Of course there wasn’t a tail.
What I saw was likely a clump of seaweed that got stuck to the caisson and then shifted off with the waves.
Everything is fine.
I place a hand on my chest and wait for my pulse to steady as I gaze at the clouds, watching as the sky turns bloodred.
Chapter 10
The yacht is blazing in the sun by the time the other girls wake up.
Needing a distraction, I had washed my own breakfast dishes and put them away, then wandered around the deck, taking photos of the sun-stained waves and billowing orange clouds.
I wasn’t exactly sure how this pivot from “book-related content” to “book-related content on a fancy boat” was going to work, but I might as well get started. Unfortunately, the only novel I’ve seen so far onEmpressisA Song of Scales and Salt, and I’ve made it a year without posting about that book—I’m not about to start now. I need to get some new To Be Read stacks on this boat ASAP if I want this to work.
By the time the girls drift to the main level, I’m already showered, up to date on my social media notifications, and thinking about lunch as I lean against the railing, looking out at Ligia.
“Morning,” Fiona yawns, coming up behind me with a cup of coffee.
I don’t mention that it’s closer to the afternoon, and I don’t make eye contact with Fiona. I haven’t forgotten the heavy petting I saw in the billiards room last night. “Good morning. Hey, what’s the deal with the food?”
Fiona rubs her eyes blearily. “Hmm?”
Apparently Fiona isn’t a morning person. I clear my throat. “There’s like…no food in the fridge or cabinets. Is it grocery shopping day or something?”
“Oh, that.” Fiona’s mouth twists and she sips from her coffee. “We all eat meals prepared and cooked by Rachel. She makes the exact right proportions for each person. No leftovers. Usually yachts have a private chef, but Rachel takes that role onEmpress.”
“Um, oh. I see.” I don’t see. That strikes me as weird. Why aren’t there any meals on this million-dollar vessel?
“The stews will probably bring provisions today,” Fiona offers. “If you’re really starving, there are always nuts and veggie chips at the bar in the billiards room. What have you been up to this morning?”
Trying to forage for food and seeing weird shit in the water.
But I don’t say that. Instead, I shrug. “I’m getting acquainted with the boat. And the island, from afar. Who lives in that house on Ligia?”
“No one,” Fiona replies, slurping her coffee and brushing pink hair from her heavily lidded eyes. “Sometimes the stews stay over when they have to work late. Or if a guest of Trey needs a place tostay and there’s no room on board. The beach house is way nicer than the crew quarters.”
“Yeah, wherearethose? Can I see them?”
Fiona shrugs. “I guess, though I’m not sure why you’d want to. They’re not used unless we’re actually traveling somewhere. Which has happened zero times since I’ve joined.” She turns, leaning against the railing, cradling her cup of coffee. Nodding to the starboard side of the deck, Fiona says, “If you go over that way, there’s a side door. Narrow staircase. Leads to the crew quarters. There’s an entrance inside too, on the main level. You might want to wait, though.”
“Why?”
Fiona smiles and jerks her head to the side, at Ligia. “We’ve still got company.”
I peer at Ligia’s long dock—a narrow fist sticking out into the water, struts supporting it on its trajectory away from the shoreline. There are several boats anchored there.
“From the party?” I ask, squinting at the dock but avoiding looking down at the water directly below us. I don’t want to see any more clumps of women-shaped seaweed. “Who’s here?”
Fiona opens her mouth, but my question is answered when the sliding door behind us whooshes again, and Trey Bardi and Carl Mumford stride out on deck.
“Finally up?” Fiona teases, leaving me at the rail and meeting Carl halfway across the teak. She has perked right up, exhaustion and potential hangover forgotten.
“We’ve got work to do today,” Carl responds, nuzzling her neck and making her giggle.
“You got some partnerships to pursue, right?” she asks, glancing over at Trey with a smile. As if remembering I exist, Fiona turns around and offers, “Carl and Trey went to the same college. They met at an alumni function. Trey keeps trying to lure Carl to join Royal.”
Carl grins. His deeply tanned skin glimmers in the fresh sunlight. “He could never afford me.”
