“Ladies,” I called out to them, hoping to break up Stella and O’s little rendezvous in the hall, “have a good day.”
“You too, Remy. If you need anyone to talk to, you can always come to talk to me.” Kylie gave me a sad smile.
Ophelia’s head whipped around like she was possessed by Medusa after overhearing Kylie’s words.
God only knew what she was thinking or what she’d say to poor Kylie now.
I hated that Kylie likely thought something bad had happened, going by the smile she gave me. In reality, the secret was the time I’d spent with Stella last night, but I couldn’t tell her until Stella and her friends were off the boat. I could already imagine the looks on their faces when they realized I’d let them think something horrible was most likely happening at home. If they knew anything about my life, they’d know I hadn’t spoken to anyone in my family for over three years.
For the next few hours, I tried to get Stella alone when I was free from work, but it seemed the world had different plans for us. Maybe we were only meant to have one night and few stolen moments on the Seas the Day, but I wanted to at least explain before I never saw her again.
Stella tried her best to not be alone with me, and she must have told her friends what had happened because every time they saw me, they tried to murder me with their eyes.
What had Ophelia said?
The girls huffed in frustration as we all lugged the table, chairs, a makeshift bar, and food. The sun was out in full force today, and the humidity was slowly killing all of us. I wasn’t sure if the guests would enjoy it now that we were setting up.
Ophelia looked around to assess the environment. “I think we’re going to need to bring a tent for them to sit under, or they’re going to melt while they eat.”
Nodding in agreement, I looked back at Seas the Day. “If we had power, I’d bring a couple of fans, but a generator would ruin the ambiance.”
“We could always fan them ourselves. That should earn us a good tip if you haven’t already done that for us, Remy,” Ophelia’s face twisted up as she spoke.
“He’s only doing what was asked of him by the guests. You should be thankful he’s taken quite of bit of the load off us,” Jolene shot back.
“Really? Is sticking his dick in one of the clients what’s best for us? Remy was only thinking with his dick and not thinking about how it would affect us. If he had, we wouldn’t be setting up this little excursion for them as a last-minute effort.”
All eyes were on me as Ophelia spoke. A giant lump formed in my throat at what they’d think of me now. We still had half the season left, and I had to work and live with them. My dick had gotten me into trouble.
“Oh please, you’re just jealous and wish it was your pants he was getting into,” Jolene stepped closer with her shoulders squared off to O. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, including you, could feel something happening between them from day one. I, for one, am happy if there was a love connection.”
“Oh my God.” O’s tone dripped with disgust as she narrowed her eyes at her steward. “Stop living in a fairytale world. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend. Your head is living in La-La land.”
“Alright, O, you need to back off the girls. It’s me you’re really mad at, so don’t take it out on them. Kylie and Jolene, please come over here for a second.” I wanted Ophelia to know she wasn’t included in my little powwow with the others. She huffed and went about unfolding the chairs and setting them up around the table.
“Girls, I don’t want to lie to you, and that was never my intention. Something did happen between Stella and me.” Their eyes lit up with happiness, and it killed me that I was going to extinguish the light. “I love that you’re happy for me or us or whatever, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for us. Ophelia is trying to kill any chance I have.”
Kylie’s brows furrowed. “Of course, she is. Well, I, for one, am not going to let her win. I’ll get Stella off to the side and tell her not to listen to O.”
These girls were too sweet.
“Don’t do that. It will probably make it worse. She’s leaving tomorrow, and we’re not docked, so our time together is over.”
“Yeah, she’s leaving tomorrow. Do you want her to think you’re a total douchebag for the rest of her life?”
“I wouldn’t care if it were true, but she’s lying to Stella to keep her away from me.” I shook my head. Why was I telling them all this? It would likely only cause problems, and I didn’t need more. “I shouldn’t be airing all my dirty laundry to you, but I want you to know not to believe everything O says. Especially about me.”
“We got the memo loud and clear. Unfortunately, we have to be civil to her because she’s our boss and can make our lives a living hell.”
“Oh, I understand that all too well. I hooked up with O early on in my first season, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Trust me, unless she drugs me, it will never happen again.”
‘Wow,’ they mouthed.
I clapped my hands, letting them know our talk was over. I was sure they’d love to drag more information out of me, but I was done. “Alright, let’s get back to work and make this the best picnic we’ve ever had.”
After that, we all worked quietly and as fast as possible so we could retrieve our guests and get on with the
