Page 10 of One Weekend in Sydney

She nods, glaring at Drunk Idiot.

“Is he your partner?” the same person prods.

“Boyfriend of three weeks. Ex, as of now,” she says with determination.

“Do you need help with anything?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I’ll be fine. Thank you all for checking up on me. And nice mask,” she adds, pointing to my face.

I send her a smile. “Thanks.”

“Romeo!” Jerry calls.

Romeo?I watch as Jerry approaches Caped Guy. His name is Romeo?

“Cops are almost here,” Jerry informs him. “And Captain says we’ll need to go as soon as you finish with them.”

“Okay,” answers Romeo. With his arms crossed and chest puffed out, he looks entirely capable of dealing with troublemakers like Drunk Idiot.

And I’m gawking. Even if I don’t know what he looks like behind his mask, I feel pulled by a powerful, undeniable attraction. Could it be some sort of fate that I’ve decided to call myself Juliet tonight and then bump into a Romeo? I mean, what are the odds of that?

“Miss,” Jerry says. He gives me a grin as he stops in front of me.

I didn’t even notice him approaching.

“Captain says it’s okay for you to join us, but only if you don’t participate in any of the activities. And you can’t have food and drinks, either, as we don’t have payment facilities onboard. Everyone else has prepaid.”

“Oh, thank you!” I gush. “I’m totally fine with all that.”

“May I see your VIP ticket for A Musical Night in Masquerade?”

“Of course.” I hurriedly show it to him.

He nods and motions for me to follow him to the vessel. “Our captain rang the captain of the boat you missed, who confirmed that one of their passengers didn’t turn up. He asked if we could give you a lift to the venue, so we’re doing them—and you—a favour.”

“I really appreciate this. I promise I’ll just sit quietly in a corner and enjoy the ride.”

Jerry chuckles. “Good luck with that. But if you get in any trouble, go to Romeo—that guy back there. He’s our security tonight. He’ll sort it out.”

My lips tug up as I glance back at Romeo, who’s now talking to two police officers. “I can do that.”

Once we cross the gangway to the boat, Jerry asks me to stop. “Let’s wait here so I can introduce you to Romeo. He has to know the situation before you go in there with the rest of the passengers.”

“Okay.”

It doesn’t take long before Caped Guy is making long strides towards the boat. He stops in his tracks when he sees me. Does he know I’m not a paying passenger?

“Hey, mate,” Jerry says. “This is, uh…”

“Juliet,” I answer, giving Romeo a friendly smile.

“Really?” Jerry asks incredulously. “That’s really your name?”

I chuckle. “Yes.”

He laughs. “Well, Romeo, this is Juliet. She missed her boat, so Cap agreed to give her a ride. She’s not supposed to join any of the activities as she doesn’t have a ticket, but she doesn’t intend to do that anyway. I told her to find you if she finds herself in any pickle. Right?” he asks me.

“Right.” I nod vigorously.

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