beer.
Chapter 14
Lana Peters had fallen asleep and woke with the feeling she was being watched. Jack Starr was standing there with those damned bedroom eyes and his head to the side which he did often. “Well, hey, sleeping beauty. I was just gonna wake you.”
“ The traditional way?”
“ Don’t tempt me, sweetheart.”
“ Jack, I was kidding.”
“ I wasn’t.”
“ What movie is that line from? Oceans 23?”
“ No, but hey I might suggest it for the next one.”
“ Are you ever serious?”
“ Aw, c’mon, Lana, this is my serious expression. It’s about the same as my ‘come-to-bed’ expression and my ‘what-the-fuck’ expression, and any old expression I’m asked to do.”
“ God, you are a disillusioned camper, or is it boredom?”
“ Six of one, half dozen of the other, I guess.”
“ Well then, being as you are here, why don’t you sit down and I’ll share the contents of my Eskimo with you. What the hell are you laughing about?”
“ I think, it’s supposed to be Esky, hon, not Eskimo.”
“ Seriously?”
“ Yup.”
“ Hell, I been calling it Eskimo for days, and nobody picked me up on it.”
“ Could be people don’t feel good about correcting you, Lana.”
“ Yeah,” she laughed. “Wonder why that is. Any ideas?”
“ Oh, I’m an ideas man, but right now I feel like alcohol and good company, and then a swim.”
“ Well, I can help you with the alcohol.”
“ Why do you do that?”
“ Do, what?”
“ Put yourself down to get a laugh.”
“ Do I?”
“ You know it.”
“ I guess maybe it saves other people attacking if I do it first.”
“ Yeah … I get it; we work and walk with cannibals in this business, hon. How about that drink, I even bought my own Eskimo.”
Lana Peters dissolved into laughter and smiled in appreciation at this gorgeous man. “This is the first time we’ve actually spoken without the cameras rolling, isn’t it?”
“ Yeah. Funny ... young Ginny was surprised that we weren’t all old buddies. I think most people assume that all of us hang out together all the time, although she is right about a few. Tristan and Izzy are good friends of mine, but I hadn’t met many of the others ‘til this trip.”
“ We don’t live in the real world, do we?”
“ No, honey, but right here, right now, we do. Let’s enjoy it, okay?”
“ Sounds like the man has a plan.”
“ Right now the man has a thirst. What you got hidden in that Eskimo of yours?”
* * *
Charlie Danvers entered the tree house and stopped in his tracks. “Holy shit, this is amazing!”
The entire place was open to the air. Screened enclosures all round gave 360 degree views of the South Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted along the reef. There were canvas drops on all sides that could be lowered against the elements or propped out to deflect the sunlight. Vines and bougainvillea grew in neighboring trees and the view of the entire sky village and wood planked walkways was surreal.
“ How many tree-huts are there, Lucy?”
“ Fifteen all up, Charlie. Enough to take everyone on the island comfortably.”
“ Are they for guest accommodation?”
“ Sure, but we don’t push it. People find it and want to stay, that’s fine. But that’s not the reason I had them designed and built.”
“ Huh? Well, why then? They are brilliant. Are they all identical to this one?”
“ One question at a time.” Lucy was enjoying herself. This was the first time she’d had a chance to show anyone apart from the staff her castles in the sky.
“ First and foremost, I had them designed and built as tsunami survival huts. Look around you. They are self-sustaining. Independent water supply, generators in each hut for light, gas Bar-B-Qs for cooking. Doc has fitted out a first aid kit that would double as a surgery in every hut. We also have a large gun cabinet in each which I hope to hell we never have to use.”
“ Gun cabinet? Why in
Chapter 14
Lana Peters had fallen asleep and woke with the feeling she was being watched. Jack Starr was standing there with those damned bedroom eyes and his head to the side which he did often. “Well, hey, sleeping beauty. I was just gonna wake you.”
“ The traditional way?”
“ Don’t tempt me, sweetheart.”
“ Jack, I was kidding.”
“ I wasn’t.”
“ What movie is that line from? Oceans 23?”
“ No, but hey I might suggest it for the next one.”
“ Are you ever serious?”
“ Aw, c’mon, Lana, this is my serious expression. It’s about the same as my ‘come-to-bed’ expression and my ‘what-the-fuck’ expression, and any old expression I’m asked to do.”
“ God, you are a disillusioned camper, or is it boredom?”
“ Six of one, half dozen of the other, I guess.”
“ Well then, being as you are here, why don’t you sit down and I’ll share the contents of my Eskimo with you. What the hell are you laughing about?”
“ I think, it’s supposed to be Esky, hon, not Eskimo.”
“ Seriously?”
“ Yup.”
“ Hell, I been calling it Eskimo for days, and nobody picked me up on it.”
“ Could be people don’t feel good about correcting you, Lana.”
“ Yeah,” she laughed. “Wonder why that is. Any ideas?”
“ Oh, I’m an ideas man, but right now I feel like alcohol and good company, and then a swim.”
“ Well, I can help you with the alcohol.”
“ Why do you do that?”
“ Do, what?”
“ Put yourself down to get a laugh.”
“ Do I?”
“ You know it.”
“ I guess maybe it saves other people attacking if I do it first.”
“ Yeah … I get it; we work and walk with cannibals in this business, hon. How about that drink, I even bought my own Eskimo.”
Lana Peters dissolved into laughter and smiled in appreciation at this gorgeous man. “This is the first time we’ve actually spoken without the cameras rolling, isn’t it?”
“ Yeah. Funny ... young Ginny was surprised that we weren’t all old buddies. I think most people assume that all of us hang out together all the time, although she is right about a few. Tristan and Izzy are good friends of mine, but I hadn’t met many of the others ‘til this trip.”
“ We don’t live in the real world, do we?”
“ No, honey, but right here, right now, we do. Let’s enjoy it, okay?”
“ Sounds like the man has a plan.”
“ Right now the man has a thirst. What you got hidden in that Eskimo of yours?”
* * *
Charlie Danvers entered the tree house and stopped in his tracks. “Holy shit, this is amazing!”
The entire place was open to the air. Screened enclosures all round gave 360 degree views of the South Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted along the reef. There were canvas drops on all sides that could be lowered against the elements or propped out to deflect the sunlight. Vines and bougainvillea grew in neighboring trees and the view of the entire sky village and wood planked walkways was surreal.
“ How many tree-huts are there, Lucy?”
“ Fifteen all up, Charlie. Enough to take everyone on the island comfortably.”
“ Are they for guest accommodation?”
“ Sure, but we don’t push it. People find it and want to stay, that’s fine. But that’s not the reason I had them designed and built.”
“ Huh? Well, why then? They are brilliant. Are they all identical to this one?”
“ One question at a time.” Lucy was enjoying herself. This was the first time she’d had a chance to show anyone apart from the staff her castles in the sky.
“ First and foremost, I had them designed and built as tsunami survival huts. Look around you. They are self-sustaining. Independent water supply, generators in each hut for light, gas Bar-B-Qs for cooking. Doc has fitted out a first aid kit that would double as a surgery in every hut. We also have a large gun cabinet in each which I hope to hell we never have to use.”
“ Gun cabinet? Why in
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