Time of My Life (Oceanic Dreams #2)

by Laura Heffernan

  We would never work. We’d never discussed having a future off this ship, because we both knew it couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t find me again after the cruise ended. I didn’t want false promises.

  There was nothing left to say, so I needed to go. Reaching up, I buried my fingers in his hair and pulled his lips down for one final kiss. I put every ounce of longing and tenderness into it. We’d go our separate ways, but I wanted him to remember this moment, what could have been ours in another life.

  When I finally let go, tears mingled on both our faces. I didn’t even know who shed them. Frank opened his mouth to say something, but I put my finger over his lips. Nothing he could say would make this moment sweeter.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Even though I was ready when Max arrived at my cabin, it apparently took time to remove a fired employee from a cruise ship. They marched me to the personnel office to fill out forms, then Max got called away to deal with a crisis. Maybe he was just letting me stew, but I waited in his office forever. By the time he returned, guests lined up outside the restaurants for early dinner. The final Talent Show would start in a couple of hours, but I wouldn’t be taking part.

  Finally, a speedboat arrived to carry me to the mainland. By the end of the cruise, we weren’t far from our final destination in Miami, so that’s where they took me. A minor consolation, since at least I wasn’t getting dumped alone in a foreign country. I sat on the edge of my seat, staring at the Aphrodite as my boat sped away, imagining Frank on the deck, looking for me. Just in case, I didn’t move, standing ramrod straight with the wind in my face.

  Finally, the ship disappeared from view, and I fell to my knees, dissolving into tears. Now that I wasn’t doing the show, Penny wouldn’t get her bonus. If Max found out she was pregnant and couldn’t dance, she might miss out on future work, too. She couldn’t afford to lose that money. What a mess. I’d ruined everything.

  The only thing more miserable than being fired, losing my residence, and disappointing my friend was the realization that most likely, Nellie spent that very moment consoling Frank. Reminding him that they “belonged together” because they were lucky enough to be born rich. He said they were just friends, but friendship often turned into more. They’d gone to the same schools, knew the same people. The differences between us were as vast as the ocean quickly creating more physical distance.

  Maybe it was better this way. After all, the way Frank viewed the world fundamentally differed from mine. He might as well be from Mars, with his thousand-dollar phone, expensive degrees, and family-owned vacation home. I mean, seriously? He owned a house no one lived in. It just sat there, costing money in taxes and electricity and lawn maintenance and that didn’t seem weird to him. Meanwhile, I couldn’t fathom what it would be like to own one house, let alone two.

  By the time we arrived at the docks, the sun was setting. I gazed out at the water, wondering how long it would be before the Aphrodite appeared on the horizon. Too long to stand here waiting, and what good would it do? Frank and I said our good-byes. We were done.

  A cool breeze brought goose pimples to my flesh, jarring me out of my spiral of misery. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, but I couldn’t stand here all night. Everything I possessed in the world lay at my feet in a couple of battered old duffel bags. I didn’t have a smart phone, preferring to use prepaid devices when I landed back in the states. Usually I bought one on board before disembarking, but between saying good-bye to Frank and packing, it hadn’t occurred to me. My best bet was to head for my sister’s place. I may not have a job or love, but I’d have family and a roof over my head.

  It was a start. With grim determination, I gripped the handles of my bags and started walking toward the road that would take me to the nearest bus stop.

  Before I made it to the end of the pier, someone called my name. Turning, I saw Nellie standing about twenty feet away. My duffels crashed onto the deck. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, but the image remained. Of course, if my subconscious conjured up a vision of Nellie, she probably wouldn’t be wearing the exact outfit I’d seen on the mannequin of the most expensive boutique on the Aphrodite.

  “Janey, stop,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Why? How are you even here? Didn’t I just see you on the cruise ship?”

  “A friend picked me up on their boat and brought me here. It’s pretty fast.”

  Of course her friends owned boats. Nellie really was perfect for Frank in every way. They should buy a golf course and have a dozen children and live happily ever after. My stomach churned at the thought. I struggled to keep my voice even. “That’s nice. What are you doing here?”

  “I came to get you.”

  “And take me…. to jail? Sleeping with a passenger isn’t a crime,” I said. “Even if he’s your fake boyfriend.”

  “He’s in love with you.”

  My mouth fell open. If I hadn’t already dropped my bag when I saw her, I’d have lost it at that point. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve known Frank for years,” she said. “My parents have been pushing us together since he started medical school. I totally get why. He’s brilliant, charming, good-looking–”

  “I don’t need a catalog of his good points. We can’t be together.” My heart ached at the words, but if she’d come to help me, she needed to hear the truth. “We’re from different worlds. It’s only been a week. He’ll move on. He belongs with someone like you.”

  “He belongs with the person who makes him happy.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve always liked Frank. We get along great. But we’re never going to be a couple.”

  “You looked pretty cozy on the ship,” I said.

  “It’s an act,” she said. “He pretends to be my boyfriend when my parents or their friends are around. It’s easier than telling them the truth. But it’s gotten out of hand. It’s time to end the charade. We never meant to hurt anyone.”

  “Why now?”

  “The fact that he told you the truth speaks volumes. Even Lisa thinks we’re a couple.” She paused to let the enormity of that sink in. “Frank and I never talked about what would happen if one of us fell for someone.”

  I wanted to believe her, but I couldn’t wrap my head around what she was saying. I’d seen the two of them together. Witnessed the genuine affection on their faces. Could he be that good an actor? But if he wasn’t, why would Nellie be here? Her story matched Frank’s.

  “We’re too different. The two of you are a perfect couple. You should try dating for real.”

  She smiled at me. “Maybe we would, if Frank were a woman.”

  Realization dawned. That’s why she needed to put on a show for her parents. Why she was so certain that she and Frank would never fall in love. It all made sense. “Oh. Well, thank you for telling me.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to the ship.”

  “You know Max fired me, right?” I assumed that being the owners’ daughter didn’t give Nellie any ability to override an assistant cruise director on staffing decisions. She worked in marketing or something, I thought.

  “Yes, I do,” she said. “And I’m very sorry, but I can’t get your job back.”

  A twinge of disappointment hit me, but I hadn’t allowed myself to truly expect anything better. I gripped the handle of my suitcase and straightened up to my full height. At least I could walk away with my head held high. “Well, thanks for the talk.”

  “But I am allowed to have guests.”

  Those words stopped me in my tracks. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve already talked to Penny. She’s going to be at the show, waiting for my signal. The stage poles are ready to go.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Frank’s miserable. He can’t stand the thought of never seeing you again.”

  My lips twitched. “Gee, I don’t have any idea what that’s like.”

  “See? The two of you are pe
rfect together.”

  “But–”

  “Don’t you dare tell me one more time that it can’t work. Are you in love with him?”

  Although there was no reason in the world for me to expose my heart to this woman, I answered immediately. A week ago, I’d have said you couldn’t love someone you’d only known a week, but I’d have been wrong. Maybe there was something to the legend of the Aphrodite after all. “Yes.”

  “And he loves you. He wants to be with you, and not just until the cruise ends. Let’s go get him.”

  “Did he send you to get me?”

  “No,” she said. “He has no idea I’m here. I thought it would be better, in case I couldn’t find you. I didn’t want to give him false hope.”

  Her words made my heart soar. She really did care about helping us work things out. If she was right, Frank wanted to be with me. Maybe things would be okay after all.

  “Well, then, let’s go give him the shock of his life.”

  She pointed to a small boat in a slip about twenty yards away. “After you. We don’t have much time.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I followed Nellie to a small boat that looked oddly familiar. While I once would’ve sworn that Nellie and I couldn’t possibly have any overlap in our social circles, I knew the woman standing by the railing, waiting to welcome us aboard.

  “Janey! Long time, girlfriend.”

  “Kelli-Ann! What are you doing here?”

  “You two know each other?” Nellie asked, looking back and forth.

  “Oh, yeah,” Kelli-Ann said. “Janey’s moves gave me the confidence I needed to kick my ex to the curb. I’ve never been happier.”

  “Those were your moves,” I said. “I just gave you a few pointers.”

  “Whatever.” She turned and gazed out over the horizon. “Shouldn’t you be on that big-ass hotel where I found Nellie?”

  “Janey’s the one I came to pick up,” Nellie said. “Can you get us back to the Aphrodite in the next half hour?”

  “Does a fish piss in the ocean?”

  I didn’t know the answer to that, but luckily, she wasn’t waiting for a response. Again, I wondered how she and Nellie knew each other.

  “Of course I can! For one thing, the ship is headed to Miami, so it’s moving toward us. We should catch it real quick. Come aboard.” Kelli-Ann looked at my feet and held up one hand. “But first, take off those shoes.”

  Surprised, I glanced down at my feet. So much had happened in the past few hours, I didn’t realize I still wore my five-inch purple glittery Pleasers. They made me smile, which is exactly why I put them on after Max fired me. “I’ve got other shoes in my bag.”

  “Change first, then join me on the deck. We’ll head out as soon as you’re ready.”

  Five minutes later, Nellie and I sped toward the slowly-increasing dot that represented the Aphrodite with Kelli-Ann behind the wheel. The clock on the wall confirmed that the Talent Show had already started, but I had enough time to perform the final number when I arrived. As long as Kelli-Ann got us there in half an hour as promised, that left me just enough time to get to the auditorium. It would be tight, but doable.

  My foot tapped the deck as if I could move the vessel faster with the force of my impatience. To release some of my pent-up energy, I bounced up and down, stretching and warming up in case by some miracle we made it in time.

  “How do you plan to get on board?” I asked. “Somehow, I doubt they’re going to stop for you.”

  “Well, they might stop for Nellie,” Kelli-Ann said. “She’s kind of a big deal.”

  She flushed. “They might stop, but that would take away our element of surprise.”

  “Good point,” I said. “What happens when they see us coming?”

  Nellie shrugged. “The Captain knows I got picked up. It’s…not the first time I’ve snuck away for a few hours.”

  Her words gave me a new admiration for someone I once thought of as an uptight, spoiled rich girl. Nellie’s life wasn’t all perfection and roses. Having money didn’t solve everything after all. It just gave you different options. I smiled at her. “You’re not as boring as I thought.”

  “That’s a relief,” she said.

  “So what’s the plan?” Kelli-Ann asked. “The water’s lower than when I picked you up.”

  “This close to shore, the ship is actually moving very slowly.” Nellie pointed at a spot on one of the upper decks. “There’s a hole in the railing.”

  “And you’re going to what? Fly up there?”

  It only took a moment to figure out the answer. No one could be better suited to break onto a cruise ship than me. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going to climb.”

  “You’re going to scale the outside of an eighteen-story cruise ship in high winds and hope you don’t plummet to your death?”

  “That’s the plan.” I gave her a wide smile.

  “But the open deck is on the ninth level,” Nellie chimed in. “So we only have to climb half of it.”

  I turned to her. “We?”

  “Of course, I’m going with you. I want to see how this plays out.”

  With a skeptical look, I took in her entire outfit from head to toe. I didn’t know much about clothes, but everyone knew Prada didn’t come cheap.

  Nellie rolled her eyes at me. “So I get a little wrinkled. We have irons. Besides, I’ve done this before, and I’m not wearing stripper shoes.”

  She never failed to surprise me. “Then I guess we’ll climb together.”

  “I hope this guy is worth it,” Kelli-Ann said.

  “Oh, he is,” I replied.

  Kelli-Ann’s skeptical look faded when we pulled close enough to the cruise liner for her to see the ladder on the outside. It was intended for maintenance and emergency use, but if getting Frank back wasn’t an emergency, I didn’t know what was.

  “What about your bags?” Nellie asked. “Should I throw them up to you?”

  My bags presented a problem I hadn’t considered. As much as my new friend had surprised me in the past few hours, I wasn’t prepared to test the accuracy of her throwing arm. “I can sling them across my back. They’re not heavy.”

  Kelli-Ann shook her head. “I should’ve asked you to sign a waiver before agreeing to any of this.”

  After more than a decade of pole training, climbing a ladder was as easy as, well, climbing a ladder. Even the bags on my back didn’t slow me down, since I’d trained wearing weights many times. Besides, I couldn’t perform without my shoes.

  With one last glance above, I turned back to hug Kelli-Ann. “Thank you so much.”

  “I want an update. And if you get married, you better invite me to the wedding.”

  Although I wasn’t remotely thinking that far ahead, I nodded. “You got it.”

  “Now, go. You’ve got ten minutes.”

  Swallowing, I turned to the ladder and looked up. Ten minutes, several dozen rungs? No sweat. Probably. There was no time to worry about the math. All I could do was grip the nearest rung, place my feet on the ladder, and head upward. It would be harder once I got away from the minimal wind protection offered by Kelli-Ann’s small ship.

  Slow and steady. Up and up I climbed, trying not to think about the distance to the water below, the amount of time remaining before the show ended, or the fact that Frank might still turn me down once I arrived.

  Below me, I heard Nellie breathing hard. A glance down showed her probably half a deck further down.

  “Don’t worry about me!” she called. “Go!”

  I hesitated. None of this would be possible without Nellie’s help. If I abandoned her and she fell, I’d never forgive myself.

  She lunged upward, catching a second wind. “If you miss this chance because you’re waiting for me, I swear I’ll marry Frank purely to spite you.”

  A huge belly laugh escaped me, dispelling some of the tension. It felt good, but I didn’t have time to relax. Instead, I turned back around and continued climbing.r />
  Finally, I got to the opening and heaved myself onto the deck. My legs shook from the effort expended, so I allowed myself thirty seconds to sit and catch my breath before moving on. I didn’t have much time, but I needed it. Below me, Nellie climbed on.

  Virtually everyone on the ship was already at the show. The plus side was, no one saw me and Nellie scale the side of the ship. Unfortunately, it took longer than expected, and I might be too late.

  My bag thudded to the deck. I’d move faster without it, and Nellie could bring it. But more importantly, I needed what was inside. With a quick glance up and down the dock to make sure no one was watching, I stepped behind a staircase leading to the upper deck and changed into my costume.

  Nellie pulled herself over the top rung as I finished. “You look awesome.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Now go. I’ll bring your bags.”

  I didn’t dare run on the wet deck. Instead, I gripped my shoes with one sweaty hand and set off, walking as fast as safety allowed. I didn’t slow until I reached the auditorium doors.

  At some point, Nellie fell behind again. She’d hopefully make it before the performance ended, but she’d made it clear not to wait for her.

  From the other side of the doors, the faint strains of what had to be the final song reached my ears. Some corny feel-good song I wasn’t familiar with but knew they’d planned to sing before the pole doubles routine. Perfect.

  Balancing on one foot, I buckled one shoe into place, then the other. Immediately, my confidence returned. Now I was in my element. A quick glance revealed that my costume was in place, unmoved by the race across the ship. I raked my fingers through my hair, catching the loose tendrils before scraping it back into a low bun. Then I threw my shoulders back, lifted my head high, and shoved the double doors with all my might.

  They creaked open, moving slowly along the carpet. They didn’t crash against the walls the way I envisioned.

  On stage, the song continued. No one heard my entrance. No one noticed me. Well, that was about to change.