Anchored

by Rachael Wade

  “Jade, I never meant to wind up in the cabin again. He and I haven’t—”

  “Just stop.” She holds a hand up. “It doesn’t matter how you got there or why. I don’t want to know the details. All that matters is you’ve won, Anya. You have his heart, not me.” She steers herself around the desk and breezes up to me, glaring down with hard, cold eyes. “But there is one thing you should know about me, one thing you will take away from this experience. And I guarantee you’ll never, ever forget it.” She eyes me a second more before slinking past me to stand next to the office door. “Once you cross me, there’s hell to pay.”

  My body shifts, turning to face her. Every muscle in my body is a tightly sprung coil.

  “If I can’t win with Tanner, and I can’t win with you, I sure as hell can win when it comes to my name and this ship. So, I’m sorry to say, Miss Banks, you still lose.” Her secret smile reaches epic proportions and she turns the knob, swinging the door open wide. Heidi glances inside the office, eyes still nervously darting between us and the office lobby. “Heidi?” Jade asks sweetly, “send them in, please.”

  Heidi stutters. “Yy—yes, Miss Simmons.” I stand in anticipation and watch in horror as Ted and Lana are ushered into the office. Lana is frozen, her eyes widening when she sees me. Ted is displeased, sending me an uncomfortable glance.

  “Please,” Jade gestures to them both, still speaking sweetly, “have a seat. I’ll have Heidi bring you some tea. Perhaps you’d prefer water?”

  “No,” Ted holds up a hand in dismissal, “refreshments won’t be necessary.” Lana nods in agreement and carefully takes a seat next to Ted, across from Jade’s desk. I remain standing, watching as Jade shuts the door and walks back around to her seat.

  “Very well. I suppose you’d prefer to make this as short and sweet as possible.”

  “Yes,” Ted replies, “I think that’s best.”

  “Where shall I begin?” Jade exhales, surveying the room. Lana still doesn’t move. She’s quiet as a mouse. “Miss Banks, I’ve already briefed Ted on the situation, but we both agreed it would be best to discuss this together in a more formal setting, as a courtesy, to at least give you a chance to defend yourself.”

  I gulp, and Lana’s eyes meet mine. “To defend myself?”

  “Anya,” Ted huffs under his breath, “for heaven’s sake, just come out with it, please.”

  “I’m not sure what to say.”

  Jade clears her throat. “Let me give you a jump start, then. You’ve compromised your position with Four Corners Elite by having relations with the owner of Trident Voyager—who incidentally, happens to be my fiancé. In addition, you’ve arranged for your business associate and superior,” her gaze flits to Lana, “to write a slanderous piece on my ship, The Crown Jewel. You’ve gone so far as to send her onto my ship and question my staff, sift through confidential files, and initiate an outrageous piece of propaganda to bring bad publicity to my name and business. Do you care to deny any of this?”

  Everything in me sinks, hollowing me out. There’s nothing to deny, nothing to defend. I am in no shape to defend my honor, because I have none. I’ve done these things. Lana glides forward in her seat, mouth agape, searching for words. Just like me, she has none.

  Ted speaks first. “Anya, I am at a loss, here. I can’t believe you would do something so careless, so outrageous. Don’t you have anything to say, here? Give me reason to defend you. Give me something, anything.”

  My shoulders fall and I move to speak. “It’s true, I’ve had an affair with Mr. Christensen.”

  Lana stands. “Anya had nothing to do with me being on the Crown Jewel. That was entirely my doing. She was against it from the beginning.”

  Ted’s head snaps toward her. “But she knew about your intentions to write a slanderous piece.”

  Lana trips on her words. “No—yes, I mean no, she didn’t.”

  I close my eyes.

  “What I mean is it was my idea to board the Crown Jewel and she wanted nothing to do with my plans. I take full responsibility.”

  “Anya,” Ted turns back to me in bewilderment, “if what Lana says is true, I can accept that. I can even accept that what you do in your private time is your business. Your private relationships are of no interest to me or the magazine whatsoever. What I cannot and will not accept is that Mr. Christensen is the main contact and focus of your assignment, not to mention engaged to our business partner.” He waves his hands and his jaw drops as he stutters. “This entire situation is unacceptable, and frankly, I’m appalled. You’ve taken a liberty that has severed our magazine’s relationship with Simmons International.”

  I open my mouth to respond, but Jade speaks first. “Now, wait just a minute, Ted. What kind of person—or business woman, for that matter—would that make me to have no pardon, here?”

  Ted’s flabbergasted expression swings to Jade.

  “I am fully aware that Anya and Lana have made these poor decisions independently, without your involvement. I don’t wish to sever Simmons International’s partnership with Four Corners Elite. I’m certainly willing to overlook this as long as I have your word that both women will be terminated, effective immediately.”

  Lana flies forward. She’s found her ammo, now, and the words begin to fly. This is the Lana I know and love, but it pains me to watch her place herself on the line of fire. “This whole thing is ridiculous, Ted. I admit that my actions were out of line and that they warrant termination, but when it comes to Anya and her relations with Mr. Christensen, that matter is private, just as you said. It should have no relevance to Anya’s standing with the company. If you insist on placing blame due to the fact that the man is engaged, then Tanner is just as much at fault. They’re both grown adults. And while we’re on the subject, if you must know, Tanner and Jade’s engagement is one huge sham!”

  “Lana, that’s enough,” Ted snaps, covering his face. He’s ten shades of red. “This is beyond inappropriate and I refuse to waste any more of Miss Simmons’ time. She was kind enough to fly both of us to Nassau and escort us here to settle this matter in person, and her graciousness extends even further with her offer to overlook this, when she could be pursuing charges and terminating her contract with the magazine. Anya,” he stands and brushes the arms of his suit jacket. “I’ll ask you one more time, do you have anything to say that could possibly shed new light on this disaster?”

  Lana bristles next to him. “Go on, An. Tell him. Tell him everything.”

  Jade is smug, watching with a smirk.

  “No.” My voice is soft, my reply resigned. “There’s nothing else to say. I knew about Lana’s intentions on the Crown Jewel. I had an affair with Tanner Christensen. I accept full responsibility for my actions. I’m very sorry.”

  Ted releases a long, disappointed exhale. “Then it’s settled. Anya and Lana, you are both dismissed from Four Corners Elite. I’ll arrange for your travel home from Nassau, but after that, you’re on your own. I suggest you begin packing. Miss Simmons,” Ted steps around the desk and offers a humble handshake. “I appreciate your generosity and will assign a replacement immediately, as soon as I return to the office. If you wish to run Anya’s feature, you have our permission, as the magazine owns rights to it. The choice is yours. If you’d prefer to wait until I assign a new writer, I understand.”

  “No,” Jade accepts his handshake and smiles sympathetically, “the feature is just what I’m looking for.” She sends me a sly smirk. “Let’s run it as planned and start fresh moving forward, shall we?”

  “Yes. That sounds like a plan.” Ted glances at us both one last time before he begins for the door. Lana and I collect our bags and follow silently in his footsteps.

  “Oh, Miss Banks,” Jade calls after me, “I do wish you well in your endeavors, despite everything.”

  I turn to acknowledge her fake smile and equally false wishes. I return her insincerity with sincerity. “Same to you, Miss Simmons. Same to you.” I really do wish her luck.
She’s going to need it. She’s a pretty woman with a broken heart, with nothing but money and greed and selfishness fueling her. She has nothing. She’s empty. It pleases her to hurt me right now, but the moment I leave her office, she’ll once again be discontent. Nothing will fill that hole, because she can’t fill herself. And Tanner can’t do it for her. I know this from experience.

  “Anya!” Lana snaps at me as we exit the office. “How could you do that? Why didn’t you defend yourself? How could you just throw you career out the window? I would’ve backed you up every step of the way!”

  I eye Heidi, who sits behind the desk, a sullen, apologetic expression dressing her face. She waves half-heartedly and watches as Ted storms out, leaving Lana and me in the lobby. “I know you would’ve,” I say. “You would’ve followed me all the way. You did. You threw yours out the window, too.”

  “I would do it again if it meant you having a chance at happiness with that man.” Lana’s lip quivers and her eyes begin to water. “He makes you happy, An. I haven’t seen you happy in a long time. Going up against that Queen Bitch was worth the shot. Maybe now, you can be together. She doesn’t have anything to hold over your head anymore. Go to him. Go to him now and tell him what happened.”

  “No.” I smile softly. An immeasurable wave of relief rolls over me. It’s all over. The axe has fallen. There is no more running, no more excuses, no more secrets. Nothing hidden. I have a chance now to start over, to walk away from this lesson with strength and resilience. “What I had with Tanner has passed. I need to leave it alone, Lan. I don’t regret a second of it. I only regret that you got involved in something that was destined to fail. To end.”

  “But this isn’t a failure.” Lana takes my shoulders and squeezes softly. “You’re taking something away from this, An. You challenged yourself by coming aboard this ship. You proved to yourself you can move on, move past the painful memories of Zoe. You told the ocean who’s boss. You gave your heart a chance by opening it up to Tanner. You opened yourself up to love, to new possibilities. And you had fun. Something might be ending, but none of it qualifies as failure.”

  “I agree. You’re right.”

  “Of course, I am.” Lana sniffles and flips her hair over her shoulder. “This is why you’re friends with me.”

  “Thanks for the reminder. I was beginning to wonder again…”

  Her tender touch on my shoulders turns to a feisty pinch. “Hey!” We both laugh, but she quickly turns earnest again. “I still think you have a chance at this thing with Tanner, though, An. Jade pulled out the big guns because she’s got nothing left, and she knows it. And when Tanner learns what she’s just done, he won’t stand for it. I know he won’t. There’s no way he’ll agree to be with her after this.”

  “You don’t know Tanner like I do. This ship is his heartbeat. As it should be.”

  “Ew. No, I don’t.”

  It’s my turn to pinch her. “Mind out of the gutter, woman.”

  “Fine. I won’t say another word about this. You’re so damn stubborn!”

  “So says the most stubborn woman in the world.”

  Lana huffs and puffs and links her arm with mine. “Let’s get you packed and get the hell out of here.”

  I wave to Heidi as we exit. She’s busy on the phone, but I want her to know I’m not upset with her for any of this, despite the outcome. She was just doing her job. “What publication will possibly hire us now?” I sigh.

  “Trust me, honey. We’re going to be just fine. I always have a back-up plan, remember?”

  “You never have back-up plans.”

  “Shut your mouth!”

  “You don’t.” I shrug as we stroll out into the sunshine, along the deck.

  “Okay, I might fly by the seat of my pants most of the time, but I do actually have a Plan B this time. I swear.”

  “Whatever you say.” My head rolls onto her shoulder as we walk. “All I know is I’m ready to go home.”

  “Me, too, girl. I’ve never been more antsy to get off a cruise ship in my life. I’m so pissed at Jade, I could punch something. And if I see Tanner, he might just be my target.”

  “Lana…”

  “If I wanna swing, I’m gonna swing, damn it. So, get over it.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  “Hey, maybe you can join in. Yeah! Let’s take that boy out. Come on, you know it’ll feel amazing. Admit it!”

  I straighten up and unlink our arms as laughter overtakes me. I playfully shove her to the left. “Lana, stop. Don’t you dare.”

  “Damn it, woman! Where is all of this restrained anger coming from? You sure as hell don’t get it from me. See, all the more reason you need to watch some Walking Dead with me. You need a little Maggie in your life. She’s so badass. Not quite like Michonne, but in her own way. She went from this sweet girl to hardcore warrior, because the world toughened her up. It forced her to. If anyone can inspire you to awaken your inner warrior, it’s Maggie. Trust me.”

  “I’m never watching that show with you.”

  “Never say never.”

  I successfully pry Lana away from zombie conversation and convince her to have one last margarita with me by the pool. She’s all for it, of course. I raise my glass to hers, and I know we can both feel it—a weight lifted. Defeat may have won this round, but there’s comfort in knowing we’ll always have each other.

  “To the Caribbean, chocolate, and friendship,” she says, lifting her glass.

  “Cheers.”

  “Now if only Brie was here to join us.”

  “I know. How is she? After the whole Aruba mess, I mean?”

  “Oh, she’s fine. Tanner arranged for her flight home and I sent her off with a gourmet cheese plate. She’s all good.” We toast to Brie next and spend the next twenty minutes admiring the pool goers and soaking up the sun. The time flies by way too quickly, but when it’s time to return to my cabin and pack my things, we both feel ready. It’s time to bid the Trident Voyager goodbye. It’s time to let Tanner resume his role of Tritan. King with his trident.

  God of the Sea.

  ELEVEN

  The suitcase is heavy in my hand, but the weight that’s been sitting on my chest has lifted. Lana waits patiently at the door. I stop next to her to survey the cabin one last time. I will remember everything about it, from the drapes, to the luxurious bedspread, to the bench near the portal window. I will remember the space below that Tanner dedicated to the memorial of his father, and Alvita, the island that stole my heart. I will remember it all, and most importantly remember how this ship was the vessel through which I faced a great fear, one that I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to conquer. Not after what happened with Zoe.

  “You ready?” Lana holds the door open.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Always.”

  We exit and start down the hall. Every detail seems to catch my eye. The ship’s design is not only extravagant, it’s romantic. The damask wallpaper that lines the halls, the low lighting, the elegant chandeliers, all of it resembles Tanner’s taste in some way, and likely resembles those of his father’s. I find myself pondering how much of Margaret’s personality really lies in these walls, and all that Jade intends to change in the days to come.

  “I know that look,” Lana says softly, glancing at me over her shoulder as she leads the way. “Don’t dwell. Don’t let those thoughts linger.”

  “I’m not,” I lie. “Just saying goodbye, that’s all.”

  She reaches back and takes my hand, while she tows her suitcase with her other hand. She steers us off the ship and down into Nassau, past the same hat shop I’d ducked into to finish the feature. We were instructed to wait for a town car to escort us to the airport. “I don’t see it yet,” Lana says. “Do you?”

  I squint against the harsh sun and pull the rim of my floppy hat down. “No, I don’t think so. Ted said it would be right there, didn’t he?” I point to a little tourist information stand, and Lana checks the directions on t
he piece of paper Ted gave us.

  “Yeah, that should be the spot.”

  “Okay, well, let’s head over that way. Maybe we have time to run into one of these stores. I’m dying of thirst.”

  Lana agrees and we make our way through the crowd to the shanty little stand. I check my watch and dip into a nearby shop to grab us some water, and when I return, the car is waiting. I’m still in shock Ted arranged our travel plans home. Then again, our options were pretty limited. Either he had us stay aboard until the end of the sailing, or sent us on our way while we were still docked in Nassau. I don’t blame him for wanting to get us as far away from Jade Simmons, as quickly as possible.

  The driver steps out and opens the door for us, loading our luggage into the trunk. Lana is munching on something while she gives Brie a quick call to let her know what happened and that we’re on our way home. I scribble in my notebook, brainstorming ideas to remedy the job-loss situation. I have the experience and the skills to land plenty of jobs in my field, but this termination has tainted my name and reputation in immeasurable ways. I resist the urge to beat myself up for my decision to surrender my career without much of a fight. It’s true, at first I was certain I’d never give something so important up so easily.

  But love does something to you.

  It changes your priorities and the way you look at things. It sneaks up on you and takes over, and the next thing you know, you’re putting the other person’s needs before your own. I could have fought Jade for my job. I could have denied the claims. I could have blamed it all on Tanner and demand he fix the mess.

  I could have.

  None of those decisions would have led me any closer to Tanner, though. And they certainly wouldn’t have led him any closer to securing his one and only dream, and that is to remain owner of Trident Voyager, to preserve his father’s legacy. My denial and resistance would only have fueled the fire and caused more of a scene than necessary.