Page 26 of Beautifully Wild

Samuel steps ahead of me and pushes another clump of vine aside. I step past onto white sand to meet the ocean. I inhale a deep breath to fill my lungs with clean, salted air. “Wow.” I take a few steps and look from left to right—what a sight. The ocean is a bright azure blue meeting white sand, bordered by a green rainforest. Never have I seen anything so beautiful. Untouched.

Samuel points, indicating the direction we’ll be walking. “We need to keep moving.”

“Because it’ll be dark before we arrive back?”

He stares down at me. “And the tide leaves little space to walk.”

“Right.” I pick up my pace.Holy shit.“You didn’t think to mention this before?”

He smiles at me. “We’ll be fine and maybe have time for a swim.”

“I’ll wait and see because this tide thing is freaking me out a little.”

We keep walking at a steady pace. There is barely a wave, and even from here, the water is transparent in the shallows. The whole setting is serene, yet when I glance up, there is seriousness behind his eyes. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.” This man has me curious, and I want to know what’s going through his mind.

His gaze is fixed ahead. “Some days, it feels that way,” he says in a softer tone.

“Is it your work?”

“Relatively. It’s more when I’m not at work I feel the pressure to return.”

“Ah, a work-a-holic.”

With his eyes trained to the path ahead and a serious expression, he doesn’t confirm or deny it.

“Do you work in a hospital?”

“Not anymore.”

“A private practice?”

“In a way, yes.”

“What state do you practice in?”

“As in the United States?”

I nod. “Where did you say you’re from?”

“California.”

“I’ve always wanted to visit LA and San Fran.”

“Why?”

I shrug. “It’s exciting. I’ve watched heaps of shows and—”

“Tourists believe it’s like what you see on television and in the movies? It partly is, but there’s a whole other side.”

“It’s not exciting to you because you’ve always lived there.”

Samuel drops his backpack and retrieves a water bottle. “Would you like some water?”

“No thanks. I have plenty.” I find my bottle while he guzzles several mouthfuls before placing it inside the backpack.

He wipes his brow with the back of his hand before continuing. “Have you always lived in Adelaide?”

I nod. “Apart from a quick trip to Bali, this is my first serious overseas holiday.”

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