Life in the Danger Zone

by Patricia B Tighe

  Sophie was a sucker for a guy with a foreign accent. It didn’t matter what kind. I let out a heavy exhale. “Accent and everything?”

  “Yup,” Alexis said, ending the word with a hard pop. “Get ready for crazy, fun times.”

  “You think we could get out of this young people group thingy?” I mumbled, glancing at the tour guide, who wrote on a clipboard resting against her belly.

  Alexis frowned like she couldn’t figure out what I’d just said. “Not until after the tour tomorrow,” she responded a long moment later. “Dad said we have to give it a try.”

  “Yay,” I whispered.

  Alexis smirked and opened her mouth, but the tour guide started talking.

  “Good evening, everyone,” the lady said, her gaze sliding around the seven of us. “I’m Clio. I’ll be your guide on the cruise as we make our way along the coast of Croatia.” Her accent wavered between Italian and British, making her kind of hard to understand. She pointed toward the kid who’d been going on and on about movies. “This is my nephew, Nicky, who’ll be joining us on our tour.”

  Hmm. She didn’t look too happy about that. And why else would he be sitting here if he wasn’t going?

  “Before we get into the details of tomorrow’s excursion,” she continued, “I’d like everyone to introduce themselves, including how old you are.” She smiled at Backpack Girl. “Go ahead.”

  The girl twisted her fingers together. “Oh, okay. I’m Rose, and I’m sixteen.” She turned to the kid.

  “My name is Nick,” he said with a glare at his aunt, “and I’m thirteen.”

  Guess he didn’t like to be called Nicky. Heads turned to me. I lifted a hand. “Hey. I’m Sam. Seventeen.”

  My cousins copied my shortened version. “Alexis. Nineteen.”

  “Sophie. Eighteen.” She glanced at Alexis and me. “Well, in a couple of days.”

  “It’s almost your birthday?” Nick burst out with a grin. “Will there be a party?”

  Sophie shrugged.

  “You should have one,” the French guy said, as though that decided it.

  She gave him a shy smile, and then pushed a section of brown curls off her shoulder.

  Great. Just great. So much for a nice boring drama-free family trip.

  “I am Jacques,” the French guy said. “I am also nineteen.” He nodded at Alexis, and then gestured to the girl on his right. “Zis is my sister, Marie. She does not speak much English.”

  Ah, so the hot girl was a sister. Maybe he wasn’t such a player after all.

  Marie sent him a sickly sweet smile before looking at the tour guide. “Zeventeen.”

  Clio nodded. “Thank you, everyone. Now I’d like you to find a partner, someone you don’t know. Spend the next few minutes searching for what you have in common.”

  For two awkward seconds, people stared at each other. Really? Couldn’t she just tell us about the tour? Did we have to play get-to-know-you games?

  Nick jumped up and pushed in front of me. Uh, not who I’d have picked but okay. “Switch places with me,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I’ve already talked to Rose. I want to talk to her now.” He tilted his head at Alexis, who pursed her lips in response.

  I made sure not to meet Alexis’s gaze. Not a great time to laugh. “Sure, bud.” I moved into his old seat next to Backpack Girl, now known as Rose, who had leaned forward to set her empty glass on the table.

  She sat back, and when she saw me, her eyes widened. For some reason that made me smile. Was I that scary? “Need a partner?” I asked.

  She coughed and looked around the room. “Um, yeah.”

  I followed her gaze. Jacques, of course, hadn’t moved away from Sophie. In fact, he was sitting even closer. I’d been hoping his sister would partner with Sophie, but the girl had turned her chair toward Clio.

  “So,” Rose said, clearing her throat, “I think I already know what we have in common.”

  She sounded like she was trying to get this conversation over with. “Really?”

  “I have two siblings too.” She motioned toward Alexis.

  I shook my head. “Not my sisters. We’re cousins. I’m an only child.” I made an exaggerated sad face.

  Her lips moved slightly, but she didn’t smile. Hmm, tough audience. A tiny line grew between her eyebrows. “So your dad decided to bring your cousins on this trip?” Her cheeks went bright pink. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”

  “It’s okay, but you’ve got it backward. Their father brought me on this trip.”

  “Then how come you look just like him, but they—” She shook her head. “I’m being nosy again.”

  “Hey, it’s cool to ask questions. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing. I look like my uncle because he and my dad are twins.”

  “Oh.” She gazed at Alexis and Sophie again, a question still in her eyes.

  I didn’t usually bother to explain when people wondered about my cousins, but this girl seemed harmless enough. Besides, Alexis and Sophie were proud of their background. So was I. “My cousins take after their mother. She was from Haiti.”

  “Was?”

  A brief spurt of pain stung my chest. Not unusual—it happened whenever I thought about my aunt. “She died a few years ago.”

  Rose let out a loud breath. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too. She was great.” I flexed my fingers, trying to relax. This was getting a little too intense. I sat back and rested my ankle across my knee. “So what about you? Where are you from?”

  She looked relieved at the change of subject. “Texas.”

  I smiled. “Me too. Where?”

  “Outside of Dallas. You?”

  “Houston.”

  “Great. We’ve found what we have in common.” She smiled—a full-on grin that lit up her whole face and made me want to get closer.

  I gripped the arms of my chair so I wouldn’t. This trip was supposed to be about family, not flirting with pretty girls. All of a sudden, I wanted to punch myself in the face. When had I turned into such an old man? About a month ago, you idiot. Somebody in the house had to be the grownup. That thought raced out the door when Rose chuckled. “What?” I asked, not able to hold back a smile.

  She shook her head. “I thought you were going to name some tiny town I’d never heard of, and I’d have to pretend that I did.”

  I forced a serious expression onto my face. “Pretend a lot, do you?”

  Her lips twitched. “When I have to.”

  “Like earlier when you were messing with Nick over his movie preferences?” I asked.

  Her mouth dropped open. “You listened?”

  I looked at the ceiling, putting on my most innocent look.

  Rose laughed, crinkling her eyes at the corners. “Nice try. Admit it. You were eavesdropping.”

  “Yup. What can I say? Nothing else was happening here.” I angled my head toward the rest of the group whose voices filled our brief silence.

  Rose scratched her cheek, her hand covering her mouth.

  Was she hiding a smile again? “And I learned a couple of things,” I said. “First—” I pointed at her face “—you do that when you can’t keep from grinning.”

  She stiffened and hid her hand behind her back like she didn’t even realize she was doing it. “I do not.”

  I smirked. “And you like to screw with people.”

  Hot pink filled her cheeks. She looked away as though hoping our little partnership was over. Had I pushed too hard? Maybe. I didn’t know her at all. I should probably tell her I was only kidding, but she surprised me by tilting her head and saying, “Not all people.” She glanced at Nick. “Just the ones who need it.”

  Now that comment threw the topic wide open. How did she decide who needed it? And was she joking? Could she just be messing with me? She stared straight into my eyes for a long moment before raising an eyebrow. I had to know. “Are you
mess—”

  “Very good,” the tour guide said, raising her voice to cut across the conversations.

  Rose gave me a sidelong glance and then turned to listen as Clio yammered on about sharing with the rest of the group. I swallowed a chuckle. So that’s the way Rose wanted to play it, huh? The mild interest I’d felt earlier rolled itself into an actual purpose. This wasn’t over. I needed to find out more. Rose didn’t know it yet, but she was about to become my new best friend.

  Three

  Rose

  In line with my grandparents to leave the ship the next morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about the night before. Maybe it was the sips of my grandfather’s wine at dinner or the challenge in Lindsey’s greeting card, but last night marked a first for me. I’d walked into the lounge, feeling warm and tingly inside, not really caring what anybody thought about me. In a group of total strangers!

  And then that kid Nick in the baggy clothes had started talking, and everything seemed really funny. There we were trying to get to know people we’d probably never see again in a week. It seemed ridiculous but freeing. Because I just didn’t care. Yeah, the girls were all older than me and impossibly gorgeous, but whatevs. This wasn’t a competition for guys.

  Then Sam, with his lopsided grin and dark wavy hair, plopped down next to me, and I was able to complete Day One of Lindsey’s challenge to do something each day I’d never done before. I flirted with him. In a bumbling way, but it was still flirting. At least a little. As much as I could stand. Of course, I’d joked around with guys before, but never one I’d just met. Usually, I was too busy trying to hide or worrying if I had food stuck in my teeth.

  But last night was different. The question was, could I make today a different kind of day too? The kind of day where I felt comfortable around strangers, even though I had to fake it? Probably not. I knew Lindsey would want me to try, though. Ha. Why the heck was I worried about completing Lindsey’s challenge? She wasn’t even here. A little pang hit right behind my breastbone, and I twisted my lips to one side. That was just it. I missed her. I missed our other friend Claire too. I missed being goofy with people that I knew. If I worked on Lindsey’s challenge, it would almost be like she was on the trip with me.

  My grandparents moved forward onto the metal stairs that led down to the ship’s tender, a small covered boat that would take us to shore. And there stood Sam, aka the object of my flirtation, waiting for his cousin Alexis to grab the attendant’s arm and board the rocking boat. I took a deep breath. That was all I needed—wiping out while trying to get on the tender. It would completely erase any benefits from last night’s flirting in Sam’s eyes.

  Hello! What was I thinking? Just because he’d joked around with me last night didn’t mean he’d repeat it today. We descended a few more steps. This was good. This was the reality check I needed. Don’t expect anything from someone you just met.

  We made it down to the platform. Mere seconds passed, and my grandparents were on the tender. I didn’t have time to think about falling. My only focus was the guy clasping my arm to help me onboard. One awkward step later, I had both feet under me on the rolling boat. I started to follow my grandparents, but someone grabbed my wrist and yanked. I half stumbled, then ducked my head automatically as I was pulled down a step to the left.

  Someone gasped. “Be careful, Nicky!”

  “You have to sit with us,” the boy said, not releasing me until I’d dropped onto the bench seat opposite him.

  I rubbed my wrist and steadied my breath. The whole group from last night was there, sitting on facing benches in a long, narrow space. Calling it squishy would be generous. I turned my knees to the right so they wouldn’t be pressed up against Nick’s. Beside him were Alexis, Sophie, and Sam. On my bench were Clio, Jacques, and his sister Marie. This had better be a short trip.

  Not knowing what else to do, I gave a little wave. “Hi, everybody.”

  Mumbled versions of “hey, hi, and good morning” filled the tiny space, sounding like some ancient monk chant. I covered my mouth to hide a smile but then remembered what Sam had said about my tendency to do that. My gaze flew to him, and sure enough, he was staring at me, his eyes heavy-lidded and knowing. He patted himself on the back and grinned.

  Ha! He thought he was so smart. I’d show him. I’d … You’ll do what, exactly? Wipe the grin off his face? Right. I didn’t know him, so I didn’t know how to fight back. Or if I even should.

  “As I was saying to the others,” Clio said, “this morning we are sharing a bus with a larger group.” She waved her hand as if she meant the people on the little boat with us. “When the first part of the tour is over, they will continue on to a vineyard, while we will stay in Porec to have lunch before heading back to the ship. Sound good?”

  Sam’s cousins nodded, but the rest of us glanced around like we were afraid the teacher was about to call on us. The engine on the idling boat revved, and the pilot guided us away from the ship and toward shore. Okay. This wasn’t so bad. Even though everybody avoided eye contact with each other—well, I did, at least—a breeze wandered through our tight space, making it slightly more tolerable.

  “So,” Nick said in a loud voice, “what’s everyone’s favorite game?” He messed with the shoulder of his overly large T-shirt as he looked around the group.

  “Game?” Marie asked, her French accent giving the word a hint of scorn.

  “You know,” he said, “board games, card games, video games?”

  Marie turned to her brother as if wanting him to explain.

  Jacques spoke in French to her. “My sister does not play games,” he said, sounding bored.

  Nick cocked his head and stared at Marie like she was an alien or something. “Weird. Okay. What about everybody else? The library on the ship has Monopoly, Clue, and Yahtzee. We could play one of those later.”

  A long silence followed. I kept my focus out the window. I wouldn’t mind playing a game with the kid once or twice, but I sure didn’t want to spend the whole trip hanging out with a thirteen-year-old boy. It was too much like chilling with my little brother. Thank goodness Alexis spoke up. “I’ve always preferred physical games like Freeze Tag or Hide-and-Go-Seek.” Her lips pressed together, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

  “Or Red Light, Green Light,” Sophie said.

  “Or Samurai Twister,” Sam added, making his cousins laugh.

  Must be a shared memory. Envy twisted through me, and I fought against a sigh. I hadn’t played games with my sister and brother in forever. We all liked such different things now. My older sister, Cammie, was about to go off to college, and all she could talk about was decorating her dorm room. My brother, Josh, was all about soccer. And I liked to read. Or dance—but only when I was alone.

  “I am sure there are better games to play on the ship,” Jacques said, giving Sophie a happy look.

  What the—? Had he really just said that? Did he not understand English well enough to get what he was implying?

  Sophie’s cheeks turned pink, and she bit her lower lip.

  “I don’t know,” Sam said. “I think playing Hide-and-Go-Seek on the ship would be awesome.”

  Clio chuckled. “I’m not sure the staff would like it very much.”

  “We could stay out of their way,” Sam said.

  “Yeah,” Nick said. “This’ll be great! When should we do it?”

  “Not this afternoon,” Alexis said with such authority that I had the urge to sit up straighter. She nudged Nick with her elbow. “Sorry, bud. Sophie and I will be relaxing on deck this afternoon.”

  “Lame,” Nick said.

  An involuntary laugh escaped my lips at his irritated look. Be nice, Rose.

  “Come on, Rose,” Nick said with a challenge in his light blue eyes. “You’ll play Yahtzee with me, won’t you? Last night you said you like it.”

  Busted. All heads turned to me. I forced myself not to squirm. Why had I ever told him that? There was no
way out of it now. “Sure. Why not?” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

  “Cool!” Nick said. The tender slowed, and he craned his neck toward the pilot who was docking the boat.

  Okay, then. I had a Yahtzee date. Maybe when we got back this afternoon, he’d forget all about it. I could only hope.

  Alexis adjusted her hold on the black tote bag in her lap while Sophie slid on large-framed sunglasses. Time to get ready. I made sure my sunglasses were still on top of my head and fingered the tiny cross-body purse I was wearing. I didn’t need anything big for this excursion, just the phone I was only allowed to use for emergencies and some kuna, the Croatian money my grandparents had given me.

  The tender edged against the pier with hardly a thump. Once we were off the boat, our group headed straight for the bus since Clio wanted us to sit together in the back, letting the older passengers have the front. I approached my grandparents, who were chatting with a super tan lady wearing a sun visor.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think there was a thief on the ship,” Sun Visor Lady said.

  Grams smiled politely. “Surely your sister just misplaced her bracelet.”

  “You’d think so,” the lady said, “but she’s meticulous about her belongings. I doubt she’s lost a thing her entire life.”

  “I’m sure it’ll turn up,” Grandpa said, turning his attention to me. “And here’s our granddaughter. Rose, come meet Mrs. Sun Visor.”

  Of course, he didn’t actually say that, but as soon as the lady’s name was out of his mouth, I forgot it. We continued with the introductions until someone called me from near the bus. Probably Nick. “I’d better go,” I said. “My group is getting on first.”

  “We’ll see you on board,” Grandpa said with a twinkle in his eyes, “so no need for long hugs.” He waved me away. “Go on now. No tears.”

  “Stop,” I said, trying not to smile, but failing. “See you later.”

  I adjusted my purse strap and headed for the bus. My grandfather thought he was so funny. I probably took after him in that. Not so much actually being funny but thinking I was. A shadow in the corner of my eye was the only warning that Sam now walked right next to me. I jigged sideways. “Where’d you come from?”