The bartender delivered a platter of steaming fried plantains to our table. The scent set off my stomach, drowning off any further conversation. Not that I wanted to talk to my ex about our relationship. Or about his marriage. Instead, I dove into the food.
More plates followed. We devoured jerked chicken and rice, some amazing fritters, and something called “ackee and salt fish.” Dominic, a firm believer in drinking local beer whenever possible, washed everything down with Red Stripe. I stuck to my mai tais, which probably contained as much water as alcohol. Even after my third, I didn’t feel the slightest buzz. Except everything Dominic said seemed hilarious. Like when he offered to go to the bar for more chips and guacamole.
Finally, Leanna called me. The Network arranged for a local boat owner to take us to the Cayman Islands, where we’d rejoin the cruise ship in the morning. I would’ve preferred to get back immediately and sleep in my own tiny bunk bed—after talking to Justin and Tammy Rae, of course—but she said the ship wasn’t allowed into the harbor until morning. Even if they were, it wouldn’t be safe to open the gangway in the middle of the night. Since she was doing me a huge favor by not making me swim, hitchhike halfway across the island to get to an airport, or pay for my own boat, I didn’t argue. Instead, I thanked her politely and disconnected.
Then I sent another text to Justin. No response. What a time for his phone to give him problems.
Dominic paid the bill, and I led the way. Using the directions Leanna gave me, I found our ride. Either the ship was fairly new, or the owner possessed an awesome sense of humor, because the Boaty McBoatface waited for us in the harbor. When Dominic saw the name, he burst out laughing. A genuine smile broke out across my face. Anyone who’d name their vessel Boaty McBoatface should be interesting. This last stage of our voyage might turn out okay after all.
“Welcome aboard!” The man greeting us stood about six feet tall, with flawless ebony skin, dreadlocks down to his waist, and perfect, gleaming white teeth. My best guess put him a couple of years younger than me. “I’m Ty, and I’ll be your guide this evening.”
Dominic introduced us, while I steeled myself for another rocky voyage.
“Are you okay?” Ty asked when I settled onto a seat in the corner.
“I’m fine thanks,” I said. “Just not a big fan of boats.”
“You’re in Jamaica on a cruise ship, aren’t you?” Ty kept a perfectly straight face, but Dominic chuckled behind him. I glared at him.
“Okay, fine, I’m not a big fan of small boats,” I said. “I always worry about getting seasick.”
“Ah, well, then! I have the thing for you. Would you like some of the good ganja?”
The good ganja? Oh, dear.
“No, thank you. I don’t smoke. Do you have any ginger ale?”
“No problem,” he said. “I’ll bring you some brownies instead. Special recipe.”
Chocolate probably wouldn’t settle my stomach, but since my fear of seasickness outweighed any actual nausea about a hundred to one, no reason to say no. I’d never been one to turn down chocolate without a good reason.
Dominic started to say something, but I interrupted him. “That sounds amazing. Thank you, Ty.”
Without another glance at Dominic, I pulled a book out of my bag and stared resolutely at the pages. My mind wandered, and my eyes spun uselessly across the words. Hopefully no one would ask me about the book. It didn’t matter. I just wanted to ignore my ex until we got back to the Queen Kelly where I could handcuff myself to Danielle and avoid him until we got to Miami while simultaneously apologizing to Justin and getting Tammy Rae’s secret ingredient.
A moment later, Dominic settled onto the seat beside me. “Did I mention I’m sorry?”
“Did I mention I’m not speaking to you?”
“You just did.”
Ty saved me from answering by appearing with a large plate of brownies and a bottle of ginger ale. Although we’d just eaten, my stomach found space at the sight of the thick, chocolate icing. After a horrible day, it looked even more enticing than a coco-chocolate cupcake topped with toasted coconut.
“Thanks,” I said. “How much for this?”
“On the house. Or rather, on your Network. They’ve got you covered,” he said. “You can sleep down below. There are two couches and a bed. I’ll show you when you’re ready.”
As nice as it sounded to crawl into bed and lie there until the boat reached the Cayman Islands, I was too on edge after our day to even pretend to sleep. I wanted my brownies and ginger ale.
Twenty minutes later, realizing I didn’t feel seasick in the slightest, I got up to explore the boat. This was my first time on a yacht. If I wanted to embellish the details for the viewers in my interview when I returned to the cruise, I should know what a rich person’s boat looked like.
Below decks, the ship held a living area larger than some downtown Seattle apartments. Blue couches lined the walls, clean and firm. From what I’d seen of tiny house shows, the cushions probably concealed storage. The door across the room would lead to Ty’s bedroom; I left it closed. The kitchenette took up about twenty square feet, most of that taken up with tiny, adorable appliances, but a determined person could cook in there. I spotted a wireless router in the corner and wondered where you got wi-fi in a boat. A door next to the kitchen showed the smallest bathroom I’d ever seen–just a showerhead over the toilet and a drain in the floor. How efficient.
Upstairs, benches lined the deck. A covered area in the middle held two sets of chairs. Ty showed me how one converted to tables and the other concealed life jacket storage. I reached immediately for one, but he stopped me.
“This should be a smooth trip. You’ll wind up below decks for most of it,” Ty said. “I’ll let you know if you need a jacket, but for now, just enjoy the trip. Nothing beats an ocean sunset.”
He had a point. I tossed back the rest of my brownie and wandered around the deck, looking for a good spot. The sail remained furled for this trip, as we’d use the motor to take us to the Cayman Islands. The view from the front of the yacht beat the one from the ship, because this close to the water line, I saw fish playing in the sea.
Although it was early, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an alien orange light across the water. Or maybe aliens hovered out of sight. Only a UFO could make this day more unreal. I giggled at the thought, glancing up to examine the sky.
The stars were so beautiful. How had I never noticed? I moved toward the railing, into the open air and looked up. The sky swallowed me. Somewhere in the distance, music played. My body swayed to the rocking of the boat, and I tipped my head to the sky, relishing the breeze on my face. It felt like angels brushing me with their wings.
A moment later, Dominic appeared holding out an unopened bottle of water. “You’re going to want this.”
“Thanks. Look at the sky! The stars are so big! And Tammy Rae was right: the ocean is totally vast. I feel so small, you know? So insignificant. Like none of this matters. Why am I being so mean to you? You brought me water! I love water.”
Laughing, Dominic leaned against the railing. “So how were those brownies?”
“So good. I love brownies. Are there any left?”
“I think you’ve had enough.”
As we passed another, larger ship, music and laughter drifted across the harbor to us. People stood on the deck, milling around.
Jumping up and down, I waved. “Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, people! I’m Jen, and I’m on a reality cruise!”
Someone shouted, but I couldn’t make out the words. They were dancing, so I danced, too. They cheered and shouted, so I shouted back. “Yay for new friends!”
Dominic lifted his water bottle and clinked it against mine. “To new friends—and old.”
“Man, I feel amazing! Don’t you feel amazing?”
“Yeah, I feel pretty good, too. You’re funny like this.”
“I’m not funny, your face is funny!” I hooked my elbows around the railing to s
ee how far I could bend backward. “I’m so happy. Why do I feel so happy? I don’t like you. I miss Justin. I love Justin.”
He turned and cupped my face, his eyes searching mine. “Hey, Jen? When Ty said ‘special recipe brownies,’ you knew what he meant, right?”
“Like his mom’s recipe? Some secret ingredient?” The lips of his mouth turned upward, like he struggled not to laugh. “What?”
“Jen, when someone offers you ‘special’ brownies or ‘funny’ brownies, they have pot in them. You’re totally high right now.”
Me, high? No way! No one ever offered the nerdy girl drugs. And I’d never, ever accept them. I needed my brain cells intact. On the other hand, this explained why my soul soared on the ocean breeze while we talked.
Although I wanted to be angry at Dominic’s revelation, my brain lost control over my emotions. I burst out laughing. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged. “I figured you knew.”
“How could I possibly know that?”
“How could you possibly not know that? You went to college.”
“I’ve spent half the week trying to find out a secret ingredient for a special recipe Sarah and I need for our bakery,” I said. “When Ty said special recipe, that’s what I thought he meant. Perfect. Now watch, Tammy Rae’s secret ingredient is probably pot.”
As frustrating as the day had been, it was impossible not to see the humor in the situation. Or the THC had taken over my nervous system. Giggling helplessly, I let my feet slide down until I sat on the deck with a thump. When my bruised butt hit the deck, I gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Dominic asked.
“I fell on my ass on the deck yesterday. I’ve got a bruise the size of Neptune.”
“Don’t you mean Uranus?” Dominic sat beside me, and the two of us laughed until tears ran down my face and my sides ached.
“Do you want me to take a look at it?”
“No, I don’t need you to check out my butt. Thanks, anyway.”
“I meant the bruise. I’m a nurse, remember?”
I’d almost forgotten. When we were together, he rarely talked about work, and after I found out about Danielle, I figured he made up the traveling nurse thing to explain his long absences. It never occurred to me that he might possess actual medical knowledge.
“Thanks, but no. I’ll be fine.”
The mental image of Dominic “examining” my butt set off another fit of giggles. When I calmed, he was watching me.
“What?”
“You,” he said. “You’re having an awesome time. Admit it, spending the day with me is not the worst thing that possibly could’ve happened to you.”
“It could be the brownies talking, but you might be right,” I said. “This hasn’t been a terrible day. But I still never want to see you again.”
“Jen, I do feel horrible about the way things ended between us. Danielle and I married too young. I didn’t know what love felt like until I met you.”
His words sent a pang through me. Before I met Justin, nothing would’ve made me happier than to hear those words. But it was too late. I’d moved on, and now I understood how a real relationship worked. Justin and I had a partnership, something more than canceled dates, apologies, and stolen moments, always at my place.
“Don’t say that, Dominic. It’s too late. We’ve been over for almost two years.”
“I’m an idiot. I should’ve left her the minute I met you.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter now. Danielle is happily living the single life, and I’m in love with Justin.”
“Are you?” he asked.
He scooted closer, so near that the heat of his body enveloped mine. I inched backward until I bumped into a corner of the ship. Ignoring him, I took another drink of water, then turned my attention to the sky.
“Man, the universe is huge up there. Like the ocean! We’re such tiny parts of this massive whole. As insignificant as ants. Crawling around on the deck like ants, too. When did I get so deep?”
He chuckled, bringing my attention to him.
We sat very close, our knees almost touching. Our heads mere inches apart. Man, he had a big head. How had I never noticed his big head while we were dating?
That probably was the brownies talking.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Of course I’m in love with Justin.”
“You’ve spent the last ten hours with me. Laughing, joking, drinking. Dancing. We’re in this amazing place, on this amazing journey. And where’s Justin? On the ship, with Ariana.”
“It’s not his fault he missed the boat. It’s not like he purposely ditched me to hang out with her.”
“Of course he didn’t. That’s why he’s been calling you all day.”
I forced myself not to reflexively reach for my phone. “His phone stopped working the first day on the ship. The battery won’t charge.”
“Right. How convenient. Right after you run into Ariana, his phone stops working?”
“I never said it was after we ran into Ariana.”
“But it was, right? Didn’t they have a thing together on the show?”
“Before the show. A long time ago. It meant nothing.” Even to my own ears, the words sounded weak. I hated Dominic for pushing at my sore spots. But wasn’t this what I’d worried about all along? That Justin would leave me for Ariana? What if he’d somehow arranged to stay behind with her?
No, that was ridiculous. The brownies were making me paranoid.
“Come on, Jen, let this happen,” Dominic said. His face was so close to mine, I couldn’t see the stars anymore. “Forget Justin. That guy’s not good enough for you. I love you, you love me.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I shook my head. “Justin’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And I don’t l—”
He cut me off, bending forward and pressing his lips against mine. In my shock, I froze. Two things brought me out of my stupor: Dominic’s tongue wriggling its way into my mouth, and the unmistakable click of a camera shutter.
Chapter 14
SHOCKING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS ONLINE
The Fishbowl Couple to Split?
Are Jen and Justin experiencing trouble in paradise?
by Talky Ted, Nov. 8
Sources report that Jen, one-half of America’s darling “Jen and Justin” spent a romantic day in the Caribbean with her ex-boyfriend instead of her current love. Jen and Dominic rode horses on the beach and swam in the ocean. Rumor says the couple failed to return to the ship before it departed for the next stop. An unavoidable emergency? Or the perfect opportunity for a spontaneous lover’s tryst away from prying eyes?
About a mile off the shore of Jamaica, a group of twenty-somethings aboard a party ship report seeing someone matching Jen’s description on a smaller vessel nearby, headed in the direction of Grand Cayman. The young woman in question reportedly danced, cheered, waved her shirt around her head, and generally acted as if she were having a marvelous time. Witnesses spotted two men aboard the smaller yacht. One appeared to be steering, but the other matches the description of Jen’s ex-boyfriend, Dominic. A moonlit cruise for two? Dancing? How romantic.
The picture painted by our sources creates quite a contrast to the rather unflattering things Jen said about her ex when she appeared on The Fishbowl.
From the beginning, viewers touted Jen as the evil genius of the show, taking control whenever team challenges required a bit of brainpower and generally trying to organize votes and alliances among her teammates.
Her reputation for high intelligence and ability to manipulate makes this reporter wonder: Has Jen experienced a change of heart about her ex? Or was she playing Justin—and the American public—for a fool all this time?
Meanwhile, Justin remained on the Queen Kelly with a certain sultry siren who’s never made any secret of her designs on him. Is this truly a love boat? Or is this cruise ship secretly a destroyer? More to come.
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Where are they now? Catch up with Hot Catches Abram, Mike, and Raj.
Shoving with all my strength, I sent Dominic sliding away from me. Then I lunged forward and slapped him across the face so hard my hand turned red. Without another glance in his direction, I jumped to my feet and raced after Ty. He walked quickly toward the door leading below decks as if he thought there were a place onboard to hide from my wrath.
“Stop!” I called desperately. “At least tell me you got a picture of the slap, too.”
Ty stopped and turned, chuckling. “I did not see any slap, ma’am.”
“If I give you ten dollars, will you come back? I can hit him again.” Nothing would bring me more pleasure, other than waking up in my bunk and finding out this entire day had been a nightmare.
“American dollars?” he asked.
“Yup. Let’s make it twenty.”
We returned to the spot where Dominic stood, rubbing his cheek. He dropped his hand when we approached. “What’s going on?”
I moved toward him, hand raised, but he flinched. I paused, hand hovering. He grabbed my wrist.
“What are you doing?” Dominic asked.
I ignored him. To Ty, I said, “Darn it, I can’t hit him. It’s one thing to slap someone in the heat of the moment, but the moment’s passed.”
“Perhaps he could kiss you again?” Our captain suggested. I glared at him. “Or make you angry some other way?”
“I’m very good at that,” Dominic said.
“Maybe we could stage it? I could raise my hand, Dominic could throw his head back and you could take the picture? Or I could lift my knee toward his balls.”
“That could work, but you won’t get the right expression of surprise and pain on his face.”
Sweet Reality Page 14
