Valerie glimpsed Tamera and Sienna on the next structure over. Their backs and heads were aligned in a perfectly straight line. Isla and Safiya, on the other hand, looked slightly off balance, with Safiya leaning a little too far back and Isla taking up most of the weight.
“READY!” Vivian called from the shore. Then she swung her arm in the air like she was starting off a kiddies’ race and declared, “TIME STARTS NOW!”
The burn was immediate. Valerie had done a lot of wall squats in her early twenties after an ACL reconstruction, but not once had the wall moved.
“I could’ve been at North Island in the Seychelles right now, eating grilled passionfruit lobster and getting a massage at La Vie Spa,” Adrienne muttered.
“But then you would’ve missed out on sleeping in our shelter that smells like a wet dog,” Valerie mused. “Or learning how to cook rice and beans over the fire and peeing in a hole at Moon Pit while avoiding blue crabs.” And then, in a voice so soft that the camera crew floating on SUPs around them couldn’t hear, she added, “And we would never have had our first kiss.”
Adrienne laughed. Valerie felt the vibration ripple straight through Adrienne’s spine and into Valerie’s own ribs. Which would’ve been great, extremely pleasant even, if they weren’t balancing on a circular wooden block no bigger than a dinner plate.
“Steady,” Valerie said, digging her heels into the wood. “No sudden movements.”
“You started it,” Adrienne said, and Valerie could hear the smile in her voice. “And you’re right,” she said softly. “I would’ve missed out on discovering just how fucking great the engineer aboard my parents’ yacht is at kissing.”
What Valerie would give to get off this pole—obviously once they’d won the challenge—and kiss her right here in front of everyone. For the first time since this morning, Valerie’s fear was disappearing, and it had everything to do with Adrienne’s laugh. Maybe they were going to win this after all.
“FIFTEEN MINUTES!”
“Is that it?” Sienna called wearily. She huffed out a breath, and Valerie caught her adjusting her feet on the platform. “It feels like thirty minutes.”
Isla let out a snort. “Last Christmas I spent forty minutes braced like Spiderman inside our walk-in pantry just so our toddlers wouldn’t see my sneakers under the door gap.”
“I don’t think I can do this for that long,” Safiya said grimly. “One of you had better drop in the next five minutes.”
Valerie had no intention of doing so. Her legs felt strong despite the burn. But her legs weren’t the problem. Adrienne was already beginning to shift. The micro-adjustments she was doing traveled straight into Valerie’s back.
“How about we stand up,” Adrienne suggested. “Just for a second. If we push up at the exact same time, we can straighten out our knees and give our thighs a break.”
“Do you remember when you said our height difference is going to fuck us over?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it will if we try to straighten our legs,” Valerie said. “My hips are lower than yours, Adrienne. If we push up, we’ll just slip right past each other.” They’d be like a pair of over-waxed surfboards sliding right off a roof rack.
“TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES!” Vivian declared. Unlike before, when she was standing on the sand, watching them from the shore, the host was sitting on a teak chaise shaded by a navy and white umbrella. Where had that come from? And to make matters worse, she was sipping an Aperol Spritz. The sun that was finally peeking through the clouds made the drink glow like liquid neon.
“That’s cruel!” Sienna shouted.
Vivian laughed. “If you want an Aperol, love, you’ll have to come get it.” It was the first reference to the fact that they were married all season, and Valerie was absolutely here for it.Especially if it meant Vivian could convince her wife to jump off her post.
“Ha. Ha,” Sienna said, and although Valerie couldn’t see it, it sounded like an eye roll.
“Listen to your wife, Sienna,” Isla shouted right after.
Valerie was just about to spit out a joke of her own when Adrienne suddenly spluttered, “I can’t hold it anymore, Val. I’ve got a cramp in my quad, and if I don’t get off this platform now, I’m going to rip a muscle.”
Panic snapped through Valerie’s brain like a starter pistol. Suddenly she could see the dominoes falling: Adrienne giving up, their knees buckling, both of them splashing into the water, then that steep-pitched roof, the wide sun windows, and the wraparound porch of her dream home dissolving into the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea.
“No,” Valerie snapped so coldly she could almost feel her breath turn icy. She was not going to lose this challenge. Absolutely not.
Adrienne seemed somewhat taken aback because it took her a few good seconds to reply. And when she did, her voice was pleading. “Seriously, Val, I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
Valerie could feel it. Those distinct twitches that happened when a muscle group officially entered the danger zone of complete fatigue. It was obvious Adrienne had nothing left in her. “I need that money,” Valerie said. If there were a way she could support them both, she’d do it. But how could you hold up a person you’re supposed to lean against? “I gave up everything to be here, Adrienne. I need you to push through.”
“I’ll give you a million dollars,” Adrienne spat through her teeth. “It will be my gift. Seriously. I will give you whatever you need to build your house in Sitka and—”
“I don’t want your money,” Valerie cut in angrily. The offer hit her like a slap in the face. She couldn’t believe how casuallyAdrienne had said it, as though the prize money was no bigger deal than covering dinner or paying for a tank of gas. Clearly, the game didn’t mean the same thing to her. For Adrienne, it was probably just a life experience she could laugh about at fancy dinners with her fancy friends. Remember that reality show I did? The one where I lived on rice and beans? Everyone would laugh. But for Valerie, it wasn’t just a funny story. It was a lifeline. She gave up her steady career to be here. She was doing this for her family. “And I hate that you just offered it up to me like it’s a turkey sandwich on white bread.”