Page 10 of Surviving Love

He didn’t speak right away, but then he said, “I’m from Colorado.”

I laughed. “I knew it.”

Jack scowled. “You said Texas or Montana.”

“I meant I knew you’d be from someplace where macho is encouraged.”

“Whatever,” he grunted.

Lydia and Rob strolled up, talking quietly. The way they stopped speaking as they neared fed my paranoia a little. Hopefully they weren’t scheming against me, although I certainly didn’t care if they wanted to unload Jack.

“I see you two finally showed up,” Jack said dryly, eyeing the two of them.

“Sorry. We got… distracted.” Lydia grimaced. “What should we do first?”

Jack sighed. “Well, our priority is building the shelter.”

“Okay.” Lydia nodded, appearing clueless.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Rob said, “So, I should go get building supplies?”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Building supplies? Is there a Home Depot nearby I don’t know about?”

Rob laughed sheepishly. “I’ve never built a shelter before.”

I felt sorry for them, so I said, “I’m gathering fronds for the roof.”

“I’ll help with that.” Lydia joined me.

Shifting uneasily, Rob looked a little lost. “Should I do that too?”

Jack exhaled roughly. “Why don’t you help me cut some bamboo, Rob?”

Rob straightened, his expression relieved. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely.” He followed Jack into the thick trees.

Lydia watched them leave. “Jack is a natural leader.”

“He definitely likes bossing people around,” I muttered, hacking at some palm fronds.

She shrugged. “At least he knows how to build a shelter. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

I frowned but didn’t respond. It seemed as if most of these people hadn’t prepared at all before coming to the island. The minute I’d learned I was going to be on the show, I’d practiced certain things. I’d made sure I knew how to start a fire, and I’d practiced building lean-to shelters. I hadn’t wanted to arrive on the island completely helpless. I guess Rob and Lydia didn’t mind appearing weak in front of the TV audience.

Lydia and I worked in companionable silence. Unfortunately, we hadn’t made as much progress as I’d have liked by the time fat raindrops started falling. The thunder rumbled like a train in the distance, and flashes of lightning lit the sky ominously.

“Damn, it’s raining.” Lydia stared up at the sky, scowling.

“Yeah.” I kept working because I really didn’t like the idea of spending the first night with no shelter of any kind. To me, the rain meant we should work faster, not stop to complain.

Rob came out of the trees, holding a palm frond over his head. “It’s really starting to come down.”

“I hate being wet,” Lydia said, dropping her machete. “How about we take a break?”

“Sounds good to me.” Rob nodded.

I stopped what I was doing and scowled. Most of the tribe was huddled beneath a large tree, making no effort to help build the shelter. Had these people ever even watched the show? Being cold and wet was part of the deal. “Guys, we should keep working,” I said.

“We will.” Lydia moved toward the others. “I just need to catch my breath.”