’t sound bad at all. “I’d like that. I can handle you.”
Tabitha giggled again. “That is high praise coming from you.”
“You know,” Regan said, “it seems like there’d be something like that already.” It was something she had noticed a few days ago, but hadn’t said anything about for fear of insulting Wolf’s survival knowledge. “Why doesn’t he have a garden?” she asked in a low voice, just in case Wolf happened to be outside the house. He would hear through the screened walls if he was.
Tabitha smiled. “I asked that same question. Actually, Geno asked. He was excited about the idea of finally getting that big garden he’s always wanted. Wolf said we’re welcome to try, but that it won’t produce as fast or as much as the aquaponics. He explained that the rains that are going to be drenching us over the next couple of months make it tough to really grow anything, especially if there’s a strong storm that could knock over plants. I get it, considering how much rain we’re already seeing, but he did say I was welcome to try. There’s a small plot on the side of the greenhouse where the aquaponics system is housed. I think I’ll try. Most bugs will stay away from herbs, which means I can grow those outside and save the space in the tanks for actual food.”
“Did I mention before that I know nothing about gardening?”
Tabitha laughed. “But, I do. A little, at least, and you’ve been reading those books about aquaponics. Wolf swears it’s pretty much dummy-proof. Between the two of us, we can figure it out. Plus, do you want to be out there doing the grueling manual labor?” she teased.
Regan nodded easily—it was no secret that manual labor under the hot sun wasn’t her thing. Secretly, Regan also couldn’t help being relieved that she wasn’t going to be paired with Geno or, worse, Wolf. That would only make things worse in her mind. She had made it very clear to him that there would be no more kissing or touching in front of the others, and working beside him all day would only add to the temptation. It was just too soon for them. She could understand why their new relationship bothered a few of her new housemates, even if it really wasn’t any of their business. They were living in a fairly delicate balance already, and relationship drama wasn’t going to help anyone get used to it if things went bad.
Turning her full attention on her friend, Regan prodded her, “Okay, tell me what else you’ve got going.”
“I’m going to put Geno in charge of the maintenance around here with RC. RC knows where the pumps are and what needs doing to keep this place running, but I think Geno can try and get that boat running. He can also learn from RC about the solar power system. I think, once he’s shown how it works, he’ll be able to fix anything that goes wrong. Plus, even if they don’t realize it, I think those two look at problems similarly and will get on great if they get stuck together on machinery.”
Regan nodded her head. “Makes sense. I will say that for your husband—he is a bit of a mechanical genius.”
Tabitha smiled proudly. “Yes, he is. And this way, if we’re dealing with multiple problems, Geno, Wolf, and RC can divide and conquer. The sooner something gets fixed, and back up and running, the better it is for all of us.”
Regan nodded, seeing the logic in that grouping. “I agree. What else do you have up your sleeve?”
“I want Wolf and Lily to work tog
ether. It will give him a chance to reconnect with her. I think we can all see they need some father-daughter time. They both know what needs done around here and will be more like the managers. They’ll be following up on all of us.”
“What about Fred?”
Tabitha smiled. “Fred is one of those guys who really does work best alone. He’s going to do a full inventory of the supplies in the storage room as well as come up with a plan to stretch the supplies for as long as possible. Wolf wants him to plan for us to live here a full five years without any help from the outside world. He’s also inventorying the guns—there are a lot of guns. I didn’t realize just how many Wolf had stashed around this place.”
“Five years!” Regan nearly shouted.
“Shhh!” Tabitha hissed, though the doubt was clear on her face, as well. “That’s what he says. Just in case. He wants to get to the mainland and connect with a couple guys he knows that have ham radios. It’s the one thing he doesn’t have here. He’s hoping they can give him a better idea of what happened and how bad it is.”
“Where are all these guns? I only saw a few rifles and the six handguns that we’ve all been carrying?”
Tabitha grinned. “I know. That’s the point. I happened to find a shotgun, apparently one of those Mossbergs he talked about, stashed under the couch.”
Regan’s eyes widened. “Under the couch?”
Tabitha nodded. “There’s a small pistol inside that potted palm in the living room as well.”
“How? What? Why?” Regan asked shaking her head.
“It’s in a plastic bag stashed under the soil. I guess Wolf is ready for an attack and has weapons stashed all around the island—not to mention enough ammo to go to war according to Fred.”
Regan was in disbelief. “I thought he was the peaceful type.”
Surviving the Refuge (Survivalist Reality Show Book 2) Page 3
