Blink blink blink.
A dozen little memories I hoped I’d never forget.
“How are you?” he finally asked, and I scoffed, swiping my tears away before they could fully fall as I looked away from him and out onto the deck.
I felt him watching me, and I wanted to scream at him to just leave me alone as much as I wanted to beg him to hold me and tell me it was all a dream.
When I glanced back at him, his eyes were on my bag, but they flicked to meet my gaze. There was so much pain in those blue chrome pools that I felt it radiate through me as my own.
“Please, don’t look at me like that,” I whispered.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re upset I’m leaving. Like it isn’t you who’s sending me away.” I sniffed, shaking my head.
His nose flared, and he tore his gaze from me and out toward the deck. We’d been anchored a ways off shore last night, but this morning, Captain Chuck had docked us at the port in Salerno, and a long, black car had just pulled up at the end of it.
Theo nodded when the car flashed its lights, turning back to face me once more. I waited for him to say his goodbye, but before he could, there was a rumble of footsteps coming up the stairs, and then we were no longer alone.
Joel, Ivy, Celeste, and Ace jogged up together, looking as tired and worn out as I felt. They were dressed in their crew uniform, the red polos and khaki shorts, Ace with his sunglasses on and Ivy with her visor.
It was easy to see they’d all had a long night, too, though I had no doubt theirs was more fun than my own.
I crossed my arms over my chest, somewhat to soothe myself and somewhat to keep my right hand from reaching out and slapping the satisfied smirk right off Ivy’s face. She looked at my packed bag like it was the best sight she’d seen in the Mediterranean, and I didn’t miss the way she leaned into Joel’s side, cocking her head at me like what are you going to do about it?
“Wayland said you needed us in the salon, sir?” Joel asked, eyeing me warily before he focused on Theo. He took a small step to the side, away from where Ivy leaned against him.
Theo nodded, taking a deep breath before he let it go slowly. He was still looking out at the car, but slowly, his gaze trailed over to me.
There was something strange about the way he looked at me then, like he knew something I didn’t. I couldn’t explain why, but there was a whisper of comfort in his eyes, as if he were assuring me without saying anything that it would all be okay.
And where I wanted to break into another fit of sobs, Theo did the exact opposite.
He smiled.
The man smiled as if we had some sort of inside joke, as if we’d had a jolly old time and he was bidding me a pleasant farewell. Thank you for visiting, Miss Dawn! See you in the Hamptons!
I waited for him to tell Joel and his posse to escort me to the black car at the end of the dock, but when he finally faced them, he said the absolute last thing I ever expected.
“Joel, Ace, Celeste, Ivy,” he said, addressing each of them. “I want to thank you for your… hospitality while aboard my yacht. However, at this time, your services are no longer required.”
I gaped at Theo, along with the rest of the crew, but he just smiled and stood tall like there was nothing outrageous about what he’d just said.
“Sir?” Celeste asked, the bravest of the four.
It seemed to be that word that stripped Theo of his niceties, and I saw a cold demeanor unlike anything I’d ever witnessed slip over him like a cape. His smile flattened, jaw hardening as he took two menacing steps toward the crew, and he seemed to grow six extra inches, towering over them.
“Are you all naïve enough to believe I don’t know everything that happens on my own boat?”
At that, all their faces went white.
I frowned.
What is going on?
Joel blew out a breath, fists clenching at his sides. “I don’t know what she told you, sir, but she’s just upset because I broke up with her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
I scoffed, neck burning as the rest of the crew turned on me with fierce glares. “Me? What do I have to do with any of this?”
“Don’t concern yourself, Aspen. He’s just mad he got caught,” Theo answered for me, his eyes still on Joel. “These four have been stealing from me.”
At that, my jaw hinged open. “They what?”
Just then, I noticed Captain Chuck and the other deck hands carrying suitcases down the dock and throwing them into the trunk of the waiting black car.
And it wasn’t my bag they were throwing in there.
It was theirs.
I only knew because I recognized Joel’s in the heap.
My heart accelerated, and I was thankful I was sitting, because my head was already spinning as I tried to follow what was happening.
“I didn’t want to believe Wayland when he first told me,” Theo said to the four of them, pacing in front of them like a warden. “He’d noticed things missing — small things. Things maybe you thought no one would notice. A piece of china. A Rolex watch I don’t wear often. A pair of earrings Nicolette left behind. A tablet in the guest stateroom that no one was staying in.” Theo shrugged. “So, I threw the crew a pool party, and Wayland and I went on a little scavenger
