Chapter 3

Scarlet stepped out onto the deck, a steaming mug of coffee cradled in her hands. It was early, few other passengers moving about the ship at this time of morning. Only crew members were in the dining room, so she"d decided to have her coffee on the deck, hoping to find inspiration in the view.

She leaned against the railing, her eyes fixed on some dark clouds far in the distance. When she told her dad she was going on this trip, he"d scoffed and asked who went to the Galapagos during the rainy season. She"d just shrugged and said the gig was what it was. She was keeping her fingers and toes crossed that the weather held out, because she didn"t want to perform from the cramped dining room if it started to rain.

She sipped her coffee and groaned in appreciation. It was good stuff, and it warmed her. She took a deep breath, letting the salty air fill her lungs. The waves lapped at the side of the ship in a rhythmic pattern, and she closed her eyes and let the sounds wash over her.

A melody was forming in her mind, and she waited for the words to come next.

Nat had written all the songs on the Begonias" first album, but Scarlet was determined that now that they were no longer a Dead cover band, she would start contributing her own songs to their next album. She had a couple in her mind, but nothing worth putting down on paper yet.

She started to hum to keep the melody in mind while the lyrics began to take shape. It"d be a hopeful song about the dawn of a new day, the world in front of her. Her fingers tapping out the rhythm on the railing.

"That"s a beautiful tune," a soft voice said from behind her.

Scarlet"s eyes popped open and she turned, startled.

It was the woman Scarlet had noticed last night, the one by the bar who looked even more like Brie Larson up close. Today she had her tawny locks tucked up under a straw hat and she had a sarong draped around her curvy hips.

"I"m sorry, I didn"t mean to interrupt," the woman said, taking a step back. "I"ll leave you be."

"No." Scarlet objected so quickly it surprised her. She smiled. "It"s okay, I was just working on a new song."

"I wouldn"t want to keep you from your work," the woman said. "Your performance last night was wonderful."

Scarlet beamed with pride. No matter how many times she got a compliment like that, it was still a shock that anyone other than her own parents would say it. "Thank you." She held out her hand. "I"m Scarlet."

The woman grinned. "I know. Robin."

Robin"s hand was soft and warm in hers. Scarlet dropped it before it got awkward and said with a chuckle, "Glad you liked us because we"re playing the whole cruise in exchange for our room and board."

"That"s a good deal," Robin said. "For all of us."

Scarlet nodded. "We"ve been working hard to get our name out there. You know, I noticed you in the audience last night." She watched as Robin"s fair cheeks flushed, and added, "Where"s your partner, inside getting breakfast?"

The color deepened as Robin said, "No, actually, I–"

"I don"t care what you think we should have done," someone shouted nearby, cutting Robin"s sentence in half. "This is my ship so we do things my way."

The two of them exchanged surprised looks, then a second woman said, "But I"m the captain and while we"re at sea, what I say goes."

Scarlet mouthed what the fuck? to Robin, who shrugged. Scarlet waved her over and Robin nodded. The two of them inched along the deck, peeking around a corner to spot the cruise director standing with her hands on her hips, yelling at a woman wearing a white captain"s hat.

"And you can be relieved of your duty at any time," Zoe was saying. "I"m the one on the hook for this trip, okay? I have to make my investment back or I"m sunk."

"Forgive me for not being more concerned about your investment than I am about the safety of our passengers," the captain said. "I told you I didn"t want to set sail in April, and I don"t like the looks of–"

"Captain Russo," Zoe said, voice curt. "We"re at sea now, so we're a little past the point of no return, don't you think? Besides, I"m fully confident in your abilities as captain. Are you?"

The captain's eyes narrowed, crow's feet forming at the corners. Her jaw was tight when she answered, "Yes, I am."

Zoe"s face transformed into an approximation of friendliness. "Then there"s nothing to worry about. I assure you, I"ve taken care of everything needed to make this trip a success. Any supposed "corners" you think I"ve cut… well, just think of Elon Musk. When people told him he couldn"t build a rocket for the budget he had, he didn"t give up. He just asked his engineers how they could do it for less. And you know what?"

"Zoe, this isn"t–"

"They did."

With that, she spun on her heels. Scarlet had just enough time to register the self-satisfied smile on Zoe"s face before she realized the cruise director was coming straight for her and Robin. She turned, looking for somewhere to hide. Robin had panic in her eyes too.

Zoe rounded the corner and Scarlet did the only thing she could think of.

She pressed Robin against the wall and mashed her lips against her.

"Ooh, feeling frisky first thing in the morning, I like it," Zoe said, breezing by.

When she was gone, Scarlet pulled back, noticing the little green flecks in Robin"s eyes before she let out an embarrassed giggle. "I"m sorry. I didn"t want her to know we were listening."

Robin was grinning sheepishly. "It"s okay. I have a feeling we"d find ourselves on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific if she did."

"So, umm…"

"Yeah…"

Scarlet"s neck was hot, and not just from the rapidly rising sun. She was still standing close to Robin, and the urge to lean back in and kiss her again was almost overpowering.

But then Robin said, "What do you make of that?"

It was hot as hell, Scarlet thought before she realized Robin didn"t mean the kiss.

"Crazy," she said. "Should we be worried?"

Robin shook her head. "I hope not. I mean, we"re here now so I don"t know what we can do about it."

"Ah, avoidance, my favorite coping strategy," Scarlet chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we should just forget about it. So anyway, you were telling me–"

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out. It was Jess asking where the hell she was. Scarlet looked apologetically at Robin.

"Damn. I told the band I"d meet them for breakfast so we could go over the performance schedule. I"m sorry."

"Go," Robin said. "It"s okay."

Scarlet took a hesitant step away, then turned back. "Hey, do you want to meet up again later? Maybe grab a drink or something?"

"I"d like that." Robin gave her one hell of a charming grin, one that Scarlet knew she"d be thinking about until they met again.

"Whatcha gonna do in the meantime?" Scarlet asked, curious.

"I was told there"s a library onboard. I"ll probably try to find that today."

Scarlet suppressed a grin. "Nerd."

"Yeah, so?" Robin was grinning right back, her pretty eyes sparkling.