The wind is stronger up here, and it tousles my short hair, scraping salty fingers against my scalp.
“Check it out,” Viv says, turning me around so I face the water, looking at Ligia. She points at the island. “The water is pretty shallow here, but we’re still like fifty yards from Ligia’s shoreline. It’s best to call for a ride if you want to leaveEmpress. You can swim it, but I’m sure you saw on the way in—there are some pretty gnarly rocks around Ligia, and I wouldn’t recommend it. Unless you’re a mermaid!”
I grit my teeth. Water floods my brain—gurgling, a hand reaching, a scaled tail thrashing.
No. Not real. Get it together.
When I’m sure my voice will be steady, I ask, “What if there’s an emergency?”
Viv looks at me strangely. “Then we’ll call for help. Obviously, the boat has Wi-Fi. And people are always trickling in and out.” Her pitchy tone drops like it did earlier and she says, “Don’t worry, Char. We’ve been at this for a year, and there haven’t been any issues yet.”
There’s a flutter of movement behind her; the twins have turned away from each other, and Fiona has become very interested in the teak deck.
“Empressis even hurricane resistant!” Viv continues, her voice breathy and pleasant again. “Luckily, we didn’t need to test that this past summer. But we’ve had some intense storms and made it through fine.”
“Hurricanes?” I question, letting a payload of anxiety infect my voice.
Viv waves me off. “Don’t worry, it’s November, and hurricane season is over. We’ll be fine, and once you get through one storm onEmpress, you’ll realize they’re literally nothing to worry about.”
Before I can answer, Rachel’s phone pings. Her braided hair falls over her cheeks as she reads her notification. Her eyes snap upward, searching for Viv’s.
“What?” Viv says, caution heavy in her voice.
Rachel shakes her head, glancing at me once before saying a single word. “Piper.”
Viv’s demeanor changes. She moves rapidly, reaching for Rachel. “What’s wrong; is she okay?”
“She needs you,” Rachel whispers. She glances again at me, her cheeks sucking in a little. She shifts from foot to foot.
“Is she in her room?” Viv’s words are low on the wind.
Rachel nods. “She texted.”
“Take me.” Viv is all business now. “You know what to do.” She gestures to Rachel’s twin, the sister with plastic surgery. “Ashley, you come help too. Fiona, continue the tour for Char.” Viv tries a smile for me, apologetic and dismissive at the same time. “Don’tworry. Piper has some health issues. She’ll be fine, but she needs me right now. Get settled and we’ll see you for Happy Hour at five, okay? Welcome toEmpress!”
Then she turns, taking the twins with her, leaving me on the deck with Fiona.
Chapter 4
Fiona watches me carefully from several feet away, the wind buffeting her pastel pink locks.
I chew my lip, peering after Viv and the others. “Is everything okay?”
“Don’t worry about it. Like Viv said, Piper has some health issues. But she’ll be fine.”
“Should we…get help? A doctor, or something?”
“No!” Her response is so sudden and harsh that I jump. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. Leave it alone, all right? It’s a personal problem. You don’t know us yet, you know?”
My face warms. She’s right, but I don’t know what else she expects from me. Any normal person would be curious. Or concerned. “Sure. Sorry.”
“Come on, let’s get out of this wind for a minute, okay?” Fionaleads me around the bar area, and we take a narrow staircase down to the main level’s stern deck. It’s quieter here and bathed in shade. Gulls cry overhead as I try to push down my trepidation.
I need this job, I remind myself.
“I didn’t mean to pry,” I say apologetically.
Fiona settles herself into a white deck chair and crosses her legs. She has two tattoos right above her knees—a beautiful angel and a sexy devil, both rendered in bold black and gray lines with stipple shading. “You’re fine. Don’t worry about that right now. We’re trying to get you settled. I know this is probably a big transition.”
