Read Online Beyond the Sea by Keira Andrews - Free Book Online Page B

branches into smaller pieces and tried to think of the last time he’d done manual labor. He came up blank.
    Carrying an armload of wood, he returned to where Brian sat, the sand becoming uncomfortably hot. Troy slipped on the flip-flops. Brian had taken off his dress shoes and socks, and poked through his suitcase.
    “ This is as good a place as any, I guess?” Troy asked.
    “ I think so.” Brian motioned to the trees about fifteen feet away. “Far enough that we won’t risk a forest fire, but still away from the tide. Here, let me help.”
    Troy wanted to say no, but had a feeling Brian would protest more strongly this time. “I’ll bring the wood, and you can arrange it. Do you know anything about making fires?”
    “ We went camping most summers when I was growing up. I was a Boy Scout too.” He half smiled. “Pretty sure I got my fire badge. I’ll dig a pit.”
    Once they had a good pile of wood and palm fronds in their shallow pit, Brian got out the magnifying glass. The sun was clear of the trees now, bright and powerful.
    “ Let’s try this. Save the matches.” Biting his lip, he held out the glass, moving it until he was satisfied with the angle.
    They knelt there, watching and waiting.
    And waiting.
    And waiting.
    “ Maybe we should use a match,” Troy whispered. It felt like if he spoke too loudly, he’d somehow jinx the fire.
    “ One more minute. I think it’s close.”
    It was more like five minutes, but finally a thin line of smoke rose from the pile of fronds. It was barely anything at all, but slowly it thickened. Then, with a soft whoomp, the dry leaves ignited.
    “ Yes!” Troy pumped his fist.
    With a grin, Brian kept the glass steady and leaned over to blow gently on the burgeoning flames. They watched as the fire spread, finally catching the wood and not just the palm leaves. Gray smoke trailed into the sky, and Troy said a quick prayer that it would be spotted soon.
    A swell of optimism filled him. Maybe they’d be rescued in a few days! Sure, they were a needle in a haystack, but the sky was so clear someone would see the smoke. They could have a nice shower and hot meal, sleep in comfy beds. He watched the smoke and daydreamed.
    Then his stomach growled.
    Right. Not rescued yet. They needed to try fishing. And maybe… Troy gazed at the brown lumps scattered near the tree line and went to grab one, turning it over in his hands, the husk dry and rough on his skin. “Hungry?” he asked Brian.
    Brian glanced up, poking the fire with a stick. “Oh, good. You know how to open one?”
    “ No clue. You?”
    “ Uh-uh. I’ve drunk coconut milk and eaten macaroons, but I’ve never bought an actual coconut.”
    “ Me either. I’ve never really cooked. I can heat stuff and make toast or whatever. But my mom still brings us a ton of food when we’re home, and on the road we have catering for…well, for everything.” He’d wanted to take control of his life, and here was his chance. He would feed himself, damn it.
    The good thing about coconuts was that they appeared to be plentiful on the island. The bad thing about coconuts was getting the freaking things open. Even with the knife, Troy had a feeling he was more likely to lose a finger than get inside to the milk and juicy flesh.
    He hefted the coconut and shook it. There was definitely liquid sloshing around inside, which he assumed was a good sign. On one end of the coconut, there were three little indentations. “I guess this is the top? Or the bottom.”
    Turning the fruit, he found a natural seam around the middle and poked at it. He gently dug in the knife and tried to cut. No dice. The knife sawed through a bit of the husk, but he had to use all his strength just to make a tiny bit of progress. “Man. This is hard. Maybe I should try to peel the brown stuff off?”
    “ Can’t hurt.” Brian shifted logs around. “I think you can crack coconuts? In half.”
    “ Like, with a rock or something?”
    “ Worth a