a black mushroom silhouetted against a watermelon sky. A flash of blue on the lookout platform beneath the canopy caught his attention.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said. He couldn’t help but wonder if wedding bands could be rigged with two-way mics or maybe even tracking devices. Not that he’d do that to Pippa, but what was up with her lately?
He made his way past the elephant pens and through the low-lying grasses that spanned the stretch to the tree.
“I see him coming. Took him longer than usual.”
Pippa’s voice drifted toward him. Always happy. Always energizing. His lips twisted into a smile. She made it impossible to stay upset or annoyed. He couldn’t quite make out Maddie’s response. Her voice had always been soft, even when she was younger. Especially when she was younger. But even now it had a mellow warmth to it, one that blended into the summer evening and disappeared before it could reach him. It made his mind spin with curiosity.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowed his approach.
“We really should get back. I feel like I’m being rude, not having said hello to everyone yet.”
“You’re so much like Haki. So concerned with what others think, always busy worrying and following rules. No one will care. I’ll take the blame if they say anything. Let yourself relax. I mean, look at that. A 360-degree view. Isn’t it amazing?”
He could see Maddie’s silhouette as she pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them.
“A part of me could sit here and watch the sun rise every morning and set every night and never tire of it. I remember reading books up here a time or two. I do miss how peaceful it is. Out here you can actually feel the day end,” she said.
“I know what you mean. Whenever I stay in the city, I have trouble winding down. It’s kind of true when they say cities never sleep. All that nightlife.”
The idea of Pip never winding down was borderline scary. A chuckle escaped him. He was answered with soft laughter.
“Okay, you two. Game over.” He climbed the weathered, wooden ladder and crossed his arms on the edge of the platform. “You left your radio behind again, Pip.”
The last remnants of light reflected off her auburn curls, bringing out golden highlights. Every year, the sun seemed to make it lighter.
“I never really left camp, did I?” She gave him a cheeky grin. “Besides, I knew you’d come and rescue us. I can’t climb down if you’re on the ladder.”
He backed down a few steps, then jumped to the ground. Pippa backed down fewer and jumped farther. He didn’t comment. Maddie turned onto her knees, carefully found her footing and looked down at the rungs each time to be sure she didn’t miss a step. He figured she wasn’t planning on any jumps. She was almost there. Her hips were level with his shoulders. Pippa had jumped from much higher than that. Maddie stopped altogether and began tugging at her waist.
“Something wrong?” Haki moved to the side of the ladder.
“Nope. I’m fine. My pants snagged on something. Just give me a second.” She sucked on her lower lip as she held on to the ladder with one hand and tried stretching and tugging at her waistband with the other. Her cheeks took on the colors of the sunset, but since the sky had darkened, he knew reflection had nothing to do with it.
He pulled a flashlight off the back of his belt and shone it at the rung in question. The wood had split and she’d managed to fishhook a thick shard through the empty belt loop of her khakis.
“What is it?” Pippa asked.
“These rungs need to be replaced as soon as possible,” he said. “Guess you’ll have to stay here all night, Maddie-girl.”
“I don’t think so. Besides, you’d never leave me here. Unless you plan to sleep under me.” Her face turned even redder. He kept a straight face. He knew what she meant. Her poor pride needed rescuing.
“I could cut you loose with my knife, but I don’t think we have to ruin your clothes. Stay still a minute and move your hand. Hold on to the ladder with both.”
The bottom of her shirt lifted just enough for the moonlight to touch her skin as she reached for the rung above her head and held on. He stepped behind her, put his hands around her waist and felt for the snag. Her shirt brushed against his cheek and the subtle scents of citrus and fresh soap filled his next breath. He closed his eyes just for a second. He needed to focus. He needed to visualize. He needed to be standing right where he was to keep her from falling backward.
“I’m going to break off the piece of wood at the base of where it splintered. I don’t want it to hurt you, so I’m going to put my hand against your waist to protect your skin. Okay?”
“Should I hold a flashlight for you?” Pippa asked.
“Nah, I’ve got this.” At Pippa’s height, she’d be flashing the light up in his face and his hands would block most of it anyway.
“Do whatever you need to do. If it’s too much work, just cut my pant loop,” Maddie said.
He slipped his fingertips barely below the waistline of her pants and pressed his palm against her, so that the belt loop and jagged end of the piece of wood were against the back of his left hand. With his right, he broke off the shard in one quick move.
“All done. I’ve got you. Let go of the ladder.” He held her by the waist, set her feet on the ground, then immediately let go and took several steps back.
“Thank you,” she breathed. Her long hair shielded her face as she looked down, unhooked the piece of wood from her loop and tossed it into the grass. Pippa hurried to her side and put her arm around her.
“I told you he’s a hero around here. You okay?”
Maddie pushed her hair behind her ears and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Of course. I’m totally fine. Thank you again, Haki.” She nodded one too many times.
“No big deal. Stuff like that happens pretty much every day around here,” he said. And by “around here” he meant somewhere in the vast wilds of Kenya. Not that he’d witnessed it, but surely she wasn’t the only woman in the region to hang from an observation platform by her belt loop. Maddie’s color seemed to fade back to normal in the moonlight and her shoulders relaxed. Good. “We should go eat before Huru and Noah clear the table. And I don’t mean the dishes. The appetite of teen boys—surpassed only by the appetite of teen elephant bulls.” He motioned for them to walk ahead of him; then he curled his fingers into his palm and pressed against the stinging abrasion on the back of his hand.
He could handle the sting. In fact, he needed it right now. He deserved it. Justice. Pain for punishment. You have a future, here, with Pippa. Where’s your sense of honor? He closed his eyes and took a grounding, cleansing breath of night air, and then another...but it failed to clear Maddie from his senses.
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