7
Ali
I snuck out onto the balcony and enjoyed the coffee the staff had brought to my door as I sat in my new white bathrobe.
Last night was a dream. I’d walked in the gardens, eaten, and spent the night talking to Gerard. In another life, he might have been my dream guy. He was absolutely riveting. I couldn’t look away from him, and he’d deposited me in my bedroom without asking for a kiss. There was no comparing him with other men, ever. Gerard outclassed everyone without lifting his pinkie.
I sipped my coffee and waited for the sunrise. Today was the day. I would be alone with him for who knew how long. Maybe working for him would destroy the dream I had where we fell in love. That was crazy and impossible. Guys like him never wanted women like me. We were all wrong for each other.
I’d believed John when he said he would help me, but the second he’d tossed me in the dumpster, it had been clear how low I’d let myself fall.
My mother’s accident replayed in my mind. Her dying words had been “I love you.” I wasn’t sure why she did.
Tears filled my eyes. Since that moment, I’d run. I never should have been behind the wheel as I had just got my first permit. No one had said it was my fault, but it was. I’d driven us into the truck. So I hardly drove myself after begrudgingly getting my driver’s license.Why the fuck would I want to do anything like that again?
Once I finished, I decided to dress.
I took a bit of time to figure out which of the clothes in the closet to wear and found a cute white shirt with purple-and-red trim. It was perfect for my first day of work. I decided to pack a few shorts and shirts, as I had nothing else. I would need a change of clothes at some point. Done, I nodded to myself then headed out.
Gerard was sitting at a table in the garden near the buffet. I grabbed my plate and some eggs.
When I joined him, he asked, “Ready to shove off today?”
My skin prickled. Going with him seemed like some far-flung idea, but when I was there, next to him, it was like I was someone else. I played with my shirt collar. “I don’t have to leave the boat, right? If I don’t have a passport?”
“It arrived this morning.” He passed me the small booklet then offered me a second tea or coffee.
I chose coffee then noticed he had dark tea. Soon, knowing that kind of stuff would be my job.
I let out a sigh. Of course he’d taken care of getting my passport, as promised. I’d given him the papers the night before and snapped a photo on an app.
I nodded. “Then yes. I’m ready.” I took a deep breath then met his gaze. “I was wondering—were you serious about the blogging gig?”
He sat back and smiled. “Want to give it a go?”
My heart beat faster. For the first time in forever, I imagined a life where I wasn’t just checked-out mentally. I stilled. “Sure, if I have time, I’d like to write about food.”
“Good.”
I twisted my napkin in a circle on the table. “Once upon a time, before my life became a walking disaster, I’d had a dream of being a chef.”
His eyes widened. “You cook?”
I wrinkled my nose. “No, but when I was fifteen, I liked food, so I thought that was a good career choice when I used to think about careers. Then I worked in a few restaurants and realized that was not the dream for me.”
He asked, “You’ve had a lot of jobs?”
Maybe it was the questions or the tone or just him, but Gerard listened. That made him awesome. “You name it, I’ve probably done it, though not stripping or anything like that.”
“Fixed tires?”
I finished my coffee. “I wasn’t that good at it, but I gave it a go once.”
“Fishing?”
I shook my head. “You caught me. I haven’t done everything but almost. I’m excited to learn fishing if that’s required.” The job kept taking interesting turns.
“It’s not required, but on the ship, it might be something to do, then we can hand our catches over to my chef.”