Or did he dump me on purpose?
* * *
My head reels, and my stomach turns as I sit in the dining hall surrounded by my tablemates.
The man I wanted to forget is on board the ship. I can’t believe he ambushed me and has the gall to act like everything’s forgiven and we’re back on track.
Meanwhile, the man I want to remember is left behind without explanation. I rack my brain for reasons, but I draw a blank each time. Only a few hours ago, we were on the mountaintop, excited and giddy about our future together. I was completely healed from my busted wedding and looking forward to a new life.
Now, I’m back to square one with a bigger hole in my heart and no idea what went wrong.
I have no appetite, so I pick at my food as I sit at the table. My mind replays the scene of Jordan standing at the cruise ship dock, fading smaller and smaller until he was nothing but a dot.
Maybe he saw Stephen get on the ship and decided to bow out. Or Stephen told him to back off, that he wanted me back.
But that would mean Jordan didn’t care about me.
My stomach churns and my heart twists. Jordan had acted strangely on the mountaintop, but then, the chopper was bearing down on us, and he didn’t want us to miss the boat.
“You did the right thing, telling him how you feel,” Joy says, sitting on my right side. “Something must have come up. He’s waiting for you back there. I’m sure of it.”
“I feel so bad for you,” Sheri says on my left side. “He obviously couldn’t handle the real deal. You’re better off without him. I’ve had several close calls, and I’m happy they didn’t work out.”
“It still hurts.” I stare at the empty chair and place setting. “I never should have trusted him.”
“There must be some good explanation,” Joy says, always the optimist. “There’s no love without trust.”
“Only if there’s love in the first place,” Sheri counters. “You should have tested him before you gave him your heart.”
“Tested?” The word bounces around my brain as I drop my fork. “Someone else just now told me I passed their test.”
“Test? As in an examination?” Sylvester asks. “In what subject? Shuffleboard?”
Alice elbows him. “They’re talking about testing a relationship.”
“Why would they take tests for a relationship?” Sylvester blinks.
“You test bridges, don’t you?” Alice instructs her brother. “You test software and rocket ships. It’s common sense.”
“Apparently something I don’t have.” I heave a stale breath and push away from the table. “Thanks for commiserating with me, but I need to be alone.”
I march out of the dining area, needing fresh air. I can’t understand why Jordan would walk out on me, but at the same time, his last words to me now sound like a warning.
He wants me to remember him as he was on the Maui mountaintop, not the ghostly image standing forlornly on the pier as the ship sailed away.
Why?
“Ah, there you are.” Stephen’s voice sounds as slick as grease on a suckling pig. “My beautiful fiancée.”
“That I’m not.” I try to shake away from him, but he takes my arm and steers me toward the promenade deck.
“You’re always so poised,” he whispers in my ear. “Don’t make a scene and embarrass us.”
But I’m in no mood for a leisurely stroll. Not when every question in my mind has to do with Jordan. The island-hopping part of the cruise is finished, and we’ll be out at sea for the next few days on our return trip to California.
“I thought you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing to do with me,” I say under my breath. “What’s this test you were talking about?”
Stephen’s nose twitches like a rat inhaling pungent cheese fumes. He grins and for the first time, I notice how gappy his teeth are. “Let’s just say you’re the woman I want for the rest of my life. You stayed loyal to me, despite being tempted every which way.”
