He coughed in surprise. “Did she now?”
“Do you want me to put in a good word?”
“As much as I would love to say yes, I can’t. Staff aren’t allowed to hook up with passengers.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. Maybe I can see if something can be arranged at the end of the trip.”
“Maybe. Although, the logistics would be a nightmare. I’m never near LA.”
“I guess that could make things difficult,” I agreed. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m just on a short break. I have another shift coming up soon, but we could maybe hang out for breakfast tomorrow? I can meet you at seven?”
“I’ll see if that’s okay with Jamila. But we’ll definitely have to make some time to talk this week. I hardly see you anymore with you working for this cruise line.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I miss you the most out of everyone back home.”
I threw my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. “Aw, I miss you too.”
He briefly hugged me back. “All right. That’s enough. Go on. Go enjoy your week with Jamila Castro. I will be watching from afar and trying not to be insanely jealous.”
I walked away, blowing him a kiss over my shoulder. “Thanks, bro.”
Patrick was the coolest brother a gal could wish for.
Chapter Six
I turned away from Patrick and almost crashed straight into Wells. My heart started hammering.
“Uh, hi.” I stretched out the i sound so it sounded a bit more southern.
“So that was weird earlier.”
“In what way?” I asked, playing dumb.
“Um, with you pretending to be an Aussie called Olivia? Do you do that often?”
“Oh, not really. Obviously, I wanted to preserve confidentiality for Jamila, but also, being a rehab nurse who was born in Shreveport isn’t that exciting. I liked the idea of pretending to be someone else for a while.” And then in a flash of inspiration, I figured how I could deepen my cover. “My brother does the same. He works here in the casino and tells everyone he wrestles crocodiles and socializes with Hugh Jackman.”
He smiled kindly. “I totally get that you’d want to protect Jamila. But you should never be ashamed of where you came from. If you want to talk about boring places to grow up, you should try being born in Shiloh, Ohio.”
“That’s where you’re from?”
“Yup. But my family has lived there for generations, so I’m proud of the place. Even though the permanent population is less than seven-hundred.”
“I’m sorry I lied to you.”
Not to mention, continue to lie.
“Don’t worry about it. Hey, are you off-duty? You want to get a drink?”
I was about to ask him what he meant by off-duty, but caught myself at the last minute. “Ah, I’m not sure I’m ever really off-duty. Jamila should be sleeping, but I can’t stay away for long.”
“Come on, just ten minutes. That couldn’t hurt, could it?”
I looked into those puppy-dog eyes. God, he was hot. But Jamila told me to stay away from him.
“Okay,” I said, the word somehow coming out without my brain’s input.
His eyes lit up. “Great. Have you eaten?”
“Only some fries a little while ago.”
“Then maybe you could extend that ten minutes to a bit longer and we could eat dinner too?”
This was a bad idea.
“Sure. You have a preference?”
“Are you okay with pizza?”
“Is anyone not okay with pizza?”
“I guess if you’re on a low-carb eating plan, or avoiding wheat or dairy, it could be a problem.”
I laughed. “That’s sweet of you to check, but no. I am not low-carb, gluten-free, or dairy-free.”
We made our way over to Hestia, the ship’s pizza restaurant.
“I can’t decide if hosting a singles cruise on a ship called the Oceanic Aphrodite is cheesy or inspired,” I said.
“I like the cheesy aspect of cruises. For example, can you hear the song playing over the speakers?”
I listened for a second. “That’s fun. What’s it called?”
“I Thought It Was You, by Herbie Hancock. And if you don’t hear Escape, the Pina Colada song at some point in the next week, then you haven’t been paying attention.”
“I love that song! Even though the lyrics are weird.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
The restaurant had a bunch of booths around the back and side walls, and at least a dozen other tables in the middle. I didn’t want to give Wells the wrong impression by suggesting we sit in a booth in the back corner, but I also thought that would be the easiest way to hide from Zara if she happened to walk past.
Fortunately, a waitress seated us, and she seemed to think we’d appreciate a booth in the back corner. I was glad, but it also made me nervous for a different reason.
We sat opposite each other and ordered beers, along with a pepperoni pizza.
“Have you ever been to Australia?” Wells asked.
Yikes.
“Uh, yeah. Once.”
“Was it fun? Where did you go? I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“It’s a pretty amazing country,” I answered honestly. I’d always loved living there. “I visited Sydney and Brisbane.”
“What was your favorite part?”
I hadn’t spent much time in Sydney recently, so I stuck to what I liked about Brisbane.
“In Brisbane, they have nice weather. The food is pretty good, and they have a fantastic modern art gallery. And everyone is so friendly.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You almost sounded Australian again when you were talking about it.”
Oops. “Really? I guess I should take that as a compliment, since you thought it was a difficult accent to master.”
“Maybe you missed your calling as an actress.”
I laughed lightly. There was a theme happening here. “Uh, maybe.”
He looked at me seriously. “No, really. Is that what you want to do?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Doesn’t everyone at some point?”
“So you thought the next best thing to do was become a nurse for a famous actress?”
“I suppose so.”
“Then why are you a nurse?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s easier to guarantee an income.” And then I thought about how casually he referred to Jamila just now. “Do you mind me asking when you recognized Jamila? She’s trying to keep a low profile this week.”
“Oh, right. I guess I knew who she was pretty quickly when she started telling me earlier that you were her nurse. The wig did throw me off at first, but her voice is pretty unmistakable. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone she’s onboard.”
“Thanks.” I’d have to warn Jamila to keep her voice down when we were out in public so she didn’t blow her own cover.
Our food and drinks arrived, thankfully allowing a break in the conversation. I picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite. Mmm.
“I bet you enjoy your job,” I said after I finished my mouthful.
“I do. It’s nice to feel like you’re actually helping the world. As I’m sure you would understand.”
“Yes, of course.”
I was such a fraud.
I needed to change the subject. “So you really aren’t afraid of flying?”
He pretended to be outraged. “No! It’s the safest mode of transportation in the world.”
“You think it’s even safer than going on a cruise?”
“I googled it once, and yes. It’s safer. Less people go on cruises, but if you look at it on a per-passenger basis, the cruise death rate is slightly higher.”
“How many of these have you been on?”
“A few. I’ve lost count. I can do most of my work from home, but I like to get involved on a more practical level as much as I can.”
He leaned back in his seat and smiled. Those dimples made
him look like he was secretly amused by something. It was so Cary Argos.
“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
“You’re cute.”
I blushed. “Thank you.” I wanted to return the compliment, but knew I couldn’t.
“I bet you have no idea that half the guys in this restaurant are staring at you right now, do you?”
Actually, I didn’t. I quickly glanced around the room. The place was half-full, but I couldn’t see anyone overtly ogling.
“They’re not.”
“I’m serious. Check out the guy near the entrance. The one with the plaid shirt on.”
I surreptitiously looked in that direction. Admittedly, he did smile when we made eye contact. I turned back to Wells.
“And that guy in the booth three down from us?” he continued. “He’s with a woman, but he’s still checking you out.”
I peeked. The guy quickly looked away.
“Weird. No one notices me at home. Maybe they’re part of the singles cruise and they’re wondering if I’m one of them.”
“Or they can just see how beautiful you are.”
“Stop it.”
“It’s true. You need to have confidence in yourself. I get the feeling you were never encouraged to shine as a child.”
I didn’t say anything. He was right. My parents always thought of Patrick as the golden boy, even though he never really deserved the title—while I worked my butt off at school and always did really well, and then I got a sensible nine-to-five job after completing my business certificate. And my parents still never said they were proud of me.
Wells must have noticed my downcast expression. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bum you out.”
“It’s okay. I just try not to think about it very often. My parents have always preferred my brother.”
“I’ll bet that’s not true. Is he older than you?”
I nodded.
“Then maybe they just had higher expectations of him. I know my big sister had it a lot tougher than me when we were growing up.”
“Is it just the two of you?”
“No, I have a younger sister too. And she gets away with everything. I am probably a typical middle child, but because I’m the only male, I got a bit more attention than I might have otherwise.”
“I guess all families have their issues.”
“That they do.”
At that exact moment, Zara walked in.
I sank down in my chair and tried to make myself as invisible as possible. Wells looked at me strangely. “Nina? What are you doing?”
“Shh…”
I saw Wells looking towards the entrance. “Are you avoiding someone?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “That woman with the red hair.”
He didn’t say anything for a second, like he was doing reconnaissance for me. And then he said, “She’s gone now.”
I slowly slid back into a sitting position, my cheeks burning.
Wells stared at me. “What was that all about? Wasn’t that Zara Speedman?”
“Uh, yeah. She and Jamila have a bit of a rivalry, so I’m trying to avoid her if possible.”
“Oh. Yeah, I heard she has a bit of a reputation in the industry for being difficult.”
I impulsively reached out and grabbed his hand. “Thank you for being so understanding. “I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with my strange behavior.”
“Hey, it’s interesting. Who wants boring?”
Actually, I would quite like boring. That’s the whole reason I came on this cruise in the first place. To escape drama.
Wells put his other hand on top of mine and started stroking it gently, making my body tingle. And then I realized what I was doing and quickly pulled away. I was about to offer to leave money for my share of the food, until I remembered it was all paid for.
“I should go check on Jamila. But thank you so much for having dinner with me.”
He smiled, bemused. “It was a pleasure.”
“I’ll, uh, see you later.”
I quickly hurried off before he could say anything else.
I liked that guy way more than was good for me.
Chapter Seven
I was going to go straight back to Jamila’s suite, but I was too jumpy. I went in search of a bar on another floor…somewhere dark where I could sit on my own and order something that would help me sleep.
But it turned out there weren’t many places on a cruise where you could easily be on your own. At least not a bar late at night. I ended up settling on a place called Parnassus, which incidentally happened to be right near Hestia—but I figured Wells would have gone by now, and it was unlikely Zara would double back and check the same area twice. It wasn’t completely packed, but there was a group of raucous women in one corner. I opted to sit further away, where the only other person was a dark-haired woman on her own. She seemed relatively normal.
I sat down near her and tried to get the bartender’s attention. He was a very good-looking man, suiting his nametag, which read Adonis. But I couldn’t help compare him to the other male I’d just had dinner with. There was no comparison. Wells won hands-down.
And then I reminded myself I wasn’t allowed to hook up with anyone onboard. Nor should I want to, considering how badly I’d just been screwed over by Damien.
Adonis approached me. “What can I get you?”
“A mojito, please.” I snuck a glance at the woman next to me and the drink she had in front of her. “Although, that looks good.” I remembered my southern accent again just in time. Jeez, this was hard.
“I have to say, it’s a little potent.” She took a sip. “But very tasty. I think this is my new favorite place onboard.”
I attempted to act the way Nina, the rehab nurse would behave. I jerked my chin towards Adonis. “I agree. I’ve been all over this ship today and I haven’t seen anyone who looks like him.”
And then I second-guessed myself. Did that sound weird? I tried again. “Not that I should be noticing things like that. I’m here in a professional capacity as a nurse…” I stopped as Adonis gave me my drink. “Thanks.” I turned back to the woman. “You don’t want to hear my story.”
“It’s probably more interesting than mine.”
“I’m, uh, helping a client complete her drug rehab onboard.” I wasn’t sure whether I should be using Jamila’s name, so I kept her anonymous.
“How’s that going?”
“It’s okay. Hey, did you know half the people on here are part of a singles cruise?”
She motioned to Adonis, who was now serving the group of women. “He said something about Cupid at work, but I had no idea. This was a…last minute decision.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that this woman was also not revealing something about herself. “I’m Nina, by the way.”
“Siggy.”
“I’ve never met a Siggy.”
“As far as I know, I’m the only one. It’s a nickname. My brother had trouble with Seraphina.”
“That’s pretty, but you look more like a Siggy, especially with the hair.” I gestured to her curls.
I watched as Siggy scooped the olive out of her martini and popped it in her mouth.
“So…you say you’re working, but do you wish you were part of the singles cruise?” she asked.
“Oh, no. Definitely not. I just came out of a relationship, and it didn’t end well.”
She stared into her glass. “Didn’t we all.”
For some reason my anger from the situation with Damien resurfaced with a vengeance, and I found myself telling Siggy everything, only changing the location from Brisbane to Shreveport.
When I finished, I noticed Adonis had placed another drink down in front of both of us.
“There has to be a way you can get the money back,” Siggy said.
“I don’t know if there is. I just hope karma comes back to bite him on the ass.”
Siggy looked like she was going to say something and c
hanged her mind. I wasn’t good with awkward silences, so I tried to find a way to wrap up the conversation.
“Can you believe we’re both stuck on a cruise with all these singles? That’s the last place either of us should be.” I finished my drink. “I should probably go. Sorry.”
“No worries. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
“Maybe we will.” I quickly thanked Adonis and jumped up.
As I exited the bar, I thought back on what I’d just said. I think it had all gone okay. I didn’t think Siggy suspected anything.
I turned a corner in the hall and came face-to-face with Zara. My stomach dropped. “Are you followin’ me?” I asked lightly, the southern twang obvious. I hoped.
“So what if I am? I want to know more about the woman responsible for Jamila’s treatment.”
“I’m sorry, but who I am is none of your business. I’m a trained professional, and my private life is irrelevant.”
She laughed. “You’re being so secretive.”
Her whole vibe emanated malice. Those narrow eyes and that spiteful mouth. She was a cross between Poison Ivy and Cruella de Vil.
“Really? So you would consider it appropriate to ask your own doctor about his private life?”
“I didn’t ask him directly. I hired a detective. I know everything about everyone in my life. It’s kind of a thing of mine.”
I wrinkled my nose. “You’re insane.” I started to walk off, but she grabbed my arm. I yelped and she quickly let go. But she wasn’t done with me yet.
“Where’s Jamila?”
“Sleeping.”
“So why aren’t you keeping an eye on her?”
Even though I shouldn’t have to justify myself to this woman, I wasn’t anywhere near our cabin, so I probably needed to come up with a plausible explanation as to why I was there.
“If you must know, I was visiting the ship’s medical facility. I ran out of alcohol swabs.”
She looked at my empty hands. “Where are they, then?”
“Jeez. They’re going to drop them off at Jamila’s suite in the morning, okay? I don’t need them until then.”
Zara still didn’t look appeased.
“You know I’m going to expose Jamila for the fake she is. So you might as well just come clean now.”
I Thought It Was You (Oceanic Dreams #4) Page 4