I couldn’t place why, but I liked him instantly.
Every turn we made there was someone new to introduce me to. There were two chefs, a purser, a chief stewardess along with two other girls who served as stewardesses under her. They seemed nice, for the most part, though there was one girl in particular who didn’t seem thrilled that I was joining them for dinner. She made a comment that it was supposed to be crew only, to which Joel told her I’d been invited by Mr. Whitman.
That shut her up fast.
On the main deck, we ran into the two engineers, and in what Joel called the “crew mess” on the lower deck, I met the two deck hands who would be serving under him and his direct boss, the bosun.
By the time Joel showed me the tiny room with four bunk beds where he’d be staying for his trip, I was exhausted by all the peopling.
Just in time to get changed and ready for dinner.
I felt a little guilty each time I glanced at the watch on my wrist — the one my sister gave me as a graduation gift. Not too long ago, I had been sick at the thought of leaving Joel, of us being apart for three months. Now, I was more sick at the fact that I was about to have dinner with nearly two dozen people I didn’t know.
But there was no way to deny Theo Whitman of what he wanted.
I would learn that lesson time and time again.
“The stews are already dressed and working on getting everything ready on the main deck,” Joel said as he stripped his sweaty t-shirt over his head. “You can use their shower and bathroom, if you want.”
He nodded across the hallway to another small room with four bunk beds, and then he was kicking his shorts off and was about to get in the shower himself when I reached for him.
His eyebrows furrowed, but when he saw my face, he must have registered my nerves. He chuckled, pulling me into his bare chest and wrapping his arms around me. I sighed in relief at the contact, resting my head just beneath his chin.
“It’s going to be fine,” he promised. “Trust me — this crew will talk enough that you won’t have to say a word. Just enjoy the fancy, free meal.”
I nodded but held him tighter when he tried to pull back. “I’m going to miss you,” I whispered.
Joel squeezed me hard. “Oh, baby, I’m going to miss you, too.” He tilted my chin until he could press his lips to mine — lips I’d known all through college, lips I would kiss the rest of my life.
They brought me comfort and butterflies all at once.
“Now, go get showered and let me do the same. Then we can come back here for a proper goodbye before you get off the boat.” He smacked my ass and waggled his brows with that comment, and I shoved him off playfully as he disappeared into the bathroom.
I took my time across the hall, smiling to myself at the already-chaotic bathroom the girls shared. It was easy to tell the difference between it and the one Joel was sharing with the other deck hands. That one had been practically bare, save for some shaving cream and a couple of razors. In here, makeup, hair product, and styling tools spilled out of every small cabinet and took up nearly every inch of the small counter space.
I was glad now that I hadn’t opted to check my bag at the front desk of the hotel we left this morning. I didn’t want to carry it around with me all day, but Joel insisted that I wouldn’t want to backtrack to the hotel after being on the boat, and if I had my bag with me, I could just get started on my trip as soon as we said goodbye. Thankfully, I’d listened to him.
After a long, hot shower, I ran my fingers through my hair a bit before wrapping it up in a towel on top of my head. Then, I swiped the fog off the mirror with my palm, groaning a little at the reflection that found me.
I looked as tired as I felt.
Unfortunately, I was much less prepared for a nice dinner than the other girls on the boat. When I’d packed for this trip, I’d imagined being with Joel for a week and then on my own. I had five shirts, two tank tops, one pair of jeans and two pairs of shorts to get me through my entire time here. I knew I could do laundry or re-wear a lot of this stuff, and I wanted everything I needed to fit in a carry-on sized backpack. I’d succeeded in that quest.
But there was no room in there for makeup or curling wands, that was for sure.
I chuckled to myself as I pulled out the girliest thing I had — a small bottle of moisturizer — and swathed it over my cheeks. I acted as if I’d really have done more even if I knew there was going to be a nice dinner involved, but the truth of it was I didn’t know how to do a thing with makeup or my hair. That was my sister’s territory, and I let her play with me like one of her dolls whenever she wanted to because I had absolutely zero desire.
I wished she was here now.
With that thought, I pulled my phone out and connected to the yacht WiFi Joel had told me about during the tour. Then, I video-chatted Juniper.
“Hey, big sis! How’s life abroad?”
Juniper’s smile was like a million Broadway lights. She was sitting at the kitchen table at the house we grew up in, hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea, the tendrils of her black hair falling here and there out
