Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

***THEO***

W hen the fruit was gone, Theo got to his feet with the other fishermen and, following Peter's lead, helped set a huge screen of bamboo over the coals of the fire. Then, one by one, they laid the butterflied fish over the heat, sprinkled them with seasoning, then stood back to watch them cook. In only minutes, the fish was light and flaky, sending up a delicious aroma that made his stomach begin to growl, but he understood that there was a certain amount of ceremony involved in the meal.

Each of the men took a dish and heaped it with the cooked fish, then one by one repeated what the women had done, starting with Peter. When his turn came, he walked up to Eden and, with a big smile on his face, handed her the platter. Then, ignoring the villagers' twittering, he sat down next to her. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then took a piece of fish off the platter and presented it to her with a flourish.

She laughed, handed the platter back to him, took the fish, and then selected a piece for him, her eyes locked on his, full of so much promise that it was hard to breathe for a second. "I think we should pass it on," Eden finally said. "Other people might be hungry."

He laughed, "I forgot there was anyone else here for a second," he said. "You have that effect on me."

Eden opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, one of the other fishermen was standing in front of her, offering her the fish from his dish. She hesitated, a surprised look on her face. "Please, take fish," the man said. "I share with beautiful Eden."

A panicked look appeared on Eden's face, and she looked over at Peter. "You must take it, or you will insult him," he said. "That would not be good."

Biting his tongue, giving the other man dirty looks, he watched as Eden took a very small piece of fish. "Thank you," she said. "It looks delicious."

The man smiled at her. "Sam knows island, be good provider," the man said, then looked over at Theo and waved his hand at him. "Much better than newcomer, you starve with him, eat well with Sam."

Eden was silent for several seconds, clearly not sure what to say. "Oh, that's nice to hear," she finally said. "But I think I can feed myself, thank you."

Sam shook his head. "I win you, you see," he said, then gave Theo another dirty look. "He doesn't deserve you; Sam does."

Eden clearly felt trapped, but Peter came to their rescue. Sam is our best hunter," he said. "All the women have been trying to catch his attention, and it looks like someone finally has, but we don't trade women like property here. I would ask that you respect our tradition and give him a chance."

"You mean……go on a date with him?" Eden asked, a horr ified look on her face. "I don't……want to offend him, but……"

"A walk on the beach," Sam said. "I take you to beach tomorrow."

Theo looked over at Peter, hoping he'd help, but he just shrugged his shoulders. "In our village, he has the right to claim time with any unmarried woman he wants," he said. "I can't stop this, best to go along with date, only one is necessary."

Eden looked over at him. "Do I have to?" she asked. "I don't like this, Theo. I don't want to spend time with him; I know what I want, and it's you."

"I don't think we have any choice. We have to play by their rules, maybe it won't be so bad," he said. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight, so you won't really be alone with him."

"You promise?" she asked.

He nodded, "I'll be right there the whole time," he said. "I promise."

She let out a long sigh, then looked up at Sam. "I'll go to the beach with you, but that's it," she said. "I won't be guilted into anything else."

A huge grin spread across Sam's face. "We go on picnic; I bring the food," he said. "See you tomorrow."

When he was gone, Eden carefully put the piece of fish down, then looked over at him. "This is going to cause trouble," she said, her face a little pale. "I can feel it."

He put his arm around her. "It's going to be okay," he said. "Peter said it's your choice; spend a few hours with him; then let him down easy, everything will be fine."

She leaned into him. "I hope you're right," she said, then looked up at him, a little smile on her face. "I'm not used to men fighting over me. "

"Believe me, if it comes down to that, there won't be much of a fight," he said, ignoring the little voice in his head reminding him that Eden didn't know the truth about him. "I'm pretty tough when it comes to something I care about, and I care about you, Eden, a lot, actually."

"I care about you too," she said. "For an old man, you have a lot to offer a girl."

"Oh, is that right?" he asked. "One of these days I'm going to show you why an older man is superior to a young buck who doesn't know what he's doing."

"Is that a promise?" she asked. "I sure hope so."

"Oh, that's a promise all right," he said, looking into her eyes. "And one I intend to keep."

Theo and Eden were so distracted with their flirting, neither noticed the way Sam was staring at them, his face full of jealousy. Sam was so wrapped up in his desire to have Eden, he didn't notice the woman on the other side of the fire watching him with the same look on her face. He didn't see her turn away and stare at Eden for a few seconds, a menacing look on her face, and he didn't notice when she got up from the fire and slipped away into the darkness to plan a way to get Eden out of her way.

***Eden***

Eden slipped into the hut, her legs still wobbly from Theo's goodnight kiss, and collapsed onto her bed with a big sigh, wondering how much longer they were going to have to wait to take their relationship to the next level. They hadn't had more than a few minutes alone since they'd woken up on the beach, and she was beginning to get impatient. She wanted more than kisses from him, and he'd more or less said he was ready to give it to her .

A thrill rushed through her at the thought. The problem was that she couldn't see how it was ever going to happen as long as they were on the island, not if they couldn't find a way to be alone. A little part of her wondered if someone was intentionally keeping them apart, if Peter was secretly working against them, and Sam's attention that night hadn't helped. Peter had been quick to recommend that she give the man a chance, even when he knew that she was involved with Theo, and with him sitting right there.

It had been an impossible situation, and she wished she could think of a way to get out of it without insulting Sam and the village, especially when she remembered the look on Theo's face, a mixture of anger and jealousy that made her shiver. The last thing she wanted to do was go on the picnic with Sam; it was a waste of his time and hers, but she couldn't see a way out of the date.

A second later, the covering over the door was pulled aside, and Rose stepped inside. When she saw Eden lying on her bed, a look of surprise appeared on her face. "You're not with Theo," she said, sinking down on her bed. "Why not?"

"Honestly, I'm sore and tired from today, and I think Theo was too, although he wouldn't admit it," she said, smiling when she remembered him groaning when they got up from dinner. "I think we both need a good night's sleep. This has been a big change for both of us."

Rose nodded, "Good, I was afraid Sam got to you," she said, her face full of relief. "He's not good man."

"What do you mean?" she said, sitting up on her bed. "You have to tell me; I'm supposed to go on a picnic with him tomorrow."

"I should not talk," Rose said, then walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Sam very spoiled, parents give him all that he wants, he thinks he's better than us. All the girls want him, I don't."

"I don't either," she said, shivering. "I don't suppose you can think of a way I can get out of it."

Rose shook her head. "I'm sorry, Eden," she said. "Not without insult."

She sighed, "I was afraid of that," she said. "I guess I'll just have to go and get it over with, then I can tell him to leave me alone."

Rose studied her for a second, then shook her head again. "Sam gets what he wants," she said. "Be careful."

"I'll be fine, Theo will be watching the whole time," she said, patting her friend on the arm. "He won't let Sam do anything to me."

"Theo is good man," Rose said, smiling at her. "The right one for you."

"I think so too," she said, smiling back at her. "And the best part is, he agrees."

Rose giggled, "See, you marry him," she said. "I was right."

When she got up the next morning, Rose was already gone, so she dressed and headed to the middle of the village, hoping to see Theo before he set out with the other men on whatever expedition they had planned for the day. But there was no sign of him or most of the men, and it felt a little strange as she walked past the empty firepit to the cooking hut. There were only a few women inside, but she spotted Rose right away and walked over to her.

"Where is everyone?" she asked. "The village looks deserted."

The men left early this morning to go hunting," she said, then glanced over at the other women. "Peter made Theo go. I don't think they're going to be back by the time you have to leave with Sam."

"Sam isn't with them, then?" she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach when Rose shook her head. "Theo promised he'd be there, he said he wouldn't let me go alone. He'll find a way to get there, but I wish he hadn't gone."

"I'm sorry, Eden, he didn't really have any choice," she said. "But I'll go with you, I mean watch out for you. I follow you to the beach and keep an eye on you. I know it's not the same as having Theo there, but if……well……things don't go well, at least you won't be alone."

"Thank you, Rose, that makes me feel so much better," she said, then sighed. "I keep thinking Peter is doing this on purpose, I just don't understand why."

"Sam is important in village," Rose said, then shrugged. "He usually gets what he wants."

She spent the rest of the morning with one of the older women, learning how to weave the fabric from which all of the clothing and bedding was made, and before she knew it, the sun was high in the sky. Only a few minutes later, Sam came strolling up, a bunch of flowers in one hand, a big basket in the other, a smile on his face.

"Picnic now," he said. "We go."

She got reluctantly to her feet, wishing she could be anywhere else but there, and took the flowers when Sam held them to her. "Thank you," she said. "They're very pretty."

"Like you," Sam said, grinning at her. "Prettiest girl in the village."

His compliment did nothing but annoy her, but she covered it up. "I'm ready to go," she said. "Let's get this over with."

Sam held out his arm, but she shook her head. "No thank you, I'll be fine on my own," she said. "Lead the way. "

He looked disappointed but shrugged it off. "Okay, next time," he said. "You like me Eden; you see, I'm great man; women all want me. You are very lucky."

"Well, it's nice to know that you think so highly of yourself," she said. "This should be tons of fun."

Sam just nodded his head. "We have lots of fun together," he said. "You'll see."