Something Like Perfect

by Stephens, S. C.

  Not wanting to dwell on the sparks between us, sparks we were both choosing to ignore, I raised my hand. Jake laughed at the gesture, and some of the tension dissolved. “Yes?” he said.

  “Bathroom?” I asked, setting my bag on my bed.

  After seeing the size of the rooms, I knew what Jake was going to say, but I was still disappointed when he said it. “We all share one bathroom. It’s over here.”

  While I groaned internally, Jake showed me the one tiny bathroom we’d all be sharing. It was only big enough for a toilet, a sink, and a small stand-up shower. Guess all the fineries were upstairs. Oh well. It was only for a couple of weeks.

  “Yeah, I know,” he said. “It’s not the greatest, but the rest of the job is, I swear.” While I absently nodded, Jake added, “There’s only one rule with the bathroom, though. If you’re showering, you have to leave the door unlocked so people can still pee.”

  My eyes sprang wide open in alarm, and I snapped my head to the left to stare at him in shock. “What?” The shower curtain was clear plastic—completely see through. I could not imagine Jake walking in on me naked. Or vice versa. My heart started thudding as I contemplated that.

  Jake cringed, then sighed. “Sorry, bad joke. Just trying to make this less . . . strange.”

  I exhaled in relief, then nodded. “I don’t want this to be weird, Jake. You and I . . . we’re friends, remember? And friends can . . . hang out without it being weird.”

  He stared at me for a long time, then finally nodded. Then he smiled, a full, glorious smile; it was like the sun coming out on a cloudy day. “Come on, I’ll show you the galley. You’re gonna love it.”

  His grin filled me with warmth, and I knew that even if I somehow hated the galley, I was going to love him showing it to me. Jake led me to the stairs, then up one level. After a long hallway, we finally reached the galley. My mood soared when I saw it. Where the bedrooms were small and disappointing, the galley was glorious. I’d been expecting it to be on the tiny side, but it was much bigger than I’d imagined, and everything was top notch. We hadn’t had anything nearly this nice at school, and we’d had some nice equipment. My mind started racing with possibilities, and my imagination exploded as I opened the fridge and saw exotic ingredient after exotic ingredient. The sky was the limit in this kitchen. I could make . . . anything.

  “Oh my God, Jake . . . this is incredible.” I looked over to see him watching me with a small smile on his face, hands stuffed casually in the pockets of his loose khakis. “Thank you so much for getting me this job. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” How much you mean to me.

  His smile grew into a charming grin that made my heart flutter. “I had a feeling you’d appreciate this, and I knew you’d be perfect for the position. This is where you’re supposed to be, Valerie.” The softness of his voice, the look of admiration and respect on his face—they made an ache surge through my chest, tightening painfully around my heart. He was just so . . .

  Ugh. If only I’d met him first. If only this feeling that cropped up whenever he was around didn’t have to be smashed into a million pieces. If only he were mine.

  Stop. This was going to be a really long trip—and an absolute nightmare of a job—if I kept letting myself dwell on those kinds of thoughts. He made my sister incredibly happy, and I absolutely adored the fact that she was so content. She deserved to be. She’d been waiting for a man like Jake for a long time. I needed to shift my focus and keep it shifted. Luckily for me, the chef stepped into the room, and he proved to be quite the distraction.

  He was a big barrel-chested man with shocking red hair and commanding eyes. He barely gave Jake a glance before locking his eyes on me. “You must be my new assistant. I hope you’re ready for this. The last assistant I had left the boat in tears halfway through the trip.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn’t known about any drama with the previous assistant. I shifted my gaze to Jake. He had a sheepish look on his face, like he was suddenly feeling very sorry for withholding vital information about the job. Well, I could handle diva bosses. It couldn’t be that much different than my instructors at school, and I’d survived that just fine.

  “Ready and willing,” I told Chef, clasping my hands behind my back. He looked impressed, and I noticed Jake smiling at me in my peripheral. Chef turned to Jake, like he’d noticed him too. “You can go, pool boy. Thank you for showing her the way.”

  Jake frowned at him. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that, Luis?”

  Chef raised a red eyebrow. “Probably about as many times as I have to ask you to stop calling me Luis. My name is Chef Sinclair.” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Now get out of my galley. We have work to do.”

  Jake sighed, then looked over at me. “Good luck. I’ll check in with you later tonight.” From the look on his face, I knew I was going to earn every penny of my paycheck this trip. That was fine. I wasn’t afraid of hard work.

  “Thank you so much, Jake.”

  He nodded, then hurriedly scooted out the door.

  I inhaled a deep breath, steeling my nerves, then twisted to my new supervisor. “What do we need to do first?” I asked.

  “Everything,” he answered, tossing a chef’s jacket at me.

  His answer made a surge of trepidation wash through me, but it was quickly replaced by glee as I stared at the jacket in my hands. A real, honest-to-God chef’s jacket. True, this one was a uniform provided for me by someone else, but the symbolism was the same. I’d done it. I was living my dream.

  After putting it on, I quickly snapped a selfie and texted it to Stephanie. I made it, Steph! I’m a real chef!

  Her reply was instant. OMG! You’re so cute! Before I could slip my phone back in my pocket, she texted me again. Have a great trip! And don’t worry about being stuck on a boat with Jake. You’re a strong woman, you’ll be fine. She ended that statement with a huge smiling face, but it still made a wash of nervous energy flow through me. Fine. Right.

  I was just about to put my phone away when a loud bang sounded throughout the galley. Panic made me jump, and my heart instantly started racing. I glanced around for the source of the noise, wondering what had just exploded. What I saw was Chef Sinclair, hands clasped around a huge butcher’s block that he’d just smacked on the counter. “No cell phones in my galley. Ever. Put it away.”

  Trying to get my surging heart to calm down, I nodded and put the phone back in my pocket. Then I quickly took it out and turned the sound off, just in case. “Sorry, Chef. Won’t happen again.”

  “I know,” he said, expression devoid of humor. “Now, let’s start prepping lunch; then we’ll work on dinner.”

  Several hours later, I finally had a chance to stop and breathe. Working with Chef Sinclair was intense, to say the least, but I’d already learned so much more than I’d thought I would. He might be cold and rude, but Chef knew his stuff, so I paid attention to every word he said. Like Jake had said, this man could be the key to me running a successful restaurant one day.

  My only problem with the job so far was the lack of windows in the galley. It took me a few hours into the shift to finally notice that the yacht was no longer resting peacefully at the dock. The thought of being in an enclosed space surrounded by nothing but miles of water made my heart grow icy with worry, but at least we were floating on top of the water, not submerged beneath it like a submarine. I didn’t think I could ever be deep under the water like that. I’d hyperventilate so badly I’d have to be sedated. I’d take floating on top any day, although that came with its own problems.

  Once I realized the ship was moving, I became all too aware of the incessant swaying motion. Chef Sinclair moved around the galley with a relaxed, comfortable stance, like it was completely natural to have the floor constantly alternate its slight tilt. I wasn’t so coordinated and spent a lot of time taking little extra steps to correct my balance, like I was tap-dancing. It was ridiculous. And embarrassing. It made
me happy that Jake was up top, on the bridge, so he didn’t have to witness my absolute lack of grace. At least the Dramamine was doing its job, and I wasn’t queasy.

  Chef Sinclair plopped a plate of the dinner we’d made on the small table in front of me. “Here, eat up. Then you’re free for the night.”

  I stared at the steaming plate like it held my salvation. Thank God. I was starving and exhausted, and every inch of me was sore. All I wanted to do was eat and then lie down in my tiny room. Or maybe check out the upper deck. I had to imagine it was beautiful up there at night, with stars everywhere you looked.

  “Thank you,” I politely told the chef.

  He nodded, making a gruff noise in his throat. “You did all right today. You didn’t mess up too many things, and you didn’t cry. That’s pretty good in my book. I’m going to head to my room; tomorrow comes early.” I could see the exhaustion in his face, and it made me feel a little better to know I wasn’t the only one who was tired. “Make sure you keep your jacket on if you go upstairs. Mr. Thomas likes to see everyone in uniform at all times.”

  He rolled his eyes like he thought that was ridiculous, and then he turned and left me to eat my meal in peace. And my God, it was the best meal I’d ever had in all my life. This trip was going to ruin me on good food, I could tell.

  When I was finished with my meal, I washed my plate and silverware, dried them, and then put them away. Jake had warned me that Mr. Thomas was a neat freak, and I had a feeling Chef Sinclair was too. With that in mind, I wiped off the table and the counters, just in case. Once everything was as sparkling as I’d found it, I left the galley and headed out to explore the rest of the ship. The parts I could see, anyway. I didn’t want to bother Jake on the bridge, and I wasn’t sure if I could go up there anyway, and Mr. Thomas’s personal cabins were definitely off limits. Mainly, I wandered the hallways, peeking into rooms that were dripping with wealth. It made me a little uneasy to touch anything, and I longed for my simple, tiny bedroom. But first . . . outside.

  Joyfully, I climbed the steps that would lead me to the upper deck. The fact that I made it all the way up there without running into anyone spoke volumes about the size of the ship. What one man needed a boat this size for was a mystery to me.

  Out on the deck, the cool breeze stroked my face, teased the small, loose strands of hair resting along my cheeks. I pulled my hair out of the tight bun I’d had it corralled in all day long and let the wind blow my blonde locks about in a frenzy of movement. Grinning at the freedom, I stepped to the railing and peeked out over the dark rippling water around me. The moon was full and bright, casting silver light over the water, highlighting each undulating peak. Billions of twinkling stars dotted the sky, and as my gaze shifted up, I tried to pick out the familiar patterns that formed the constellations.

  “Incredible, isn’t it?”

  I glanced behind me to see Jake walking my way, and my heart stuttered in my chest. Dear God . . . he was wearing a military-inspired uniform that made him look like a member of the navy. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him more attractive than he was right now. Once my heart settled, my pulse quickened. He shouldn’t be out here with me, especially when he looked like that.

  “The view? Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” I said, trying to sound casual and unaffected by him.

  A small smile on his lips, he joined me at the railing. As he looked out over the water, I studied his face. The jade green was bluer in the silver light. His lips fuller, like the moon wanted me to kiss him. This was so stupid. Just staring at him had my heart racing. This was where I should have excused myself, but somehow, I couldn’t. I inched closer to him instead.

  My movement jarred him from whatever thoughts had distracted him. He just stared at me for a quiet moment, and I was thankful he couldn’t see my pulse thundering through my veins. Three weeks. That was the time difference between him meeting my sister and him meeting me. I still relived that first encounter in my mind sometimes; I thought I’d fallen for him right then and there. Life had a cruel sense of humor sometimes.

  “So how was your first day?” he asked, his smile warm as he leaned against the yacht’s railing.

  I sighed as I remembered all the aches I was going to feel tomorrow. “Tiring. But amazing. Thank you, again.” He opened his mouth to object, but I beat him to it. “I know I’ve said that about a million times already, but honestly, Jake, with all the . . . awkwardness between us, you could have kept your mouth shut and let the opportunity pass me by, but you didn’t, so I’m going to keep saying thank you.”

  He frowned. “I wouldn’t say things have been . . . awkward.”

  I raised an eyebrow at that, and Jake sighed as he looked over at the calm water. “Okay, maybe it’s been a little awkward. I just feel so damn . . . guilty around you.”

  “Why?” I asked, inadvertently stepping closer to him.

  “You know why,” he said, looking down at me with a haunted expression. “That night . . . in the cab. I still think about it, even though I know I shouldn’t. I just . . .”

  His eyes flicked over my face as his words trailed off. Then his gaze settled on my lips, and I knew exactly what was on his mind. I inhaled a deep breath, then held it so long my lungs felt like they were about to burst. We shouldn’t be talking about this, shouldn’t be reminiscing about it like it was a fond memory. We’d gone too far that night. We couldn’t do it again.

  With only the sound of the waves licking the sides of the ship, Jake’s hand lifted. His fingertips touched my face, and his expression shifted into one of deep longing. “Valerie . . . I think . . .”

  Seeing his turmoil, feeling it myself, I pulled away from him. “I think I should go and . . . get some rest. As Chef Sinclair says, tomorrow comes early.”

  Jake was still leaning against the railing, still watching me with longing in his eyes. “Yeah . . . all right. Good night, Valerie,” he whispered.

  My heart felt cracked wide open as I walked away from him, and all I really wanted to do was turn around and throw myself into his arms. I loved my sister, but it was so hard to not want him. This was going to be a very long trip. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

  Chapter Seven

  I tossed and turned all night long for the next several evenings. The job was stressful and intense, but that was only making me exhausted. It was Jake who was making me restless. He was constantly checking up on me, making sure I was okay, constantly staring at me with confusion in his eyes. It was excruciating being around him, and yet I longed for it, too . . . longed for him. When I got back home, I might look into seeing a therapist. Obsessing about someone I couldn’t have had to be unhealthy.

  I couldn’t stop doing it, though. I’d known it was going to be hard being around him so much, but I hadn’t imagined it would be this hard. Maybe if he weren’t attracted to me, too, it would be easier. If he were just nice, supportive, comforting, without being so . . . pained, then maybe I could stop fantasizing about him.

  Sticking to my new routine, I groggily stepped out of bed and immediately banged my knee against the dresser. I was loving my new job, but I was also looking forward to returning to my larger bedroom; it was gargantuan compared to this place.

  I grabbed my work clothes and toiletries, then opened my door to head to the communal bathroom. That was another thing I was looking forward to having again—a private bathroom. Jake’s door opened at the same time as mine. He smiled when he saw me, then slowly started walking my way. From the shampoo and towel in his hand, I could tell he wanted to use the bathroom too.

  He let out a nervous laugh when we stopped in front of the same door. “And here’s the problem when people start their shift around the same time and there’s only one bathroom.”

  I cringed, then indicated the door. “It’s fine; you go first. I’m sure you’ll be much quicker about it than me.”

  He smiled at me, and I had to stop myself from sighing. “Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting.”

  I
forced a carefree smile to my face. “Yeah, I’m sure. Go ahead. I’ll just . . . wait here.”

  Jake nodded, then quickly opened the door. Pausing in the frame, he said, “I’ll just be a sec.”

  The door closed, and I let my head fall back against the wall behind me. God. Now he was in there stripping off all his clothes, and I had to stand here picturing him in all his glory. Maybe it was time for me to admit defeat and go home. But this job . . . I desperately didn’t want to give it up. It was everything I’d been looking for and more. Working with Chef Sinclair was a blessing. It was exactly the sort of experience I’d been hoping for. I had no choice but to tough this out.

  Even though Jake took the fastest shower known to man, it felt like he was in there forever. Of course, it didn’t help that I kept inadvertently picturing soap bubbles trailing across his skin. But eventually the door cracked open, and I pushed off against the wall, relieved that the torture was over. Only it wasn’t. When Jake stepped out of the bathroom, he was only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist.

  My eyes widened as I stared at him. I’d avoided seeing him half-dressed just for this very reason. I didn’t want this cruel vision of perfection burned into my brain, and it definitely was now. The towel was low on his waist, showcasing his abs like in some sort of erotic game show. And my God, his stomach . . . up until this exact second, I hadn’t believed that real men had muscles that defined. It was as if every line had been chiseled into him by a master sculptor. His chest, his arms . . . every part of him begged for contact. How had my sister never once mentioned how cut he was?