Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

The afternoon blew by in a gust of Joel touring me around the yacht and introducing me to the rest of the crew. The boat was massive, with four decks and more amenities than any home or hotel I’d ever been to. There were two swimming pools, because obviously one wasn’t enough, a hot tub, a sauna, a full gym, a massage room, a theatre room, two sitting areas — which Joel called salons — to lounge or dine in, plenty of places to sunbathe and relax, and two fully stocked bars.

Those features were just the tip of the iceberg, I wagered more and more, as Joel gave me the full tour. For everything he showed me, I knew there were dozens of things he couldn’t show me — guest rooms, the owner’s suite on the upper deck, the jet skis that were housed somewhere below the main deck. It was as overwhelming as it was exhilarating, being surrounded by such grand opulence.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I was also meeting someone new at every turn.

Mr. Whitman’s yacht, which I learned was named Philautia, couldn’t just be taken out on the water with a few people. No, he needed a crew of fifteen to take care of everything that needed taking care of.

There was the Captain, of course, an older, weather-beaten gentleman with curly red hair and a matching, neatly trimmed beard. He introduced himself to me as Chuck with a wide, crooked-toothed grin and an accent I couldn’t quite place. His First Officer, Wayland, was from Jamaica. He seemed as overwhelmed as I did by meeting everyone, and simply offered me a warm smile and an uptick of his chin in greeting.

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 of a messy bun on top of her head. It was six o’clock here in Barcelona, which meant it was ten in the morning in Boulder.

We looked so much alike, Juniper and I, except she was extraordinary in every way I was average. We both had long dark hair, but hers had beautiful, natural waves that she could curl into celebrity status, where mine was flat and straight no matter what I did to it. She had flawless, pale skin, where mine was peppered with freckles and sun spots. Her body was every man’s dream, curvy and soft and sexy, where mine resembled a stick of celery. She stood tall and proud and smiled like she had the world in her hands, while I cowered and hid in her shadows whenever I had the chance.

But we both had our father’s eyes, cerulean blue, and seeing those irises I knew so well on the screen filled my heart with warmth.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “I’m on the boat Joel’s going to work on for the summer.”

Juniper frowned. “In the shower?” Suddenly, her face went pale. “Ew, Aspen, if you just called me after you guys had shower sex, I’m going to throw up.”

I laughed, setting the phone against the mirror as I took my hair out of the towel on top of my head. “No, he’s across the hall getting ready, too.” I swallowed. “The owner of the boat asked me to join them for the crew dinner.”

“Ohhh,” Juniper said, sipping her tea. “You fancy. What’s it like?”

I told her as best I could, trying to remember everything on each deck and all the terms Joel had used. She seemed the most interested in the fact that it was Theo Whitman’s boat, which apparently was big news. When I was finished, she made me promise to fill her in on how the dinner went — and to try to convince Mr. Whitman that she should be his future bride.

“I’m serious,” she said, the background blurring behind her as she made her way upstairs to her bedroom. “That man is fine, with a capital F. I may only be nineteen now but give me a few years and I’ll be Trophy Wife material.”

I barked out a laugh. “How do you even know who he is?”

She scoffed. “How do you not know? Don’t you read Business Insider or Forbes ?”

“Wait,” I said, pausing where I was taming my hair. “There’s no way you read either of those.”

“I do so,” she defended. “Well, at least, when they do a write-up of the world’s youngest billionaires, I do.”

I rolled my eyes.

“What are you going to wear?” she asked.

I sighed, looking over at the only pair of jeans I had and my yellow tank top, which was the nicest of the two I’d brought with me. “Nothing you’d be proud of. I wish you were here to do my hair and makeup.”

“Looks like there’s plenty of stuff behind you for you to do it yourself.”

“It’s not mine,” I said. “I’m in the stewardesses’ bathroom.”

“Steal a little mascara, they won’t know.”

I laughed. “I’ll be fine. It’s just dinner and then I’ll say my goodbyes to Joel and be on my way to the hostel I’m staying in for the next few nights.”

Juniper frowned at that. “Be careful, okay? Send me a message as soon as you get settled so I know you’re alive.”

“I will.”

“And don’t tie your hair up. Just let it air dry, you always get such beautiful, natural waves that way.”

I smiled. “Love you, Juni.”

“Love you more.”

We ended the call and I noted that when I messaged her later, I’d ask how summer training was going. My sister was the hottest new volleyball player at the University of Colorado. She’d been a star player ever since I could remember, actually, but she was at the university-level now, and one step closer to her ultimate dream of playing professionally.

I had no doubt that she’d do it.

The mirror wasn’t as foggy as I looked over my reflection one last time, tucking my hair behind one ear and letting it fall over the other. The still-wet ends of it fell just below my bra line, and I liked that it hid my face a little bit. The yellow tank top showed off the tan I’d picked up during our Barcelona adventures, and I was thankful I at least had the good sense to bring one pair of jeans to pair it with. The order was to be barefoot while on the boat unless you were wearing the approved boat shoes given to the crew — something about keeping the teak nice — so at least I didn’t have to show up in my dirty old sneakers.

With one final breath, I shook off the exhaustion as best I could, knowing I would need every ounce of energy I had left to get through this dinner.

Just a while longer, and I’ll be alone.

I was counting down the minutes.

***

Dinner was many things — most of all loud .

One of the benefits of dating Joel, an extrovert who could have a riveting conversation with a brick wall, was that when we attended big group events like this, he took over. He was always the animated one, telling stories, making jokes, while I could sit beside him and smile and laugh at the appropriate times and chime in now and then until the whole ordeal was over. I much preferred hanging out in groups of four or less. After that, it all became too… much .

It was the same tonight, Joel holding the table captive with his charm, but I learned quickly that he wasn’t the only center of attention at this table. It seemed nearly every member of the crew had an outgoing personality, save for Wayland and the engineers, who were all at the far end of the table having a quiet conversation amongst themselves. But the head chef, Claude, and his partner in crime, Adeline, were loud and vivacious. Their stories were as rich as the food they’d prepared for us.

It was interesting, the way it all worked. Usually, the crew would be behind the scenes, making and serving dinner and then disappearing below deck to have their own meals. But tonight, Mr. Whitman had them all seated together as equals. I found it admirable that he would do that for his crew.

Still, the dinner had to be made and served, so the crew ate and drank and enjoyed dinner as much as they were up and down from the table, taking care of the next course or, in the stews’ cases, picking up plates and serving the next.

Mr. Whitman sat at the head of the table, directly to my right, with only Joel sitting between us. He was as charming as his crew, filling the hours of dinner with stories from his own travels and experiences on boats. He took a small amount of time to go over what he expected from his crew on this trip, where they’d be going, what kind of guests would be joining from time to time — which Joel informed me was rare. Apparently, it was usually the captain who would cover all of that.

Still, for the most part, Mr. Whitman sat back and ate his food and drank his scotch quietly, smiling as he listened to the crew.

More than once, I felt the heat of his gaze on me.

Fortunately, I’d learned my lesson from earlier. Unless he was speaking, I didn’t dare cast so much as a glance in Mr. Whitman’s direction. I kept my focus on Joel, or whoever was speaking, or my food.

Not much longer now, and I’ll be out of here…

Dessert was served, and I was already feeling lighter, more jubilant at the fact that I had nearly escaped dinner unscathed. But then, after a loud roar of laughter from a story Joel had told, Mr. Whitman dipped his spoon into the crème br?lée and asked, “And what about you, Miss Dawn?”

I paused mid-bite, a spoonful of creme and caramelized sugar floating in the air as my cheeks instantly flushed. Every head at the table had turned, all eyes focused on me, and I wanted to shrivel up and die on the spot.

I cleared my throat, putting the spoon back in the dainty dessert dish to save myself from dropping it on the table. “What about me, Mr. Whitman?”

“Please, it’s Theo,” he said with a smile. Then, those chromatic eyes caught a glimmer of the chandelier as they stared at me so unapologetically it unnerved me in every way. “What will you do this summer, while Joel is onboard with us?”

Joel squeezed my knee under the table encouragingly. He knew how uncomfortable it made me to have the attention on me like that, but the way he smiled at me told me it was important to him that I make a good impression.

I managed a shaky smile. “Well, I’m going to do some traveling of my own, actually. Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands… I’m not exactly sure where I’ll end up yet, honestly — depends on where I can find work. But I want to travel and see new cultures.” I paused. “Mostly through the lens of my camera.”

There was something murmured down the table, and a few soft giggles had my neck heating. I picked up my spoon again, hoping the moment was over, but Theo only grabbed his scotch and leaned in closer.

“You’re good,” he said, and that had everyone’s heads swiveling again. “The photos you showed me today… they were stunning.”

I shook my head. “I was just playing around, killing some time. The lighting wasn’t the best…”

“You don’t have to be modest, Miss Dawn,” he said, and the way he stared at me made it impossible to look away.

Joel squeezed my knee. “I tell her that all the time,” he said to Theo. “Every picture she takes is amazing, but in her eyes, they’re never good enough.”

Theo chuckled. “Sounds like true entrepreneurial spirit.” He sipped from his glass, his eyes on me again. “You said you’ll be finding work? Do you mean internships?”

“Oh, no,” I said hurriedly, shaking my head. “I just mean house sitting or pet sitting, working on grape harvests or picking up a nanny gig, whatever I can to have a place to stay and not go through my savings too soon. I’ve already found a place to pet sit in Valence, which will be my next stop after I leave Barcelona.”

Theo smiled, and there was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite place… something like curiosity, or amusement, or respect. I tried to figure out which it was, but he looked away too quickly, diving into his dessert again. And when he did, the conversation shifted, one of the stewardesses taking over. It was the same one from earlier, the one who didn’t seem thrilled that I was coming to the crew dinner. I learned that her name was Ivy, and that she and Joel had worked together the past two summers. In fact, she was the reason Joel was selected for this job. Apparently, her uncle did business with Theo.

She was beautiful, and charming, and sweet and kind.

And now, she was the center of attention again.

I blew out a breath of gratitude and went back to eating my dessert quietly, but then Theo interrupted, dropping his spoon suddenly before folding his hands together in front of him, elbows on the table.

“You should come with us.”

The silence of the table was deafening in that moment, and I had a mouthful of crème br?lée as I glanced around the table, wondering who he was talking to.

His eyes were hard on me.

“It makes sense, after all. You want to travel, to take photographs all over Europe, and while we won’t be going inland to some of the countries you mentioned, we’ll be cruising along some of the most beautiful and interesting places in the world. And you wouldn’t need to stay in hostels or house sit for strangers.” His eyes flicked to the table before he lifted his glass toward Joel. “You’d be with your man.”

I was sure my jaw was on the table. In fact, I was slightly surprised to not find a goop of creme on my chin when I dabbed it with my napkin, placing it gingerly in my lap again as I tried to process. “Mr. Whitman — er, Theo — that… that’s unbelievably kind of you to offer. But I couldn’t impose. Surely, there isn’t room for—”

He laughed at that, gesturing around him with his large hands wide and open. “No room? Aspen, look around you. There is nothing but room.”

“I believe she means in the crew cabins, sir,” Captain Chuck offered.

But Theo waved him off. “There are thirteen staterooms on this yacht, and four of them are on the lower deck just above where the crew quarters are. We could easily arrange a room for you and Joel to share there.”

I didn’t miss the way the crew shifted uncomfortably at that, and once again there was a murmuring down the table. It didn’t take a genius or yacht junkie to figure out that him offering us a stateroom was extremely rare and entirely confusing.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t think that—”

“Please,” he said earnestly. “I insist.”

Our eyes connected in the warm light from the chandelier, and all at once I was aware of every sense — the way the linen napkin felt bunched in my fists under the table, the cool breeze off the sea, the smell of the salt and the sweet dessert, the soft sound of the water lapping the side of the boat.

“Babe,” Joel said, grabbing my hand under the table as he turned to me. His dark eyes were bright and hopeful. “This is an amazing opportunity, and a very generous offer. You wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of travel or accommodations, you’d get to see amazing sights and build up your portfolio, just like you wanted.” He shrugged. “And we’d be together. We wouldn’t have to be apart this summer.”

My heart squeezed at the way he pleaded with me, and I couldn’t deny that it sounded incredible — but that was part of the problem. It was too good of an offer to be true, and I had no feasible logic to guide me through why a billionaire yacht owner would offer such a thing to a jobless college graduate.

Theo let out another chuckle, fingers trailing the rim of his glass. “I can see it in your eyes. You’re uncomfortable with having a free ride, aren’t you?”

I didn’t have to respond for him to gauge that was true.

“Tell you what. You can work for me, too, while you’re onboard. I need some updated photographs of the boat, and I’ll be entertaining clients and guests from time to time. They’d love to have their own professional photographer.”

I opened my mouth to argue that I was not a professional, but he didn’t give me the chance.

“You work for me when I ask you to, and the rest of the time, you’re free to go ashore and explore just like you were planning. Or take photos from the boat, whichever you prefer. So, what do you say, Miss Dawn?”

I glanced around the table at the eyes staring at me, and I read every emotion from curiosity and envy to apathy and boredom. But the eyes that asked the most of me were Joel’s, and I saw it clear as day that he wanted me to accept.

My stomach sank as my dream summer slipped away, along with all the fantasies I’d had of being alone. But I knew if I refused Theo, it would insult him — and worse, it would paint Joel in a bad light.

This was a big opportunity for him. And, if I were being honest, a generous offer to me. A free place to stay and free mode of transportation through the beautiful Mediterranean? Who would say no to that?

I’d get to be with Joel. I’d still get to do everything I planned on doing, just a little bit differently now. And it would be good for Joel, for his career — just as much as mine.

I reminded myself of those three important things over and over as I lifted my water glass and held it toward Theo. “I say… thank you. You’re very kind, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Joel clapped his hands together with an excited laugh, lifting his glass to cue the rest of the table. And Theo lifted his, too, with his eyes on me, his lips tilted at the corners.

“Here’s to tall ships, and small ships, and all the ships at sea,” Joel said, and the crew finished the end of the toast with him. “But the best ships are friendships, so here’s to you and me.”

There was a chorus of hear, hear and light laughter as we all clinked glasses, and then the conversation picked up slowly again, along with the sound of spoons clinking against dishes.

When I glanced up at Theo, he was listening intently to a story down the table. But his eyes flicked to mine, just for a moment, and I didn’t miss the way he smiled when he looked away again.

I had a feeling Mr. Whitman was used to getting his way.

Even stranger, I had a feeling I kind of liked it, too.