The fever was getting worse. Her joints ached.
She kept her voice even to hide the pain. “Why not?”
Jake’s mouth fell open. “Really?”
“Sure.”
“Wow. Cool.” He lifted the lid and handed them each a beer.
She peered inside the box stocked with drinks and food. “Where are you guys headed?”
“For fishing by the jetty,” Jake said.
She cracked her can open and lifted a brow. “With no rods?”
“Damn.” Jake flushed and looked at Elvin. “We forgot to get rods. Now our cover will be screwed.”
“What are you guys up to?”
They looked at each other.
“Uh…” The color on Jake’s cheeks deepened. “We’re supposed to meet someone who’s going to show us the ropes.”
“Ah.” She smiled in understanding. “And this someone is a woman?”
Elvin’s grin was sheepish. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you just invite her for a picnic from the start?”
“Nah.” Elvin shook his head. “She wouldn’t have gone on a date with us. She’s out of our league.”
Maya grinned. “Does she know this is a double date?”
“Technically it’s not a date,” Jake said, “but since it’s almost lunch time and she’s got to eat…”
“She’s special,” Elvin said. “Not as much as you though.”
“Who’s the special lady about to be surprised?”
“A waitress at Carlos’s restaurant—Gabriela. Do you know her?”
“We’ve met.”
A painful memory of her dinner with Tim invaded her mind. It was the night he’d told her he liked her for who she was. That was before he’d known the truth.
Jake took a sip of his beer and looked at the ground. “We took up cooking lessons with Gabriela.”
“Good for you. I’m glad you found a new interest.”
“Only because you left,” Jake added quickly. “Otherwise we would’ve done the advanced dive course.”
“I’m sure you’ll make great cooks.”
She swallowed down the last of her drink and threw the can at Elvin, who caught it in mid-air. “Thanks for the drink.”
Elvin gave her a hopeful look. “There’s two of us, and one girl. If you want—”
“Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check.”
“If you change your mind…” Jake flashed a smile.
They finished their beers and picked up the box.
“We better get going,” Elvin said. “Gabriela is waiting.”
“Thanks for the beer. Take care.”
“Thanks for the dives.” Jake paused. “Hey,” he scratched his head, “what became of the muscle monkey who was following you around?”
“Don’t know,” she said honestly. Her voice softened. “I wish I did.”
She’ll die without ever knowing what Tim’s fate was. How was he killed? Did he perish by Ilano’s hand or in the water? She hoped she’d soon find out, when she met him in another dimension. Even now he was calling her to him, her body and soul aching. Maybe in death she’d find the eternal love she’d glimpsed in this life.
“Good riddance, I guess,” Elvin said. “Say, did you hear about the Australian ambassador? Kidnapped. Had a house up the beach. Not far. Better be careful. The area is getting dangerous.”
She swallowed. She couldn’t bear to think about Tim and the condo and what once was. “Thanks for the warning.”
“We’ll be off then.” Elvin gave her a nod. “Goodbye, Maya.”
“Bye, Maya,” Jake chimed in.
She sent them off with a wave. She watched until they disappeared down the path and then moved her body to a sunny patch on the hammock. She closed her eyes. It would be good to drift off and just not wake up again. Easy. Too easy for someone like her who’d lived by the sword.
The pain was still a distant gnawing—bearable, but a constant reminder of the agony it would soon become. Her time was running out like the tide was running low. Her palms were sticky and her brow beaded with perspiration. She closed her eyes and drifted into the relief of sleep.
She found herself standing on the beach. She knew it was a dream, because she could see Table Mountain in the background. The sun was high, the sand hot. Darren stood in the water, dressed in jeans and his leather jacket. He tilted his head and offered her a smile before crouching down and digging in the sand just like he used to do when they were kids.
He lifted something and held it to her. “Look, a sand snail.”
When she took it, the snail pissed on her leg. She screamed and threw it down while he laughed at her.
“I did it to protect you, you know,” he said.
“Did what?”
“Not let you in.”
“I didn’t listen to you, Darren. I let someone in.”
“You shouldn’t have listened to me.”
“Why?” she asked, surprised.
“You should’ve been happy.”
She chuckled. “Our lives weren’t meant to be happy.”
“Everyone’s meant to be happy.”
“I’m not. I’m scared.”
“I know,” he said.
“Will you wait for me?”
“No, I’ll kick your ass all the way back, you hear me?”
“Darren…”
“Live, Maya. You’re meant to live. You were always meant to live.”
“You know that’s not true. I was supposed to die in the trashcan.”
“But you survived.”
“I’m tired.”