Page 117 of Off Plan

“He was hot as fuck,” Gerry said mournfully.

“Notnow, Gerry!” Rafe, Kono, and Maddie said at once.

“You guys are talking about him like he’s leaving,” I said angrily. “He’s not. He’s gonna be back, you know. Tonight. And once he is, it’s up tousto convince him to stay.”

“On Whispering Key?” Kono shook her head. “What would he wanna stay here for?”

“Because this is where he’sneeded,” I said, realizing the truth of my statement as I said it. All the eyes in the place shot to my face simultaneously.

“But, Christmas Eve three years ago, didn’t you call Whispering Key a Universe-forsaken hunk of rock inhabited by a bunch of shit-for-brains dumbasses?” Dale wanted to know.

And holy shit, if hisferrymonesgave him a memory like that, he shouldn’t let Mason make him give them up.

“I… Imighthave,” I allowed. “It’s all a blur. But the point is, maybe itisa forsaken hunk of rock, but it’sourforsaken hunk of rock! And we might be a bunch of shit-for-brains dumbasses, but we’relovableshit-for-brains dumbasses—”

“I certainly findyoulovable,” Gerry began, and the entire room shouted, “Notnow,Gerry.”

“Big Rafe is right when he says this island is changing,” I told them. “It’s growing already. Waking up. Coming alive. EvenIcan feel it. It’s like that scene at the end ofBeauty and the Beast, when all the talking clocks come back to life—”

“Dibs on being the dancing teapot!” Maddie said.

“Things are getting better here,” I concluded. “But honestly? Some things were already pretty fucking great, and I don’t think I saw them until Mason came here andmademe see them. Like, the way we all look out for each other. The way when one of us has a problem, weallshare that problem. The way we’ve made each other crazy, and kept each other safe, and stuck together through all the bad times like… likefamily.” Like my own crazy, ridiculous, lovable family. “So whywouldn’tMason want to stay here, when we all want him to? You want him to stay, don’t you, Lorenna? Gerry? Maddie?”

All of them nodded.

“Then… maybe it’s time we stop justacceptingthe shit that happens to us around here.” I looked at each one of them in turn. “Maybe it’s time we decide what we want for ourselves. What we want this island to be. And then we go out andgetit.Starting with Mason Bloom.”

“Fuck yeah!” Maddie said, standing up. “Alright, Fenn Reardon. What do we do?”

“Well.” I swallowed. “I have an idea.”

Then I went on to sketch out the lamest, hokiest, cheesiest plan ever. But it just might work.

“You know,” Rafe said, clapping me on the shoulder. “For a guy who had no experience with pep talks, you gave a damn good one. I credit myself, really, for teaching you how it’s done.”

I snorted. “Now we just need to get back out there, find your dad so we can figure out where the fuck Mason is, and get him back.”

“Easy peasy,” Rafe said, and I grinned just as Rafe’s phone rang in his pocket.

“Beale,” he crowed as he checked the display. “Ha! Now we’ll get to the bottom of this mystery, Shaggy.”

“Does that make you Scooby, Rafael?”

“Fuck you, I’mFred. The handsome one.”

“Sure you are.”

Lety bustled around the counter and smiled at me approvingly. “Ese chico te ama, Fenn. Encuéntralo y tráemelo de regreso. Es pan comido.Okay?”

Something about bread and eating? Sounded just about right.

“Okay,” I agreed solemnly, pretty sure in that one shining moment that I could achieve just about anything.

Then I turned and saw Rafe’s wide-eyed, stricken expression.

“There’s been an accident,” he whispered.

“Oh fuck. Beale? Is he…”