“It’s my fault,” I interject as I stand again to look at him from eye-level. “I insisted.”
It might not be the truth, but I’m not going to let the crew take another hit for me. A muscle twitches in Caleb’s lip.
“There are rules on this ship for areason,”he chides me. “You can’t just go parading around as you please. Harry may be relaxed about this, but if Arthur and Patricia find out we violated protocol, it’s not you who’ll get the short end of the stick. Did you think about that?”
My stomach sinks. The last thing I want is to get someone here fired.
“No, I?—“
Caleb scoffs.
“Of course you didn’t.”
We stare each other down like two outlaws outside a dusty saloon. Maybe Caleb’s right, but he doesn’t have to be such a jerk about it. I can’t believe there was even a moment when I was interested in him.
I push my chair away from the table and it whines as the rubber slides against the floor.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” I tell him, putting out my hands like a matador with an angry bull. “I’ll go.”
“Don’t bother. Damage is already done. Enjoy your dinner.”
Caleb turns and stomps up the stairs, closing the door behind him.
“Christ, what’s up his ass tonight?” Jim snarls as soon as he’s gone. He bites off a hunk of bread that scatters golden crumbs across his mustache.
“I’m so sorry, guys,” I tell them. “I feel terrible—I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position.”
“No, Stella,” Gia says. “It’s my fault. I invited you!”
“Seriously, Stella—Caleb’s overreacting,” Russ assures me. “We’re not going to get in trouble.”
“He’s just jealous that you’re better company than he is,” Jim smiles.
Gia pats my chair and I hesitate before lowering myself back down. This is the third time I’ve caused a problem for the crew. I’ve only been on board one day and I’m already a liability.
“He’ll cool off in a minute or two,” Jim says. “This is just a bit new to him. He’s been wound up tighter than a Swiss clock since he made captain.”
I frown.
“He hasn’t captained before?”
Caleb’s ego seems enormously oversized for someone who’s been commander-in-chief for all of five minutes. But Jim shakes his head
“Caleb was the First Mate before I got the job. The Warrens promoted him earlier this year. But don’t worry—he’s as good as they come. He’s a bit of a legend in the yachting community. One of the youngest superyacht captains in the world, I reckon.”
“Of course he is,” I mutter, thinking back to the Caleb who laughed with me while he cradled my urchin-ridden foot. First Mate my ass.
“Seriously, Stella, don’t worry about it,” Gia says to me quietly. “He’ll come around. He’s just?—“
“Under a lot of pressure?” I finish for her, thinking he exhausted that excuse about twelve hours ago.
“A grumpy bugger.” Jim winks from across the table. “We’ll take care of it. But if you wouldn’t mind not mentioning this to Arthur or Patricia…”
“And ruin the yacht’s best kept secret?” I gesture to the rich assortment of food on the table. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
That seems to convince them, because within minutes, the tension Caleb left behind dissolves into laughter as Russ recounts a galley fire he started at his first job. But internally, I’m still freaking out. What if Caleb is right? I’m sure I’malready on thin ice as it is after my little performance at Cloud Nine. And I can’t afford to give Patricia and Arthur any reason to associate Jules with trouble.
From this point on, there will be no more messing around. No more vacation mode, no more back-deck standoffs. As soon as Patricia and Arthur arrive, I’ll be on my best behavior.
