Even if it did mean seeing Lincoln.
"I told Lincoln I didn't need a tour guide. Hopefully I can just meet up with him to see the property and be done with him." I sipped the daiquiri on the bar top in front of me, which had arrived in an actual pineapple, with a tiny umbrella sticking out of it. Jenny had something pink in a goblet with an entire produce aisle's worth of fruit floating around in it.
"You said he mentioned some kind of VIP treatment though, right?" Jenny asked, her voice careful. This was a topic she knew could go really wrong, really fast.
"He did, but spending an evening with someone I hate as much as I hate him would definitely not be worth it." I sucked down a huge gulp of daiquiri at the thought.
"Or maybe that's exactly why you should take him up on it."
"I don't follow."
"There are lots of reasons. For one thing, doesn't he owe you something for disappearing like that? Shouldn't he have to pay in some way?"
"I don't want his first born or an ear or anything." The daiquiri was more potent than expected. I actually felt happier, but also a bit lightheaded.
"Of course not. But why not let him bend over backwards trying to make his boss happy by giving you—and by that of course I mean us—the full VIP treatment? You're here to evaluate Oceanic as a business partner right?"
"Yes. They're building a huge all-inclusive resort, but they have no experience with that type of venture. They're all cruise ships so far. They need us." And man, I wanted that job. Running the Oceanic Grand Cayman would be a career highlight, not to mention the opportunity to spend a few years living in a gorgeous island location.
"So if Lincoln's the guy they tapped to make it happen for Oceanic, make him work for it." She grinned, as if this was the cleverest plan she'd ever come up with, and sucked down half the globe in one long swallow.
For a few minutes neither of us spoke, each of us gazing around the big open deck from beneath the woven tiki-style overhang of the bar. There were passengers everywhere, looking back at the rapidly disappearing mainland from the railings, strolling the decks, and lounging in chairs around the turquoise blue pool. The weather was perfect, and the the fresh air was swirling around us, carrying the scent of salt and possibility. Even Jenny looked relaxed.
"Okay," I agreed. "We'll let Lincoln give us the total VIP treatment starting with dinner."
"And maybe somewhere along the way you can find out why he disappeared," Jenny suggested.
I frowned at her. I'd put that question away years ago, given up on trying to figure out why he'd done what he did. Or at least I'd told myself that. Now that I'd seen him again, it did seem to be taking more effort not to care.
Everything about him looked almost the same as the sweet reliable man I'd loved all those years ago, the one I thought I'd spend my life with. He was every bit as handsome as he was in my memory, but his eyes looked sad now. I told myself it served him right. He was clearly a moron. I don't know why I hadn't seen it six years ago and saved myself the heartbreak.
"Did you see that?" Jenny had slid off her stool and was pointing toward the pool, bouncing on her toes.
I spun and followed her gaze in time to see a fully clothed woman topple into the pool. "What in the world?"
"I swear to you, a wombat just jumped over that lady and disappeared that way," Jenny said, pointing to an open door on the other side of the pool.
"A wombat, huh?"
"Maybe an ocelot. Could have been a possum."
"In other words, you have no idea what you saw," I suggested, taking my stool again.
"Well," she sniffed. "I saw something. You know that lady didn't just decide to swim fully clothed all of a sudden. Something freaked her out."
"Ferret," the bartender said, leaning on the bar in front of us. "There's been one on the loose since the last theme cruise our director planned, Pets Onboard. Turned out to be not such a good idea."
I raised my eyebrows. "Ferrets aren't dangerous though, right?"
The bartender laughed. "It's someone's pet. I doubt it's rabid or anything. Been causing some trouble though, popping up here and there." He chuckled. "Lincoln's been trying to catch it every way he can think of."
The name pulled my attention. "You know Lincoln, huh?"
The bartender looked surprised, meeting my eye. "You know him?"
"I dated him once. A long time ago." I said.
"They were practically engaged. Dated forever," Jenny supplied. "Till he bailed without a word and she never saw him again. Until now."
"Oh wow," the bartender said, his eyes glowing. "That's a good story."
"Not that fun to live though," I said.
"Weird though," he continued. "Lincoln's a good guy. I mean, I don't know him well, but he's kind of a boy scout around here, always looking out for everyone, remembering birthdays, helping old ladies cross the road, that kind of thing."
"A lot of roads to cross here on the ship?" I asked.
"You know what I mean," the man said. "And the guy seems lonely to me. Never really samples the wares, if you know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows at Jenny, who surprisingly, beamed back at him.
Was my sister ready for a fling already?
"Aren't passengers off limits?" I asked. The rules here couldn't be much different than at the resort I managed.
The bartender lifted a shoulder. "Meh."
He was called to the other side of the bar by another passenger, and Jenny giggled.
"I'm assuming you're just tipsy after sucking down a tropical goblet full of rum, and not actually considering a hookup just weeks after everything that happened." I raised my big sister eyebrow at her.
"I don't think it would be the worst thing I could do," Jenny said. "And I'm not tipsy." She punctuated this last point by sliding off her barstool to the deck with a thud and a wild gale of laughter.
"So maybe a nap before dinner," I suggested, careful not to fall over myself as I helped my sister to her feet. Together, we wobbled back to our cabin, my sister navigating and me acting as stability.
Three hours later, Lincoln knocked on our door. "Ready for dinner?"
Chapter Four
I pulled open the cabin door, and it was like opening a door to the closet where I'd stuffed every fond memory of Lincoln, along with every overwhelming emotion, every sweet thought—everything that had been perfect between us for so long.
He stood there, dressed in a perfectly fitted tuxedo with a small staff insignia on the breast pocket, his tanned square jaw wearing the smile that used to melt my heart. And my panties.
"Hello, Selena," he said, his voice like a memory crashing over me.
I sucked in a breath, determined not to ever let him see how much he had hurt me once, or how much he still affected me now.
Jenny saved me, appearing at my side with a grin. "Hello jerkwad. Ready to show us everything the ship has to offer? We are expecting the full VIP treatment." She nodded once to make her point, sending her blond curls bouncing around her chin.
"You both look amazing," Lincoln said, his eyes never leaving my face. "It will be my honor to be your escort tonight."
"Make no mistake," Jenny said. "We're just using you because you're a dick."
I elbowed her, hard.
"Ow."
"I get it," Lincoln assured us. "I'll make sure you get to enjoy every high-end, off-limits, VIP experience the ship has to offer. It won't make up for anything, I know. But maybe you'll at least have a good time while you're onboard." He smiled at me, and something in my stomach went all warm and mushy.
How could he possibly still have an effect on me after all this time? After all these years spent hating him?
I sighed as I stepped out of the cabin. I guessed it didn't matter how it was possible. I'd just have to be careful around him. Lincoln was the one man I'd never trust again.
Lincoln escorted us to the Mount Olympus dining room, though we bypassed the hostess stand and walked between all of the tables, which were
set with white linen tablecloths and multiple forks and glasses at each place setting. He led us to a group of tables set off in a semi-private room with heavy draperies that had been tied open to offer a view to the main dining room.
Several guests were already seated, all of them dressed to the nines in cocktail dresses and tuxedos, and I recognized Max Kellerman sitting at the head table toward the front of the elevated space. A beautiful younger woman sat next to him, and Lincoln identified her as Max's daughter, Nellie.
"Gets away with murder," he added as he pushed in Jenny's chair.
"Lots of people on board seem to have gotten away with things," Jenny commented, sneering at Lincoln. He paused, meeting her eyes for a moment and then took a seat next to her.
"Listen," he said, leaning forward slightly. "Since seeing you here this afternoon, I've come to realize I'm going to need to explain what happened all those years ago. I'd thought I might speak with you alone, Selena, but it's pretty clear I'll need to talk to Jenny too."
"No!" I said, louder than intended. "No," I repeated. "Let's just leave that in the past. I don't care why you did what you did. It won't change what happened, or the fact I spent years trying to get over it." Maybe I shouldn't have admitted how badly he'd hurt me, but it was the truth. "Let's just move forward. This relationship is strictly professional, and there's no reason to delve into issues best left behind us."
"Selena," Jenny said, turning to me as a waiter draped our napkins in our laps. "Don't you want to know?"
I sniffed. For years I'd wanted to know. I'd come up with every possible explanation for how someone I was absolutely sure loved me as much as I loved him could just walk away without a trace. But now? It wouldn't help anything to know. "No," I lied. "I do not. All I want is to understand what Oceanic might be able to bring to a partnership between our companies. I want to go back to Perdido able to recommend moving forward with the partnership."
"I'd like that too," Lincoln said.
"I'm hoping to manage the resort." As I said the words, I heard them in a voice that was absolutely not my own. Lincoln had said the exact same thing.
"What?" I asked, incredulous. The last time I'd known him we'd been vying for the same job.
"The management position at Oceanic Grand Cayman. I'm hoping to snag it. Max has made it clear I have a good shot if all goes well with this Sassy Singles cruise, and with you." He had the grace to look somewhat sheepish at this last part.
"That's Selena's job," Jenny said. "That's why we're here."
"You're kidding," Lincoln said. He sounded far more upset than I'd expect him to.
"Nope," I told him. "I guess we're going to be in competition again."
He nodded, looking glum, as our waiter arrived to run down an enticing list of specials.
Lincoln stayed quiet through most of a magnificent dinner while Jenny and I ate and drank ourselves silly.
"May I escort you to the opening show?" Lincoln asked me as we stood after dessert. "I'll be the emcee."
I looked at Jenny, who was tipping sideways again. She was definitely embracing the idea of drinking her blues away. "I don't think so," I told him. "We'll find our way back."
"Okay," he said. "We're at sea tomorrow. I have you signed up for massages in the morning, wine tasting in the afternoon, and a private dinner with the captain in the library at seven.”
"Oooh," Jenny cooed appreciatively, clearly forgetting that she was mad at Lincoln.
"Thanks," I said. "So we won't see you tomorrow?"
"I'll escort you to dinner," he said. "If that's okay with you." Something in the way he ducked his chin before meeting my eyes sent butterflies skittering through my body, and that was definitely not okay with me. I swallowed them hard, forcing my blood to cool. I could not let Lincoln stir me up, and I could not afford to become distracted by the way his muscles filled out the cut of his tux. If we were vying for the same position again, that made Lincoln the enemy. I already knew how things worked out when we competed for the same position as friends.
"Good night," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "See you tomorrow."
We walked away from him, and I felt his eyes following us down the step and into the main dining room. I turned just before we moved through the center of the room, and found Lincoln's gaze still on me, something fond and warm in those dark eyes.
I was going to have to be strong.
"I forgot how cute he is," Jenny giggled. Then she made a serious face. "And that we hate him." She burst into a gale of laughter then, and I tugged her out of the room and navigated almost without error back to the closet they called a cabin.
Chapter Five
Day Two: At Sea
We awoke to sun streaming through the little window in our room, and Jenny awoke to a mild hangover.
"I'll die on vacation."
"Probably not," I told her, struggling to get dressed in the small space next to the bed after coming out of the fastest shower in the world. I was okay in the room—it had a window—but closing myself in the bathroom had not been a great idea. I'd managed to get clean, mostly with my eyes closed while taking deep breaths and reminding myself there was little chance the walls would actually close in on me, that I was just suffering from a bout of my familiar phobia and I could manage as I'd always done.
"I guess you're right. If I didn't die from embarrassment when Ben left me at the church, I'll probably survive this hangover." She rolled out of bed and proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes doing something in the bathroom while I waited, checking work emails on my laptop, doing breathing exercises and trying not to panic. When she finally emerged, I knew my manager was still enthusiastic about my visit to the resort, still in support of me running the resort if we decided to partner with Oceanic, and now, thanks to Lincoln's announcement that he'd be our personal concierge on this cruise, eager to hear how the line handled everything from wine service to massages.
"Ready?" I asked Jenny when she finally presented herself. I was vibrating with the need to leave the room for someplace, anyplace, more open.
"Yes," she said. "Let's find food."
The breakfast buffet was extravagant and amazing, and Jenny supplemented hers with champagne.
"You don't have to drink at every meal," I told her.
"You're supposed to be supporting me as I move past the worst day of my life," she said, batting her eyes at me over the top of the champagne flute.
A little wave of guilt washed through me. She'd been there for me when Lincoln had disappeared. She hadn't questioned anything I'd needed to do to move on, and she had done whatever I'd asked of her. The least I could do was help keep her out of trouble if she wanted to spend the cruise tipsy.
"You're right. Sorry, sis."
I was feeling much better up here in the wide open spaces of the dining room. In fact, every place on the ship seemed to be sweeping and grand, airy and spacious. Every place but our room.
We were just wrapping up our meal when the waiter who'd poured my sister's champagne and checked in on us a few times came back. "The Sisters Spark, correct?" He looked between us with a smile, and then handed Jenny an envelope. "Enjoy your day, ladies."
She opened the envelope, reading the card inside and then grinning at me. "I'm starting to forget why we hate Lincoln."
I rolled my eyes. That wasn't good. I needed Jenny to remember why because if I was honest, my traitorous mind had given me dreams of the man I'd once loved all night long. I'd woken up feeling like I'd spent the whole night talking to him, gazing into those dark soulful eyes, forgiving the jerk. "Give me that." I reached for the card.
Selena and Jenny: I've taken the liberty of having your things moved to one of our Penthouse Suites. While not the largest rooms on the ship, I hope the more open space in this accommodation will help Selena feel more comfortable.
The note concluded with our new cabin number and key cards were in the envelope.
"He remembers," Jenny said, beaming at me.
"Well, still," she sniffed. "That was very nice of him."
"It was," I said, tucking the key card into my purse as I wondered what Lincoln's angle might be.
We went straight from breakfast to our massages, and then walked the decks for a while before lunch. After that, we moved on to the wine tasting Lincoln had arranged. I'd expected him to appear there, since I thought he was determined to be my shadow on this cruise, but I realized he probably had other obligations as well. His constant presence and manipulation of our time was annoying anyway, wasn't it? So why did I feel just a tiny bit disappointed when he didn't appear during our wine tasting in the Bridge Bar on the upper deck?
* * *
Our new room was much easier to find—it was on a higher deck, for starters. But Lincoln was right, it was also a much more comfortable space for me, since it was easily ten times bigger than our previous room. The walk-in shower alone was about the size of the other cabin.
"Thank you, Lincoln!" Jenny sang as she sank onto her bed and promptly began snoring.
Wine tasting for Jenny had turned into wine drinking. I hoped she'd be back in good shape in time for the "Captain's Dinner." There'd been a formal invitation to this dinner under our door when we'd arrived in the new room, and I had to remind myself one too many times that this was business. It was all beginning to feel just a little too much like a fairy tale. And Lincoln was the prince.
I settled myself out on the verandah with a book, forcing my mind to enjoy the story and avoid thoughts of Lincoln, which was almost impossible. Especially after his revelation that he was gunning for my job. Maybe all this pampering was some way to soften me up so I'd be less competitive somehow? But that was ridiculous. Still, the guy had to have an ulterior motive. Yes, I'd heard Max Kellerman basically order him to show us a good time, but Lincoln was going above and beyond. He had to have an agenda. I just needed to figure out what it was.
Take a Chance on Me: The Oceanic Dreams Series Book Six Page 2
