Page 11 of Falling Overboard

But I knew it would be worse if I didn’t go. I was supposed to be watching over both Hunter and Emilie and I couldn’t do that from inside my cabin.

Plus, I had to figure out a way to keep Georgia and Emilie from trying to score points from their list, and the only way to rain on their parade was with my actual presence.

I had a blue ribbon in being a wet blanket.

“Are you coming?” Hunter asked as he stood up, and I nodded, getting my plate.

We went into the galley and Georgia took our plates so that she could scrub them. Pieter had put himself on drying duty in order to stand next to her.

“Hunter, help me bring this ice chest upstairs!” Thomas called out. Hunter went over to help.

I headed abovedeck and Kai was right behind me. We walked in silence to the sundeck, where Hunter and Thomas were setting up the drinks. I sat down on one of the outdoor couches. Kai grabbed a couple of bottles of beer and came over to where I was sitting. He offered me one but I waved it away. Given the precarious state my hormones were in, I needed to keep all my wits about me. My body did not need the excuse to act out inappropriately.

Kai sank down next to me, opening his bottle and taking a deep swig. He sighed and leaned back.

“I’ve never seen you so flustered by someone before,” he said, nodding his head in Hunter’s direction.

“I’m not flustered,” I denied, far too quickly, judging by the smile on Kai’s face. “It’s just ... he’s new. And I’m unaccustomed to him.”

That sounded weak even to my own ears.

“He’s definitely green,” he said.

“I know. I felt his hands,” I responded and realized too late how that sounded.

“You what?” He was far too entertained. Kai had been on the ship since I’d arrived and it had always amused him that I was the only crewmember not trying to find a one-night stand in every port we partied in.

Something he never had an issue with.

“It’s not what you think.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking,” he said from over the top of his beer bottle before he took another drink.

I let out a sigh of annoyance. I did not have to explain myself to Kai. “You know what the rules are.”

“I do. But rules are made to be broken.”

“Rules are made to be kept and followed or else the entire world devolves into anarchy and chaos,” I retorted and Kai laughed.

There was a prickly, heated feeling at the base of my neck and I turned to see Hunter watching me. He had a bottle in his hand and was seated on the couch across from us, with Emilie on one side and Thomas on the other.

“Well, hopefully your man will catch on quickly. He tried today but we don’t really give gold stars for effort here. Captain might get rid of him if he’s not up to the task.”

Why did that make me feel like someone had plunged an ice pick into my chest? It might be a good thing for my weak will if Hunter had to leave. Would Captain Carl really send him packing if he couldn’t meet the ship’s standards?

Thinking of Hunter being fired turned my thoughts back to Georgia and Emilie’s list. I briefly toyed with the idea of telling thecaptain about it but worried I’d only make myself look bad. Like I couldn’t handle my junior stews.

It seemed better to pretend that I knew nothing about it and keep my head down and just work hard.

Lots and lots of hard work and no thinking about Hunter.

But it didn’t help matters that I was so aware of where he was the entire time. Who he was talking to, the way he smiled, and how his eyes danced when someone said something he liked. The rich, deep sound of his laughter and how I wished that I were the reason for it.

This was so, so bad.

I had to find a way to get a grip. I blamed my anxiety spiral from earlier for putting me into a vulnerable emotional state. I would feel this way about anybody who had tried to assist me. If it had been François, I would have ...

Nope. I couldn’t finish the lie. I would have sent François away. I would have sent all of them away, including Georgia. I wouldn’t have let any of the crew see me like that.

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