Read an Excerpt
I Will Survive
By Samantha Connolly Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
Copyright © 2004 Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-373-44182-7
Chapter One
Jessie Banks stepped out of the tiny bathroom and looked crossly at the other occupant of the small cabin.
"This is ridiculous," she said. "I won't wear this."
Lois ran her eyes appraisingly over Jessie. "But you look fantastic. It's perfect on you." She moved out of the way to allow Jessie to look at herself in the full-length mirror. Jessie spread her arms.
"Oh, you're right," she said. "What was I thinking? This is indeed the perfect outfit for ten days on a desert island."
The yacht crested a wave and Jessie teetered on her five-inch heels.
"That's the spirit," said Lois, deliberately ignoring Jessie's sarcasm.
Jessie sighed and pointed at the cargo pants and checked shirt that were strewn across the bunk bed.
"Is the joke over now?" she said. "Can I put my own clothes back on?"
Lois raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow and her gaze turned steely. "Look, a shipwreck is an unexpected thing, right? When it happens you don't really have the luxury of picking and choosing what you're going to wear."
"I'm aware of that," retorted Jessie. "But even if I can't wear my own clothes is it really necessary for me to be dressed like a ... well, a lady of the night?"
"Don't be ridiculous," scoffed Lois. "That's a designer dress."
Jessie pulled up one of the spaghetti straps that had slipped off her shoulder. "It may well be a designer dress," she said in despair, "but it still feels like it'll fall apart before we even get to the island. I don't see how it'll last the whole ten days."
"So that can be one of your projects on the island, to fashion yourself some new clothes."
"Let me guess," said Jessie. "Coconut shells and a grass skirt?"
"Whatever you like," said Lois impassively.
Jessie turned back to the mirror again and gazed at her implausible attire. The red dress, which stopped a good four inches above her knees, was made of some kind of stretchy, spangled material that hugged every curve of her figure. It was a figure that was usually hidden by her demure tailored suits at work or played down in jeans and loose-fitting cham-bray shirts at home but even in those innocuous clothes it could still only be described as statuesque. And with the strappy shoes bringing her height to almost six feet she was barely able to stand up in the cramped cabin.
She turned back to Lois, polite but determined.
"I'm sorry but this is not going to work. I'm not wearing it and you can't make me."
Lois riffled through the sheaf of papers she was holding and thrust a few pages towards Jessie.
"Actually, we can."
"What's this?"
"It's a complete copy of the rules, terms and conditions of the competition, which, in entering, you agreed to abide by."
Jessie flipped through the pages, squinting at the dense print. "I never saw these."
Lois shrugged. "Contestants were invited to send away for the full rules if they so wished. Have a look at Section Two, Part Four."
Jessie read aloud. "The attire and accoutrements of the participants, aka competition finalists, shall be determined at the sole and total discretion of Quest Broadcasting."
Jessie looked up and waved the rules at Lois. "I don't suppose there's any other little surprises in here that I should know about, is there? Any little clauses saying I have to sleep with Nick Garrett by any chance?"
Lois let out a fake laugh. "What you want to get up to on the island is entirely up to you." She shrugged. "Of course something like that wouldn't hurt the ratings."
Jessie gave her a narrow-eyed look which didn't appear to faze the producer in the slightest. "So," she said brightly to Jessie. "I'm afraid you do it our way or not at all."
Jessie looked back at the mirror, struggling with her decision.
She had long been an avid fan of Survive This! - the TV show where the charismatic presenter and survival expert, Nick Garrett, spent each week in a different situation. Whether it was wilderness or rainforest, desert or arctic, Nick showed the viewers how to find water, create fire, build shelters and subsist on the indigenous wildlife. And as if it wasn't enough that he had all that skill and expertise, the guy was also charming and funny and just an all-round, total hunk.
In contrast, Jessie's practical survival knowledge was nil. There wasn't much call for a small-town librarian to go trapping wild rabbits, building rafts or knowing the correct smoke signals to attract search-and-rescue teams. That didn't stop her from reading every book she could find on the subject or harboring a secret certainty that, should an emergency situation arise, she'd be able to acquit herself admirably.
When Nick had announced that they were putting together a special show whereby members of the public would be selected to enact a survival situation on a tropical island she'd realized immediately that she had no chance of being picked. But she'd amused herself by entering the competition anyway, sending off the requested essay, photograph, and biographical details. She'd nearly gone into cardiac arrest when Nick had reeled off her name on the program, along with the two other people that she would be competing against for the grand prize of a million dollars.
A flight to L.A., then into the offices of Quest Broadcasting and, after another flight to Tahiti, she had boarded the yacht that was currently speeding her towards an isolated, uninhabited island.
She couldn't back out, not after coming this far. To spend a fortnight with Nick Garrett on a tropical island, even without the incentive of the prize money, was an unmissable opportunity. Both for the sake of an unforgettable adventure and also to see if Nick really was as funny and captivating as he always seemed on the show.
Okay, the fact that there'd be a camera following them around was a little unnerving but, up to this moment, hadn't proved a sufficient deterrent.
Because, of course, she hadn't imagined herself appearing on the nation's television screens dressed quite like this.
She gave Lois one last beseeching look. "Are you sure you don't have anything else I could wear?"
"That's it," said Lois impassively. "Take it or leave it."
Jessie laughed weakly. "It's going to look pretty strange wearing my backpack over this."
"It sure is," agreed Lois. "Which is why you won't be. Attire and accoutrements," she reminded Jessie. She pointed to a small purse on the bed. "You can take that evening bag. It matches your dress."
"But ..." Jessie faltered. "You mean I'll have no equipment? No supplies? Nothing?"
Lois folded her arms and gave a sigh to emphasize how very patient she was being. "Look, I don't see how I can make this any clearer. You know the premise. You're on a cruise ship and it goes down in the middle of the ocean. You, Nick and the others are washed ashore on a desert island. Lucky for you Nick is a survival expert. You guys, however, are just civilians. I mean, let's face it, anyone could manage if they were washed up with a bag full of survival gear, couldn't they?"
Jessie felt herself wavering. She had to admit that Lois was making a good point. "I guess you're right," she said at last.
"Great," said Lois. "Well, let's get this show on the road. Or, should I say, into the water. You ready to go?"
"I just have to use the bathroom."
Lois nodded. "Okay, then come straight up on deck." She made for the door.
Jessie kept the smile on her face until Lois left the cabin but then she quickly replaced it with a look of determination.
She grabbed the sparkly purse and shuffled through the contents.
Perfume, lipstick, a compact and condoms.
Jessie rolled her eyes.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from I Will Survive by Samantha Connolly Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
