Page 10 of Cruising with You

My palms are sweaty as I wipe them along the thin, white fabric of my swimsuit. “I don’t know if he saw me.”

“You don’t know?”

“I mean…I don’t know! It all happened so fast! I don’t think so. Maybe we won’t run into each other? Maybe––”

“Dude. He’s friends with your cousin, who is really cute, by the way. How did I not know you had a cute cousin?”

“He’s my rich uncle’s son––”

“Ooo, so he’s wealthy?”

“Gem!” I snap. “Not the time!”

“Sorry. You’re right. Let’s get back on track, shall we? Wait. Quick question. Is your cousin single? Then we can get our hands dirty with your little fiancé.”

“He’s not my real fiancé––”

“Well, you didn’t tell me his real name, so that’s all I have to go with.”

I growl in frustration, though the stupid waterworks are threatening to make an appearance. Again. Because that’s what I do. I cry whenever I’m angry. Or sad. Or frustrated. Or scared. Or…pretty much all the time.

Stupid Cancer traits.

Oh, great. Now, evenI’mstarting to drink the Kool-Aid.

“Gage. His name is Gage. And no, my cousin isn’t dating anyone. He’s one hundred percent single, and his eyes lit up as soon as he saw you, so you should definitely get on that. I mean, maybe not literally right off the bat but…. Oh, and yes. He’s loaded. Any more questions?” I choke out, my lower lip trembling.

“Aww, Nora. Come here, babe.” She pulls me into a hug and rubs her hand up and down my back. The combination makes me feel like a little kid. “You’re going to be just fine. I’m sure we can keep you from bumping into him. I mean, what are the odds of that happening on a”––she gulps––“decent-sized cruise ship?”

I whimper, though it’s laced with amusement. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Or you’re just a really good lie detector,” she mutters before releasing me. “Seriously, though. Even if you do run into him, it’ll be fine. You guys were engaged for a whole…what? Five minutes? And it was a total joke. You know this. He knows this. He even asked for your number after the funny exchange.”

“Yeah…and then he ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could.”

“Look. You’ve got this. And if for some reason you don’t have this, then I’ll just tell Captain Ron to throw him in the brig.”

My eyes light up at the prospect. “Can you even imagine? That would be one of the funniest things ever.”

“And he would totally deserve it for making my best friend cry.”

“To be fair, if that was the logic you lived by, I’m pretty sure even the Chinese food delivery guy would be in there.”

Throwing her head back, she laughs even harder, and the sound is contagious. “Good point. How dare he bring you Orange Chicken instead of good ol’ Pon Pon?”

“Exactly. I’m fine. He’s fine. I’m just…awkward. And I want to hide under a blanket for the foreseeable future. That’s all.”

“In a swimsuit like that, it would be a shame, my friend. You look adorable, by the way.”

“Why, thank you.” I curtsy. “You look pretty hot yourself.”

While adjusting her top, she replies, “I know, right? So, where’s that drink we were going to get anyway? I’m dying!”

“My Piña Colada!” Peeking around the corner, I find my cousin and his little posse have vanished.

Phew!

There are a few open seats at the bar, and Henri appears to still be whipping out beverages like a champ, so I grab Gem’s wrist and tug her with me.

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