Page 6 of Unfinished Desire
“Everyone ready on three!” Vivian called. “One... two... three, and go!”
Both Tamsyn and Isla squatted down and reached for the first block. Their fingers met on opposite corners and lifted it easily. That wasn’t the problem. The problem came when they had to move the block to the center, while simultaneously squatting low enough to place the block down but also not running out of room or losing balance and tipping the platform.
Then there was also the whole personal space thing. Tamsyn could smell Isla’s perfume and she could practically feel the heat seeping off her lovely, smooth skin. The space between their knees shrank considerably, too. And Tamsyn found herself staring, just for a second, at Isla’s legs. Elegant legs, as her nonna would’ve called them. The kind of legs that belonged in Italian perfume commercials, glistening with oil and golden afternoon light. Then Tamsyn remembered Isla was a model and she very likely had, at some point, actually been paid to show off her lovely legs.
The block landed with a soft thud.
Tamsyn was already reaching for the next one when Isla said, “Slower.”
“I am going slow,” Tamsyn replied, though honestly, what she wanted to say was, that’s the exact opposite of what you wanted me to do six months ago. “But we can’t move too slowlyeither.” She jerked her head toward Petra and Nadine, who were to their left. They already had three blocks stacked on the platform.
Isla wrinkled her nose but seemed to agree. “Next block.”
They leaned to the side again. But then suddenly the platform lurched violently beneath them, tilting enough to make the water seem closer than it had a second ago. Tamsyn’s stomach did a nasty somersault. “Fine, let’s go slow,” she said, relenting.
Both bent their knees at the same time. Slowly. Carefully until they picked up the next foam block and settled it onto the growing tower. Then again, they reached, gripped, and lifted together. Then lowered. And again. And again.
“You’re from New York, right?” Tamsyn asked because she couldn’t help herself. Because she couldn’t accept the fact that Isla hadn’t remembered her. Tamsyn Lott, who wore cowboy boots in the Big Apple! When they had hooked up, she’d had a riot of black curls that refused to be contained by gel or hair ties. Now, those curls had been transformed into long braids that swung when she moved. But her face hadn’t changed. She still had the same sharp cheekbones and the same full lips that had worked magic between Isla’s legs. Surely, the woman had to recognize her lips. Shewasmemorable. Sheknewshe was memorable.
Isla looked reluctant to reply, but thankfully she did. Not that Tamsyn would be deterred. She could keep a conversation alive single-handedly, like someone pumping air into a dying campfire. It was one of her many talents. During her interview, one of the casting producers called it a highly favorable survival skill ideal forOutlast Her.
“Yes, I am,” Isla replied as they bent their knees and reached for another foam block.
“I went there a few months ago,” Tamsyn said as they hovered the block over the stack. It was imperative that they placed it just right. A lopsided stack was prone to falling. “My cousin Mikey invited me on a three-day food tour. First stop was Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side, and I had the best bagel I’ve ever tasted with lox, cream cheese, tomato, and capers.”
They placed the next block carefully.
“Then we went to Nolita where we had cacio e pepe, and that evening we headed into Chinatown where we ate the most delicious dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai,” Tamsyn said, once again moving into a squat. Thank goodness she’d decided to kick off her cowboy boots for this challenge. “I didn’t even care that I ate so many that it caused me to have a stomachache. They were that good.”
Isla didn’t say anything. Not a word. Not even when they placed the next block, only for it to wobble slightly before it steadied out.
Tamsyn let out a breath and added, albeit a bit softer in case her voice somehow sent the blocks toppling, “The second day was Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg Food Market. I had a birria taco with this dipping broth thing that was honestly life-changing. And then a honey-butter cornbread from this other stall that just melted in my mouth.”
They reached for yet another block just as Tamsyn said, “That night we had wood-fired pizza in Williamsburg with hot honey drizzled on top that shouldn’t work but absolutely did, and then somehow ended up at some big-shot lawyer’s penthouse condo because Mikey fell in love with this guy called David we met in Soho that morning. I was a bit skeptical at first, but you know, you’re only in New York once and he said the condo had gorgeous views of Central Park. So I thought, why not?”
Like before, they pressed their palms to opposite sides of a block, but this time their fingers overlapped. Isla’s arm jerked so fast it forced the platform sideways like a boat catching a wave. Miraculously, their eight stacked blocks didn’t collapse.
“I know New York is huge, but do you know Mallory Applebee?” Tamsyn went on, despite her heart flapping wildly in her chest. She had no idea if it was because they’d nearly lost their stack or because of the way Isla had reacted. She risked a glance up at Isla even though they were in the middle of setting the block down and all attention had to be on their hands. But she was glad she did, because Isla had somehow turned a shade paler. Two shades even.
There was a sudden splash.
“Dominique and Barra, start again!” Vivian called. She was standing over by the water’s edge, wearing a wide-brimmed hat that kept the sun off her face and neck.
Tamsyn grinned. Not because they were now clearly leading—they only had two blocks left and the closest to them were Josie and Aggie who were one block behind—but because Isla’s reaction told Tamsyn everything she had to know. Isla Stone had lied!
“I think Mallory has a sister,” Tamsyn said as they placed the ninth block. “She’s got this entire wall of photos when you walk into the apartment. On one of the photos, a wedding—”
“You’re leaning!” Josie snapped so loudly that both Tamsyn and Isla stopped what they were doing to watch them.
“I’m not leaning, you’re leaning!” Aggie shot back. Then their platform swayed dangerously, tilting up on the side. And the next minute Aggie and the eight blocks landed with a splash in the water.
“Start again!” Vivian called cheerily. “And you two,” she added, pointing at Janelle and Frankie, when three of their top blocks toppled into the water.
Then there was another splash, and out of the corner of her eye, Tamsyn could see Petra standing hip deep swatting furiously at the water’s surface.
Tamsyn and Isla were in the lead. The only other pair close enough now was Kendall and Abigail with eight blocks stacked. But just as they placed the ninth block down, it wobbled precariously enough for the two of them to freeze. That tiny hesitation was all Tamsyn and Isla needed to inch ahead. They placed their final block. For one terrible second, the tower leaned. Then it held.
Vivian’s voice cut through the clearing. “We have a winner! Isla and Tamsyn take the first reward challenge.” She waited for everyone to trudge back onto land before congratulating them again. “As winners of the challenge, you two will get your very own private setup back at camp: a waterproof teepee, a mattress, duvet, pillows—everything you need for a good night’s sleep,” she said, grinning. “You can either sleep there yourselves or let the others take a turn if you feel generous.”
