“Do you want some good news?” I asked with a broad smile.

  “Of course.” Ally cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “Dia’s staying with us,” I said. “Her mom and uncle are going to Venezuela to meet up with Dia’s dad, and Dia doesn’t want to go with them, so I asked if she wanted to stay with us on the yacht and come with us to Hawaii. And she said yes.”

  “Yay!” Ally squealed.

  She let go of the wheel and clapped her hands against her face, and then she dashed out of the cockpit.

  “Take over for a sec!” she called over her shoulder.

  I took the wheel and smiled to myself. Through the cockpit window, I saw Ally rush across the deck, grab Dia from behind, and pull her into a huge hug.

  Dia squealed in surprise and struggled for a moment, but then she started to laugh as Ally jiggled her up and down.

  Shannon and Letty looked on in some confusion, but then Ally said something, and their faces lit up with enormous smiles. I heard their whoops even from inside the cockpit, and they all joined in with laughter and cheers at the news that Dia was staying with the crew.

  Mrs. Rojas stared at these antics disapprovingly at first, but then her face softened as she saw the happiness lighting up Dia’s face. She murmured something to her brother, and Fernando nodded quietly in agreement.

  Ally ran back to the cockpit and took up her familiar place at the wheel. Her face was glowing and rosy pink with excitement.

  “I can’t believe it!” she gasped. “Dia’s really staying!”

  “I know.” I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face whenever I thought about it.

  “I’m so glad she agreed to stay.” Ally’s voice was excited. “Oh, it’s going to be so much fun. I mean, it’s already been so much fun, but now it can carry on being so much fun.”

  “It’s so nice that we all get along so well,” I agreed. “Dia just fits right in with all of us.”

  “Yeah.” Ally grinned. “We’re like one big, weird family.”

  “I kind of love that,” I said with a smile. “We’re a family that’s chosen to be with each other. That’s pretty damn special, if you ask me.”

  “Yeah.” Ally nodded, and a soft smile still played around her lips.

  She looked so pretty and so happy that I couldn’t resist dropping a quick kiss on her rosy cheek before heading out of the cockpit to go down below.

  Shannon had her rifle on her, and I knew she would still be on high alert in case we ran into any trouble while going around the coast. In the meantime, I wanted to load up Dia’s family with as many supplies as we could spare to help them on their way. It made more sense to do it while we were traveling, and we might end up having to say a quick goodbye once we reached their boat.

  I found one of the many duffel bags we had stashed away, and I took it into the bedroom first to look through the toiletries we had. I’d have to check with the women first to see which of their stuff they’d be happy to part with, but I knew I could spare Fernando some razors and bottles of shower gel.

  We’d packed away the toiletries under the bed, and I bent down to pull out the box where we’d stashed them.

  I straightened up to see Mrs. Rojas standing in the doorway.

  I jumped in surprise and tried to cover it with a cough.

  “Oh, hi Mrs. Rojas,” I said. “Were you looking for something?”

  “No.” She came into the room and looked around the space critically.

  The family resemblance between her and Dia was so strong, not just in her black curls and soft features but also in her movements and in her expressions. The way her bottom lip pushed itself out as she looked around was exactly like Dia, so I could tell she was forming some strong opinions about what she was seeing.

  “Not a lot of space down here, is there?” she said finally.

  “Um…” I had to hold back a snort of laughter as I remembered how impressed I’d been when I first came down here and saw how fucking enormous the custom cabin was. “We find it’s big enough for what we need.”

  “I suppose you would.” She came to stare at the giant bed, and the corners of her mouth twitched. “When were these sheets last changed?”

  “Um,” I said. “You know, I’m not too sure, but I will make that a priority on my to-do list.”

  “Are you laughing at me?” she challenged with a look that was a mirror copy of Dia when she was serving people attitude.

  “No,” I said and raised my eyebrows. “Not at all.”

  “Good.” She pulled a corner of the bedsheets straight. “I only have one daughter, you know. I won’t be blamed for trying to keep her safe.”

  “I understand,” I said, and I hoped that my voice was gentle. “I have a daughter of my own, and I’d do anything to make sure she’s kept safe.”

  “Hmm.” She pursed her lips, but I thought I detected a faint softening of her expression. “Make sure those sheets get changed as soon as possible. Dia has sensitive skin, you know. She doesn’t want to be sleeping in a pigsty.”

  “Okay.” I nodded my head gravely.

  Mrs. Rojas took one last look around the room and then left.

  I blew out my breath softly and then grinned to myself. I thought my mom was a handful, but I wasn’t sure who’d come out as the victor if she ever went toe to toe with Mrs. Rojas.

  I finished looking through the case of toiletries and found some things that I thought Fernando would like, then dumped them into the duffel bag and left it open on the bed.

  I went back up on deck, and found that we’d just about reached the place where Fernando’s boat was docked.

  Fernando and the women were standing on deck, and Shannon still diligently had her rifle out, but everyone was chatting and laughing.

  “Any trouble?” I asked.

  “All quiet.” Shannon shook her head. “That’s their boat up ahead.”

  “I thought we could send Mrs. Rojas and Fernando on their way with some of our supplies,” I said. “I’ve put some of my toiletries in a bag, but I didn’t want to delve into your things without your permission.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Shannon said. “I know we’ve got a gun and some magazines we can spare as well.”

  “And canned food,” Letty added. “I’ll go down and see what we’ve got.”

  “Me, too.” Shannon nodded.

  “The bag is on the bed,” I called after them as they hurried to the hatch.

  “We’re not asking for your help.” Mrs. Rojas crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Oh, my god, Mom,” Dia exploded. “Can you chill out for one damn second?”

  “I’m sorry, Dia,” her mom retorted. “Pero como puedes irte– You’re leaving your family for un extraño, for a stranger!”

  “Drew’s not a stranger, Mom,” Dia sighed. “I’ve been living with him and the others for weeks now.”

  “So?” Her mom wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t mean he’s not planning to murder you in your bed– and don’t you dare get smart with me, Claudia, I can see that you’re all sleeping in the same bed, but that doesn’t mean a thing.”

  “Sometimes I sleep on the futon,” Dia muttered.

  “Ah-ah!” The older woman wagged her finger in Dia’s face. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t think things through, you’re always off chasing some bright idea that just occurred to you or following some new friends that you only met that morning. And now you’re going to sail with some random white boy to Hawaii. Hawaii! What the hell is waiting for you in Hawaii?”

  “There’s more for me in Hawaii than there is in Venezuela.” Dia’s cheeks were flushed dark pink. “And I’m an adult, Mom. I can make my own decisions. I have to let you make your own dumb choices, even when I know they’re idiotic.”

  “If this is about your father again…” Mrs. Rojas sighed.

  “I know Drew is a better man than Dad,” Dia said, and she lifted her chin to stare defiantly at her mom. “Drew saved all our asses back there, and it’s not the first time he’s done it, either. He saved me from the airport, and he saved the other women, too. He went out of his way to help Papi and his friends.”

  “Dia.” Mrs. Rojas shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’m just trying to protect you.”

  “I know you are.” Dia’s voice softened. “But you have to let me make my own decisions. You’re choosing to chase Dad to Venezuela. I’m choosing to sail with Drew to Hawaii. These are both our choices.”

  Mrs. Rojas sighed. She shook her head again and looked down at the deck.

  I hadn’t dared to add anything during their argument, but now I felt I could speak.

  “Mrs. Rojas,” I said. “You can trust us. We’ll take care of Dia. And you’ve both got phones, so you’ll be able to stay in touch and make sure everything is okay.”

  Mrs. Rojas didn’t respond for a long while. Then she heaved a huge sigh.

  “You said you have a daughter, right?” she asked. “And she’s in Hawaii right now?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied. “She’s with my parents who live there. That’s where we’re heading.”

  “I want to speak to your mother,” she said with utter finality.

  “Mom!” Dia almost shrieked. “You can’t ask to do that! What do you think Drew’s going to do, gut me like a fish? Induct me into a sex cult?”

  “I’m not going to do any of those things,” I told Mrs. Rojas hastily as my face flamed red. “You can speak to my mom, I’ll ring her now.”

  “Thank you.” She gave me a dignified nod.

  “Drew, you don’t have to do that,” Dia insisted. “My mom’s just being insane.”

  “I really don’t mind,” I said. “I’d rather your mom feels comfortable with the situation.”

  “Thank you.” Mrs. Rojas raised her eyebrows. “You see, Claudia, here is a young man who knows what it is to worry about a child. You would understand if you would only settle down and finally give me grandchildren.”

  “Oh, my god,” Dia groaned and buried her face in her hands.

  I bit back my smile and dialed my mom’s number.

  Sammy answered, and her face lit up when she saw me.

  “Hey, Dad!” she cried.

  “Hey, Sammy.” No matter the situation, seeing my daughter’s sweet face always made me feel grounded. It was like coming home. “How are you doing, sweet girl?”

  “I’m good, Dad.” Her face glowed with excitement. “Did you see the news about the strikes against the nests?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, my gosh, yes!” Sammy’s light-blue eyes sparkled. “I was talking to Grandma about it, and we were saying this might mean the dragons go underground! And then your journey will be smoother and you’ll reach Hawaii even quicker!”

  She was so enthusiastic and hopeful that I was glad I hadn’t said anything to dampen her excitement.

  “I hope so,” I said. “That would be great if that happened. But even if it doesn’t, you know I’m coming to you as quickly as possible, right? It’s a long journey, but we’re making good progress.”

  “I know.” Sammy nodded her head, but she bit her lip. “I just miss you. I wish you were here right now.”

  “So do I, baby girl.” My heart wrenched at the sad look on her face.

  “But I know you’re doing the best you can.” Sammy sighed. “It’s just hard to wait.”

  “I know, baby, I know.” Damn it, I didn’t want to start tearing up in front of her, so I cleared my throat. “Is Grandma there, honey? I need to speak to her.”

  “Sure, I’ll go and get her,” Sammy replied, and for a few seconds, the phone screen showed a close up of her t-shirt as she hurried into the next room.

  Then the screen lightened, and I saw my mom’s surprised face.

  “Drew-boo!” she said in delight. “What a nice surprise.”

  “Hey, Mom,” I replied.

  Mrs. Rojas raised her eyebrows at my mom’s term of endearment for me, and I felt my face grow hot all over again.

  “How are you guys doing?” I hurried on.

  “Oh, we’re good.” My mom turned the phone screen to show the bowl of dough she was mixing up. “I’m just making some bread, and your father is in the garden doing something to the tomatoes. Oh! Tell Letty that we tried her trick of adding in fish bones to the soil, and they’re coming along beautifully. That’s a smart girl there, Drew. How is she? How are all of them? Oh, and how is Dia? I’ve been thinking about her, Drew, and–”

  Mrs. Rojas made a loud disgruntled noise in her throat, and my mom’s flow of words suddenly stopped as she stared at me in puzzlement.

  “Uh, well, Mom.” I cleared my throat. “While we’re on that subject… Dia’s mom is here, and she would like to speak to you.”

  Jesus, I felt like I was back in middle school all of a sudden.

  “To me?” Mom’s eyebrows shot up. “What about?”

  “I don’t know, Mom,” I said. “You’ll have to ask her. Are you okay to speak to her?”

  “Why, yes, of course.” My mom hastily patted her hair and smoothed her hands down her apron. “Oh, Drew, I’m such a mess. Why couldn’t you arrange this for a day when I’d had my hair done?”

  “Sorry, Mom.” I sighed. “I’ll try to keep that in mind for next time.”

  “Now, Drew,” my mom scolded. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  I handed the phone to Mrs. Rojas.

  “Mom, this is Dia’s mother, Mrs. Rojas,” I said. “Mrs. Rojas, this is my mother, Lori Peeltin.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rojas,” my mom said with a big smile.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Peeltin.” Dia’s mom sounded very grave, and she gave me a meaningful glance.

  I took the hint, and I nudged Dia to follow me down the hatch. Fernando had been standing silently listening to all our conversations, and he gave me a brief nod as we went below.

  “I am so sorry, Drew,” Dia said. “My mom’s just being paranoid.”

  “No, I get it,” I replied. “She’s just being protective of you. I’d be the same.”

  “No, you wouldn’t.” Dia shook her head. “You’d trust Sammy to be an adult and make her own decisions.”

  “Well, I hope that I would,” I admitted. “But I’m not saying it would be easy.”

  “Still,” Dia said. “I’m sorry she’s being so hard on you.”

  “It’s okay.” I smiled and touched her arm lightly. “Let’s go and see where the others are getting on with putting together that bag for your mom and Fernando.”

  We went into the bedroom and found the other women sitting on the bed with the duffel bag packed, ready, and bulging at the seams.

  “Oh, hey,” I said in surprise. “Did you guys already finish?”

  “Yeah.” Shannon nodded. “We were going to come back up but it sounded like there was a bit of an argument going on.”

  “So we thought we’d best stay down here,” Letty said.

  “In case we managed to make it worse,” Shannon added.

  “Honestly, guys, you didn’t have to hide away down here,” Dia protested. “My mom’s being such a–”

  “She’s being protective,” I cut in. “She wanted to talk to my mom, so they’re on the phone now.”

  “With your mom?” Shannon’s eyebrows shot up. “What are they talking about?”

  “Whether or not Drew’s going to murder me in my sleep.” Dia rolled her eyes. “It’s so stupid. She’s gallivanting off to damn Venezuela after my deadbeat dad who has never had a responsible day in his life, and she’s giving me shit for staying with you guys literally after you all just saved her life.”

  “Never mind,” Shannon comforted. “I’m sure Lori will manage to convince her that Drew’s alright.”

  “Only alright?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Yeah, you know.” The Indian woman shrugged and gave me a grin. “You’re adequate.”

  “That’s all I could ever wish for,” I said with a chuckle.

  “Seriously,” Letty said. “If Lori can’t convince her, I don’t know who could. She’s really proud of you, Drew.”

  “She’s very protective of her family,” I said.

  “Yeah, but she’s also really proud of you specifically.” Shannon’s eyes sparkled. “Don’t downplay it, Drew. She’s proud of you because you’re a great son.”

  “Yeah, Drew,” Letty chimed in. “She’s got every reason to be proud of you.”

  “Well, thanks, guys.” I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “I just hope Mrs. Rojas agrees with all of you.”

  “She will.” Dia nodded, and she gave me a very deliberate look.

  I looked back at her, and she glanced away as her cheeks flushed dark pink.

  “We have a lot of stuff for them to take with them,” Letty said. “We went through weapons, food, clothes, and toiletries, and it should all set them up nicely.”

  “Don’t worry.” Dia sighed. “I’m sure my mom will still find something to complain about. I’m going to go up there and see if she’s finished being a pain in my ass.”

  “A pain in your ass who is also thankfully alive and well in this apocalypse…” Letty said with a hint of sass.

  “Yeah, that, too,” the Latina sighed.

  I glanced at the other women. They got up, and we all followed Dia quickly up the hatch and back up on deck. I braced myself for more arguments, but Mrs. Rojas was standing on the deck with Fernando.

  Ally had come out of the cockpit, and I realized that we’d reached our destination. We were anchored at another one of the little rocky spits of land, and there was a small boat docked there. It was simple, just big enough for two or three people, but it was clean and– most importantly– still in one piece.

  Mrs. Rojas looked up as we approached them at the rail, and she handed my phone back to me.

  “Well?” Dia challenged her. “Are you satisfied now?”

  “I’m satisfied,” Mrs. Rojas replied, and she gave me a grave nod and something that almost looked like a smile. “Thank you, Drew.”

  Dia stared at her in disbelief.

  “You’re welcome,” I said and widened my eyes at Dia in a silent plea for her not to jinx anything by questioning it.

 

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