“You guys can’t focus on that,” Sandra cut in. She sounded completely calm. I guess there was a reason she was the pilot. It wouldn’t be good if she was the type to get hysterical. “We all made it. No one was even hurt.”
I glanced at her swollen ankle, which was propped up on the ottoman with pillows. Sandra laughed lightly.
“Oh, that doesn’t count. I’m just clumsy.”
“She really is,” Dale said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to sweep her off her feet for her own good.”
The look of adoration he sent his wife’s way was enough to make anyone jealous. I’d had my fair share of boyfriends throughout high school and college, but I’d never truly fallen in love with any of them. It was the reason I’d been single for the last couple of years. I was looking for a real connection, something that could develop into love.
So far, nothing had come close.
“Anyone hungry?” Hayden asked, coming into the living room. “We have canned food and cured meat, but we can’t really heat anything until we get the generator going. So, I figured we’d make do with this.”
He was holding a box of Ritz crackers and a jar of peanut butter. I smiled slightly, allowing myself to stop obsessing over what might have happened on that plane. I was safe for now.
So, we all took a sleeve of crackers and took turns smearing peanut butter on them. It wasn’t the most gourmet meal I’d ever had, but I was glad to have something in my stomach. It helped me to relax and participate in the conversation as we all got to know each other better.
I learned that Dale and Sandra were high school sweethearts that had been together for twenty years. For some reason, that made the love between them seem even more special. They were still going strong after all this time.
Of course, Hayden cracked jokes about them settling down so young. It was all light-hearted, and no one was bothered by it, but I couldn’t help wondering if this guy took anything seriously. After all, he’d even been trying to be funny when we were crashing.
A part of me wanted to think he was crazy, but I had a feeling that we were just really different people. I had always been a level-headed person, serious, and responsible. Considering Hayden’s personality compared to mine, I could only hope that we didn’t have to spend too much time on this island together.
He might drive me crazy.
* * *
The storm raged long into the night, keeping me awake with the sound of the harsh wind against the house and thunder rumbling through the sky. By the time it was over, I was exhausted, but I still didn’t get a lot of rest. I was too worried about what would happen next. How long would it take for rescue to arrive once we were able to contact them?
Hayden gave me a guest bedroom in the huge house right down the hall from Dale and Sandra. She’d taken some Tylenol, but I knew that her ankle was still hurting. It was bruised pretty badly and swollen, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she stayed in bed until help came.
When I finally got up the next day, it was late in the morning, and I was eager to head outside to see the damage caused by the storm. I wasn’t going to put that stupid dress Hayden gave me back on, but my flight attendant uniform had dried overnight where I hung it up in the bathroom. I didn’t like the idea of putting it back on since it had gotten so dirty in the storm last night, but the navy slacks and white collared shirt were still more comfortable for me because I didn’t have to worry about my breasts popping out or having my ass on display if I so much as lifted my arms.
Leaving the bedroom, I made my way downstairs and didn’t see anyone anywhere in the house. Opening the front door, I stepped out onto the porch, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.
Looking around, I took in the aftermath of the storm. There was debris all over the place, sand blown into the grass, leaves and branches that came off the trees scattered along the beach, and some of the shingles had even come off the roof of the house. It looked bad, but not unsalvageable.
But then I walked to the plane.
It was shocking to see the aircraft so damaged. The wing had been completely torn off and was further up the beach, while the body of the airplane was scratched and dented. And, of course, there was a freaking tree on top of it.
It was somehow even more terrifying to see in the light of day. Last night, everything was chaotic, and I barely stopped to look at the tree with all the thunder and lightning and high wind. Now, I was staring at the massive tree and realizing that Dale was right about how serious it was. The thing destroyed the cockpit.
My God, if Sandra and Dale had been in there, they’d be…
No. Don’t think about it.
I needed to get inside the plane to get my travel bag. Going back to the house, I went to a large shed to the side of the clearing where the house sat. I managed to find a wooden extension ladder. It wasn’t as heavy as I expected, so I was able to carry it to the plane and climb up to get back inside.
Seeing the disarray of the interior was just as jarring as the appearance of the outside. I’d been inside so many of these airplanes, and I had always felt so safe. That was why I was so shaken as I saw the broken windows and anything that wasn’t bolted down dispersed all over the place, much of it broken.
That included everything from my station. Alcohol bottles, pillows, magazines, and everything else that my job entailed. I gulped as I forced myself not to think about what a close call we’d all had last night. I needed to stop dwelling on it.
Instead, I carefully made my way to the back of the plane and pulled open the compartment where I stashed my small suitcase. Putting it onto my seat, I held my breath as I opened it, my heart pounding in my chest.
Lifting a shirt out of the way, I grabbed my camera case, which I’d brought along to take snapshots in Costa Rica during down time. When I opened it, I felt all the tension drain out of my body. It was okay. My camera and lenses were fine. I loved photography—it was a hobby of mine—and I’d spent a small fortune on all the equipment.
Thank God I invested in a top-of-the-line hard case for it.