by Holly Kerr
And now he couldn’t touch me.
I sat on my chair until the light faded and it was difficult to see faces in the dimness. I vaguely recalled Naked Man telling me about a party, but that was the last thing I needed to do. Instead, I head for Deck 12 and the closest bar.
Parnassus. There was definitely a Greek-gods theme going on here.
When the bartender turned around, I realized it wasn’t just the names that were taken from the gods. His nametag said Adonis from Crete, Greece, and that was exactly who he looked like.
“I loved Crete,” I blurted out. “It was so beautiful.”
“It is beautiful, especially the sunsets.” His smile looked like a toothpaste advert. “What can I get you this lovely evening?”
For a second I opened my mouth to ask for a pint of whatever was on tap, my go-to drink for the past four years.
I’m on a cruise and it’s all paid for.
“Gin martini, straight up, stirred, not shaken with two olives. Hendricks, please.” The request rolled off my tongue like I said it every day.
“The lady knows what she likes.” Adonis’ smile was blinding and contagious.
“The lady hasn’t had a martini in a very long time,” I admitted.
Adonis’ smile grew wider. “Then let’s make it a double.”
I watched him mix my drink, conscious of the group of women at the end of the bar practically swooning every time Adonis gave them a glance.
“Your drink, my lady.”
“Thank you.” I took a sip, and then another. When was the last time I ordered a martini? When was the last time I could afford one?
“What brings you to our ship?” Adonis asked, slowly wiping the counter.
A free ticket? “I thought a cruise looked like a fun thing to do,” I said instead.
“But this cruise, the Oceanic Aphrodite… this is the cruise where Cupid is most at work.”
“There’s a guy named Cupid?”
“It’s called the ship of love.”
I reined in the snort. “I think it should be called the ship of naps, or the ship of really good martinis.” I held up my glass. “Much more beneficial to me than love.”
“Ah.” Adonis narrowed his piercing blue eyes. “A skeptic.”
“A realist,” I corrected.
He laughed and out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the group of girls clutch her chest. I inclined my head towards them and leaned forward. “I think they believe your spiel.”
“Just wait.” Adonis smiled over my shoulder. I turned to see a woman approaching the bar. Like me, she was alone, and like me, she looked a little freaked out to be here. At least that was what I expected to look like, had I bothered to glance in a mirror.
“What can I get you?” Adonis asked.
“A mojito, please,” she said with a glance at me. “Although that looks good.” Her accent was Australian, the words sounding musical to my ears.
“I have to say it’s a little potent.” I took another sip. “But very tasty. I think this is my new favourite place on board.”
She jerked her chin towards Adonis. “I agree. I’ve been all over this ship today and I haven’t seen anyone look like him.”
I smiled and she continued. “Not that I should be noticing things like that. I’m here in a professional capacity as a nurse—” She stopped as Adonis slid her mojito, icy and minty with a pineapple affixed to the rim of the glass. “Thanks. You don’t want to hear my story.”
“It’s probably more interesting than mine.”
“I’m, uh, helping a client complete her drug rehab onboard.”
Drug rehab on board a cruise with free alcohol? I raise an eyebrow. “How’s that going?”
“It’s okay. Hey,” she said in a rush, like she was trying to change the subject. “Did you know half the people on here are part of a singles cruise?”
I motioned to Adonis, now serving the group of chest clutchers at the end of the bar. “He said something about Cupid at work, but I had no idea. This was a...a last-minute decision,” I said vaguely, praying she wouldn’t ask for more.
“I’m Nina, by the way.”
“Siggy.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never met a Siggy.”
“As far as I know, I’m the only one. It’s a nickname. My brother had trouble with Seraphina.”
I bite my tongue as my name slipped out. I blamed the gin.
“That’s pretty, but you look more like a Siggy, especially with the hair.” She gestured to my curls, which were so tangled by the wind that I doubted I’d be able to pull a comb through them. “My full name is Olivia, but I’ve always felt more like a Liv.”
“I like it.” I plucked an olive out of my martini and popped it in my mouth. “So—you say you’re working, but do you wish you were part of the singles cruise?”
“Oh no. Definitely not. I just came out of a relationship and it didn’t end well.”
I stare into the depths of my martini. “Didn’t we all.”
That was all the prompting Nina needed. She told me details about her boyfriend, finishing with how he emptied her bank account.
“I never thought he’d steal from me,” she said, draining her glass. Without either of us asking, two more drinks found their way before us.
“There has to be a way you can get the money back.”
“I don’t know if there is. I just hope karma comes back to bite him on the ass.”
If I had become the protégé that Eduardo had thought I’d become, I could have come up with a revenge plan for Nina. But nothing popped into my head, except memories of my own that I didn’t feel like sharing. Telling her my name was bad enough. Charles was the last person who I wanted to talk about or think about. The martini must be going to my head.
Nina sucked on the straw with a gloomy expression on her face. “And now we’re both stuck on a cruise with all these singles? That’s the last place either of us should be.” She finished her drink. “I should probably go. Sorry.”
“No worries. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
“Maybe we will.” After thanking Adonis, Nina rushed off and I was alone again.
Chapter Five
Adonis smiled at me. “You made a friend.”
“I made a friend.” The conversation with Nina had helped me feel less alone.
“It’ll be easy to find the love of your life now.”
I shook my head and slid off my stool. “Thanks for the drink.”
“Enjoy. Come see me again when Cupid’s arrow hits its mark.”
“Well, now, don’t say that, because then I won’t be able to come back for another one of these yummy martinis.” I took another sip, the gin hitting my stomach in a delightful slither. “But before I finish this one, where’s a good place to get something to eat? Not one of the dining rooms.”
Adonis pointed to the stern of the ship. “Mount Othyrus is open, but Hestia makes the best pizza.” He kissed his fingers. “You might need a glass of wine to go with it.”
What the heck? I am on a cruise, and on a cruise, anything goes. “A glass of wine would be lovely.”
Taking my half-drunk martini and a glass of 2000 Barolo, I thanked Adonis again. One of the women from the end of the bar looked over and I gave her a wink. “He’s all yours.”
Adonis was right about one thing—the pizza at Hestia was to die for. I finished up two slices, the martini and my wine, sitting in a corner of the deck by myself.
It was a beautiful night, with a clear sky and the moon hanging low. I’d gotten used to the rocking of the ship, and years of sailing had made me immune to seasickness. For a moment I let myself wonder about Petra.
I hope she was happy with Peter.
After I finished my dinner, I found the stairs and headed up to the next deck. Half of it was the fitness area, where a few brave souls circled the track, presumably walking off their dinner. The other end of the deck was where the action was. Music and laughter, the c
link of glasses—I’d found the party Naked Man told me about.
I headed to the rail instead. Lifting my camera, I focused on the moonlight reflecting off the waves.
If I could ignore the noise, it’d be very peaceful.
It wasn’t that I was opposed to having fun, it was just that it had been a long time since I’d had any.
Once upon a time, I used to frequent the bars and clubs of Dallas with the best of them. My girls and I had a standing reservation at Theory Nightclub for Thursday nights and took frequent trips around the country when we heard of a new club opening. I’d been a party girl, a socialite, one of those girls who dropped a thousand dollars a night without batting a fake eyelash.
And then I met Charles and everything changed.
A movement among the waves caught my attention and I focused on the darker shapes splashing among the waves. Could that be—
“Dolphins,” I said aloud, clicking a dozen shots.
“I’ve seen them a few times.” The voice beside me was so sudden that I jumped, banging my hip against the railing.
“Jesus! Don’t do that!” Lowering my camera, I turned with another curse on my lips to find the officer from check-in, the one who had waved from the deck below. “Oh. Captain Will, isn’t it?”
“You know I’m not the captain.” He smiled and his bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners.
I returned his smile. “Yes, but it sounds nice doesn’t it? Assistant Cruise Director Will is a bit of a mouthful for me.” I tapped on his nametag. “Why doesn’t yours say where you’re from?”
“There’s not enough room. And you’re…Petra, right?” Will laughed apologetically. “I actually called out to you, but you were so intent on the dolphins that you up and ignored me. I thought I got the name wrong.”
My heart sank. “I was in my own little world. Didn’t hear a thing.”
“You must have been because I’m not that good at sneaking.” Will stood beside me and gripped the railing. “Where are the dolphins?”
“There.” I pointed in the direction, before holding up my camera. “It’s easier to see them through here.” I still had the strap around my neck and it pulled me close enough for me to bang my head on his shoulder. “Still attached,” I squeaked.
“Sorry.” He gave me a sideways glance and a shy smile that made my insides roll over like one of the waves. He held the viewfinder against his eye.
He smelled salty, like the sea. And a bit like lemongrass.
“I see them…so cool.” Will peered through the lens for a long moment, and I hovered next to him, trying not to touch. Finally, he lowered the camera. “This is a nice camera. Are you a photographer?”
“Not really. Just for fun.”
He handed it back. “Really? Because that’s a much nicer camera than our staff photographer uses.”
It was a Nikon D750—a nice camera, but nothing like the D850 I left back in Dallas. A flick of my thumb turned it off and I let it hang from the strap around my neck. “My grandmother gave it to me. She said I needed a hobby.”
“It’s a pretty nice hobby.”
We stood quietly for a moment watching the waves until I realized that unless I said something, Will was going to walk away and leave me by myself. And for whatever reason, that felt like the worst thing that could happen.
“What’s your hobby?” My voice was bright and cheery, unlike my usual voice. It was my social small-talk voice, used whenever my father had wanted me to make an impression.
It was practically creaking with disuse.
Will’s forehead furrowed. “I guess I don’t really have one. I used to like to draw comics when I was a kid, but I don’t do much of that these days.”
“I like comic book movies.” I cringed at how fake I sounded and to cover, held up the camera to snap a picture.
“Did you just take my picture?” Will asked doubtfully.
“You’re very photogenic.”
“Can I see?” The strap around my neck forced me into close proximity once again and I held my breath so he wouldn’t think I was trying to smell him.
Which I was trying to do.
“Looks good,” Will admitted. “I usually hate to have my picture taken. And I get countless passengers asking for it, especially on the last day.”
“I can imagine.” Especially the ladies wanting to have a memento of him. He was very cute with his dark hair. It was so thick and wavy that my fingers itched to run through it.
Why did I want to touch his hair?
“I didn’t see you at the party.”
“I—no. I didn’t feel like a party,” I stammered. If Will didn’t see me, did that mean he had been looking?
“Don’t like parties?”
I laughed softly. “I think my mingling and small talk is out of practice. Was it good?”
He gestured to the bow of the boat. “It’s still going on. The Sassy Singles always have a welcome party the first night. It usually goes on for a while.”
“What are the Sassy Singles?” I had a picture of white-haired grandmothers doing a jive with their walkers.
“You know this is a singles’ cruise, don’t you? Or, the love cruise. It depends on whether you believe the legend or just want to meet someone.”
I had no idea about any legend and didn’t particularly want to meet anyone. “Ah. I’m here by myself, but hadn’t really thought of meeting anyone.”
“You met me,” Will said lightly.
“I did. And Adonis the bartender.”
Why would I say that? My social small-talk voice wasn’t the only thing that was unused. Any flirting skills I once had seemed to be long forgotten.
“Adonis.” Was it my imagination or did Will shift away from me ever so slightly? “So what are you looking forward to seeing on the cruise?” he asked in a polite voice.
“Um…” For the first time, I realized I had no idea where this boat was headed. “Well, this was a bit of a last-minute decision so I haven’t had much time to do my research on the ports…excursions…”
Did I have excursions? From past cruises, I remembered my parents booking trips to the various islands.
“Go see Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios. And Sting Ray Bay in Grand Cayman is amazing unless you want to go diving. There’s a lot to see in Cozumel too, but the cenotes are my favourite.
Jamaica, Cayman, Mexico. At least I know where we’re headed.
“Do you get to go?” I asked. “I would hope you’d get to see some of the places you visit.”
“The staff takes turns on their days off. This time I get Cozumel. It’s a great way to see the world, meet people.” Another smile.
It was almost like I could hear the twang of Cupid’s arrow.
Oh no.
Chapter Six
Day Two: At Sea
I opened my eyes the next morning to bright sunshine because I had forgot to pull the curtains before crawling into bed. Even with the bright sunlight targeting my sleepy eyes, I had to admit that this was one of the most restful sleeps I’ve had in years. As I smoothed my hand over the cool sheets, I could see many naps in my future.
But not now. I crawled out of bed, making my way to the window. Waves and blue sky had replaced the shoreline. Miami was far behind us.
That lifted a load off my shoulders.
Petra’s suitcase had arrived in the cabin yesterday but I had gone straight to bed after chatting with Will and hadn’t bothered to unpack. I took a moment to search through the Louis Vuitton for something to wear, laying the carefully folded clothes on the bed to put away later.
As I headed up to the pool deck, seagulls swooped and soared after the boat, their cries disappearing among the sounds of laughter. I followed the excited screams of children to find another pod of dolphins on the port side of the ship. They were close enough to hear the splash as they played in the waves.
It was impossible not to be happy here.
I woke up yesterday morning in another world—a da
rk and dingy apartment with water stains on the ceiling, wondering how I was supposed to get out of the biggest mess of my life, and now I was in the middle of an ocean.
With dolphins.
With camera in hand and a smile on my face, I wandered up to the top deck to find a crowd of people, mostly younger women. “What’s going on?” I asked a woman who was jumping up and down in the throes of excitement that was a little too much for that early hour of the morning.
“Evan Parker!” she screeched into my ear.
“He’s been filming his new video since sunrise,” her friend supplied in a voice that didn’t damage my eardrums. “We tried to meet him, but it’s impossible to get any closer.”
“Too bad.” Even if Evan Parker did remember me, what were the chances he’d see me in this crowd? But I still turned away from the girls.
“Hang on, can you take our picture?”
I blinked back into the present as the girl’s voice broke into my thoughts. Automatically I lifted my camera as they quickly posed with bright smiles and their arms around each other. “Over here,” I suggested, moving them away from the group and snapped a dozen pictures.
“I meant with my phone,” the blond said as I lowered my camera. She handed me her phone with a sheepish smile. “You look like you know how to take pictures.”
“I guess.” Taking her phone, I snapped a bunch, suggesting different poses and places where the light was better. They were into it, and laughed throughout, pretending to be models.
“Thank you so much!” the dark-haired one enthused. “That was so much fun.”
“I want to see the ones you took of us,” the blond said. I held up the camera but the sunlight was too bright to see clearly. “We were just going to get breakfast,” she said. “Come with us.”
“Don’t you want to go to the Sassy Singles photo shoot?” her friend asked.
