Page 36 of Old Acquaintances

She faced the beach, pretending to focus on the water, but I saw her eyes darting to the placement of his hand. “I’m good, thanks.”

Tucker walked off, leaving a handprint on my skin, and Hattie chuckled to herself.

“Maybe you know what you’re doing after all,” she muttered.

It was our last dinner on the cruise. The doors of our adjoining rooms were opened. Hattie used the boys’ mirror to curl her hair, Steven and Gracie laid on the bed watching a movie, and I sat behind our vanity, putting makeup on.

Through the mirror, I watched Tucker lean into the threshold of our rooms, watching me. He had only become tanner during this trip, I had patches of pink under my eyes. He called out, “What are youwearing?”

Immediately, Steven and Gracie looked at me. My eyes flashed angrily at Tucker’s reflection.

He continued, “You’re not going to be able to eat anything in a dress that tight.”

“Stop looking at my body,” I snarled.

“Well, it’s all out on display. How can I not?”

“I’ve been wearing bathing suits all week, what’s the problem now?”

He recoiled. “People are gonna be trying to eat.”

Gracie whispered to Steven, “I thought you talked to him?”

“I tried.” He covered his face and shook his head. “The guy’s clueless.”

I bit my lips, trying to ignore Tucker, trying not to notice when Jake walked behind him, unsubtly lifting his chin to see into our room. My neck burned with heat. I picked up my mascara wand with a lightly shaking hand.

Tucker jeered, “At least tell me you’re wearing a bra.”

I twisted in my chair and shouted, “I don’t have to tell you anything!”

“I have eyes, so I can tell it’s ano.” He walked back into his room.

I faced myself in the mirror, looking at my midnight blue spaghetti strap dress, the stretchy material stopping a few inches above my knees. I had clipped my dark hair half-back, still wavy and salty from the ocean, pieces pulled out to frame my face.

Hattie yelled, “Don’t listen to him, Ell! You look beautiful!” I didn’t catch the words but heard her tell him off and his arguing tone respond.

Gracie reached up and tightened her bun. “She wants to look cute for that guy she’s been eye-flirting with all week.”

“Whatguy?” Tucker demanded from behind the wall.

“The guy who sits at the opposite table every night at dinner,” she explained.

“He’s way older than her.”

“So?”

“So…”

I finished putting eyeshadow around one of my eyes and Gracie added, “She was talking to him at the beach today.”

Tucker stepped back into view. He was talking to her but looking at me. “When?”

“When she went for a walk.”

I grumbled, “You guys don’t have to talk about me when I’mright here.”

“He’s a douche,” Tucker said, walking into our room.

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