Blooming in the Wild Page 0,29
to look their best. She didn’t.
“Matt,” she called across the clearing. “Can I bring you a cup of coffee?”
After delivering their coffee, Bella went back to grab a banana and piece of papaya bread to eat while she drank her own coffee.
“You betta have some of Leilani’s egg dish,” Frank urged. “Good warm or cold.”
Bella shook her head, draining her coffee cup. “No, thanks. Got to get dressed.”
“I’ll have some of those eggs, “Joel said. “Don’t want to miss any of Leilani’s great cooking.”
Bella hesitated. Neither did she—she was hungry after eating so lightly at dinner. But she had things to do, and besides, she didn’t want to have to sit and watch Joel eat and try to ignore the heat between them. Which might be mostly on her end. Maybe he’d responded simply because she was a reasonably attractive woman. Maybe that kiss hadn’t been as earth-shaking for him. Au’e, maybe she needed to get her head back to her job.
She grabbed a bottle of water from the large case open by the cooler and took it into her tent with a washcloth and towel. She rinsed the salt water from her skin the best she could before wriggling into clean red-and-white-flowered shorts and a white sun-block shirt.
She’d have to rinse her hair later to get the salt out, but for now she rubbed some conditioner into the damp locks, wound them into a ponytail and pulled on a white bucket hat. On an impulse, she tucked her flower, which had survived her swim intact, back behind her ear. Gathering up her tablet computer and phone, she was ready to go—she hoped. She cast a quick prayer upward to God and Pele, if she was listening. She could use all the help she could get.
When she emerged from her tent, Camille was already up and dressed, eating breakfast with Li and Frank. Bella looked quickly away from them. Cassie sat nearby, wearing a simple blue tank dress, finger-combing her damp hair while she nibbled on a bowl of fruit. Joel was nowhere to be seen.
Tanah emerged from her tent in a simple olive-green shorts ensemble, her auburn hair caught up in a messy updo that framed her pretty face. She scanned Bella from head to toe with a critical eye. Bella had to stifle the urge to check her appearance in a mirror. But hers was somewhere in her duffel, and her efficiency was a lot more important than her looks right now.
“You were smart not to wait,” Tanah said. “Matt’s still in the shower.” “You’re such a whiner,” Cassie said loftily.
“Careful.” Tanah pointed a warning finger at the blonde. “I can make you look good in your photos, or terrible.”
Cassie tossed her head and laughed. Looking at her perfect face and flawless skin, glowing in the morning light, Bella could see why the blonde wasn’t worried by the threat.
Bella pasted a smile on her face and turned to Camille. “Good morning. Ready to start shooting?”
Camille gave her an odd look, and Bella groaned inwardly, feeling her cheeks flush. She had sounded insanely chirpy. “Big day ahead,” she added.
“Of course,” Camille said with a wry smile. “After I have my coffee.”
“Oh, good.” Bella tapped her computer screen “I have a list of the shots the ad department wants. I’ll give you a copy, or I can just feed you the sequence as you go, whichever you prefer.”
“Oh, I’ll let you be in charge of that.” Camille lifted one hand to the heavy pendant she wore over her simple white top. Fashioned of platinum, it was an odd shape, almost like a modified Z hanging askew on its chain, with a rift of diamonds in the center. It looked like an expensive designer piece.
Bella nodded. “We’ll start with some shots of Joel putting up his tent. We want the morning light for that.”
Looking around, she saw no sign of the irritating man. She hoped he hadn’t wandered off. If he was gone too long, they’d have to shoot the tent scenes tomorrow morning. She looked back at her list.
“Then we’ll want some scenes with him and Matt and Cassie, as if they’re having a meal. We’ll shoot some scenes on the beach this afternoon. This evening, we’ll shoot the campfire, if it doesn’t rain.”
“Sounds like a long day,” Frank commented behind her, rattling pans. “You betta have more coffee, Bella.”
As he handed her a second cup, however, Joel sauntered out of the forest. He looked fresh and clean, his damp