Page 91 of Knot Your Sunshine
"Emergency kit essential," all three say in perfect unison, then grin at each other.
Despite the situation, I can't help but smile as I picture the scene. Us, roasting marshmallows, in the middle of a tropical storm.
I can't believe they're willing to do all that for me…
"You know what? That sounds perfect."
Keanu whoops. "Beach fire party!"
Chapter thirty-five
Mia
The overhang cuts into the rock face like nature carved out a perfect hiding spot, just deep enough to shield us from the sideways rain. I press my back against the cool stone and watch Josh crouch over his waterproof bag. Behind him, water cascades off the overhang's edge in silvery sheets as the rain pours.
"You seriously happened to have fire-starting gear in the boat's emergency kit?" I can't help the smile pulling at my lips.
Josh pulls out a compact kit, waterproof matches, fire steel, dry tinder wrapped in plastic, then glances up at me with a heated look. "When you grew up in a village in the middle of the Pacific with electricity that cuts out whenever a storm so much as thinks about heading your way..." He strikes the fire steel, sending sparks into the tinder. "It's not about if you'll need fire. It's about when."
"And it comes in handy for beach parties," Keanu adds, moving to stand behind me.
Noa spreads a large blanket on the sand around the fire. "Can't have a proper beach party without a bonfire. Island rule number one."
"Exactly." Keanu surveys our small pile of driftwood. "And it looks like we're going to need more wood. This won't last an hour."
Before I can point out the obvious, that it's dark and storming, he's already ducking out from under the overhang. But not before pressing a quick kiss to my temple that sends warmth spreading through my chest.
"He's really going to wander around in this weather looking for dry wood?" I settle onto the blanket next to Noa.
"There's no stopping him trying to take care of you." Noa's arm slides around my waist, pulling me against his side.
Josh feeds kindling carefully, building a tepee of smaller sticks. The firelight dances across his concentrated face, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw and the furrow between his brows as he works.
The fire catches properly, orange flames pushing back the darkness. I stretch my feet toward the warmth, and Josh catches one, pulling it into his lap to rub feeling back into my toes as he settles on my other side.
Thunder rolls across the sky like war drums. Rain continues its steady percussion against the sand beyond our shelter, showing no signs of weakening.
"I still can't believe this is real." The words slip out before I can stop them.
"The storm definitely caught us off guard." Josh's thumbs press into my arch, finding a knot I didn't know was there.
"No, I mean..." I gesture vaguely at them, at us. "This. You spoiling me. Me actually working toward my dream with real backing. Not even a week ago, I was getting dumped and—"
"Wait, what?" Noa's hand tightens on my hip. "Someone dumped you?"
Josh's hands still on my foot. "No way, that didn't come up in my research and I was thorough!"
"Well, we kept things pretty quiet. I actually didn't want to broadcast we were seeing each other because deep down I think I had a feeling it wouldn't work out. And I was right." I roll my eyes, and feel them both tense, protective alpha energy rolling off them in waves. "He basically said the same thing as all my other failed relationships. That I wasn't in the right headspace for a relationship. That I was too career-focused to care about anything else."
"What kind of absolute moron—" Josh cuts himself off, jaw clenching.
"The kind who makes promises about being supportive." I thread my fingers through Noa's. "You know the type. 'Of course I support your dreams, babe.' Right up until it means I'm working late on a Saturday."
"His loss." Noa presses a kiss to my shoulder, looking up at me with such tenderness that my breath catches. "Completely and utterly his loss."
"Someone left you?" Keanu's voice cuts through the rain as he emerges from darkness, arms full of miraculously dry driftwood. Water streams off his shoulders, making his shirt cling. "Someone actually looked at you and thought, 'Nah, I'll pass'?"
He drops the wood, peels off his soaked shirt, sets it near the fire. Then he's kneeling in front of me, cupping my face in cold hands. "Impossible."
