“Fine. When was the last time you were in the same room with him before that?” I threw back at her.
She stepped back, blinking furiously. I saw her eyes watering and felt like dog shit on the bottom of a shoe.
“I’m sorry.”
Kendra slowly shrugged. “No. You’re right. It had been a while.” She backed away from me.
“Kendra.” I started toward her.
“No. I need a moment.” She whirled toward the door. “Watch the helm while I call Decker to relieve you. I’m going to freshen up. Then we’ll see my second-oldest friend and his fiancée in the dining room. I’ll meet you there.”
With that, she exited the pilot house and slammed the door behind her.
Chapter 12
Captain Kendra’s Log: Hey, sailor. Looking for a wench?
I pacedthe employee locker room several more times before splashing water on my face and trying to fix my hair. It was a lost cause. Nothing would keep it together. I was about to meet my soulmate’s intended with skanky hair and a wrinkled outfit.
The cool water felt good on my puffy eyes. I hated crying like that in front of anyone. But somehow, crying in front of Rowan made it worse. He seemed to see me in all my hot mess glory, no matter what I did.
I grabbed a few scratchy paper towels to blot my face dry, but I realized I had soaked my shirt.
“Damn it,” I muttered, grabbing more paper towels and trying to dry my blouse.
It was no use. The white shirt was practically see-through at this point. Pegleg Pete’s Pirate Extravaganza was primarily for adults, but the occasional family joined the dinner cruises. Flamboyant fabrics and colors caught my attention from the corner, and I shuffled over to the rack of uniforms.
There was one in my size, and I shook my head. No. No way in hell.
I went to leave the employee locker room and stopped dead in my tracks before the full-length mirror. My see-through shirt revealed my 20-year-old bra, which was also nearly see-through.
It was nipple-o-clock.
I looked back at the uniform rack and groaned.
Nipples or pirate wench?
Decisions. Decisions.
Rowan’s eyes widened as he saw me in my pirate wench-ness. “Oh, Kendra.”
“Save it, Boss.” I linked my arm through his and faked a smile. “I had an incident in the bathroom, and this was the only thing in my size.”
He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. “You look?—”
“Ridiculous,” I huffed. “I know.”
“I was going to say too hot for this dinner cruise,” Rowan answered. “Go put on what you were wearing before.”
I leaned closer and whispered in his ear. “My white shirt got wet, and you could see my nipples. If you want me to wear that around the boat, I can change, Boss.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times.
“That’s what I thought.” I threw back my shoulders and turned toward the dining room. “Let’s get this over with.”
We pushed through the doors and walked into the dining room. Long tables were filled with chattering guests clinking glasses of grog and wine. Tonight’s dinner was Chilean Sea Bass with a bunch of vegetables I can’t remember. I could remember the dessert, though. Chef was a whiz with cakes, and tonight’s was an almond rum cake. I hoped the crew saved me a piece.
It didn’t take long to find Jesse and True crammed into the end of a long table. She spotted us as we approached and stood up to hug me.
