AFTER THE RAIN (Bonus edition)

22. Baywatch, the r rated edition

Marcus woke up before Stormy did. It was already 10:00 and he couldn't believe he'd slept that long. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he'd just had the best sleep of his entire life. Possibly because Stormy had landed up sleeping with her head on his shoulder and her arm on his chest. And he'd felt so close to her.

Marcus took out his phone and switched it back on, doubting that the reception would have somehow (miraculously) returned overnight. He was wrong – the screen showed that full signal had returned. Strange – he'd been fully expecting to climb another hill, or maybe Kilimanjaro today, just to find reception.

Suddenly, a familiar sound overhead made Marcus look up. And then, he was hit by an idea that he couldn't believe he hadn't had earlier. It was so clear. So logical.

Most of the luxury game reserves around here had helicopters for game viewing purposes. And according to the road signs, and his trusty iPhone Google Map App, they were currently close to the Tsavo East National Park, and not too far away from Mt Kilamanjaro National Park, South Kitui and Mkomazi. They were basically surrounded by game reserves – which meant luxury lodges with helicopters.

He looked up at the skies and wondered just how many helicopters were close. It was only a matter of phoning some of the surrounding lodges, hoping they weren't all busy, and waving his credit card around. Simple. Easy. Much quicker than a car.

There was no way they were going to make the rehearsal dinner that night – they'd already missed their flight. He would have to phone Damien and apologize. But with any luck, they could still make the wedding itself the next day. He'd call the airline and book them on the flight to Dubai that left the next morning, and from there, on to Prague; they could spend tonight in Mombasa. It wouldn't be that bad.

He was actually really looking forward to Mombasa, with its white sandy beaches and tropical waters and air-conditioned rooms with ablution facilities. Now all he had to do was convince Stormy that a helicopter was a good idea.

That might be problematic.

***

Stormy had been watching Marcus pacing up and down on the phone for the past ten minutes. She couldn't hear him, but he'd called at least four or five different numbers, and from the look on his face, whatever plan he'd concocted was working. He looked so authoritative and confident – not panicky like before. He looked like a man on a mission. She bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress the feelings that were welling up inside her. She couldn't help it; God, he looked yummy, being all manly like that. Perhaps those feelings were somehow intensified this morning because of how they'd slept the night before. She'd landed up in his lap – not by accident, mind you. They'd also ended up holding hands – again, not by accident.

She'd never liked manly men who made plans and took charge and watched 'The Big Game' from their Lazy Boy couches. The kind of men who knew how to barbeque a cow and swigged back beer while they talked about their golf handicaps and shrewd investments.

But Marcus... He looked good doing it.

So, so good.

And not only that – she was suddenly overcome with a strange feeling of safety. This was a particularly unfamiliar feeling for her. She'd never felt totally safe before, physically or emotionally. Her father had never really instilled that kind of reassurance in her. He'd once dropped her off at his cocaine dealer while he went to draw money from the ATM downstairs. Not to mention how she'd felt around her lascivious foster dad, who salivated every time he saw her; or her other foster family, who hadn't noticed she was missing for three whole days when she ran away. In fact, the only time she'd ever felt remotely safe was holding onto Lilly in bed with the duvet pulled over their heads while they sang pop songs together, trying to drown out the sounds of their mad parents fighting.