I Saw Him Standing There (Oceanic Dreams #1)
Page 10
“Tomorrow!”
Chapter Twenty
Day Six: At Sea
The next morning, I slept late. We had celebrated Alicia’s engagement long into the night. It might have been love at first sight, but it sounded real to me. The legend of Aphrodite had scored another win.
But not for me. When I finally awoke, my unhappiness peered through the pounding headache to remind me today was my last chance to make things right with Will.
At first I thought the knock on the door was part of my headache, but then I heard it again, and louder.
Will.
I stumbled out of the fog of sleep, my confusion mixing with eagerness making me trip over every single thing in my path. But finally I reached the door, and yanked it open with a expectant smile, hoping against hope that Will—
Captain James Kellerman was at my door.
“Uh…hi,” I said, holding on to the doorknob with a death grip. I pushed the hair out of my face and wished I’d thrown one of the thick robes over the long T-shirt I wore to sleep in. “Can I…help…?” I trailed off, completely at a loss for words.
The captain stood in the doorway with hands tucked behind his back and wearing a stern expression. “I’ve been informed that you know my niece Petra Van Brereton.”
Deny, deny, deny! Or tell him, yes, I know Petra because I met her on the ship. It was a big boat, so maybe I could bluff this out, have Petra unavailable until I could get off in Miami.
I released the door knob and took at step back, tugging at the hem of my shirt. “I do know her,” I admitted. “She gave me her ticket.”
Captain Kellerman looked grim. “She called last night.”
I closed my eyes with relief. Petra had kept her word. Maybe I had a chance after all. “How is she?” I asked, hoping he believed the sincerity in my tone.
A smile cracked the stony façade. “She’s very happy.”
“I’m glad. She looked happy when I left her.” It was safe to breathe again. Maybe I wasn’t about to be dragged off to the brig, or tossed overboard with only a lifeboat to get me back to Miami.
“That still doesn’t explain why you would agree to impersonate someone to board my ship.”
I caught my breath at the question. “Because she asked me to?” I asked hesitantly. “It wasn’t exactly impersonating, I didn’t mean to do that. I told people who I was, but just borrowed her passport because there wasn’t time to change the ticket. It was all very…last minute.”
“Who are you?”
“Seraphina Park-Smith.” What were the chances that my name would help anything? But I wasn’t about to pull out the parent card. I got into this mess on my own, and I would get out of it.
Captain Kellerman nodded his head. He was an imposing man, with his towering height and stoic face. He wouldn’t have let the Titanic hit the iceberg and for a moment I considered saying so.
“Sir, I apologize for my lack of judgment in the situation,” I said, pulling up every ounce of poise I’d inherited from my mother. “I realize using Petra’s passport was wrong and I’ll accept whatever consequences are fit for my actions.”
Captain Kellerman took a step forward. “Have you enjoyed your stay on the Aphrodite?” he asked as I moved to the side and gestured him in.
“It’s been amazing.” Relief made me giddy. “I wasn’t in the best place when I met Petra. I had been trying to avoid some…some unsavoury types…and she really helped me out. But these last few days, I—well, I’ve changed. I managed to get my life back in order. I hadn’t talked to my parents in four years until I landed on Grand Cayman and called them. And I’ve made friends, which is something I hadn’t done in years because I’ve been so busy looking out for me—” I stumbled to a stop when I realize what I was saying. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling. You don’t want to know this.”
“Actually, it’s very interesting. Petra said you were an Uber driver?” He raised a bushy white eyebrow at the question.
“No. My friend—my former friend is. I was borrowing his car.”
“You borrowed quite a lot of things.”
I dropped my gaze. “Yes, sir.”
“Are you going to be continuing this behaviour after you leave the ship?”
“No, sir.” I peeked up at him. “I think I’ve learned my lesson.”
He nodded again. I couldn’t read his expression. Was I about to be thrown off the ship, or was he going to give me a hug goodbye? “I take it you’ve made arrangements to deliver Petra’s things back to her?”
“I’m dropping everything off as soon as we get into port,” I promised.
“I’ll take the passport now,” he said.
“Of course.” I hurried to the bedroom safe my fingers shaking as I punched in the numbers. Once I had Petra’s passport in my hand, I felt the first ray of hope and calmed my steps as I returned. “Here you go.”
“Are you aware that impersonating someone is a felony crime?”
My heart sank. “I am, yes.”
“How did you get past the officer in charge?”
“It’s not his fault!” I burst out, more scared for Will then for myself. “I’m really good at pretending—not that I’ve done it before, but I’ve been taught about things like that. Not that I’ll ever do it again, but it wasn’t the officer’s fault.”
Captain Kellerman tucked the passport into his shirt pocket and nodded one more time. “See that it’s not a habit. You’re very lucky that we’re still in international waters, Miss Park-Smith. Enjoy the remainder of your cruise.”
And then he was gone, leaving me sagging against the door with relief.
I found Xander by the pool, his eyes shaded with a pair of women’s sunglasses. “Xander!”
“Shh,” he said with a wave of his arm. “How can you be so excited this early in the morning.”
“Because the captain came to see me and he didn’t kick me off.”
That perked him up. “Awesome! I called Petra when I was in Cozumel and she said she would talk to her uncle, but I wasn’t sure if she really did it.”
“She did, so thank you.” I leaned down and threw my arms around him. “You saved me.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“You did a lot for someone you don’t know.”
Xander lowered his glasses as I stood up. “I know you enough. Plus, Miles vouched for you and if Miles says something…” He trailed off with a sheepish shrug.
“I can’t believe I didn’t figure out what was going on with the two of you.”
“We’ve kept it pretty low-key. And you did have a lot on your mind.”
“Yes, but—” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure pause at the railing, looking over at me. “Will!”
I don’t know if Will heard me but he turned and walked off.
“Go,” Xander ordered. “Talk to me later.”
I didn’t wait to be asked twice.
“Will, wait,” I called after him. It wasn’t until he was about to disappear into the stairwell that he stopped. “I’m sorry,” I said automatically. “I didn’t want to lie to you.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because I was afraid of what you’d think of me.”
“Do you know what I think of you now?”
“You’re angry,” I said carefully. “And you think I’m a spoiled brat. I’m not. I was, but I’m not anymore. I’ve changed Will. Since I got on the ship. Since I’ve met you.”
“I don’t know any of this because I have no idea who you were or who you are. I thought you were good and kind and fun, but now all I know is that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth. And that could have gotten me fired.”
“I didn’t know you at the start, so how could I have trusted you? You never would have let me on the boat.”
“That would have been a good thing.” And with that, he turned and hurried down the stairs.
“Don’t say that,” I whispered after him.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alicia’s wedding day began with a brunch at Mount Orynus and several pitchers of mimosas. I had never been the type to use alcohol to dull pain, but that morning I tried my best, stopping only when I realized drunken pictures were not what Alicia would be looking for.
This was Alicia’s day. I couldn’t let her down.
After brunch, I went to the Pasithea Spa with Alicia, Amy and Gillian. Greer bowed out at the last moment, using her stomach upset as an excuse.
“She’s really sick,” Gillian assured me as settled ourselves on the massage tables. “So don’t think it’s because of you.”
I didn’t think it was me. I thought it was that Greer couldn’t bear for Alicia to have the spotlight, but I wasn’t about to say anything.
When I was waiting for my rosewater ice facial, I bumped into Heidi and Lily, my pole dancing partners. I had seen them from a distance a few times this week, but never close enough to talk.
“Did you find your true love?” Heidi squealed.
“No.” My slumped shoulders said enough and Lily patted my arm with sympathy.
“There’s still today,” she said encouragingly.
“We did,” Heidi admitted.
“I sort of thought you would.”
“And I went back to pole dancing three times!”
I was happy for them, despite my own personal sadness. Now that I looked, I noticed quite a few couples had shown up among the groups of singles.
There was a cocktail party at the bow of the boat that afternoon for Sassy Singles; one last attempt for the members to find Mr. or Ms. Right.
I stayed away.
Instead, Amy organized a makeup artist to give Alicia a makeover and the result was breathtakingly beautiful. Alicia was pretty to begin with but after Karen’s transformation and Alicia happiness, there was a glow about her that made everyone who saw her smile.
I stopped looking for Will, knowing how busy he would be, realizing his anger might not abate enough for him to listen to more apologies. Instead, I threw my energy into taking beautiful pictures for Alicia’s wedding.
Hers wasn’t the only ceremony that day. When news got around that Xander was able to officiate a wedding, he had requests from two other couples as well. I ducked away from Alicia and followed him to the ceremonies, snapping pictures of the happy couples.
I ended up with a list of email addresses to send the pictures, four offers of employment, and my own proposal of marriage from a drunken man in a sailor hat who said it was Aphrodite’s dream for us to be together.
When I was returning to Alicia to take pictures of her getting ready, a tall woman with braided hair and a camera around her neck stopped me.
“You wouldn’t be Petra, would you?”
“No, I’m Siggy, the photographer formerly known as Petra.”
She looked confused. “Do you know Will?”
I smiled at the sound of his name. “Yes.”
“I’m Marty. He told me a Petra was helping him take pictures. He described you, so I thought you might be her.”
“I am, but my name is really Siggy. Long story,” I waved away any further explanation. “Nice to meet you.”
“I wanted to thank you for helping Will. His pictures were pathetic, but it was really sweet of him to help me out. I don’t know what I would have done without him. Or you. Your pictures were amazing. He said you’re not a professional?”
“Just a hobby.”
“Do you want to do it professionally?”
“Well, sure, but—”
“The reason I’m asking is that I’m leaving the Aphrodite after the next cruise. They asked me to help find a replacement, and I found you. Would you be interested?”
“Yes!” I had no idea what the job would entail but it would be a job doing what I loved. “But I need to see my parents first.”
“No worries. We don’t leave again for another two weeks. Will that give you enough time for a visit?” I nodded, for once speechless. “Come see me tomorrow morning before you disembark and I’ll fill you in on what you need to know.”
“Thanks, Marty,” I managed to call after her.
“I have a job!” I squealed under my breath, doing a little happy dance. And not just any job—a job on the same cruise ship as Will. Now I had another weeklong cruise to convince him to forgive me.
The wedding took place at sunset on the top deck at the rear of the ship. It was beautiful, as all wedding are. Xander showed the appropriate mix of gravitas and humor. Sayid wiped both his and Alicia’s tears. And I couldn’t help but notice Amy smiling at a man watching the service.
With only a few hours to go, it looked like Aphrodite was still working her magic.
The happy couple had made reservations at the wine bar for after the service. I maxed out my sim card and made my excuses, promised to follow everyone on Instagram and Facebook, and said goodnight.
“Siggy, wait!”
I paused at the doorway, looking back at the table of friends celebrating to see that Miles and Xander had followed me.
“You’re not getting away that easily,” Xander said, pulling me in for a hug.
“I thought the chances of seeing you again were pretty good,” I said into his shoulder.
“But you’re only going to be home for two weeks,” Miles reminded me.
“But I won’t be away forever this time.”
“Promise?” Miles asked.
I hugged him in response. “I expect to see you both at the party I’m sure my mother will be throwing for me.”
“Should I bring my sister?” Xander asked with a grin. “You know, she actually thinks we’re making this whole thing up?” He gestured to Miles with his thumb. “Just as an excuse for Miles not to marry her.”
“You’re joking!”
“She’s crazy. But you know who’s crazy? You, if you don’t go after your guy.”
“He’s not my guy.”
“Then why was he at the wedding?” Miles demanded. “I saw him. Staring at you, not the lovely bride and groom.”
“Really?”
“Really. What does he do around here anyway?”
“Assistant cruise director.”
“So he’ll be at the talent show. We’re heading over soon, but you should go now and fix things.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Try. Now.” Miles gave me a shove. “Right now.”
“You sound like my big brother,” I grumbled, backing away.
“If you don’t go I’m going to tell him exactly how big an idiot you’ve been, so go.”
I backed away another few steps. “Thank you,” I said, my eyes welling up with tears. “Have fun tonight.”
“We’ll have more fun than you will,” Xander said as he took Miles’ hand.
I took their advice because I’ve always taken my big brother’s advice. I couldn’t wait to see Simon tomorrow and my parents. But I couldn’t be happy about seeing them unless I talked to Will first.
The talent show was in the main theatre and I gazed around in dismay at the crowd. Half the ship’s passengers must have been in the audience. But then like radar signaling my heart, I turned to the far corner of the lounge and saw Will standing by himself, doing something to the sound system. I snuck around behind him so he didn’t know I was there until I started talking.
I didn’t even take a moment to think of what I should say. “You have to listen to me because I know you can’t leave,” I began as Will started with surprise.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded as he whirled around.
“Trying to apologize.”
“I don’t want an apology,” Will said stiffly. “I deserve an explanation.”
“You do. And that’s what I’ll try and give you, if you just give me a chance.”
/> As passengers sang, danced and told really bad jokes on stage, I began with my family and how I met Charles, leading to our wedding and my discovery that he had drained my bank account four days later. I told Will about leaving home in the middle of the night, about New York and Atlanta and finally landing in Miami with no money and too much pride to call my parents.
I told him about Eduardo and the confidence scam I messed up.
I explained how I had been running away when I met Petra and how the tickets to the cruise had been an easy way out.
Will stood silently, his gaze holding mine as I talked. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and touched his arm. “The first time I saw you, that first day, I felt a real connection with you. I think maybe you did too.”
He didn’t say a word, but I plunged ahead anyway.
“I know it sounds trite and cliché, but it’s true. I’m a better person now. When I got on this ship, it was like all the lights went on. Like I’d been living under this huge cloud, and with a huge gush of air, it just blew away.” I waved my hands, releasing all my fears to the sea air. “Maybe it was because I was finally in a safe place, or had time to think instead of reacting. I don’t know. I do know that I haven’t been able to be myself—my real self—for a long time. And it took pretending to be Petra to make me realize that. And meeting you. I know I’m rambling, but need you to know all this. And I need you to know that, whatever happens, I like you. I like you a lot. And it’s just as important that I like me better because of you. So thank you for that.” My voice cracked and I stopped, willing him to say something.
At that moment the audience burst into cheers. I glanced towards the stage as Janey, the pole dancing instructor rushed down the aisle to join a handsome man in impossibly tiny blue shorts. When I looked back at Will, he was staring at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
“Will you say something?” I begged.
“I don’t like being lied to,” he said.
“I won’t ever lie to you again. Even if you have spinach in your teeth, I’ll tell you.”