“I’m here to listen if you need to talk,” she said. “I’m sure the guests can entertain themselves for a few minutes.”
I turned away and adjusted a vase of flowers behind me. “I appreciate it, but I’m good.”
“It’s okay if you aren’t, though. No matter what, I’m—”
“Nina,” I said, my voice harsher than I’d meant it to be. I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Really, I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
Nina went quiet, and for a moment I thought she’d left the room. But when I turned around, she was still sitting on the couch watching me.
“All right,” she said. “Britt and I are doing the beach picnic. You’re in charge of laundry while we’re gone.”
I eyed her, skeptical. Everyone hated beach picnics. They were hot, sandy affairs, and we spent most of it fanning away flies. Usually, we fought over who got to stay and do laundry. It was never this easy.
“This isn’t some excuse to give me space, is it?”
Nina rolled her eyes and arranged the pillow tastefully on the love seat. “No. It’s an excuse to get you to do your job. The sooner we get through lunch and flip the boat, the sooner we get to Palm Beach and drink margaritas at Mitch’s.”
This was best friend Nina talking, not boss Nina. And as much as I didn’t like the special treatment, I was desperate to get out of this beach picnic.
“Fine,” I said.
“Marvelous.” Nina stood, squeezing my shoulder on her way out to the guests.
Once Nina left, I disappeared belowdeck, where the white noise of the washer and dryer, along with the tedium of folding and ironing clothes, took my mind off the conversation with my sister. The rest of the charter flew by, and before I knew it, the deckhands had docked the boat, and Captain Xav was calling us to the aft deck to send off the guests. I slipped out of my polo and tugged on my whites before sprinting up the steps and lining up with the rest of the crew.
“Don’t looktoohappy to see them go,” Nina said when I shuffled in line beside her. “It’s not over until Cap has the tips.”
The guests filed down the line, thanking us for making their stay memorable. I gave each of them, even the primary, one lastSerendipitysmile. When he reached the end of the line, the primary passed Captain Xav a thick white envelope. Britt wriggled in excitement beside me. We’d spent many nights post-charter counting out cash on our bunks and singing,I like big tips and I cannot lie, at the tops of our lungs, until Ollie, in the room next to ours, banged on the wall to get us to shut up, which only made us sing louder.
“We’re free!” Britt shouted as soon as the guests were out of earshot. She did a dance Samson had taught me last summer, flossing or flossy, I could never remember. Captain Xav gave her a stern look. “Oh, relax, Cap,” she said. “You hated them as much as we did.”
Captain Xav shrugged, a smile visible beneath his beard. “Tell the deckhands we’re meeting in the crew mess in five,” he said, before leaving for the bridge with the tip envelope.
“What a season,” Nina sighed. She shook her head, unicorn earrings sparkling in the sunlight.
“Yeah,” I said. But I wasn’t thinking about the guests or the crew drama; I was thinking about Samson.
Nina left with Ollie for the galley, which didn’t go unnoticed by Britt, who suggested we spy on them before heading belowdeck.
I pushed her toward the stairs, away from Nina and Ollie. “Is there any particular reason you’re so thirsty for drama?” I said.
“Oh, you’re no fun.” Britt’s shoulders sagged as she reluctantly followed me down to the crew mess. We sat at the table where we’d eaten almost every meal for the last four months. One by one, the room filled with the expectant faces of my colleagues. And finally, Captain Xav arrived and smacked the tip envelope onto the table, banishing my thoughts of finding another career.
“I know this wasn’t our best season,” he began. “There were somehiccups.” He eyed the deckhands, who’d nearly ruined our entire season when they didn’t untie a spring line quick enough, causing the bow to bump against the dock. RJ, the bosun in charge of the deckhands, kept a straight face and didn’t meet Captain Xav’s eye. “We also had some personal tragedies,” he added, and I looked down at my hands when he nodded to me. “But I’m really proud of all of you for sticking it out.”
He held up the envelope. “These guests were a pain in the ass, but at least they showed their appreciation to the tune of...” He flipped through the cash. “Thirty large. That’s three thousand for each of you.” He slid our tips across the table, and I thumbed through my share with a little thrill.
After we counted our tips, Captain Xav dismissed us, saying that once we cleaned the boat and docked in Palm Beach, we could head home. Everyone left the crew mess to hurry through the last of their duties, and as I watched them go, the excitement of our big tip faded.
“You good, love?” Ollie said.
I blinked, taking in his and Nina’s concerned faces from across the table. Nina was bad enough; I didn’t need Ollie worrying about me too. I fanned myself with the wad of cash in my hand. “What could be wrong?”
Nina scowled. “Be serious, Josephine.”
“I am serious!”
“Then I better not see you moping around Mitch’s tonight. Don’t wait until I’m drunk to have a heart-to-heart, okay?”
