Page 104 of The Explorer
I chewed on my lip.
“Aubri, why don’t you look shocked? Did you hear the part about the woman straight up asking Banni to have sex with her? I mean what else would an invitation to her house mean.”
“Did he go?”
“That’s the weirdest part. He declined.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. She was pretty and they seemed to have good chemistry. Normally, nothing this juicy ever happens on this island and I couldn’t wait to tell you.”
Tilting my head, I smiled at my best friend. “In a way it’s sort of sad that the wildest thing to happen on Victoria’s Island is a bit of flirtation and a rejection.”
“You’re right, but that’s the thing I can’t figure out though; why did he reject her? I thought you said the French sleep with everyone they meet.”
“Hmm… I don’t know. It’s weird to me too. Although, he did tell me once that he’s picky about whom he sleeps with. Maybe she just wasn’t his type.”
“Maybe.”
“You could ask him.”
“Me?” Sparrow shook her head with gusto. “No. What if he mistakes my question for interest? I shouldn’t even be gossiping with you about it, but I just couldn’t fall asleep last night because it’s so confusing. I mean what man would reject a woman… unless…” Her eyes lit up as if she just had a breakthrough. “Do you think he’s not into women at all? Have you actually ever seen him with a woman? Maybe it’s all just a front he uses because he’s uncomfortable with his homosexuality.”
I laughed. “Your brain is a magnificent mess of loose connections; do you know that? Even though I haven’t personally seen Banni have sex with anyone, I don’t believe he turned her down because he isn’t attracted to women in general. The French truly don’t care about who you sleep with and there’s no shame about homosexuality. I can’t see him gaining anything from pretending to like women if he doesn’t.”
“Not like Walker and that damn Harris.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“Ah, come on, Aubri, don’t blame yourself for crushing on Walker. You hardly knew him, and there was no way that you could know he was gay.”
“Iamblaming myself because the reason I pushed Solo and Mason so bloody hard to let me come on that training camp with the Huntsmen was to get to know Walker. And then he almost killed Indiana.”
“I shouldn’t have reminded you. It’s just that when Banni rejected that woman I figured that he was hiding his sexuality like Walker, you know?”
Looking back toward the beach houses, I could see the delegation members coming outside one by one. Holding a hand to my mouth, I snickered. “You won’t believe what I’m seeing.”
“What?”
I turned and pointed the camera discreetly in the direction that would allow Sparrow to see for herself.
“What the hell? Are they showering together?”
“Mm-hmm. Those two women between the yellow and the green house, that’s Doreen and Holly. See how they’re just yapping away as if showering naked outside isn’t a big deal?”
“It’s because they’re nudists. The Motlander children are the same here at the school, did you forget?”
“No, but at least they shower inside and with their own gender. Anyone can walk by and see them.”
Sparrow laughed. “I think someone just did.”
I looked back over my shoulder to see Isaac talking to the showering women. “Yeah, the French don’t care about nudity either. And you want to know the craziest part? They all think thatwe’rethe weird ones.”
Sparrow chuckled. “Maybe we are. Son of a sea lion, I think two naked men are running toward you.”
I turned my head again to see Lachlan and Oliver race each other to the ocean. They were butt naked and laughing as they ran past me and threw themselves into the waves.
Sparrow covered her mouth as her shoulders bobbed up and down with laughter. “Oh, wow.”
