Page 133 of Hunted
I frown up at him in confusion. “What is?”
“It took a few months of paperwork and a little help from a well-connected lawyer in Antananarivo, but we were able to secure a ninety-nine-year lease on this island.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “You bought this island?”
“Technically, we don’t own it, but it’s ours in every way that matters. Short of destroying the wildlife or setting it on fire, we can do what we like. We could even build a vacation home here if we want."
“Wow… That’s… You’re…” I jump up and wrap my arms around Reece’s neck, and he catches me easily. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, my darling, Darla.”
“I take it you like the surprise?” Bower asks as I unlatch myself from Reece and plant my feet back on the ground.
“I love it. Although I’m not sure I'd want to vacation here. I’m happy we came back, and that you built this safety tower, but it still feels… unsafe? Like it’s easy to become stuck here again. If the tower was gone and the chopper, we’d be stranded here right now.”
“Maybe…” Reece says, glancing out into the ocean. “But we have about eight contingency plans in place. If we’re gone for more than fifteen hours, the first rescue team will be sent out.”
“I guess that does make me feel a little more relaxed.”
“I know what else could help!” Bower says, suddenly scooping me up and carrying me around the woodpile.
“Bower! Where are we going?” I laugh as he carries me through the sand.
“You’ll see.”
I hear the others around us as we head back towards the helicopter. But as we round the woodpile, I notice something I didn’t see when we came out of the jungle.
Halfway between us and the chopper is a large pink blanket laid out in the sand. Large pieces of wood and rocks line the parameter, keeping it from blowing away. An umbrella has been secured into the sand, putting most of the blanket in the shade. Underneath it are several large baskets.
“Is this a picnic?” I ask in surprise.
“Yep! We thought you might like to enjoy a little time here, with some real food and drinks for a change.”
“You sure know how to spoil a girl for her two-year anniversary,” I say in awe. We decided to choose the day of our departure from the island as our anniversary date to celebrate each year.
Last year, we had driven down the coast as none of us were ready to get in another plane yet. We stayed at a different place each night and it had been amazing.
But this year feels like they’ve gone miles above what they should have. It makes the matching ATVs I gave them pale in comparison. I had to get Hazel to help me choose them, then Arnold arranged for them to be purchased and delivered without the guys knowing. They did seem pretty happy with the gift, and when they saw I had got five helmets, a pink one for myself so I could take turns riding with them, they were even happier.
“What can we say? You’re worth spoiling.” Bower sets me down on the blanket and takes a seat beside me and the picnic basket, immediately opening it up and pulling out food. He hands me a bottle of water while he opens a bottle of champagne and fills five glasses.
The others join us and Weston finishes carving Steve Jr before he eats with the rest of us. We take our time eating, drinking, and reminiscing over the past.
“What are you going to do on your next episode?” Kingsley asks as he leans back on the blanket.
“The next one I’m recording is about how to make rope,” I tell him, taking another sip of champagne.
“I can’t believe your second season starts airing in only a few days. It feels like you just signed the contract with Netflix a few days ago!” Bower says with a smile.
“I know, time flies.”
What had started out as a little YouTube channel, something to spend my free time on, turned into a success almost overnight. Apparently, being stranded and surviving on my own gave me some real credibility.
I had only been doing it for a couple months when Netflix reached out to me and asked if we wanted to do a TV show. It took months of negotiation, mostly over creative control on the actual content as well as wanting as small a crew as possible, but we finally came to an arrangement that everyone was happy with.
Weston gave up his career as a pilot, saying that it was too stressful to do daily, and that he didn’t want to be away from me for such long periods. We decided he could film my YouTube videos. When we started filming with Netflix, he refused to leave me with all their people, so he became my personal bodyguard.
I loved having him on set with me. He was never on camera but always stood close by where I could see him. It made it easier to be around all the unfamiliar people. As filming went on, we got to know the entire crew and everything became smoother.
