Page 21 of Anyone But You

I clapped my hands together and fixed the co-pilot with a sweet-as-pie smile until Knox snorted in the background and made an under-the-breath comment about how Josh shouldn’t fall for my smile.

He’s talking a little too much shit for a man who starts stuttering when I bend over to pick something up.

“Josh, I want to start by recognizing that we’re only alive because of your aviation skills and quick thinking under pressure.”

“Are you serious?” Knox interrupted, sounding like a squealing pig. “This idiot—”

“Keep talking, Knox, and you’ll get a handful of sand in the face,” I threatened. I was satisfied when he clamped his mouth shut.

He knows I’m good for it.

“As I was saying, we’re alive because of you, and I appreciate your valiant effort. I may not know everything about wilderness survival; however, we must stick together as we familiarize ourselves with the island. There’s no telling what dangerswe may encounter. It could be anything from wild animals, poisonous insects, indigenous inhabitants, or quicksand—you name it. We’d be foolish to believe we can go trekking in the jungle alone—”

“Wait…didn’t you go into the jungle alone?” Josh pressed, an amused smirk resting on his lips.

See…that’s why I should’ve let Knox knock your head off your shoulders.

“He got you there,” Knox muttered.

My smile widened as I attempted to keep my cool. “Yes…Josh…I did go into the jungle unaccompanied, and look what happened. I’m speaking from a place of experience. We need to stick together, at least for now. Acquiring water is our number one priority, followed by food and then shelter. We can kill two birds with one stone by searching for water and food simultaneously. You did amazing by recovering useful items from the wreckage that we’ll be able to utilize.”

“I did,” he boasted triumphantly.

Don’t get too full of yourself.

“You did. Now, do me a favor and gather the coffee pot, flashlight, scissors, first aid kit, and rope.”

“What do we need the coffee pot for?”

“The coffee pot is currently the only receptacle we have. We can use it to carry water or food. Also, don’t go into that jungle eating things willy-nilly, especially if you don’t recognize them. That may be your last meal.”

Josh nodded and returned to the raft he dragged to shore.

“A compliment sandwich? Really?” Knox asked.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Someone has been taking the HR-mandated leadership modules seriously.”

“And I know someone who doesn’t and usually waits until the last minute to complete them.”

“The active shooter training is bullshit; it’s the same song and dance. The people in the video stick around too fucking long after hearing the initial gunfire, and they don’t do the best job of running for their lives. It’s unrealistic,” he complained.

“Tell me about it! I’d be knees to chest!” I exclaimed.

He snorted. “Thank goodness for the panic room behind the bookcase in my office.”

I blinked rapidly as I tried to compute what the hell he just told me. “I’m sorry…what’s behind the bookcase?”

“A panic room.”

“And how come you’ve never told me about this panic room?”

“Because I didn’t want you to get to it first and lock me out.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and kicked at a brown and white hermit crab shell, sending it flying a few feet away from me.

“Real talk?” I stated, tilting my head to the side.