He looked as if he were trying to hold back a smile beneath his beard of secrets. “Be on the lookout for that email from RJ,” he said.
“I will,” I said, and reached for the door.
“And, Nina?”
I paused. “Yes?”
“It was nice to meet you.”
I turned to face him. “Thank you,” I said. “It was nice to meet you too.”
Captain Xav waved me away, and I raced down the spiral staircase, nearly dizzy with relief by the time I reached the bottom step.
“What do you look so pleased about?” Ollie said, startling me when I stepped from the staircase into the main salon.
At the sight of him leaning against a doorway a few feet away, my happiness faded. I’d forgotten getting this gig meant being stuck at sea with this asshole for four months. I peered beyond him and caught sight of the galley’s clean surfaces and stainless steel, as cold and intense-looking as the chef who worked in it.
My eyes flicked to his. “You might want to get started on that funeral planning,” I said.
“He gave you the job?”
“Yep.”
“Knowing you don’t know a fecking thing about yachting?”
Jesus, this guy was a real pain in the ass. I squinted at him. “I recommend going closed-casket, just to be safe.”
Ollie rubbed his chin. “Well, fuck me,” he muttered.
“No chance of that happening.”
“Are you sure you’re more delightful than me?”
I gave him a hard stare. “Look, I’m not thrilled at the idea of spending four months on a boat with you either, but—”
“I never said—”
“Let’s think of this as an opportunity.”
Ollie paused. “An opportunity for what?”
I pressed my palms together in front of me and said, “To grow in patience.”
“More like impatience,” Ollie muttered.
“You think you’re funny.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m delightful.”
“I thought you didn’t need to be delightful.”
“Don’t. Never said I wasn’t.”
I sighed. “Well, now that we’re telling blatant lies, I think it’s time for me to go.”
“Great idea. Oh, before you go, what flowers should I get?”
“Flowers?”
