Page 8 of Love on Deck

“Are you joking?” The image of him making out with the waitress in the middle of our date flashed through my mind. In his defense, I guess he might not know I’d seen him with her. Five minutes after he’d excused himself for the restroom, I had gotten up to take a phone call. When I was heading back to the table, I saw them in the narrow hallway at the back of the restaurant. He couldn’t have seen me, since he’d been otherwise occupied. But when he returned to our table to find me gone, that should have been a giveaway that he’d been caught, right?

Both of his hands were up now. “I realize we didn’t exactly hit it off when Kevin and Amelia set us up—”

“That might be the biggest understatement of the year.”

“—but we’re stuck together now for a week. We can let the past stay in the past, right?”

I pressed my lips firmly together. For Amelia? Yeah, I could pretend I didn’t hate this guy for seven days. I’d already planned on doing exactly that, but then I faced him and irritation oozed from me like a runny nose. I know that’s gross. So is Jack.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so glad I caught you!” The high-pitched voice grated over my skin, and I didn’t have to turn around to know Sydney was walking our way. It was a point of pride for me that I wasn’t comparing my cotton pajamas, lime green face, and towel-covered hair to her clubbing dress.

“Heyyy, Sydney,” Jack said. The strain in his voice was like ClingWrap pulled so tight over a bowl of leftovers it was a miracle it didn’t rip. “What’s up?”

She slinked closer, and her eyes were doing all sorts of speaking that her mouth wasn’t. Mostly they were saying I want you.

Well, there was clearly history here.

“I came back to the room for my phone. Silly me. Totally forgot it.” She laughed. “Want to share an Uber over to the club? Everyone else has gone on already.”

Her story was too much. If I was the detective type, which I totally was—hello cozy mysteries—I would deduce Sydney sent everyone else along so she could ride over to the club with Jack. And Jack clearly wanted nothing to do with this scenario.

“You know, on second thought,” he said, stepping back and sliding his arm around my waist so seamlessly I was shocked into silence. “I think I’ll hang back tonight. I don’t want Lauren to be lonely. What kind of boyfriend would I be then?”

CHAPTER FOUR

LAUREN

WHAT? I sputtered, choking on my own shock and spit. Jack Fletcher, spawn of the devil himself, had just called himself my boyfriend.

“Sorry, babe,” Jack said, cradling me to him and softly hitting my back. “Did you swallow your gum again?” He looked up at Sydney and added endearingly, “She’s always doing that.”

I think my surprise was blocking my ability to speak, because I couldn’t form the words to call out his lies.

Not that it mattered. Sydney appeared to believe we were dating as much as she believed I had just swallowed my nonexistent gum. “You two?” She pointed between us. “Together?”

“Yeah. Cute, right?” Jack sighed lightly. Overacting, much? “But do me a favor and don’t say anything to Amelia. We haven’t broken the news yet.”

She looked even less believing then. “Sure.”

“What a relief.” Jack grinned, squeezing me, his warm fingers digging into my arm. “We didn’t want to steal the spotlight this weekend, so we weren’t planning on saying anything until the wedding was over.”

Sydney narrowed her gaze. “Okay. I’m going to leave now.”

She turned away from us to go back the way she came, and we stood in utter silence until she disappeared around the corner to where the elevators were.

I dislodged myself from his hold and spun to face him. “What the heck was that?”

His arms went up in defense. “I don’t know. I panicked.”

I opened my door, stepping over half-melted ice cubes and carrying my empty bucket.

Jack followed me into the room and closed the door behind himself. “I should probably wait until she’s gone for real before I head back to my room.”

“She never actually came in here for her phone, so she could show up at any second.”

“We both know the phone thing was fake. It’s probably in her purse right now.”

I lowered my voice. “But if it’s not, and she wasn’t lying, then she’ll be back any second. I suggest you keep your voice down before you make both of us look like lying scum.”

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