Page 40 of Rule 4: Never Get Stranded with a Sports Reporter

I smile. I’ve got this. Definitely.

CAL

No boat comes passing through. The sky darkens, the white fluffy clouds replaced with somber steel ones. The wind rips through the palm trees, the gentle rustle turning into something more ominous.

It doesn’t matter.

It just means I might be seasick on the boat ride back. No problem, really. Jason has already seen me scared. Maybe he’ll get to see me throw up too.

How fantastic.

The sky goes darker.

Rain drops fall, and I shift on the sand.

“Cal...” Jason’s voice is suddenly above me. “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for a boat. Like you wanted me to.”

“Let’s hide behind the rocks. That will offer some protection from the wind.”

“I’ll be here. Need to watch for boats.”

Jason gives a curt nod, then marches away, and I am alone on the beach.

Which is actually completely awesome.

The boat still doesn’t appear. The rain does.

Finally, the rain stops falling. Jason is already gone.

He can go back to his side of the island.

He’s probably worried I’ll start asking him interview questions now, which, well, may not be a bad idea. So, once the boat arrives, I can fly back to Boston, Rex will praise me, and Jason can go back to being smug about everything.

I scan the horizon, but no, there’s absolutely no boat in the distance. I march through the jungle again to explain to Jason why I should interview him now.

But as I approach, I hesitate. His shoulders are collapsed, his back is drooped, and he runs his fingers through the wet sand as if he thinks it will calm him.

I didn’t mean to make him actually upset.

Guilt moves through me, then I decide to turn around.

I can ask him another time.

A twig crunches beneath my feet, and his head swivels toward me.

“You’re supposed to be on the other side of the island,” he says.

“But we approached the island from this direction.”

He swallows hard. “They don’t know where we are, Cal. They think we’re headed for Mirror Island, and that place had a hotel and store and who knows what else. What if they don’t look here?”

My stomach drops. “That’s not possible.”

“I-I hope not.” He gives me a smile. “Never mind, Cal. Forget I said anything.”

“You’re wrong.”