Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

“I was kind of thinking we could hang out just the two of us,” I said to Joel later that night as he changed out of his khakis and polo and into basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. His dark hair was a little fluffed after he pulled the shirt over his head, and I ran my fingers through the tendrils. “I’m sure you’re beat after such a long day.”

It was almost ten o’clock, and Joel did look worn out — his eyes tired, face long, shoulders slumped a little. Still, he smiled a lazy smile and pulled me into him, kissing me long and slow. “I’m a little tired, but it’s important I get to know the crew outside of just working alongside them all day. I especially need to get to know my new boss, the bosun, Eric. I haven’t worked with him before.”

My shoulders deflated. “Oh.”

“We’ll have plenty of time for just the two of us, I promise,” Joel said, kissing my nose. “But tonight?” He pulled me toward the cabin door, and as soon as he opened it, the faint sounds of laughter and music drifted up from the crew mess in the lower deck. “We party.”

I rolled my eyes as he tugged me under his shoulder and kissed my cheek, then he grabbed my hand and led me down to where some of the crew had gathered. The Captain was already asleep in the stateroom next to ours, First Officer Wayland was on watch up top, and I didn’t see the engineers anywhere. But the chefs, stewardesses, and deck hands were all together in the crew mess, talking and laughing, each with a drink in their hand.

“You’re allowed to drink on the boat?” I asked Joel on a whisper.

“Not really ,” he confessed. “It’s actually a liability, legally, but Captain Chuck is pretty cool. As long as we don’t miss our night watch when it’s our turn and we wake up in time for work in the morning?” Joel shrugged. “He’s cool with it.”

I frowned, opening my mouth to ask more questions, but I didn’t get the chance.

“Ah, looks like Prince Woods decided to grace us with his presence,” Ivy joked as Joel and I made the final descent from the stairs. “How is it up in the palace?”

Joel narrowed his eyes at her before pulling her under his arm and rubbing her scalp with one of his knuckles like she was his little sister. She laughed and shoved him off, and at the same time, one of the other deck hands tossed him a beer.

“You want one?” he asked me next. It was hard to keep all the names straight from dinner the night before, but I was pretty sure his name was Ace. He was tall and built like a bull, with dark brown skin and muscles straining against the fabric of his t-shirt.

“I’m okay. Thank you, though.”

Ace shrugged in a suit yourself manner before plopping down at the table where Emma, Ivy, and another stewardess whose name I couldn’t recall were already seated. Joel cracked his beer open and was already in a conversation with Eric while everyone at the table got back to what they were talking about before we walked in. I stood right by the stairway, grabbing my elbow with the opposite hand and wishing I had my camera to hold onto.

Emma patted the bench next to her, scooting over a little and offering me a kind smile. “How was your first day onboard?” she asked once I was seated.

I shrugged. “To be honest, I think I’m still in shock that I’m here.”

“That’s fair,” Emma said with a chuckle. “I’m sure you’ll settle in soon enough.”

“I just feel odd, meandering around while everyone is working so hard.”

“Well, if you ever need something to do, come see me and I guarantee I can keep you busy for a few hours,” Ivy said, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder with a wink to the girl sitting next to her. She really was strikingly beautiful, with emerald green eyes and lips painted a deep blush. She had a beauty mark just above her top lip like Marilyn Monroe, and the way she smiled was confident and sexy.

“And then what would you do?” Emma challenged with an arched brow. “I already have a hard enough time wrangling you and Celeste as it is.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault,” the girl next to Ivy defended, elbowing Ivy playfully. She had beautiful brown skin and jet black hair, with eyes just as dark. Her English was perfect, but lilted with a Spanish accent. “ She’s the bad influence.”

“I work harder than any other stewardess you’ve had and you know it,” Ivy said to Emma. “That’s why you wanted me for this job.”

“Oh, yeah,” Ace said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that your uncle works with Theo.”

“Shut up,” Ivy said, tossing a pretzel at him with her eyes narrowed. “I earned this spot just as well as the rest of you.”

“You know I’m kidding, baby,” he said, pulling her into his chest and kissing her hair.

I smiled. “How long have you two been dating?”

At that, the whole table fell silent, and then a chorus of laughter rang out. “Oh, no, we’re not together,” Ivy explained. “Sorry, I guess it must seem odd for an outsider. We’re all a little flirtatious around here.” She smiled at Ace, then at Celeste, and then — very purposefully — at Joel. She shrugged when she faced me again. “Sometimes we make out or hook up, but it’s never anything serious.”

I balked at her forwardness, glancing at Joel, but he was already locked back in conversation with his new boss.

Emma squeezed my leg under the table and leaned in to whisper for only me to hear. “I’ve worked with Joel three summers now, babe. Trust me — he only has eyes for you.”

I smiled on a nod, and really, I had no reason to believe otherwise. I was more surprised at the nonchalant way Ivy had spoken about the crew hooking up. Then again, I supposed if you were stuck on a boat with the same people for a long time, it made sense that attraction would grow.

The night went on, and Joel bounced around the room the same way he did when we used to go to college parties at CU. I stayed in the same spot at the table, listening to conversations, laughing at jokes, watching with amusement as the crew danced and ragged on each other. It seemed like most of them had worked together at least once before, save for Eric, the two chefs, and one of the deck hands, Mario. Still, they seemed to fit right in.

I found myself drifting into my own little world, as I often did at parties. It was all so overwhelming for me, and I slipped into my usual state of numbing out, thinking of sleep, wondering what the rest of the trip would be like. I was lost in that daze when Ivy’s gold-manicured nails tapped the wood in front of where I sat.

“Do you ever wear makeup, Aspen?”

Celeste nudged her while Emma whispered a hushed Ivy under her breath.

“What?” she asked innocently, shrugging. “I just haven’t seen her wear any since she’s been here.” She shook her head, making a clicking sound with her tongue against her cheek before her hand grabbed mine. Her fingers were slim and cool. “I ask only because I’m into cosmetics. And your eyes,” she said, shaking her head as she stared at me. “They’re so unique. I’d love to give you a makeover one day, if you’d be up for it.”

“Oh, yes! That would be so fun!” Celeste agreed.

They looked at me expectantly, and my eyes flicked to Joel, to Emma, to anyone who might save me, but everyone just stared and waited.

“Uh… sure,” I managed with a smile. “My sister used to do my makeup and hair back home. I kind of miss it.”

Ivy squealed and clapped her hands together. “Perfect! It’ll be a fun project.”

“You always did love a challenge, Ivy,” Celeste murmured, and that made Ivy smile and elbow her friend before she stood from the table and announced it was time to do shots.

Everyone roared in approval, gathering around the small countertop where the alcohol bottles were lined as I shrank into myself overanalyzing that last comment. Emma stood, too, but stopped long enough to squeeze my shoulder. “You doing okay?”

I took a deep breath, nodding with what little smile I could manage. “Yeah. I think I just need some air. Can you tell Joel I’m going up on the main deck for a bit but I’ll be back?”

“Sure thing. And hey,” she said, offering me a kind smile. “I know it’s all overwhelming right now, but don’t worry. Everyone here is harmless — albeit a little crazy, too.” She chuckled. “We get rowdy sometimes. We laugh and joke and pick on each other. We’re like a big, misfit family. And you’re a part of that family now.”

I smiled in return, though I didn’t feel like part of the family. I thanked her all the same, waiting until all the focus was on the shots being poured before I excused myself. I took the stairs two at a time up to the main deck, and as soon as I passed through the salon and out onto the open deck, I heaved a sigh of relief.

The salty air was cool but pleasant against my hot skin. The only sound up here was the waves, and I smiled at the peacefulness of it, making my way leisurely to the bow of the boat. Resting my arms on the railing, I let my head fall back, closing my eyes and inhaling a deep breath.

Something squeezed in my chest once I was alone, a foreign but noticeable pinch that I couldn’t decipher. I’d been feeling it build ever since Joel and I left the States, like my body was trying to tell me something.

It was such a strange time in my life — an in-between state of being that left me wondering where I belonged, or if I belonged anywhere at all. I was no longer a student, defined by the university I attended or the major I declared. Yet, I wasn’t an adult, either. I didn’t have a job or a home of my own or a plan for what would happen next.

Like a leaf on the water, I felt adrift, floating without purpose.

A heavy exhale left my chest as I blinked my eyes open, and when I did, I found a sky full of stars above. My breath caught at the sight. Sure, there were beautiful night skies in Colorado, especially if you hiked out into the Rockies and got away from the capital. But these stars were bright and twinkling, the Spanish shores quiet and dim in comparison.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there looking up at the sky, but it was long enough for my neck to start hurting. I rolled it a few times and rubbed the back of it with one hand before I turned toward the boat, leaning my back against the railing.

Then, my eyes caught on a different light shining above.

The owner’s suite was on the next deck up, the windows large and wide, offering sweeping views of the water. There was a soft, warm glow coming from the lamps inside.

And a silhouette of a man.

It was hard to make out more than a shadow, but it looked like Theo had his hands in his pockets, his shoulders relaxed, his hair a bit mussed. From this angle, I couldn’t be sure where his eyes were focused.

They were probably on the sea, or perhaps the stars. Maybe he was watching the shoreline, the twinkling lights of the homes peppering the land. Maybe he was looking over his yacht, noting what his hard work had bestowed him.

But that pinch in my chest painted another scenario.

And I swore I felt those magnetic eyes on me.