I stalked down the road, determined to flag down another car. Preferably quickly enough to zoom away and leave Dominic eating our dust.
A moment later, my ex jogged up beside me, ruining that plan. “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry. This day isn’t exactly going how I’d planned, either. I was hoping we could be friends. We’ll never rebuild what we once had if you hate me.”
“We’ll never rebuild what I thought we had, because it wasn’t real,” I said. “And I don’t believe you want me back, anyway. This is some bit for the ratings. You never liked me this much when we were together. If you want to be my friend, Dom, get me to the docks without any more unfortunate incidents.”
“Let me find a taxi service.” He pulled out his phone and tapped away on the screen for a moment.
“You have a signal?”
“I got a Caribbean sim card before we left Miami.”
What a great idea, not that I’d tell him. Getting a cell phone to use in the Caribbean never occurred to me. My phone flashed “no service.” I tapped out a second text to Justin, with no more hope it would go through than the first try.
The sun moved away from us as we continued our trek. Finally, a Jeep pulled up in front of us and came to a halt. The driver hopped out and opened the rear door. “Someone called for a taxi?”
“Oh, thank god,” I muttered.
He handed me a bottle of water, and I slid into the air-conditioned back seat, downing half of it in a single gulp. I didn’t care if he’d come to ax-murder us. Anything to get out of the sun and stop walking.
“We need to get to the docks,” Dominic said. “We got separated from our tour group.”
“The docks?” The driver chuckled and jerked one thumb over his shoulder. “You are walking in the wrong direction! The docks are behind you. About twenty miles.”
Of course they were.
With a groan, I leaned back and put my head against the seat. Why wouldn’t we have spent hours walking in the wrong direction? I wanted to cry, but was too dehydrated. And too tired. We’d be there soon. Might as well take a quick nap. My eyes fluttered shut before Dominic finished buckling into the seat next to me.
When the car came to a stop, my eyes flew open. Something soft lay against my cheek. T-shirt soft. Dominic’s t-shirt. I jerked away and lunged to my corner of the vehicle, smacking my head on the window in the process.
Ow!
“Good afternoon, beautiful,” Dominic said.
“Afternoon? What time is it?” Uneasiness twinged in my stomach. How long had we walked? How long had I been asleep?
He glanced at his watch. “We’re fine. It’s almost five. We have plenty of time to get to the ship before six.”
“Plenty of time? We have to be on the dock at five!” My voice screeched, so high-pitched I barely recognized it. “Driver, can you please hurry? We need to get there as soon as possible.”
“No problem, miss. We’re almost there.”
“What’s wrong?” Dominic said. “Ariana told me the ship leaves at six.”
“Either she was wrong, or she lied.” I had my own opinion as to which was more likely. “The last catamaran to the ship is at five, and the boat sails a few minutes later. I can’t believe we’re cutting it so close.”
The second the Jeep came to halt, I leapt out and tore across the dock, leaving Dominic to deal with paying. When we first arrived, people swarmed up and down the area. Now, the wooden planks lay mostly deserted. Panic rose in my chest. Screaming and waving my arms, I raced to the place where we’d left the catamaran, but it was too late.
Ahead of me, the final ferry moved away from the shore, headed for the ship. My phone read 5:02 p.m. No more boats were headed toward our cruise ship today.
As I stood there trying to figure out whether I could swim to the floating dock, the cruise ship tooted its horn and moved away, leaving me trapped in Jamaica. With Dominic. While Justin sailed away with Ariana.
Chapter 13
More from the Guppy Gabber, Wednesday:
Justin: Has anyone seen or heard from Jen? She wasn’t in the dining room, my phone’s dead, and I can’t find Rachel. We were supposed to call my sister before leaving the port. It’s not like Jen to forget. I hope she’s okay.
Tammy Rae: I waited for an hour to meet Jen to talk about my cupcakes. I guess she didn’t want my recipe as bad as I thought. What’s worse, though, is that her mother isn’t going to get an autographed picture now. It’s so sad when the fans get hurt because of someone else’s thoughtlessness.
Rachel: After I got back from shopping, I went up to the deck to lounge in the sun and nap. I had no idea Jen wasn’t onboard until Justin showed up looking for her, after dinner. We went to our cabin to check, but she wasn’t there. The producers finally told me she missed the deadline to get onboard. I hope she’s okay.
Summoning all of my psychic powers, I narrowed my eyes, held my arms out toward the boat, and willed it to turn around. Shockingly, nothing happened. Eight years as a diver in high school and college turned me into a decent swimmer, but it didn’t give me the confidence to throw myself off a pier in pursuit of a floating hotel moving away from me. Or the lack of self-preservation. I needed to stop the ship, see if a speedboat could take me out to catch up.
Cruise ships in some areas worked with pilot ships, meaning captains who lived in the area came out to help the boat in and out of tight harbors. They’d pull right up to an open railing on the eighth or ninth deck and the captains would hop over. I could do the same. If I could find a boat. And someone to open the gate on the railing.
I reached for my phone, realizing too late I’d left my bag in the car. They wouldn’t let me on the boat ever, at this rate. Or into America. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
Whirling around, I searched for our taxi. Gone. My heart pounded in my ears.
“Jen? Hey, Jen? Hello??” Dominic caught up to me. A wave of relief flooded me when I realized he’d brought my bag. My precious bag.
Before I said anything, he held it out. “Here.”
Without looking at him, I yanked the bag out of his grip and stalked away. This was all his fault. Thankfully, my phone found a signal. I refused to think what this call would cost.
My initial instinct was to call Justin, but he’d have to go find the right people to talk to. It’s not like my boyfriend possessed the power to turn the ship around. If he’d even turned his phone on while the ship was in port. Instead, I scrolled through my contacts list until I got to Ed’s name. Ed didn’t know how to turn his phone off or set it to airplane mode. Even on actual planes.
“Hey, beautiful, where are you? Was the ride amazing?”
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling,” I said. “Justin missed the boat this morning. I wound up on the excursion with Dominic instead. And the ship left the port without me. I’m standing on the dock, watching you sail away. Can you get Connor for me?”
“Hold up. Say that again?”
I repeated myself, slower this time. Giggling filled my ear.
“Ed, this is serious! I’m stranded in a foreign country with my ex-boyfriend.”
“Oh, honey, I know, I’m sorry. But you have to see the humor. That Ariana is an evil genius.”
“Would you believe I’m not quite appreciating your point of view right now?”
“Okay, fine. We’ll laugh about this later.”
“Much later,” I said. “I need to talk to Leanna. She can talk to the captain and get me onboard.”
“Sure. Connor’s at a meet-and-greet, but I’ll have him text you her number.”
“Now, Ed. This is an emergency. I have nothing but my passport and like ten dollars American. No way to get to Grand Cayman tomorrow. Or home.”
“No problem. I’ll call you back in ten minutes if we haven’t found her.”
“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver,” I said. “And when you’re done, can you do me another favor?”
“Yes, I’ll talk to Justin for you. Don’
t worry. Stay safe and get back here as soon as you can.”
After he hung up, I paced the dock, refusing to look at Dominic. I had about a billion things to say to him, none of them appropriate to say in public, but I needed to talk to Leanna first. Once I fixed this problem, I’d know exactly how pissed I had a right to be. With any luck, my feet would hit the deck of the Queen Kelly before the late seating in the Simon Dining room.
Nine minutes later, my phone rang, displaying a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Connor?”
“Jen? It’s Leanna.” She didn’t sound happy. “What the fuck happened?”
“Ariana happened.”
“Ariana’s here on the ship. You’re not.”
“Yes, she is, but she detained Justin so he couldn’t join me on the excursion, then she sent my ex with me in his place, and he made sure I missed the boat. Now we’re both stranded in Jamaica. Please help me.”
“We can’t possibly turn the ship around to come pick you up.”
“I know, but can I get a boat to come out and meet the ship? The Network must have some kind of protections in place in case something like this happens. Or the cruise line. What do they normally do when someone misses the sailing time?”
Silence. I pictured her head tilted, tongue sticking out between her teeth while she pondered the best way to use this situation to create more drama. Producers: Helpful, yet evil. No way the Network would let me come out of this unscathed. I’d be lucky if she didn’t tell me to make out with Dominic before she’d help.
“Usually, they tell people to get to the next port of call at their own expense. You may join the cruise again in Grand Cayman if you can get there.”
“Great! How are you going to get me there?”
“How is this my problem, Jennifer?”
My spirits plummeted. The Leanna who’d seemed so cool and helpful during the early days on The Fishbowl vanished. We’d been friendly until I’d refused to participate in the last mini-challenge. Not my fault I didn’t want to win an in-house dinner with Dominic, who they’d mistakenly called my “serious boyfriend.” Nope. I’d been happy to let Justin win a visit with Sarah instead. I’d never dreamed that move would bite me in the ass later.
My mind raced, seeking any way to sway her back on my side. Or to get her begrudging assistance. “Well, let’s see: You invited Ariana on the cruise, knowing our history. You let us bring guests. You put me and Justin in separate rooms to drive a wedge between us. You sent me and Dominic out with a production assistant who happened to disappear, which is how we lost the bus in the first place.”
“What are you accusing us of, Jen?”
“Oh, come off it. I’m not stupid,” I said. “Getting left behind can’t have been a coincidence. The Network is footing the bill for this whole week. You’re going to make an utter shitload of money off these episodes, especially since Dom’s following me around with puppy dog eyes. You’ll get sixteen million viewers, easy. But if you ditch me in a foreign county, I’ll take my chances violating the nondisclosure clause in my contract.”
She didn’t respond, so I pressed on.
“But if you help me, I’ll play along, do what I can to get the show over twenty million viewers. I’ll promote the heck out of it after we get home. Do you want to give up the publicity? There are three days of cruise left. Don’t you want to see me confront Ariana? I promise, it’s going to be good.”
Leanna sighed in my ear. “Okay, fine. There’s an airport in Kingston, but you’re nowhere near it. I’ll see if I can find a captain to bring you over to the next port on a private boat. I’ll call you back.”
“Thanks, Leanna. You’re a peach.”
She didn’t answer. I didn’t expect her to.
Dominic approached as soon as I put my phone away. “So what’s the verdict?”
“You were not a part of the conversation.” I turned and walked down the pier, knowing he’d catch up to me easily. A moment later, he appeared at my side.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from you.”
“Are you going to abandon me in Jamaica?”
“Only if I can’t find a way to shove you in the ocean with no one noticing.”
He stopped, pulling my arm to bring me to a halt with him. “C’mon, Jen. I’m sorry. I just wanted to spend more time with you. How can you fault me for that?”
“When you want to spend time with someone, you ask! You don’t steal their passport, follow them around a foreign country, and then strand them on a pier. You want to talk, to make up? To quote Bianca Del Rio, ‘Not today, Satan!’ Leave me alone.”
To my surprise, he burst out laughing. “God, I’ve missed you. The way you phrase things. Your smile, your jokes, everything.”
I glared at him. He wouldn’t be seeing my smile any time soon. Not after all this.
“At least let me buy you dinner,” he said. “We haven’t eaten in hours, and you don’t have any idea when the producers will call you.”
“I’m not leaving this pier unless it’s on a boat.”
He pointed behind me. “There’s a bar right over there. You’ll feel better once you eat. The second Leanna calls you back, you can ditch me. Scout’s honor.”
Before I could refuse, my stomach howled. We’d been in the sun all day, riding horses, then we walked at least three miles. I hadn’t eaten in more than six hours. Passing out from hunger on the dock wouldn’t get me on the Queen Kelly any sooner.
“Fine,” I said. “But don’t talk to me.”
* * *
Still refusing to look at him, I stomped to the small restaurant at the end of the deck and took one of the empty seats at the bar. Dominic started to sit on the empty seat next to me, but I put my hand over it.
“Don’t. There are plenty of empty seats. Leave me alone.”
He started to argue, but must’ve seen something in the firm line of my mouth. Or the daggers flying out of my eyes. “I’m going to the bathroom. We’ll talk in a minute.”
The bartender brought me a menu, but I waved him off, requesting a mai tai and whatever local delicacies they offered. Dinner would probably cost a fortune. Good. Dominic was paying.
Before my drink arrived, a short, stocky guy with cornrows and warm brown eyes slid onto the stool beside me. After an entire day of glaring at Dominic, being rude to strangers felt like too much effort, so I smiled at him. He smiled back, flashing one perfect dimple. He was nice to look at, although at least fifteen years older than me.
“I like your dress,” he said.
My dress? In case my outfit had changed since walking into the bar, I glanced down at my black capri pants, tank top, and running shoes. Ah, well. “Thank you.”
“You are American? My name is Isaac.”
“Jen. Yes, American.”
“Wonderful. I love America!” He winked at me, which finally tipped me off that this guy was hitting on me. Wonderful. At least Janine wasn’t around to film it.
The bartender returned with my drink, and I took a long sip, wondering how to extract myself from the conversation gracefully. Then he said, “Bartender, I will pay for her drink.”
“No, thank you. I can’t let you do that. I have a boyfriend,” I said.
“What kind of boyfriend would let a beautiful woman like you walk around these bars by herself?”
“Well, we kind of got separated. Physically, I mean. But I’ll be seeing him soon.”
He nodded sagely. “Ah. Sorry for your breakup. Now you drink with me. I’ll make it better.”
Not wanting to be rude, I raised my glass. “Cheers. But really, I’m fine, thanks.”
“Do you like the Foo Fighters? Lots of American women like the Foo Fighters.”
I wracked my brain, coming up totally blank. What a random question to ask a stranger. “That’s a band, right? They were popular before I was born, I think, so I’m not very familiar with their oeuvre.”
“What a shame. Come home with me. I’ll pl
ay you Foo Fighters, yes?”
This guy needed to be hit with a clue by four. I sighed and stirred my drink before meeting his gaze firmly. “I appreciate the offer, but I have a boyfriend, and I’m not interested.”
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped. “The lady said she’s taken.” I never thought I’d be happy to hear Dominic’s voice. To me, he said, “Hi, honey. Sorry I’m late. Are you ready to move to our table?”
Gratefully, I nodded, sliding off the stool. As badly as I wanted to never see or talk to Dominic again for the rest of my life, he momentarily seemed to be the lesser evil.
“Thank you,” I said when we sat down. Even though I blamed him for this entire mess, I could be gracious. Sort of.
“No problem. I’m glad you changed your mind about having dinner with me.”
I snorted. “You’re incorrigible. I’m not having dinner with you.”
“Oh, no? You want me to get up, give my seat to your friend over there? What was his name again?”
“Shut up. I appreciate you rescuing me. Even though I hate needing rescue.”
“It’s a different culture here. You just need to be firm. You’re too nice. I should’ve known better than to leave you alone.”
Briefly, I wondered if I were too nice to throw my cocktail in his face. Except, after the long day, I needed the drink.
“Smile,” Dominic said. “You’re in love with me, remember? The other men in the bar are looking at us.”
I showed him my teeth in what probably could not be accurately described as a smile. “Have I mentioned lately that I hate you?”
“Not in so many words, but this seems like the perfect time for a relationship post mortem, doesn’t it? I’m an ass, I treated you horribly, and I deserve to be strung up the nearest flagpole by my testicles.”
Laughter burst out of me, filling the room. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but Danielle may have a different point of view.”
“Danielle already got my nuts in the divorce. She can do whatever she wants with them.”
“She’s wonderful,” I said. “How could you cheat on her?”
Sweet Reality Page 13