by Natasha West
Ride the Wave
By
Natasha West
Copyright © 2020 by Natasha West
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
With enormous thanks to Brooke for making time to help a very grateful author.
One
Natalie Silver was trying very unsubtly to slide herself and two co-workers over while posing for a photograph. She was doing this so as not to be standing next to Eden Tyler when the snap was taken. No good could come of such a juxtaposition as far as Natalie was concerned. Eden practically had half a foot on her just for a start. Add to that her own lack of photogenic-ness - which Eden had to spare - and there was no way Natalie was being caught next to her in this bloody company snap, looking like a little goblin.
‘Push in everyone,’ the photographer said.
Natalie didn’t move.
‘You, in the back, could you step two people over?’ the man said to Natalie.
‘Who, me?’ Natalie said, hoping against hope…
‘Yes, back next to the tall lady in the green?’
Natalie forced a smile and moved back to her former spot, glancing at Eden, the green lady. Eden threw her a quick smile. ‘I hate these things.’
‘Yeah,’ Natalie agreed. But she didn’t buy it. Eden wasn’t a woman who looked like she wanted to blend into the background. Everything about her said, ‘Go ahead and look. Why wouldn’t you?’ She was always perfectly coifed, never a blonde hair on that perfect head out of place, her make-up always flawless around those sharp, dark eyes, invariably dressed to kill and possessing one of those tall, lean bodies that seemed sculpted by the gods themselves. Natalie bet that if you asked her for her diet secrets, she’d be the type to say, ‘Oh, I don’t know. I eat what I want.’
But the worst thing was that this bundle of perfection was Natalie’s boss at Jackson & Carstairs, a midsized PR company that handled the reputations of various mid-sized companies. The reason it sucked quite so much was that Natalie had rejected the chance of a promotion. It had seemed like the right choice at the time; until they hired Eden. Natalie could practically feel the office breathe a sigh of relief. She somehow knew that everyone was thinking that if she’d taken the job, they’d have missed out on the fabulousness Eden brought in just by walking and talking and being so very her.
And Natalie wasn’t fabulous. Her dark brown bobbed hair never looked lustrous or voluminous. The best she could shoot for was neat. Her midnight blue eyes weren’t hypnotic, just a bit sad looking. And her body was a perfectly average shape and length. Her height wasn’t the only thing that came up short about her, either. Brains, beauty, charisma, she didn’t think she had any of the things Eden had in spades.
Yet Natalie didn’t hate Eden or anything. How could she? Eden was a good boss. She pretended to defer to Natalie all the time, though she was now her superior. She never asked Natalie to go on a coffee run, always coming into the office with a beverage for Natalie instead. She credited Natalie for any small idea she had to solve a problem. Natalie couldn’t even resent her properly. She was a bit relieved about that. She didn’t want to be one of those women who hated someone to cover their secret envy. She was quite open with herself about the jealousy. She accepted that Eden couldn’t help being perfect any more than Natalie could help her own imperfections.
But Natalie would be damned if she was going to stand slap bang next to Eden’s easy beauty in this photo, intended for the wall of the reception area, everyone who passed through the building seeing the jarring juxtaposition for all of time. ‘Oh, no, I forgot, I’ve got a press release that can’t wait!’ she said and then ducked sideways a second before the flash went off. She ran off down the hall, back to her office, pretending not to hear anyone protesting that she’d ruined the shot. They could take it again without her.
She went into her office and sat down at her laptop, opening it not to some deadline task, but to a website. For a cruise. It was for single ladies who were looking for other single ladies to cancel out their singleness at the first possible opportunity. Natalie wasn’t really sure if it was the best idea to use her precious few days off work to hunt for a girlfriend. More than likely, it was throwing them down the toilet. Or out to sea, more accurately. But she couldn’t get out of it.
It was her sister’s idea. She’d booked it, paid for it, the works. It was classic Sally. If she saw a problem, she purchased its answer. And she considered Natalie’s singleness to be a problem. ‘It’s a cruise with about a thousand other woman, on a boat called The Adventurer. It leaves from Portsmouth, travelling around the Mediterranean, with stops in Spain and Portugal. You’ll be forced to meet someone,’ she said as she presented Natalie with the ticket.
‘What if I don’t want to?’ Natalie had said, the ticket in her hand feeling oddly heavy.
‘Of course you do. Everyone wants to meet someone,’ Sally said dismissively, still riding high on her own practical generosity.
‘So then why haven’t I?’ Natalie had asked, not sure if she wanted the answer her sister would give.
She really didn’t.
‘Because you’ve got low self-esteem, and you don’t think anyone can love you,’ Sally said casually.
Natalie felt that one in the gut. ‘Jesus.’
Sally looked almost repentant. ‘Sorry, but it’s true. I blame dad.’
‘Oh?’ Natalie asked with polite interest.
‘Nothing we ever did was good enough. I’m older than you, and I used that for fuel to spur me on. It did the opposite to you.’
‘Fascinating,’ Natalie said sardonically. Sarcasm was Natalie’s weapon of choice, but it bounced off humourless Sally like a ping-pong ball. ‘Yeah, nailed that out in six weeks of therapy. Didn’t need more than that,’ Sally bragged.
‘Well, efficiency is the goal in therapy,’ Natalie told her dryly. Again, Sally didn’t hear the sarcasm. Mostly because she believed she was fascinating. ‘So you’re going, then?’ Sally asked. ‘Because it’s non-refundable. And it wasn’t cheap.’
What else could Natalie do but nod dutifully. ‘Alright, I’ll go.’ And then she managed to force out, ‘Thank you, Sally.’
Sally smiled smugly. ‘Of course.’
The way Sally looked at it, it was a numbers game. Natalie would be forced to mingle, would eventually find someone compatible, and that would be it.
The way Natalie looked at it, there was no possibility it wouldn’t be awful.
‘Hey,’ someone said from her office door. It was Eden. Natalie slapped her laptop shut without thinking, not wanting her to see the cruise stuff. But then Natalie realised there was only one reason people ever shut their computers like that. ‘Ha, I bet it looked like I was watching porn,’ she said with a forced laugh.
Eden’s eyes widened. ‘Oh. No, I’m sure… I’m sure you weren’t.’
Natalie now had two choices. Explain herself or shut up. She was pretty sure shutting up was the smart option, which she didn’t take. ‘I was just… I was looking at holiday stuff, and I wasn’t…’
‘And you just ran from a photo saying you had to work, so you didn’t want to get caught not actually working,’ Eden smiled. Apparently, she could
count mind reading amongst her many gifts. ‘But you don’t have to account for yourself to me. I’m not your boss,’ Eden added gently.
‘Pretty sure you are,’ Natalie told her. ‘I mean, that’s why you make the medium-sized bucks, and you get an office that’s two square feet larger than mine.’
Eden chuckled. ‘You’ve been here years. I don’t consider myself your superior or anything.’
Natalie wanted to laugh because ‘superior’ was precisely the word for what Eden was. Which was why Natalie didn’t want her to see about the singles cruise. It was too pathetic. And when Natalie felt insecure, she tended to bristle. ‘That’s nice of you to say. But you are my boss,’ Natalie said plainly. ‘And I’m perfectly alright with you behaving that way.’
There was an awkward pause during which Natalie could practically hear Eden cursing having to work with such a bitch. But Eden was good at smoothing over cracks, and she said, ‘So you’re off on holiday, is that right? Anywhere nice?’
‘No. I mean, yes. I’m… Spain,’ Natalie said vaguely.
‘Lovely. I was planning to go somewhere myself, but I booked it before I started here, so I’m gonna have to cancel.’
‘Did you ask for the time?’ Natalie asked.
‘No,’ Eden admitted.
‘You should. The big boss loves you. She’d let you go,’ Natalie said, standing up, getting her jacket on. Five o’clock had come, praise the gods.
‘I don’t know that she loves me. But maybe you’re right. Can’t hurt to ask.’
Natalie nodded. Eden would definitely get that time off. It was a dead period for the company. Half the firm was pretending they weren’t playing Farmville right now. ‘Well, best of luck. See you when I get back.’
Eden stood back to let her out of the office, and Natalie shuffled awkwardly past. ‘Have a great time,’ Eden said warmly.
‘I’ll try,’ Natalie lied. She walked down the hall and out of the building, getting in her car, glad to leave. But not really, because come Monday morning, she would be trapped on a luxury floating prison for women on the hunt for love. And Natalie didn’t see how that could work out. You couldn’t just be told to go and fall in love. It didn’t work that way. The reality would be that Natalie would meet a load of people who she would either not like or would be out of her league because that was the spot Natalie always occupied; disinterested or far too interested. She was never in the middle of the scale, right there with someone who was right there with her.
Speaking of which, her phone was buzzing. It was a text. From Gabby. ‘You free later?’
Those three words sent Natalie spiralling. Should she say she was free or say no, she couldn’t make it? She was free, of course, but she was always so bloody available. Gabby probably found that to be a terrible turnoff. Problem was, if Natalie said she was busy, she wouldn’t get to see Gabby. And seeing Gabby was a rare event.
After about thirty seconds of consideration, Natalie texted a positive response. She prayed that this time, Gabby would ask if she wanted to go out for dinner, to a movie, anywhere that wasn’t her flat. But of course, the reply was, ‘Cool. Mine at ten?’
Natalie sighed and thought about saying no. But she knew she wouldn’t. And she didn’t.
***
The door opened, and Gabby stood, hip cocked in that sexy way she had. ‘Hi,’ she said, imbuing the syllable with suggestion. Natalie didn’t know how she did that.
‘Hello,’ Natalie said nervously as she scuttled in.
‘Drink?’ Gabby asked, leading her into the living room and pouring wine from a half-empty bottle into a waiting glass. She handed it to Natalie. ‘Thanks,’ Natalie said, taking a small sip.
‘Good night?’ Gabby asked, taking a large sip of her own waiting drink.
Truthfully, Natalie had just been at home, getting ready, waiting to come and see Gabby. ‘Yeah, had a few drinks with work people,’ she lied.
‘Me too,’ Gabby said. ‘Got dragged right out at five, meant to have dinner, but I forgot. Well, I had a Guinness at one point, which they say is like a meal in itself, so…’
Natalie realised Gabby was drunk. That wasn’t unusual. Natalie didn’t know if Gabby was an alcoholic, or if she simply only saw her when she was smashed. Either way, not great.
Natalie wondered if she should say something about this observation: That she was only ever invited over for Gabby’s tipsy times. That since they’d met on that app, Natalie had never seen Gabby outside of her flat. Maybe if she just said she wasn’t really happy with this situation, then Gabby would correct it. After all, it wasn’t Gabby’s fault if she didn’t know what Natalie wanted.
But somehow, Natalie could never seem to find the nerve to ask for more than sex. Speaking of which, Gabby, having finished her drink, was now slinking in Natalie’s direction, that particular look in her eye. ‘You look good,’ Gabby said salaciously.
‘Do I?’ Natalie said, trying to remember what she’d been thinking about a second ago.
‘Mmm. I like that little top.’
‘Thanks,’ Natalie said, anxiously tucking her hair behind her ear and looking down. She was going to say something this time. Before it was too late.
But Gabby was now standing right in front of her, and the urge to talk was shrinking. ‘You’re blushing,’ Gabby noted with pleasure. ‘Do I make you nervous?’
‘Yes. No. Yes,’ Natalie stuttered.
Gabby laughed and leaned in. Their lips almost meeting, Natalie sputtered out, ‘I’m going on a cruise!’
Gabby paused. ‘What?’
Natalie took a step back. ‘It’s… it’s a singles cruise. My sister booked it. I don’t know if… I don’t know if I should go.’
‘No?’ Gabby said.
Natalie shook her head. Gabby stepped back from Natalie and sat down on the sofa. She refilled her glass. Natalie watched her tensely. She hoped that Gabby understood what she was doing. She was letting her know that this was it, Gabby’s chance. She just had to say, ‘Don’t go, let’s give it a shot.’ And then Natalie could tell her sister she’d met someone and couldn’t go on the cruise. If Gabby said it.
‘Where’s it go?’ Gabby asked.
‘Umm, Spain and Portugal.’
Gabby took a sip of her wine. ‘Sounds lovely.’
Natalie’s shoulders dropped. ‘Does it?’
‘Yeah. Maybe you’ll meet someone nice.’
Right. Dream urinated on from a great height. ‘Yeah. Maybe I will.’
‘When do you go?’
‘Monday.’
Gabby raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, as you came all this way, maybe we could have a little bon voyage party.’ She stood again and walked past Natalie, stopping at the doorway of her bedroom. ‘Coming?’
Natalie weighed her options. Gabby was hot, and she wanted something from Natalie. Maybe not everything. Maybe not even very much. But for now, it was all Natalie had to cheer her up before her horrid holiday.
Natalie took off her coat and went into the bedroom.
Two
As Eden made it to the other side of the port authority security, she could see the ship, The Adventurer, docked in the distance. She was quite surprised to be here. She had never dreamed her boss would say yes to this leave. It was last minute, and she was new. But when she’d popped her head around her boss’s door at close of business Friday and asked for a big favour, the woman had seemed keen for her to have the break. ‘Couldn’t be a better time,’ she’d assured Eden. ‘In a month, a different story. So go now. Enjoy. Because it’s going to be hell on earth here soon. Ha, just kidding. Sort of.’
So she was here, filled with purpose and trepidation and not a little shame. A singles cruise? It was the last stop for people whose love life was a disaster. But that was Eden’s situation. It had been eight months since Keira had moved out and Eden was still hurting. That’s why the job move had come at such a good time. She could be among people who had no idea who Keira was, or that she’d been unceremoniously
dumped. No one knew what a loser she was. It was a fresh start.
Only there wasn’t really any such thing as a fresh start, she realised. Because everywhere Eden went, she took herself. So it was the same as usual, that pressure to never do anything wrong, say anything wrong, look wrong, act wrong.
That was probably why Keira had left her for someone else. In close quarters, the burden had gotten to be too much. Eden couldn’t be perfect twenty-four seven, she just couldn’t. So after a series of worsening rows about nothing much at all, Keira had announced there was someone else, it had just happened, she wasn’t looking for it, blah blah. Eden didn’t really blame her, though. Of course, Keira had found someone better. It had been inevitable.
