Time of My Life (Oceanic Dreams #2)

by Laura Heffernan

  Then I spotted him, through the glass separating the waiting area from the docks. He walked about five steps behind the Captain. Beside him strode Lisa, the couple from the security line, and two people I recognized with a start. Only very special guests got priority boarding, which reinforced that this guy was way out of my league. But what sealed our lack of fate was the person who walked beside Frank’s friend: my boss, Max Weiss.

  Consorting with the passengers was strictly prohibited. If I did anything beyond extremely innocent flirtation with Frank, and Max found out about it, I would get fired and left at the nearest port.

  Ahead of Max walked the ship owners’ very beautiful, very single daughter, Nellie. In response to something Frank said, she threw her head back, letting out a laugh I knew from experience was throaty and very sexy. Where Nellie went, heads turned. I couldn’t begin to compete with her, even if doing so wouldn’t cost me my job. As I watched, she reached out and touched Frank on the shoulder. He slung one arm around her casually in an intimate gesture. My heart sank.

  Time for this particular fantasy to sail off into the horizon.

  Chapter Two

  The first night of the cruise, the staff provided multiple forms of onboard entertainment. Dancers like me mostly either did a Rockettes-type routine in the theater or assisted one of the Assistant Cruise Directors in the Welcome Aboard Show, held on the main stage in the auditorium. A few of the newer girls helped with a dating game-style show or collected answers at trivia. I’d worked all of those jobs at one time or another. Getting chosen for the Welcome Show was a big honor, even though the job itself entailed little more than smiling pretty and giving fake laughs at terrible jokes. Still, it was an extremely visible position. Visibility could lead to more headlining gigs and more bonuses. Better yet, it could lead to offers from competing cruise lines.

  This season, Penny earned the lead spot in the show. She’d picked me to assist, and the two of us had gotten into a groove over the last couple of months. I had even less responsibility than she did, mostly walking around the audience and handing people a microphone when they needed to say something. Mindless work, but way better than watching the awkwardness of the dating show. My ankle throbbed a bit by the end of the night, but it would be fine once I got more ice and a good night’s sleep.

  After the show, I removed my makeup, changed, and gathered with the other entertainers in the staff room. Not just the few staff members from the Welcome Aboard show, but the dancers who opened the headline act in the theater, and the groups that sang in the casino, bars, and various nightclubs scattered throughout the ship. Virtually everyone had to work early in the morning, so the gathering wouldn’t go late, but we needed to blow off steam after a long day. Somewhere away from the passengers and more senior cruise staff.

  The “upper echelon staff” were all smiles and friendly banter in the public areas, but most of them considered the dancers little better than vermin. Classism was alive and well in the cruise industry. As an American, I got slightly better treatment than the members of the wait staff, but all of us were beneath the highest tier employees: the cishet men who ran things, mostly white, all from English-speaking countries.

  Whatever. We did our work, we got paid. Period. As much as I wanted to care how other employees were treated, life long ago taught me to look out for myself first. Hierarchy of needs and all that.

  While my mind wandered, my gaze did the same, searching the room for Penny. She vanished after the show, which made me worry that she still felt sick. After my third scan, I decided to go find her.

  Three steps later, I stopped as a mountain stepped into my path. More accurately, a wall of man with dark, wavy hair and a shiny black t-shirt plastered to his myriad muscles. Androtimos, who tended bar at the Kosmos Lounge and seemed to be in competition with Robbie to see who could delude more women into sleeping with them.

  “Leaving so soon, my butterfly?” The term of endearment made my lips twitch with amusement. He called all the women that.

  Ignoring his question, I said, “Have you seen Penny?”

  “Sorry, no. I’m on break. But if you want, I’ll keep an eye out for her. Why don’t you come by my cabin when I get off and we’ll talk about it?”

  “Thanks, but no.” I started to walk around him.

  “Janey, wait.” He put one hand on my arm. “Let’s talk about this.”

  The last thing I wanted was to talk more to this guy who couldn’t take no for an answer. I cast a glance around the room, hoping desperately I’d spot Penny and have an excuse to walk away. I didn’t see her, but I did notice someone else I recognized. Even at this distance, the cut of his clothes and shine of his shoes labelled him an outsider. If I got closer, the fabric would be deliciously soft beneath my fingertips, the designer label one I’d never dream of purchasing.

  “Sorry, but I have to go talk to someone.” I nodded toward Frank, not sounding sorry in the least. Quickly, I stepped around Androtimos before he could reply and approached our interloper. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

  “I carried a watermelon.”

  The words didn’t make any sense, especially his hands held nothing. A loud din filled the room, though, so I leaned forward and asked him to repeat himself.

  Frank’s breath warmed my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “I said ‘I carried a watermelon.’ You’re not the only one who can quote Dirty Dancing.”

  I chuckled. “Thought you weren’t a fan.”

  “I’m not. After our earlier conversation, I googled famous lines.” He flushed slightly, then looked away. Those dimples and that “Aww, shucks” look must be popular with the ladies back home. “It was ‘I carried a watermelon’ or ‘nobody puts Baby in the corner,’ but that wouldn’t have answered your question.”

  A warm, fuzzy feeling buzzed in my chest. You could drive a truck through the smile spreading across my face, despite issuing myself yet another warning that Frank was off limits. “I made one movie reference, and you googled famous lines?”

  “There’s not a lot to do around here,” he deadpanned. “Okay, okay...I was practicing what to say next time I saw you.”

  “You do that often? Practice talking to women?”

  “Almost never,” he said. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Is your ankle okay?”

  “Oh.” Right. Those sparks were all in my head. He was just being a conscientious doctor. “Yeah, good as new. Thanks.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” he said.

  “Thanks for checking in.” I stood and faked a huge yawn. “It’s been a long day. I better get back to my cabin.”

  “Can I walk with you? I’d like to check on Penny.”

  His request put me on edge. This funny, charming guy was also super rich and rubbing elbows with the big boss. I couldn’t have him spying on me and gossiping with his friends.

  “Why?” The question came out sharper than intended, but I needed to know what he knew or suspected.

  “She said she felt dizzy down on the docks. During the show, a couple of times, she seemed shaky.”

  Oh, no. This was so bad. “You haven’t said anything to anyone else, have you?”

  “No. Should I? I figured the luggage cart got to her.”

  I grasped the excuse like a life raft. “Yeah, it really freaked her out. Does Max know you’re down here?”

  He shook his head, expression unreadable. “Max? The cruise guy?”

  “I saw you talking to him earlier. You seemed pretty chatty.”

  He grimaced. “What a dick. He and my friend Jake were frat brothers. Jake thought sucking up to him might get us a free meal at one of the five star restaurants. I’ve never seen Max before and doubt I’ll talk to him again.”

  “Good to know,” I said. “He wouldn’t approve of his friends hanging out with the entertainment staff.”

  “My lips are sealed,” he said. “I guess I should be going.”

  “Yes, you should,” I said. “I’ll see you ar
ound. I was on my way out, too.”

  “Does that mean we can walk together?”

  He seemed sincere. It was on the tip of my tongue to say yes. I liked talking to Frank, and my eyes devoured every inch of him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the risk. “I’m sorry, but dancers aren’t allowed to hang out with passengers when we’re not working.”

  “Some rules were made to be broken. Come on, live a little.”

  “Maybe in your world,” I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “I can’t afford to break the rules.”

  The smile fell off his face. “That’s not fair. You don’t even know me.”

  “You’re right. I’m not allowed to know you. If you want to book a lesson, I’ll see you in the dance studio.”

  “Great! What do you teach?”

  “Pole.”

  A confused look crossed his face. This was usually when I stopped to explain pole fitness, how it differed from exotic dancing, and how empowering the classes could be. But I didn’t have it in me. I needed to get away from this guy.

  He opened his mouth to respond, but I swept by him and headed for the door. With a superhuman effort, I avoided turning around to see if Frank watched me go. I spent my days teaching women confidence, and if there was one thing I knew, it was how to pretend I didn’t care.

  Chapter Three

  Penny wasn’t in our cabin. She also wasn’t in the studio, the attached locker room, or the laundry room. Out of desperation, I checked every restaurant on the Lido deck in case she’d had a late night craving, but no dice. I did spot Robbie talking to a group of passengers, so at least they weren’t together. Unfortunately, I couldn’t interrupt to ask if he knew where she was.

  Cell phones didn’t work at sea, so I didn’t have a contract. My prepaid card ran out back in Florida. After about twenty minutes of searching, panic started to rise in my chest. Standing at the railing, I forced myself to draw several deep breaths. She couldn’t have gone far. There was no way off the ship once we left the port. Yet it was a big ship, with many places to hide.

  Finally, I headed back to our room, thinking if nothing else, I could use the phone there to call some of the other dancers. Maybe someone had seen her.

  As I stepped off the elevator, someone called my name. I stopped, peering through the dimly lit room to see who approached. Guillermo, a member of the cleaning staff. Not running down the hall, but not moving at a leisurely pace.

  My jaw dropped when I realized Frank followed directly behind him. “What’s going on?” I asked in Spanish.

  To my surprise, Frank spoke first, also in Spanish. “You need to come with us.”

  Guillermo answered my question while Frank started down the stairs. “It’s Penelope.”

  At that, I abandoned my questions and ran to keep up. When we stopped at the elevator, I nodded toward Frank. To Guillermo, I said, “What’s he doing here?”

  “I found her,” Frank said. “And you’re welcome. I could have left her, you know.”

  “Lo siento,” I said. He was right, of course. My concern for my friend consumed me, overtaking basic human politeness. At the same time, I didn’t want to waste time explaining things if Penny was in so much trouble they needed to find me. “Guillermo can take me from here. We don’t want to take away from your plans for the rest of the evening.”

  “I don’t know where she is,” Guillermo said. “This man just asked me to bring him to you.”

  “Thanks again,” Frank said to him.

  The elevator doors dinged open, and Frank took off down the hall. I followed at his heels with Guillermo close behind me. “Okay, where’s Penny?”

  “I found her throwing up in a sink in the staff kitchen behind the casino.”

  Passengers walked through the casino to get to the amphitheater where Penny and I performed earlier. It made such perfect sense, I kicked myself for not looking there myself. But Frank didn’t have any business in that area. “How did you get in?”

  His face turned red. “Nellie was giving me a tour.”

  Of course she was. As the owners’ daughter, the same rules didn’t apply to Nellie as the rest of us. She could take passengers into restricted areas. She could flirt with them and promise the world and walk away with shiny gifts, while the rest of us couldn’t even accept tips over a certain amount. She could even date paying guests. I swallowed my disappointment. “Did she see Penny?”

  “No. Nellie was talking as she opened the door. I saw Penny, told Nellie I was tired from the long day, and walked her back to her room. Then I came to find you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Frank led me down one hallway, up another, and through a door requiring my employee ID for access. Finally, we wound up in one of the room service kitchens, empty and unused this time of night. I glanced around before turning back to Frank with a shrug. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  Behind me, Guillermo went to a table in the far corner and crouched on the ground. “She’s here.”

  I went to her and fell to my knees. My friend sat beneath the table, legs tucked to her chest, hair matted to her head. Mascara streaked her cheeks. My heart broke at the sight. “You told him, didn’t you?”

  She nodded, and I crawled under the table, hugging her to my chest.

  “What’s wrong?” Frank asked. Until he spoke, I’d forgotten he was still there. “Told who what?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. If he knew, he’d tell Nellie, and we’d all be in trouble. “We appreciate your concern, but I’ll take it from here. Go back to your girlfriend.”

  “Nellie? We’ve known each other since we were kids,” he said.

  Even better, childhood sweethearts. He spent his formative years traveling in circles I didn’t know existed. “It’s none of my business.”

  Ignoring me, Guillermo said, “She’s pregnant.”

  “Jesus, Gui, what are you doing?” I asked. “Trying to get us fired?”

  Penny barked out a humorless laugh, a hollow sound that sent chills down my spine. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s tell everyone. Stupid lovesick Penny got knocked up by Robbie, who is absolutely the worst.”

  “Jake’s frat brother Robbie?”

  “Who’s Jake?” Penny asked.

  “One of the friends I came on the cruise with. He was in the security line with me.”

  I shrugged. “Robbie probably is an overgrown fat boy. He’s the head waiter here.”

  “Yeah, I know him.” Frank said. Did this guy know everyone? “I’m sure once you tell him–”

  “He knows,” Penny said dully, confirming my suspicions. “And now you know, and now you’ll tell your little girlfriend, and we’re all screwed.”

  “What if I do tell Nellie?” Frank asked. “What does it matter?”

  “Oh, no big deal,” I said, trying to ignore the way my stomach lurched when he called Nellie his girlfriend. “A pregnant dancer who can’t dance is no use to our bosses. She’ll get fired. No big deal to a moneybags like you, I’m sure.”

  “You think you’ve got me all figured out,” he said. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it sucks to be rich and successful and good-looking,” I said. “Not to mention having rich, powerful friends. Do you even know what it’s like to wonder where your next meal’s coming from? Any of us would trade places with you in a heartbeat.”

  Frank rolled his eyes, but didn’t respond.

  I turned to Penny. “What are you doing under there?”

  “I heard someone at the door, so I hid. Then they left, but I didn’t feel well enough to get up.”

  Poor thing. As if getting dumped wasn’t bad enough. While we spoke, I’d backed out from under the table, keeping hold of Penny’s hand. Once I got into a clear space, I tugged, drawing her inch by inch with me.

  As soon as we cleared the table, I stood and tried to lift Penny. Pole made me strong, but my friend was tall. As a fellow dancer, she weighed as much as I did. Combined with t
he fact that her state made her dead weight in my arms, I stumbled. Guillermo caught me.

  “Gracias,” I said.

  Frank stepped up. “Let me help.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got her.”

  “No you don’t,” Guillermo said. “Let him help you. I’ve got to go before Max finds out I left my post.”

  My arms shook. I didn’t want to accept Frank’s help, but at the same time, didn’t know how to get Penny back to our cabin by myself. “Are you sure you can handle her? Examining patients isn’t exactly manual labor.”

  “I used to dance ballet,” he retorted. “I understand hard work, and I’m strong.”

  Penny whistled under her breath, the first sound she’d uttered since we arrived.

  “You’re a doctor who dances?” For a millisecond, I gazed at him, wondering why the universe would send me the perfect man who I couldn’t have. He started to answer, but I cut him off. “It doesn’t matter. We have to get out of here.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  “Do you mind if Frank carries you?” I asked Penny.

  She shook her head and reached out for him. He took her from me, as gentle as if she were made of glass. Begrudgingly, I let go.

  “Lead the way,” he said.

  Carefully, we skulked out of the kitchen. I breathed a tiny sigh of relief once we made it to the deck, but we weren’t out of the woods yet. Guests didn’t usually carry performers around the ship, so we needed to stay out of sight.

  I slowed my pace because the only thing that would seem stranger than the three of us out in the first place is if I ran while Frank chased me down the deck holding Penny. None of us said a word until we were safely inside our cabin.

  I flipped on the lights while Frank carried Penny further into the room. He looked at our bunk beds, the lack of a window. Crew cabins barely fit the people required to sleep in them.