Eve stayed up until one in the morning clearing out her inbox. Most of the recipients had gone home, so she was able to reply to each email and not worry about anyone responding. This was a double edged sword as it meant the following day she would be downright assaulted with emails but at least she had a clean slate.
Normally that would be enough to give her a peaceful night of sleep but not tonight. No, as Eve lay in her bed she found it impossible to even count sheep, so busy was she counting the number of tasks that needed doing.
The caterers were going to have to be contacted and told of the new numbers. This wasn't too big of a problem, as the festival was manned by stands of food vendors, and so it wasn't a case of doubling the menu, so much as letting the Hot Dog man know that there would be an extra one hundred guests expected. However, a lot of the locals liked to bring their own treats and sell them on the day, donating some of the proceeds to the charity, and Eve was going to have to spend the day on the phone informing them that their market may have doubled.
This would have been easy if they had email, but a lot of the old dears involved in the fundraiser didn't even have mobile phones. It was a fact that Eve had grown accustomed to. Typically the majority of volunteers involved in the fundraiser were people who had the time to get involved in such a scheme. The only people who had time were those without jobs or children to mind. The only people without those were usually pensioners who thought a mobile was something you hung over a newborn's crib, or camped in during the summer.
Not that the octogenarians were keen campers.
As such, Eve knew she would spend the day ringing, getting no answer, leaving a message, and then ringing again.
If that wasn't enough work, she also had to make sure there would be enough seating and tables and umbrellas (because English weather was never to be trusted), and Lord knows what else.
She would need to be in seven different places at one time. At least.
By the time Eve fell asleep she had worked up a sweat, and her sleep was more troubled than usual.
****
She was floating in the water again, once again naked.
Adam was nowhere in sight, but the water was a lot more turbulent this time, swells rising up and crashing down, sending salty water into her mouth and eyes.
Her arms were getting tired from trying to remain afloat, and she was tempted to close her eyes when she heard someone calling her name.
"Eve! Eeeevvvvvvvvveeeee!"
Spinning around, her arms thrashing in the water, she looked for the source of the noise. There, in a very fitted wetsuit, was Carlos. He was straddling a long, yellow surfboard and waving, not the least bit hassled by the tempestuous water.
She tried to swim towards him, but the current was strong, and as she kicked out she felt something glide against her foot. Through the murky water she saw the silver fin and screamed, her limbs flailing as she tried to escape.
Carlos still looked calm, but he used his bulging biceps to power through the water, his surfboard coming to a stop beside her. Terrified, she clambered on, the board tilting and swaying, but his strong legs gripped it and kept them afloat.
She tucked her legs up against her body, eyes darting this way and that.
"You're brave, swimming without a wetsuit. Aren't you cold?"
She had forgotten she was totally nude, and she shrieked again, trying to cover her breasts but the sudden movement caused the surfboard to rock again. She settled for wrapping herself around her bent knees, praying that Carlos was a gentleman and that he suffered from early onset dementia. She could always hit him in the head with the surfboard after they got to shore.
"Sh-sh-shark! I saw a shark!" She was trembling, and it was more so from terror than the cold.
"Wow. I never see those in Nevada. Where?" He was looking around, using his legs to rotate the surfboard.
He was clearly an idiot.
But the fear of the unknown got the better of Eve, and waiting to be ripped apart was taking too long. Against her better judgement, she peeked over the side of the surfboard.
The water was clear now, so clear and jewel toned, like a scene from The Little Mermaid. She could see all the way to the bottom, and there were little fishes and jellies, floating around without a care in the world.
"Woah, look at that guy!"
Carlos was pointing and leaning, causing the board to shift, and Eve gripped it with two hands, her modesty forgotten. Once her equilibrium was restored, she peeked again, following his finger.
Crab-walking, scuttling comically, was Cupid the Crustacean. Unable to help herself, Eve quickly glanced around to make sure she was the only naked floater in this particular ocean.
Phew, no Adam. That was a relief.
Cupid was scuttling towards her, his claws pinching as he moved, and the fish moved casually out of his way, unbothered by the crab with the cherubic head.
Eve was just about to suggest throwing down a crab pot when she saw it again.
A flash of silver fin, darting amongst the schools of fish.
So silent, and graceful, and not a shark at all.
Silver, and smooth, and so very capable, it was a dolphin.
The same dolphin from last time, maybe.
She recognised the kindness in the eyes, or so she imagined.
He seemed lovely, and she reached out to stroke him, beckoning him closer to her, running her hands along his slippery skin.
He bumped his lovely snout against the edge of the board and she giggled as Carlos lost his balance, swearing blindly and throwing his arms about.
The dolphin laughed, his mouth opening and chuckling, two dimples on his silvery cheeks.
Below the surface, the Cupid's crab claws stopped clacking and fell silent, and he watched as the naked girl smiled at the silvery mammal.