Page 24 of Still See You Everywhere

“I am Emi, an ornithologist. Are you a bird-watcher?”

Her accent nags at me. I think back to the arrows. “Philippines!”

“Yes! Very good. And you?”

“I’m from nowhere.”

“I understand that is very beautiful this time of year.”

I like these people so much.

“Ooh, tuna poke. Ann, you take such good care of us.”

Emi moves on to the food, while I tend to more people, more handshakes, more introductions. It becomes a blur of hungry faces. People fill their plates, make appreciative noises in Trudy and Ann’s direction, then head straight for the dining area, where they grab the first available seat and get to it. The rolls disappear almost immediately. Most people, I notice, come back for thirds.

“It’s hot, hard work out there,” Trudy tells me, noticing my wide eyes. “Trekking through the rainforest to reach undiscovered areas, hacking down new trails. There’s a reason we need fresh supplies each week. But it’s also what Ann and I like about our jobs. Food is the fuel that keeps a good camp running. We keep our crew happy and satisfied—”

“Crepes!”

“And the wheels keep turning. Hungry, tired workers, on the other hand—”

“Donner party!” Ann states darkly.

“Definitely don’t want that,” I promise them both. “So what’s my role?”

“Prep cook,” Trudy rattles off. “Dishwasher. Busboy—”

“Girl.”

“Person. Supply management. And laundry. Only machines are the ones you saw, so you’re in charge of clothing, linens, and towels for the entire camp. People drop off. You wash and fold, then leave items for pickup.”

I consider this for a moment. “So if Charlie was peeking at my underwear…”

“You get to handle his.” Trudy grins back at me.

Ann turns more shades of pink. “Our turn to eat. Come on, dish up.”

Given everyone’s rave reviews of the tuna, I’m excited to give it a try. I do my best to ignore the fact that it’s raw, because I’m not sure what I think of that. Most of my meals come from diners or taverns, which is to say, I’m well versed in hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries. On the other hand, one of the best things I ever ate was a Haitian meat pie in Mattapan, Boston, though there was also the freeze-dried lasagna I had at the top of a mountain in Wyoming that nearly made me weep. So I can be flexible.

First bite, I register a tang of salty soy, followed by heat with a hint of sweet. And the texture—the raw tuna nearly melting on my tongue… That’s it, I work my way enthusiastically through my entire portion of poke, as the crew members wander back in one by one, rinse their dishes, then stack them in the sink.

More nods and polite waves, then they disappear back out the door to do whatever official things they are supposed to do.

I’m just starting to relax, thinking I totally got this, when Vaughn reappears in the kitchen.

“Frankie, I need to speak with you.”

“Safety briefing.” Trudy nods.

“Don’t step on crabs!” Ann reminds me.

But there’s a look on the project manager’s face that seems too stern for a standard lecture. And just like that, my stomach plummets.

He knows. This was all too easy; of course he knows. And being MacManus’s right-hand man, now it’ll only be a matter of time before MacManus knows as well.

I get up slowly, hands clutching my plate. Do I play dumb? Try to buy enough time for the plane to take off so he’s stuck with me till MacManus arrives? Otherwise all of this will have been for nothing, and Lea will once more be abandoned to her fate. Not to mention, I’m kind of curious about paradise. Even if it does include wolf spiders and carnivorous crabs.

“My office,” Vaughn says ominously.

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