Britt, Nekesa, and Alyssa look at each other, biting back giggles.
I turn to rest my back against the counter. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere crying over beef cheeks or something?”
Ollie moves between me and the girls. He faces me, the corner of his mouth twitching. It’s the only hint of the truth—he loves our bickering. “Piss off, Neen.”
“Grow up, Ollie.”
He leans forward and braces the counter on either side of me with his hands. My breath hitches in my chest. I wait for him to say something, but the way he’s staring right into my eyes makes it hard to look away.Kiss him, the voice in my head says. But we’re working. We havean audience. And I’m still pissed at him, though now I can’t rememberwhy.
“I am trying to grow up, Neen,” Ollie says. “You should give it a go. We can do grown-up things together.”
“What are you suggesting?” I say, suddenly breathless. “This is a place of work, and you are being highly inappropriate.”
He pulls back, pinning me in place with a roguish grin. “I don’t see what’s inappropriate about doing our taxes. Get your mind out of the gutter, girl.” He reaches out and tugs gently on a piece of hair that’s escaped my high ponytail in the hustle and bustle of the workday. My cheek burns where his fingertips brush against it. “I ought to make you wear a hairnet,” he says.
And then he turns away and crosses the galley, humming under his breath as he pokes his head into the refrigerator. The little shit.
“That was somesexualtension,” Britt says.
“It was nothing of the sort,” I say, careening right into denial. “Which of you is keeping an eye on the guests? Wasn’t it supposed to beyou, Britt? I swear, you drive me to distraction.”
“Not as much ashedoes,” Britt says with a gleeful grin.
“You know what?” I toss my legal pad onto the counter. “I’d rather babysit obnoxious guests than sit here with the three of you. Alyssa, you’re on beach picnic prep. Nekesa, do a load of laundry and take your break. Britt, clean the toilets.”
Britt’s mouth falls open. “Toilets? But—”
“Buttis right,” I say. “If I have to put my bare ass on anything other than a perfectly clean toilet seat, you’re fired.”
“I have some ideas about where you can put your bare ass,” Britt mumbles, making Alyssa gasp.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Better not to engage at this point. I turn to Ollie. “I will seeyouand your beef cheeks on that beach in an hour.”
“Always knew you loved my cheeks, Neen,” Ollie says.
“I will not dignify that comment with a response.”
“She didn’t deny it,” Britt says.
“God only knows why I get on this boat year after year,” I say, shooting each person in the galley a glare before I leave.
8
Nine years earlier
The night Ollie and I became friends began when he knocked on the door to my bunk a month into our first charter season.
“Good, you’re here,” he said when I opened the door to find him standing on the other side, a mug of tea in one hand.
“You’re back,” I said. I was surprised to see him, and not only because we weren’t exactly friends. Two days earlier, I’d woken up to find a different chef in the galley. Ollie hadn’t mentioned leaving, but, then again, we hadn’t interacted much. As junior stewardess, I spent most of my time on laundry duty and cleaning. Outside the galley, Ollie mostly kept to himself. If he wasn’t holed up in his bunk, he was smoking on the highest part of the boat, a small cushioned area we called the bunny pad. I always knew when he was up there, because I’d start craving a cigarette before I even smelled smoke. The few times I’d been on service were enough for me to conclude that Ollie was a border collie in a human body. Loud mouth.Intelligent eyes. A frenetic aura about him even when he was standing still.
“Did you miss me?” Ollie asked. He took a sip of his tea, then leaned against my doorframe, acting as if knocking on my door and striking up a conversation was something he did all the time.
“Not at all,” I said.
The chef who’d filled in for Ollie was a quiet woman who’d personified professionalism. At first, I’d thought Ollie had quit in the middle of the charter. But my chief stew said his absence was temporary, though even she didn’t know where he’d gone or why. Those two days were the calmest the galley had been all season. Even so, I’d felt a strange sense of relief knowing Ollie would be back.
Ollie ran his eyes over me. “You’re a bad liar.”
