Chapter 9
It’s Christmas Eve, the first one I’ll spend without my family.
I wake alone and miserable, heart pounding too fast from a recurring dream of missing the boat.
Jordan’s bunk is unslept in, and there’s no note on the table as to his whereabouts. Not that he owes me an explanation.
Today’s our last day at sea, and we’re supposed to watch an exhibition water polo game between Sven’s team and the Singaporean champions.
I’m also signed up for learning how to surf, or at least kneeboard, on the artificial wave machine. I suppose I can find Sven and he’ll have no problem teaching me how to surf.
Part of me misses Jordan, and even as I scour the bathroom for more pranks, I can’t seem to tamp down my disappointment that he hasn’t even seen fit to stick a plastic snake in my makeup case.
He can’t possibly be upset at me for raspberrying him instead of kissing him, can he?
He called me predictable, and I resent that he thinks I’m so easy. Just because I have a broken heart doesn’t mean I’m going to jump the first man who happens to share my cabin with me.
I mean, he’s Jade’s cousin, for goodness sake, which means he’s almost my cousin, and I’m definitely not into incest.
Besides, I’m not his type. He says he likes Asian women.
And I said I liked blond men. A nagging voice reminds me that if I lied, maybe he lied also.
Not that he has any reason to. He’s only doing Jade a favor, taking her place because her ship has finally come in.
I miss her, and I should send her a Christmas message.
We have one last day at sea before we hit land on the Big Island. Hilo is our first stop, and I intend to find an Internet café first thing so I can make contact.
I do miss my family, and maybe I overreacted by running away for Christmas.
Can you tell I’m in a crappy mood?
I’m not sure I can face the breakfast table alone, not after the beautiful lobster breakfast of the day before, but there’s nothing worse than hiding in my cabin on Christmas Eve.
I get dressed for the surfing lesson, wearing my bikini underneath cutoff shorts and a camisole. If success is the best revenge, then I’m not going to let a small thing like Jordan’s absence stop me from conquering the activities Jade scheduled for me.
Swallowing my pride, I knock on Sven’s door to see if he’s going to breakfast. I can’t stand the thought of Jordan sitting in the dining room sipping passion fruit juice with whichever woman he picked up the night before while I sit amongst a table of strangers trying to look brave and confident.
Sven opens the door and steps outside, clearly blocking my view inside.
Perhaps he, too, got lucky last night.
“What’s up?” he asks, rubbing the grizzly, blond stubble on his square jaw.
“It’s not too early, is it? I mean, I hope I didn’t disturb anything.” Although either I slept like the dead, or his room was truly quiet all night.
“You didn’t. I’m cool.” He shifts his weight from foot to foot as if I’m taking him away from something he’d rather be doing—or someone.
“Was wondering if you want to go to the dining room for breakfast. Do you know how to surf? I’ve got two passes for surfing on the artificial wave machine.”
“The wave machine is nothing like the North Shore in winter,” Sven says. “If you want to see surfing, come with me when we get to Oahu. This time of the year, we’ll have waves well over thirty to fifty feet high.”
“Actually, I’d rather stay with the wave machine. I figure if I crash, I can’t actually drown.”
“You’ll get mat burn,” Sven says. “I can hold your hand and make sure you don’t fall.”
“It doesn’t sound like it’ll be fun for you.” I backtrack down the corridor. “Forget I asked. You don’t happen to know where Jordan went, do you?”
