I don’t take it personally. Why would any man or woman risk the wrath of Dani Davison—the most notorious prankster on board the S.S. Bird of Paradise?
For all they know, I still have a few more ant-infested balloons up my sleeve.
I walk out of the ballroom and look for Alice to commiserate with. Now that Sylvester is otherwise occupied, she must have stepped out to look at the stars or get a spot on the top deck for the fireworks show.
Stepping around a pillar, I hear giggling mixed with snickering. I stop and gape, then shut my mouth and sneak away.
Alice is in the throes of kissing a young, Singaporean water polo player.
Great. There’s seven minutes until midnight, and I’m all alone. The stars are bright and shiny, and the water rises and falls, rocking the boat gently as we get ready to ring in the new year.
A large yacht floats alongside our ship and partiers on deck are dancing and having a great time, no doubt getting close to enjoy the fireworks show. A helicopter hovers above the yacht, and I can picture the rich people getting an extravagant view of the festivities.
“Miss?” Someone taps me. “Are you Dani Davison?”
It’s the crew member who delivered my room service. “Yes, what’s the matter?”
“The captain wants to ask you a question.” He draws me to the front of the ship and speaks into a walkie-talkie. “I have Miss Davison here.”
“Go ahead,” a voice crackles back. “Ask her.”
“Dani, will you grab this slice of forever and come with me?”
I know that voice anywhere! It’s Jordan.
I gasp and my heart shoots to my throat. “Where are you?”
“Look or leap?” he asks through the static of the walkie-talkie.
The thumping of the rotor blades whip my scarf over my eyes, blinding me.
This is it!
The moment my life changes.
I seize it and yell, “Leap.”
“She said yes,” Jordan shouts. “Into the whirlwind you go.”
The noise is deafening, and the wind of the rotor blades threatens to blow me off the deck. The crew member guides my hands onto a ladder, and I climb on, holding tight.
Whoosh! I’m lifted away from the S.S. Bird of Paradise and suspended over the mighty ocean.
I scream and laugh at the same time, hanging on as the ladder is drawn upward.
Down below, people are waving, and the countdown numbers flash, “Ten, nine, eight, seven,…”
A pair of strong hands lifts me and pulls me into the chopper, and I’m wrapped into the snugness of a leather cape.
“Three, two, one.” I keep count and then lose my voice as a pair of lips lock with mine, and Jordan takes my breath away.
Flashes of light explode and arc into the night sky, but all I want to see is the man I leaped for without looking.
