R D Bennette, Author
Category:
Romance
A man sets his sights on the least likely woman to ever return his love - his overbearing boss.
When their small plane goes down off the beach of a small deserted tropical island, Abbey and Jake are forced to battle with more than just the elements. In the office, she's the boss who's all work and no play. On the island, Abbey struggles to remain in control but soon realizes she's up against more than she can handle
Excerpt
Jake walks away. Abbey wanders about in a tither, then sits down in the sand looking out at the ocean. Jake returns five minutes later with something in his hand.
“Is that a coconut?”
Jake holds the coconut up to the sky and turns it around in his hand.
“It sure ain't no apple.”
“Thank you, Mr. obvious. You only got one?”
“That's all I need.”
“Where's one for me?”
“I'm keepin' yours fresh. I left it in the tree for ya”.
“Ah, the ever consummate gentleman.”
“Hey. I saved your life. I gotta feed ya, now, too?”
“Are you implying you wish I wasn't alive?”
“I should only be so lucky.”
Abbey turns sharply away. She jumps back when she hears a rustling sound in the bushes.
“What's that?”
“Prob'ly just a snake, Abbey. Nothin' to worry about.”
“A snake? I'm afraid of snakes!”
“Really? I think they're more afraid of you than you are of them.”
“Don't let me get bitten by a poisonous snake.”
“If ya do, I don't wanna know nothin' about suckin' the poison out.”
“You better pray it doesn't bite you. I wouldn't even think of putting my lips on any part of your body. Now. How about finding a safe place we can spend the night?”
“Abbey - it's only our first date.”
“Not if you were the last man on this Earth. Just find me a safe place to sleep where the snakes can't get at me.”
“How about a hole six feet deep? That ought to be safe.”
“I suppose you'd fill it in, too.”
“You're right. Now stop whining and let's go set up camp.”
“That's not a job for a lady.”
“Then it's a good thing there aren't any here.”
“I've had enough of you.”
“And I'm just gettin' warmed up.”
“Let's set up camp before it gets dark. What do we need?”
“Palm fronds.”
Jake shows Abbey what they need, and begrudgingly, she helps him find palm fronds. They gather enough in an hour to satisfy Jake.
“Now what?”
“We lay some down an the ground. The rest, we interleave like this. Let me show ya.”
They spend the next few hours building a small shelter from the palm fronds. Abbey is showing a little more of her human side. She feels herself letting her guard down, and suddenly snaps back.
“You got anything to keep the snakes away?”
“What do ya think this is, Gilligan's island?”
“At least Gilligan was a gentleman.”
“An' if you were Ginger, then I'd be a gentleman.”
“I'm hungry. I'll have that coconut now.”
Jake grabs and holds his coconut tight.
“What makes you think I'm sharin' this? Don't worry - there's plenty more where this came from.”
“Where? I don't see 'em.”
“I'd start by lookin' for a coconut palm.
“Which ones are the coconut palms?”
“I don't know, maybe the ones with the coconuts in 'em?”
Jake points up to a coconut palm. It's about twenty feet tall and bent over somewhat making it rather easy for someone like Jake to shimmy up. The coconuts are all the way at the top of the tree, hanging down in pods.
“How am I supposed to get at those?”
“Shimmy up the tree.”
“I - I don't shimmy.”
“There's always the Newton technique.”
“The Newton technique? What's that?”
“That's where you shake the tree until one falls on your head.”
“Maybe if I kiss you - you'll turn into a man.”
“I think with you, it works backwards. I'd become a frog.”
Jake puckers up and comes toward her. She pulls back.
“I'd rather kiss the frog.”
“Here. Don't say I never did anything for ya.”
Jake hands her the coconut. He tells her to open it. She struggles with it trying to pry it open by hand, but she can't figure out how.
“How do I open this? I can't find the seam.”
“There is no seam. Just hit it on a rock.”
“A rock?”
“You can use your head if you think it's harder, but monkeys use rocks.”
“Are you implying I'm a monkey?”
“I wouldn't insult the monkey.”
She gently taps the coconut on a rock and nothing happens.
“You aren't gonna crack it open that way. Here, I'll show you how. The shell's hard, but the inside is soft and sweet.”
Jake breaks open the coconut, exposing the soft insides. He then shares the coconut with Abbey. As they share their first meal together, Jake imagines for a moment that Abbey isn't his boss. He pictures her in his mind as just another pretty lady. He wonders if she isn't soft on the inside of her hard shell. Soon enough, the coconut is consumed with barely a word between them.
“Jake, I'm so tired.”
“Must be from all your hard work.”
Abbey lies down on the palm fronds, hogging the entire area they created earlier. A moment of awkward silence passes.
“I'm getting a little cold.”
“Anything else, princess?”
Abbey shakes her head in disbelief. Jake walks over to his windbreaker which is now dry. He picks it up, walks back and gently lays it over Abbey.
“Thank you. That's the first nice thing you've done since we got here.”
“How quickly you forget.”
“Was there something else I missed?”
“The coconut.”
“That was out of obligation.”
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