by Beth Martin
He was emotionally spent after his interaction with Tina, and was actually looking forward to joining in with the celebration. Alisa used to keep a stash of some potent fermented juice which she made herself, and he hoped she still did. He could already taste it on his tongue.
But then he recognized one of the dancing figures. As she twirled, her mess of dark, curly hair bounced along. Something about the smile on her face made something inside of him snap.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he bellowed. Leona stopped dancing and turned to face him as he stormed closer. “How dare you show your face here again after what you did!”
Her jaw dropped. “Roemell…”
He continued stomping toward her. “Haven’t you done enough damage? You need to leave.” He pointed behind him to the closest entrance for the settlement.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I wasn’t thinking. But I came back to help.”
“Help? You want to help?” He threw his hands up. “We don’t need your help. You’re a murderer!” Her eyes teared up, but he didn’t care. She deserved much more than simply having her feelings hurt after what she did.
“Well, so are you!” she yelled back.
Roemell stepped back, stung by her words. When he looked around, everyone who had been celebrating and dancing was now staring at them. He was embarrassed, but more than that, he was angry. He grabbed Leona by the arm and led her away. Beyond the settlement at the ocean’s edge, there was a hill that dipped down before the sand met the water, and they would have some privacy away from everyone behind the hill.
Leona scampered, trying to keep up with him. He took heaving breaths through his clenched teeth. Once they had gone far enough, he let go of her arm. She grasped the place where he had gripped her, and looked at him with a face of worry and shock. Good. He wanted her to be scared.
In a low voice, he said, “How dare you compare what you did to what I went through. I was defending myself. You were just being selfish.”
“It was an accident,” she pleaded.
“That doesn’t make it any better. You’re so careless. All you think about it yourself.”
“That’s not true! I was so worried about you after you just disappeared. And Ivan, I couldn’t stop thinking about him, either. I wanted to help the settlement in any way I could, so I came back. I did it for them, not myself.”
He crossed his arms. “You don’t have anything worthwhile to offer them.”
She balled her hands into fists and made a horrible, gut-wrenching yell. Roemell was so shocked, he stumbled back. She continued yelling, saying, “You think you’re somehow better than me. That because I was born wealthy, I’m a less able person. We’ve both lost everything! I’m no better than you, and you’re certainly no better than me.” She started sobbing. Her face and neck were covered in red blotches, and she couldn’t wipe away all of the tears before more poured down to cover her face.
He wasn’t sure what to say. He never said he was better than her—at least he didn’t think he had. He was more resourceful and had superior survival skills, things that had taken him a lifetime to learn.
She continued sobbing between words. “I felt so awful when I saw Kelly’s body. I never meant for that to happen. I was ready to drink myself into a coma, but then I thought about you and Ivan. The two of you gave me a reason to keep going.”
It felt like the ground under his feet gave way. He had been so angry at her, he hadn’t tried to look at things from her point of view. He had despaired after Jovelyn’s death, and Leona had been there for him. But when she needed him, he wasn’t there for her.
He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her as she continued to sob. She let him hold her for a second before pushing him away. Taking a couple steps back, she hunched down to the ground and covered her face with her hands as she continued to cry.
He tried to get down to her level, kneeling on the sand next to her. “I’m so sorry.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, and this time she didn’t back away. “I’ve been so angry after Jovelyn’s death. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I know what happened was an accident.”
Her sobs slowed to a stop, and she wiped the tears from her face before meeting his eyes. The sun had begun to set beyond the ocean, and the shades of orange reflected in her eyes. “I just want to help people. I never did anything to deserve the privilege I had. I could have done so much more to help others before the fire. I had the tools to really make a difference, and now it’s all gone.”
Roemell sat down on the cool wet sand and pulled Leona into an embrace. She leaned her head against his shoulder and took deep, ragged breaths.
“Sometimes it takes something big happening to help us realize our place in life,” he said.
“I guess. What’s your place?”
“Next to you.” He kissed the top of her head. Her hair smelled like a mixture of salt and flowers. They sat there in silence, listening to the waves crash against the sand as the last rays of sun dipped below the ocean.
• • •
Even though it was now fully dark out, the bonfire was still lit. It wasn’t as big as it had been when they were roasting all the meats from Leona’s refrigerator for their feast, but it was still going. Leona sat with Alisa on one log while Roemell sat on the adjacent log with Bennet, the tall man who had greeted her when she’d first arrived. During the main feast, they all drank a fresh ginger soda, but now that most of the settlement including all of the children had turned in for the night, Alisa brought how her special punch. She called it jungle juice, but it tasted like sour cherries and smelled like nail polish remover. Still, Leona appreciated the strong drink. It had been a tense and emotional day, and the juice helped calm her nerves enough to relax.
Alisa leaned forward, staring intently at the fire. She turned to Roemell and asked, “Did you get a chance to check in with Ivan?”
He took a swig before nodding his head. “Yeah, I did. I swear he’s gotten bigger already.”
She chuckled. “Little ones grow like weeds.”
“Tammy said thank you, by the way, for taking him all afternoon,” Roemell said. Leona looked away from the fire and saw that he was talking to her and not Alisa.
Leona shrugged. “Oh. It was my pleasure, really, I was glad to get some one-on-one time with the little guy.”
“She said you were able to get him to really calm down.” He smiled at her before taking another swig of punch and staring back into the fire.
She nodded. Her mind and body were both incredibly tired. Although she enjoyed staying up and chatting with real human beings, she needed to get some sleep. As she stood up, she said, “I’m going to turn in. I’m exhausted.”
Roemell bit his lip. “So, uh, Tammy also said that she needed the tent to herself tonight. The babies wake her enough already, and she said she can’t handle any guests.”
She wasn’t sure how slipping into the tent and sleeping on the floor could possibly disturb anyone. “Then where should I sleep?” She looked from Roemell to Alisa, who just raised her eyebrows before taking a swig from her cup.
Bennet was the one who answered, saying, “There’s an extra tent that was in the vehicle you brought. I could help you assemble it.”
“Yes,” she said. “That would be great.”
Roemell gripped Bennet’s shoulder and stood up. “No, I’ll help put it up. You stay here and enjoy the jungle juice. You can even take the rest of mine.” He passed his cup to Bennet and walked over to Leona. She downed the rest of her drink and set her cup back on the log.
They went to the Jeep and opened the back door to find the tent among the leftover supplies which weren’t immediately useful. “I’ve got it,” he said as he grabbed the canvas bag.
“Where should we set it up?”
“How about over there?” He pointed away from the cluster of other tents to an open area close to the ocean.
“Wouldn’t it be safer to be closer t
o everyone else?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “There’s no real danger out here.”
She glared at him and crossed her arms. “And how are we supposed to find our way that far from the fire?”
“Aha! I’m prepared.” He pulled a flashlight from his pocket, clicking it on and off a few times, before replacing it.
“Fine.” She smiled. “But I don’t want to be too far away from everything, just in case.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They found a place where there was soft grass underfoot within a hundred feet of the rows of tents. He placed the canvas bag on the ground, unzipped it, and started pulling pieces out. Leona had never assembled a tent before and had no idea what any of the parts were for. “Here, can you unfold this?” he asked. He handed her a mass of material that was rolled up tightly. As she tried to spread it out, he took a collection of sticks and put them together to make a few long rods.
She stepped back and let him finish assembling the tent. As he fed the rods through the crumpled mass of canvas, she held the flashlight and tried to illuminate the correct areas. It took some fussing, but within ten minutes, he had the structure erected. It wasn’t as big as Tammy’s—in fact, it was probably smaller than all the other dwellings in the settlement. But it would fit her comfortably.
She suddenly realized that Roemell would probably sleep in the tent with her. Although they had slept together in her room and Tammy’s tent, Bellabot and then Tammy had been there. Now, they would be completely alone, far removed from the rest of the settlement.
Before she could decide how she felt about this, he interrupted her thoughts. “Huh. I wonder what this is for.”
“I thought you knew everything about rugged camping.” She laughed as he looked at the cylindrical tool.
“Oh, I know what it is. It’s an air pump. I just don’t know what it’s for. Unless…” He examined the bottom of the tent outside the zippered door, then opened it and checked the floor inside. “Aha! I knew it.”
“Knew what?” She craned her neck to see what he was looking at while trying to light up the interior with the flashlight.
“It has an inflatable mattress.” He hooked a tube from the air pump to a piece on the floor and began pumping air into it.
“Only the best from the Poole Estate.” She sat down on the ground and kept the flashlight trained on Roemell so he could see. Pumping up the mattress ended up taking a lot longer than assembling the tent. Leona had a hard time staying awake, and every once in a while found herself jerking back up and having to retrain the flashlight on Roemell.
“Holy shit, my arms hurt.”
She popped her eyes open after drifting off yet again. “Sorry. Can I help?”
“No, I think I’m about finished. Check it out.” He held the door open, and she ducked into the small interior. The bottom was soft, and it gave a little under her feet as she stepped in.
“Thank you for setting it up.” She sat down and pulled off her shoes and then pants before laying down and stretching out.
“No problem.” He stepped in and zipped up the door, then took off his own shoes and laid down. He fit comfortably next to her side, but there wasn’t room for anything else.
Yet again, they didn’t have any blankets, but it wasn’t overly cold out. Leona curled up on her side. Before she could worry about anything else, she drifted off to sleep.
Roemell stirred early in the morning as the sun was just beginning to rise, the first rays filtering through the canvas of the tent. It was still too dark to see much detail, but there was enough light to make out Leona as she breathed silently, still asleep. She was facing away from him, and he could make out the curves of her body. Her legs were bare and covered in goosebumps.
He rolled toward her and draped his arm over her waist, tucking his knees behind hers and burying his face in her wild curls. Just a day ago, he had been furious with her. He was surprised how quickly his feelings had changed. When they’d first met, he had found her fascinating and beautiful, yet alien. He still found her beautiful.
As he breathed in deeply, taking in her feminine scent, he was reminded of how long it had been since he’d known the touch of a woman. He could almost taste the saltiness of her skin. Letting out a shaky breath, he savored her presence. Then he did his best to push the thought of exploring her body out of his mind. He couldn’t let his carnal desires take over him.
Leona let out a soft groan as she started to stir. “Roemell, are you spooning me?”
“You looked cold. Do you not want me to?”
“I am cold.” She hugged against his arms, letting him know his touch was welcomed. “My dad’s the only person who’s ever really cuddled with me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Well, my mom’s not really the affectionate type.” He recalled meeting the harsh woman and couldn’t imagine her even hugging another person. “I didn’t really have any other relatives other than Grandpa.”
“You’ve never had a touchy-feely friend or a boyfriend or anything?”
Her hair tickled his nose as she shook her head. “I don’t get along with too many people. It’s always kind of been just me and my dad.”
He guessed her friendship with Ava hadn’t been that deep. “You’re such a caring person. I can’t believe that you don’t get along with people.”
“I managed to piss you off.” She sounded gloomy.
“I got over it. But I still don’t believe you didn’t get along with others.”
She hugged her arms in tighter. “Most wealthy people can be pretty selfish, myself included. I didn’t have much patience for others and spent a lot of time in my own little world with my androids.”
“Surely they weren’t enough to substitute for real human contact.”
“They came pretty close.” She sighed, then turned over to face him.
“But this is better, right?” He leaned in and briefly kissed her. She smiled and giggled in response.
Even though they were far away from the rest of the tents, he could hear the clattering of pans as others prepared to cook breakfast. As much as he wanted to spend all morning chatting with Leona, they needed to get up and help out. He sat up and slipped his shoes on. “I told Alisa I’d build the fire this morning.”
She gave him an odd look as he just sat there. “What are you waiting for?”
“When I open the door, someone else might be able to look in. I thought I’d give you a chance to put on pants first.”
She flushed before sitting up and groping around the floor until she found her slacks. After she slipped them on, he opened the door and ventured out.
Bennet was already at the fire pit lighting some kindling. “Damn, man,” Roemell said as he sat on a log to watch, “Do you even sleep?”
“Nope,” Bennet said as he added shreds of paper to the little fire, encouraging it to grow. “Sleep is for the weary. I only need around five hours each night.”
Roemell shook his head. Bennet had grown into an incredibly hard worker. He used to party hard, too, and Roemell had never been able to keep up with him.
After adding some small sticks, and then a larger log to the fire, Bennet wiped his hands off on his pants then took a seat next to Roemell. “You know, I didn’t think I’d ever see you back here after how you left two years ago.”
“I truly didn’t think I would ever come back.”
Bennet peered at Roemell. “So what changed?”
Roemell pushed a hand through his hair. “Honestly? I had nowhere else to go.”
“Sheesh. I feel the love.” After they both had a good laugh, Bennet continued, “So what’s the story with the girl?”
“Who, Leona?” Bennet nodded, waiting for Roemell to continue. “It’s kind of a long story.”
Bennet looked around, then shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be. Humor me.”
Roemell briefly explained how he and his sister had ended up on the road, the first fire, his deal with Spencer, Jo
vylen’s death, and then the fire at the Poole Estate.
“So, you’re saying the two of you came here because none of her rich friends would help you all out?”
“Of course they wouldn’t help me out. But yeah, they didn’t want to have anything to do with her after she lost everything.”
Bennet nodded. “Well, she still got you.” He punched Roemell in the shoulder.
“And a crispy plot of land.”
“You know, beggars can’t be choosers. I’ll take it.”
Roemell smiled. He appreciated Bennet’s upbeat attitude. “I do have a question though...”
Bennet raised his brows.
“Who’s the father of Tammy’s kid?”
Bennet burst out laughing. It took him a minute to regain his composure. “I knew it. I knew it was only a matter of time. I take it you didn’t ask her?”
Roemell shook his head. “She said he’s not mine. But the timing’s a bit too close for comfort.”
“Are you asking me if she was sleeping around while you two were together?”
Roemell began to stand. “Look, forget I asked.”
Bennet grasped his arm and pulled him back to his seat. “Roemmel, I get it. Archy is exactly the age you’d expect if you had knocked Tammy up right before you left. Look, don’t tell anyone you heard from me, but he’s not hers, either.”
Roemell had to grip the log below him to keep his body from falling backward. “He’s not? Then who are his parents?”
“Some drifters left him behind.”
“But isn’t she nursing him? How does that work?”
Bennet shook his head. “Man, I don’t know. I have no idea how women do half the shit they do.”
Roemell smiled. “Too true.”
Bennet gave him another friendly shove. “You’re doing a crappy job of tending this fire. I’m going to go wash up.” He got up and walked off.
