by Vivian Wood
He makes an uncomfortable sound. Malkia sees someone across the room and excuses herself. “Sorry, I have been trying to talk to Lydia for a week. I will be back.”
That leaves me alone with Gabe, who seems to be busy checking out my dress. “How much did that thing that you’re wearing cost? It looks like you could buy the whole city of Seattle in that dress.”
My cheeks warm. “You make it sound like a bad thing. Do you not like it on me?”
I spread out the skirt a little. Gabe’s gaze is heavy on me, seeming considering. He waits a few seconds too long before answering.
“I think it’s pretty,” he says at last. “I just wonder if maybe that money wouldn’t be better spent feeding homeless children or saving the whales. You know, spending your money where it matters.”
I give him my most deadpan expression. “And just what are you doing to save the whales, Gabe?”
He shoots me a glare. “Fair enough.”
The music swells. I look over my shoulder and see several couples beginning to dance. I sigh, raising my eyebrows at Gabe.
“Weird crowd.”
One corner of his mouth kicks up as he eyes the room full of people. “Yeah. Anytime I’ve been to one of these galas, I’m always worried that I will be mistaken for a waiter or something.”
That earns a chuckle from me. “You are one of the only men not wearing a tuxedo,” I concede. I look him up and down, appraising him. “You look handsome, though.”
Gabe narrows his eyes at me, his cheeks turning pink for a minute. “Right.”
I roll my eyes. “You can just admit that I’m attractive, you know. It won’t kill you.”
He barks a laugh. “We should definitely change the subject.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone that looks familiar. I turn my head, going pale when I see who it is.
Asher Cargill stands across the room, his tuxedo fitting perfectly, not a single blond hair on his head out of place.
“Shit,” I curse, ducking behind Gabe. “Shit, shit.”
I lay my hands on Gabe’s arm and peek around his big body, double checking that I’m not crazy. I’m definitely not; my ex stands there, as tall and imperious as ever. I chew on my lower lip.
“What?” Gabe asks, trying to look behind him.
“Shhh, don’t look!” I stage whisper, hiding behind him once more. When I look up into Gabe’s face, he looks suspicious. “My ex is here, okay? I just… I would really rather not run into him, if it’s all the same to you.”
That’s the understatement of the century.
I feel Gabe study my anxious expression for a second, hesitating. Then he says something I’m not expecting.
“Come on,” he says, nodding to the opposite side of the room. “There’s an exit over there.”
He just takes off, no further questions asked. I follow him, reminding myself to play it cool. He cuts through the crowd and I’m right behind, sweating bullets.
He steps aside to let me go through the doorway before he follows me.
I emerge from the room, breathing quickly, my eyes adjusting to the darkness of the galley we have stepped into. I walk across the room to the darkened window, turning to look at Gabe.
“Satisfied?” he asks, arching a brow.
I nod, exhaling a long breath. “Yeah.” I pull a face. “Asher messed me up. He… he’s the reason that I just like to keep my romances light and breezy now.”
Gabe looks over his shoulder, a smile playing about his lips. “Is that right?”
I thank god that it’s dark enough in here that Gabe can’t see how hard I flush. Asher really destroyed my heart once upon a time. I don’t feel like I can even begin to explain that to Gabe though.
“Light and breezy,” I affirm, reaching a hand up to catch a piece of hair that has shifted from my updo. “Just like things were with you and me.”
He crooks a brow. “Oh yeah?”
I glance at the doorway, biting my bottom lip. “Do you think anyone noticed us leaving?” I blow past his question. “God, I should have grabbed another glass of champagne before I left the gala.”
A smile curves Gabe’s lips. “If you ask very nicely, I’ll go back in there and grab two glasses.”
“Really?” I ask, brightening. “Please, Gabe? Please?”
He chuckles. “Alright. I’ll be right back.”
He turns and disappears through the open doorway. Unable to stop myself, I walk across the room and peek out, hoping for another glimpse of Asher.
I want him to be doing badly, somehow. I wish nothing but terrible things for him, even though it’s an uncharitable thought.
When I spot him though, he’s kissing the lips of a tall brunette who wears a slinky silver dress.
Instantly, I am so envious that I practically turn green. God, they probably are engaged. They’re going to have the fairytale wedding that I was supposed to have, once upon a time.
I lose my breath for a moment when I picture Asher, the brunette, and two adorable blond little boys. When I first found out that I had infertility issues, I was with Asher.
Actually, truth be told, Asher knocked me up.
It was in the emergency room, after miscarrying a very early pregnancy, that I first learned that I had endometriosis.
Asher took one look at me, in tears because the entire course of my life had just been radically altered…
And he dumped me.
I step back from the doorway, refusing to cry. Asher isn’t worth it and I know that.
But that doesn’t make the sting any less real.
And I can’t do much to stem the tears that come to me now. All I can do is turn, find another doorway that leads to the outside, and run out of it.
Raising my hand to hail a taxi, I let the tears start running down my face.
Chapter Nine
Gabe
“Okay!” Malkia calls, clapping her hands. New staff and old quiet down, turning to her. Together, we’re about ten people. I cast an eye over the indoor ropes course with some suspicion, but Malkia seems pretty sure about it.
She smiles. “Does everybody have their climbing harnesses on? Does anyone need help getting their gear to fit?”
I shift my stance, wincing at the way the harness pinches my left leg. Ralph lifts his hand uncertainly and Malkia motions to the staff member assigned to help us over to make sure he’s strapped in.
We’re doing a raised ropes course that is supposed to, as my sister puts it, help us function better as a team. I feel like this is all kind of pointless, but Malkia has been pushing for this for months. Wrapping my arms across my chest, I repress a sigh as I look at the group.
“Okay,” Malkia says. “Look around you, everyone. This is the group that you will be relying upon for the next month. As soon as our yacht leaves the dock, we need everything to run smoothly. Everyone has their jobs to do, and everyone else relies upon each person to do it. Gabe and I can step into any role… but basically, we need to work as a cohesive unit.”
She grins and motions to the ropes course behind her. “That is where this comes in. This is a safe place where we can work out our kinks. Tomorrow we move onto the boat, but today… today is fun and constructive. Got it?”
I puff out my cheeks and slide my gaze to Luna. She is staring at me, but as soon as we make eye contact, she jerks her eyes to the floor.
God, she looked amazing when I saw her the other night. She was wearing a little baby pink dress, her hair pinned up, her jewelry expensive yet tasteful…
She was like looking at a movie star, honestly.
Not that looking at her now is bad… I just got a glimpse into what her life is actually like. Going to parties and galas, playing the benefactor… she just fit into that room full of wealthy people.
Born and raised, I guess.
What in the world is going on with her I won’t even begin to guess. Just when I thought that we’d found some common ground, hiding from everyone at the gala… she
disappeared.
I came back with two champagne flutes and found myself alone in a dark, empty room. No word from her; I wasn’t even sure that Luna would show up today, to be honest.
It made me realize that it is infinitely better if I just compose myself and separate work from personal stuff.
Besides, she’s my employee. That won’t stop me from staring at her occasionally, or erase my memories of that night in Vegas.
But it will keep it from happening again.
…won’t it?
“Let’s break into teams!” Malkia calls out. She points to the person closest to her. “One!” She points to the next person. “Two.” She points at Luna. “One… and then you’re two… one…”
When she gets around to me, she gives me an odd smirk. “One. Which means I’m two… that way, one of us is with each group.” She gives me a wink.
I squint at her, frowning. “Who will go first, Mal?”
She grins, showing me her perfect white teeth. “You should, Gabriel. Show us how it’s done.” She looks down at her watch. “I think I’ll take my team down the street to the coffee shop. I wouldn’t want to spoil the team building surprises or steal any of your moves.” She spins around. “Come on, team two! This way!”
She leads half the room away, leaving four of my crew mates and the sweaty teenage boy that works here staring at me. Pressing my lips into a smile, I look at the remaining crew members.
“So… I guess we just start, huh?”
“Aye aye, captain,” Luna says.
I squint at her, but she’s already turning toward the obstacle course. It’s roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool, all the platforms about ten feet in the air. Luna leads the group up a ladder attached to the first platform.
It takes several seconds of staring at her ass to realize I’m fading out again, receding into memories of exactly how amazing that ass is when she’s stripped bare.
Scowling, I take up the rear, following the teenager that works here. When I finally get to the top of the first platform, I peer at the guy’s name badge.
“Zach,” I address him. He’s easily a foot shorter than I am, and he swallows anxiously at me. “Who goes first?”
“Who is in charge? Because they usually lead the way.”
I give him half a smile. “I’ll take the lead, then.”
“Sure,” he says, his voice cracking. “Let me hook you up to the safety line.
I step forward, watching as Zach attaches a dangling carabiner on a stretchy length of rope to the back of my harness.
I look forward, where there are about twenty ropes dangling, each with a peg and the top and bottom. The ropes are evenly spaced for the most part, but at the end there is a wider gap.
“This first bit is easiest when you all go together,” Zach explains. “And then use your collective momentum to swing to the platform at the end.”
I make a face. “Right. Just so we are clear about this, I do not like heights and I do not want to do this.” Zach winces but doesn’t say anything. I crack my knuckles, looking at my crew mates. “Come on. Like he said, it’s easier if we all go, one after another.”
Luna pipes up, adjusting the waistband of her yoga pants. “I’ll go after you, Gabe.”
“Then me,” one of the guys grumbles.
“There we go,” I say, turning to face the ropes again. “Come on. We want to finish before the other team gets back. That way I can lord it over my sister.”
I mean it as a joke, but no one can see my face so no one knows I’m kidding. Repressing a sigh, I reach for the first rope. It’s actually kind of far out now that I’m actually looking at it…
“If you want, use your team,” Zach says. “You can link arms and lean out further to catch that first rope…”
I shoot him a scowl. He’s totally right, but in doing so, I’ll have to link arms with Luna.
Taking a breath, I hold my elbow out to her. She smiles a little as she takes in, then offers her elbow to Carlos.
It seems like the contact is almost electric, her skin so smooth and cool against mine.
We all link up, then I move out, using the weight of my crew to balance myself. It’s no work at all to catch the rope this time.
Letting go of Luna, I take the first leap.
Luna whoops as I land on the rope’s pegs, swinging to the second rope with ease. I look back and swing the rope I just left toward Luna.
She catches it with a grin, jumping on it. She makes a small sound of victory when her feet touch the pegs. To my surprise, Emma shouts, “Yes!” from her place at the back of the line.
We work our way down the line, all the way until I am clinging to the last rope before the balcony. I turn my head, looking back.
“Okay. I think if we all swing together, it’ll give me enough height to jump to the platform. Then I can try to catch Luna, and Luna can catch Carlos…”
It takes us a couple of tries to get our collective swing high enough, but eventually I do jump on the platform. Then I hold out my arms and Luna swings to me.
She almost doesn’t make it, but I grab her and keep her from falling off the platform. She clings to me, blushing vividly the entire time.
“I got you,” I say, steadying her.
Her light eyes burn into my face. “Thanks,” she says, a little bit breathless.
My blood heats up, just having her so close to me. She feels fragile to the touch, as though she’s made of glass and I have to try not to break her. Still, I hold onto her for a few more seconds before I turn her loose.
Holding her again, smelling her delicate perfume, brings me back to that packed dance floor, reminds me of how amazing Luna felt in my arms the first time I laid eyes on her.
My heartbeat is loud in my own ears. Luna looks up at me for just a second me, her eyes crinkling, biting her bottom lip in a way that drives me wild. Something crackles in the air between us, electrified, just waiting for one or the other of us to make a move.
Does she know that I still dream about her? She sure seems to…
In the next second, she pulls back from my embrace. Her gaze goes down to her feet as she steadies herself. The connection snaps instantly, vanishing like it never existed.
“Hey, captain!” Carlos calls. “Come on, grab me on my next big swing…”
I am caught up in the commotion, helping the rest of my crew mates get across. There are still three big obstacles left to race through, including a big wall and a zip line finish.
Luna avoids making eye contact for the rest of the time. Or maybe I just imagined that moment, the two of us frozen in time. I don’t know.
But when I fly down the zip line as the last person to touch the ground, she’s already taking off her harness. And by the time I manage to get my harness off, she’s over having a very animated conversation with Malkia.
Sighing as I return the harness to Zach, I steady myself. This is just another day. Luna is just another employee. Nothing to see here, nothing at all.
Heading out to my car, I remind myself of that, saying it over and over in my head like a mantra. That doesn’t really make it true, though…
Chapter Ten
Luna
Remember what you agreed to do for me… the closer you can get to him, the better it will be for me… and you, by extension.
I read the text from Dr. Montgomery in the marina parking lot, scowling down at the screen. Shoving the phone in my pocket, I take a deep breath.
His demand sounds an awful lot like something you would pay a hooker to do. I shake off Dr. Montgomery’s weird pressure and struggle to pick up my camping backpack.
Walking down the dock toward the High Hope, I worry that I have packed poorly for our trip. I went off of a much-photocopied list of essentials that Malkia presented the new crew members with. Sweaters, pants, shoes, underwear.
The most basic-bitch list ever, and that’s coming from a white girl who loves Starbucks.
It explicitly stated that
no more than one personal bag would be allowed and even specified the measurements. So I stuffed everything I thought I would need into two bags, eyed it all critically, then repacked.
Five repacked bags later, I am hauling basically everything I can take with me on my back. I almost can’t get the damn pack out of the car but eventually I make it down the docks in one piece.
“Need a hand?” Malkia asks as soon as I huff and puff my way up the gangplank. She sticks out her hand, but I’m worried that she will see how heavy my pack is and order me to repack again.
Plus, I’m not sure that I can get it off my back without lying down. I can’t do that and still have the crew think that I’m not crazy, so…
I shake my head, breathing hard. “Where is my room?”
Malkia eyes me skeptically. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Her footsteps across the deck are thunderous but quick. I struggle to keep up with her as we round the upper deck and she disappears down the stairs.
Making it down the stairs is a special kind of struggle, balancing everything just perfectly. I break out in a sweat.
At the bottom of the stairs, I follow Malkia down the tight corridor and into a tiny room. Four bunk beds take up almost the entire space, with four lockers at the back. There is a roll away door on the whole space, but otherwise no thought has been given to privacy.
“Voila,” Malkia says, waving her hand. “I took the top bunk on the right. I think Julie took the other top bunk.” She motions to the two bottom bunks, only a few feet apart. “So you have your choice of the bottom bunks. Okay?”
I push myself off the wall, launching myself toward the right bunk. Malkia is kind enough to get out of my way. I slip off the straps of my backpack and it falls to a floor with a loud thunk.
That’s the moment at which I feel my period start. And it isn’t a mere trickle either; it’s a thunderous monsoon.
I planned ahead and I’m wearing a super absorbency pad. But still, it’s definitely not the way that I want to start this trip.
Malkia raises a brow, motioning over to the lockers. “You can claim whichever locker you want. I’ll meet you upstairs on deck, okay?”
