She’s adorable.
And definitely high maintenance. I can tell.
“Looking for a change of scenery?”
“Figured I’d see if bigger actually is better.”
“Oh, well I can tell you the answer to that right now,” I say.
“And?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“On how much you can handle.” I give her a polite smile and turn to the other woman. “And you must be Nekesa.”
“Coming to you from a four-hundred-footer,” she says.
I give her a blank stare.
“A four-hundred-square-foot Starbucks in a mall,” she explains, lip twitching at the joke.
Britt cackles. Alyssa gives her a hesitant side-eye.
“I know who I’ll be putting on breakfast service, then,” I say. “Rich people likewetcappuccinos, FYI.”
“So they like lattes but insist on calling them cappuccinos. Noted,” Nekesa replies.
Funny. “Speaking of coffee,” I say. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have some.”
A loud whistle cuts through the crew mess.
“Asses in chairs, people. Let’s get this shit shoveled.”
Xav, of course. I glance at the time on the microwave and fight back a yawn. Eight a.m. on the dot. Right on schedule.
The conversation lowers to a simmer as the rest of the crew, eager to please, finds their seats. But me? I won’t be in the mood to please anyone until I get some caffeine.
I’ve just reached the coffee maker when Britt lets out a high-pitched squeal that makes me wish I’d unpacked my earplugs already. If another goddamned seagull has somehow found its way belowdeck, RJ can deal with it. I still have nightmares from the last time.
But I forget all about seagulls and coffee when I turn to see what’s causing the hysterics. At the edge of the crew mess, having just emerged from the hallway leading from the sleeping quarters, are broad shoulders and bronze hair I could pick out in the middle of a cruise ship safety drill—not that I’d ever set foot on a cruise ship.
Ollie.
“Hello, darlings,” he says.
Britt lunges forward to wrap him in a hug. “What are you doing here?” she says. “Have you been here this whole time?”
I have the same questions. Because by my calculations, the only crew member missing is...
“I’m back as the chef this season, of course,” Ollie says.
He rests his chin on Britt’s shoulder, but he’s looking atme.The corner of his mouth tips up into a half smile, setting off the cartwheels in my chest like it always does.
I expected a lot of things this morning. Chaos, laundry, more laundry. But Oliver Dunne smiling at me belowdeck was not one of them.
3
