“Hey, kids, focus on me for a sec.” Nina clapped her hands, and the noise died down. “Let’s ask Mr. Ashford as a team if it’s okay for us to use the whiteboard. Ready? One…two…three,go!”
It was like she was weaponizing the noise. The cacophony of ten hyped-up kids scream-pleading in unison almost made my ears bleed. A few of them clasped their hands under their chins and fell to their knees, which was actually sort of cute.
“Okay, fine,” I shouted over them. “The room is yours for the next hour, but becareful.”
They ran into the room like a pack of wild dogs while Nina grinned triumphantly at me.
I turned to find Noah trailing in behind the rest of the children.
“Hey, bud, have fun,” I said as he passed me. I rubbed the top of his head, but he ducked away quickly.
Damn it. This trip that was meant to be a game changer for my son and me was off to a messy start thanks to the distractingly attractive woman standing in front of me. If she hadn’t insisted on crashing my crash out, Noah and the rest of the kids wouldn’t have seen me screaming.
“The surveillance cameras are on,” I said, pointing to the discreet cameras near the ceiling.
If something went south, I’d know.
“Oh, thanks for looking out for our well-being, that’s so kind of you!” Nina enthused and gave me an overwide smile.
She was being sarcastic, but I was caught off guard by the way the smile transformed her face. I couldalmostbelieve the warmth in her expression was genuine.
“And people said that you might be tough to get along with,” she continued with mock shock. She folded her arms and stared at me, and for a moment, I had a hard time remembering what we were even talking about.
Damn it. Focus.
“Miss Reyes,” I sighed. “Please do your job.”
Her shift back to ice cold was immediate. “Oh, don’t worry, I am. Funny you’re more worried about your precious conference room than the enjoyment of your passengers—including your son. Nice.”
The truth was that I was incredibly worried about how one specific passenger was holding up, but he wanted nothing to do with me now, thanks to my little run-in with this infuriating spitfire.
I watched her walk into the conference room all sunshine and smiles. Yeah, this voyage was going to be anything but smooth sailing.
2
NINA
My stomach was growling and my shift was minutes from being officially over, but I was still focused on my final guest sitting alone at a table and staring off into space.
Sweet Noah Ashford, looking like a smaller, sadder version of his annoyingly handsome father.
The rest of the parents had been by to pick up their children and get them ready for our first formal dinner, but Mr. Potty Mouth clearly thought the rules didn’t apply to him. I wasn’t surprised, though. Seemed like he cared more about the boat we were on than his own child. Why he wasn’t traveling with a nanny was beyond me. Logan seemed like the type to pawn anything non-business-related off on to the staff.
Then it hit me. Shit.Iwas the nanny. He was going to keep pulling this crap for the rest of the trip, forcing me to work overtime. I fought back a growl of frustration, not wanting Noah to see me upset. His dad might be a grade A asshole, but that was hardly Noah’s fault. If anything, it made me feel more forhim. No wonder he was so withdrawn. He seemed desperate to connect, yet something was holding him back.
Well, I knew how to handle that.
“Hey, Noah,” I walked over to where he was sitting. “Want to draw with me? You’re really good at drawing; everyone could guess your Pictionary clues right away.”
He shrugged a shoulder.
“C’mon,” I teased. “Look, I’ve got the forbidden Sharpies.”
I wiggled the box of coveted markers, which had sparked a fight earlier in the day that had resulted in them getting put away. Noah cracked a tiny smile.
“Let’s do a joint picture. We’ll build a character, starting at the feet. I’ll draw something first, then fold the paper over so you can’t see what I drew, and you do the middle part, and we keep going until we get to the head. Okay?”
He nodded. “Okay.”
