This isn’t exactly as romantic as I envisioned, but he’s right. We have a timetable to keep if we don’t want to be left behind.
“Wait. Let’s do something unexpected. What if we run off together and ditch the ship? Let’s fly away and do something fun and daring.”
“We could.” Jordan gathers the picnic basket and slings the blanket over his shoulder. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be a vagabond like you. Explore the world together.”
“Let’s do it.” Jordan tilts his head toward the waiting chopper, and we walk toward it. “You pick and let me know.”
My mind is brimming with ideas. By the time the helicopter lands near the harbor, I’ve designed an around-the-world itinerary.
Of course, travel requires funds, which means I have to figure out how I can work and travel at the same time.
“How long do you usually stay at each place?” I ask Jordan as we approach the ship.
“Varies. A week, a month. Depends on the situation.”
“You mean, depends on the woman you’re entertaining. Do you really live off them? Because if we’re going to be together, we’ll have to share costs. I have to work.”
“I was kidding about the women. I actually have a real job, but I can figure out something.”
My heart swells with relief that he’s not really a gigolo. “Okay, then let’s do it. We’ll make it up as we go.”
“Sounds great.” He beckons toward the gangway where cruisers are returning from their excursions. “Shall we get on or did you want to leave?”
“Since we’re here, we might as well pick up our luggage. We still have another hour at port, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do.” He steers me up the gangway with his hand on the small of my back.
I’m so excited I chitter-chatter the entire time while we wait in line to embark. I’ve never done anything spur of the moment, but for the first time in my life, I feel truly free. I don’t even care about impressing Stephen or showing that I’m over him, because I no longer care to get revenge by living well.
I’m doing it for myself—and hopefully for Jordan, by letting him know he belongs to me and he means the world to me.
“Have you decided where our first stop should be?” Jordan asks once we’re on board.
“I want to try anime voice-over. Maybe Japan or Singapore. I can still do audiobooks on the side, but these days, I need a male partner to be competitive for the romance books I read.”
“Hmmm.” He strokes his chin. “Then I better go make a few arrangements.”
“Are you going to pack your stuff or do you want me to wait for you?”
“You go ahead and pack,” he says, bending over to kiss me. “I have to make arrangements. Get my last paycheck and buy our tickets.”
“Great. I’m so excited.” I hug him, bouncing on my toes. “This is the beginning of a new adventure.”
“New and wonderful. Like you.”
We kiss, but time draws short, so I let him go and turn toward my cabin.
Chapter 16
I zip up my carry-on and wonder what to do about my luggage. Will the cruise ship help me disembark or will I have to lug it by myself? Or should I wait for Jordan to help me?
His things are still scattered around our cabin, and he also has stuff next door where he’d been staying in Sven’s old room.
I check my watch and my anxiety kicks in. If Jordan doesn’t hurry back, he’s not going to have a chance to pack.
Maybe I should do it for him.
After all, we’re going to be starting a new life together. It’s not like I’m going through his things or being nosy.
I grab a gym bag and go into the small bathroom. Half of his toiletries were contaminated with glue, teething gel, denture powder, and lube, so I toss them in the wastebasket.
I stuff whatever clothes he left into a duffel and sweep all of his miscellaneous bags and packages into his suitcase. With fifteen minutes to go, I roll and push the luggage out to the corridor and knock on the door to Sven’s room, in case Jordan is back.
The door swings open, and my heart stops in my throat.
Instead of Jordan, it’s Stephen.
“What are you doing here?” My head whips around wildly, and I almost pinch myself, wondering what nightmare I woke up in.
Stephen puts his hands on my shoulders and beams at me like he’s still my fiancé and happy to see me. “Dani, I’ve got good news for you.”
“Good news?” My jaw has rug burns from scraping the floor. “I don’t get it. I didn’t know you were on board.”
“You weren’t supposed to know. Will you now apologize for embarrassing me at my bachelor party?”
“Whoa, wait. I don’t have time to chat. I apologize. Everything.” I back away from him and wobble down the hallway with my luggage, Jordan’s duffel bag, and his suitcase.
Stephen grabs my bags and instead of helping me, he drags them toward an elevator. “I have a penthouse suite for us. On the top deck with an expansive ocean view. We’re having dinner with the captain tonight. Let me call for a bellhop to transfer your luggage. I’m so glad you passed my test.”
“But, wait, I’m …” My eyes dart up and down the corridor, but there’s no one other than a family returning from an excursion.
The ship’s horn blows its last call. There’s no way I’m going back with Stephen. Not now. Not after all the bridges we burned. Not with the way I feel about Jordan and the unpredictable life we’ll have.
I yank my carry-on from Stephen and run.
“Excuse me. Excuse me.” I push past people and whirl around at every tall man with dark hair, expecting Jordan’s lopsided grin.
By the time I get to the gangway, it’s already retracted, and the ship is pulling away from the dock.
“Jordan!” I yell. “Jordan. Where are you?”
I hear a loud snicker behind me and find Alice and Sylvester hanging near the railing.
“What’s wrong?” Sylvester asks. “You lost Jordan?”
“I was supposed to run off with him. He was supposed to meet me on the dock. I …”
By now, a crowd of acquaintances are gathered around. The fortieth-year reunion group, the Singaporean men’s water polo team, and the women I met doing yoga and crafts.
“Never mind.” My spirits deflate like a used hot air balloon. I rush to the railing and lean over, squinting at the scattering of people waving from the dock.
Jordan is standing at the end of the berth. Our gazes meet, but he doesn’t wave or shout. He’s still and stands alone, unmoving like a sentinel.
I stare after him until my eyes blur and I can no longer make him out.
What happened? Did he take too long with the arrangements he was making and miss the boat?
Or did he dump me on purpose?
My head reels, and my stomach turns as I sit in the dining hall surrounded by my tablemates.
The man I wanted to forget is on board the ship. I can’t believe he ambushed me and has the gall to act like everything’s forgiven and we’re back on track.
Meanwhile, the man I want to remember is left behind without explanation. I rack my brain for reasons, but I draw a blank each time. Only a few hours ago, we were on the mountaintop, excited and giddy about our future together. I was completely healed from my busted wedding and looking forward to a new life.
Now, I’m back to square one with a bigger hole in my heart and no idea what went wrong.
I have no appetite, so I pick at my food as I sit at the table. My mind replays the scene of Jordan standing at the cruise ship dock, fading smaller and smaller until he was nothing but a dot.
Maybe he saw Stephen get on the ship and decided to bow out. Or Stephen told him to back off, that he wanted me back.
But that would mean Jordan didn’t care about me.
My stomach churns and my heart twists. Jordan had acted strangely on the mountaintop, but then, the chopper was bearin
g down on us, and he didn’t want us to miss the boat.
“You did the right thing, telling him how you feel,” Joy says, sitting on my right side. “Something must have come up. He’s waiting for you back there. I’m sure of it.”
“I feel so bad for you,” Sheri says on my left side. “He obviously couldn’t handle the real deal. You’re better off without him. I’ve had several close calls, and I’m happy they didn’t work out.”
“It still hurts.” I stare at the empty chair and place setting. “I never should have trusted him.”
“There must be some good explanation,” Joy says, always the optimist. “There’s no love without trust.”
“Only if there’s love in the first place,” Sheri counters. “You should have tested him before you gave him your heart.”
“Tested?” The word bounces around my brain as I drop my fork. “Someone else just now told me I passed their test.”
“Test? As in an examination?” Sylvester asks. “In what subject? Shuffleboard?”
Alice elbows him. “They’re talking about testing a relationship.”
“Why would they take tests for a relationship?” Sylvester blinks.
“You test bridges, don’t you?” Alice instructs her brother. “You test software and rocket ships. It’s common sense.”
“Apparently something I don’t have.” I heave a stale breath and push away from the table. “Thanks for commiserating with me, but I need to be alone.”
I march out of the dining area, needing fresh air. I can’t understand why Jordan would walk out on me, but at the same time, his last words to me now sound like a warning.
He wants me to remember him as he was on the Maui mountaintop, not the ghostly image standing forlornly on the pier as the ship sailed away.
Why?
“Ah, there you are.” Stephen’s voice sounds as slick as grease on a suckling pig. “My beautiful fiancée.”
“That I’m not.” I try to shake away from him, but he takes my arm and steers me toward the promenade deck.
“You’re always so poised,” he whispers in my ear. “Don’t make a scene and embarrass us.”
But I’m in no mood for a leisurely stroll. Not when every question in my mind has to do with Jordan. The island-hopping part of the cruise is finished, and we’ll be out at sea for the next few days on our return trip to California.
“I thought you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing to do with me,” I say under my breath. “What’s this test you were talking about?”
Stephen’s nose twitches like a rat inhaling pungent cheese fumes. He grins and for the first time, I notice how gappy his teeth are. “Let’s just say you’re the woman I want for the rest of my life. You stayed loyal to me, despite being tempted every which way.”
“I stayed loyal to you?” My voice bounces from the tip of my tongue two octaves too high. I can’t in a million years figure this one out. Not when my express purpose for this cruise was to wipe him out of my life by showing the world how much fun I would have without him.
“True. You were a little crazy right after I cancelled our wedding,” Stephen says as if he’s a therapist and I’m lying helplessly on a couch. “That’s expected. I figured you’d run and hide, so I cut you some slack. But you didn’t take it too far, other than the vibrator in the mouth selfie.”
“Sounds like that disqualifies me for any position with you,” I say as drolly as I can. What fantasy land does my wannabe politician live on? “I’m obviously a loose cannon who can’t be trusted.”
He tilts his head back and laughs. “After your cake-jumping video went viral, I realized something. I got a lot of free publicity and sympathy. My future approval rating skyrocketed and my name was in everyone’s mouth. These days, with reality TV stars running for office left and right, anything done to draw attention is a gift in terms of news cycles.”
“The last thing I want is a viral video.” I remember how dismissive Jordan was with that kind of aspiration. “I can’t think of anything worse than you parading me around while running for office.”
Stephen tilts my chin up to force me to gaze into his manipulative eyes. “You’d be a great distraction from the real issues and gain valuable name recognition for me, as well as solidarity from husbands and boyfriends all over the country.”
I have advice for him to improve his political brand instead of using me. “You’d do better to wear mascara on your eyelashes. Wear sequined bodysuits and go for the big-haired, Elvis look. Or get a trademark tattoo or piercings railroaded over your face.”
He fluffs my hair, flinging it up and out. “That’s for you to do, be notorious. I can be your straight man while you play ‘spin the news cycle.’ You’re pretty good at that. I saw you waltz out of the Yuletide Ball with such flair. And the way you play shuffleboard, like a bendy pretzel? We can be so good together.”
He wiggles his almost invisible eyebrows as if we share a secret joke.
He’s a joke all right, and one I’m not laughing at. There is no way I want to be stuck in a charade with my ex. What does he think I am, a boomerang?
“How did you know what I’ve been up to?” I back away from him in horror. “You were on board this ship watching me? How did I not see you?”
“Easy. I wore a cruise line uniform. Hiding in plain sight.”
“You were spying on me?”
“Only because I love you so much and wanted to be sure I had your loyalty.” He reaches for me, and I duck under his armpit to walk around to his other side. “Like they say, love isn’t love until it’s tested,” he says with a smug voice.
“And how exactly did you test me, other than spying on me?” My face heats and my stomach curls at the thought he must have seen me kissing Jordan. Did he not count that as disloyal?
“I hired a man to seduce you. Maybe he’s not your type, but—”
“You hired a man? Who?” I stop in my tracks and gape at him, even as my stomach twists into knots, because it’s obvious he means Jordan.
“Two guys, actually. Plan A and B,” Stephen says. “Sven had a go at you first, but you didn’t pick up on it. When Jordan gave it a shot, I thought I was a goner. But you saw through him, didn’t you? He’s a trickster and a liar, and even though you kissed him like the frog he is, he never turned into a prince for you. You won my trust when you told Jordan you would not pursue a physical relationship with him.”
Everything drops with a splat, my brain, my heart, my lungs, and my dignity. I feel as squashed as a bug under a boot heel. If the girls who hated my guts in third grade could see me now, they’d be jumping up and down with joy.
It all comes snapping back together. The furtive phone calls. The feeling of being followed. The fake hilarity and the whispers, hinting of big secrets. The come-ons and the drawbacks, playing me like a fisherman reels in a fish.
Jordan was one big phony.
Jordan tricked me.
Jordan played the dirtiest prank on me ever.
Even worse, it’s Stephen who set me up for the biggest humiliation of my life—not that he knows what happened on the mountaintop, thankfully.
I push away from my conniving politician wannabe. “You’re wrong about love having to be tested. True love needs no test. We’re done. Finished.”
“I don’t agree,” he says. “We’re on track to a great start.”
“A great start? You didn’t see me kissing Jordan, did you? I was all over him.”
“You never slept with him. That I know. You flirted. True. But you resisted all his onslaughts. Jordan’s manhood took a big hit when you gave him the raspberry instead of a kiss, and that night when you fell onto your waterbed?” Stephen’s nose snuffs with wet, slurpy chuckles. “You purposely landed on the booby trap to put an end to his seduction technique, and you never gave him his Christmas present because you meant it for me.”
He pulls at his belt and shows me the Loki, double-serpent belt buckle I bought for Jordan. I should have known—doub
le serpents for double crossing.
“How did you get that?” A sinking feeling grabs me by the ankles like I’m wearing concrete boots. “Did Jordan report back to you?”
“Ah, now you catch on.” Stephen’s lab rat eyes twinkle, and his lips twist with a smirk. He takes an object out of his pocket and puts it in my hand. “Everything’s recorded.”
It’s my cell phone.
“You stole my phone?”
“Pretty easy, since I was one of the crew members who mingled at the Sail Away party.” He giggles like a mischievous kid. “Clever of me.”
He takes my arm, and we continue strolling as if we’ve not a care in the world.
I try not to cringe, and as much as I want to hurl at the news, I need to keep him talking so I can cure myself of my Jordan obsession.
I should have trusted my first instincts. Jordan’s dishonest. He plays pranks, and he enjoys embarrassing people.
If only my silly heart would stop twinging and fluttering at the way he kissed me and the false sincerity in his face as he gave me advice on being myself, on trusting my feelings, and all that hooey-pooey new age stuff.
“What exactly was Jordan’s role in all of this? What exactly is his job title?”
“Glad you asked,” Stephen says. “Jordan’s my fixer, the guy I call whenever I have a problem. He’s the one who gets his hands dirty so I can come off smelling like a rose. He’s been behind the scenes from our very first date. Remember that stalker who wouldn’t leave you alone? Jordan took care of it. Or that time a porn star tried to blackmail me. He’s been cleaning up after me since we roomed together in college.”
“How come I never met him before?” I know I’m asking a dumb question. Of course, he wouldn’t have introduced us, because he needed Jordan to be on the down low so he could weaponize him against me if needed.
“You had no need to know, or you would have been on guard.”
“You played a trick on me.” I swallow bitter bile, hating myself for being the fool.
“Actually, I killed two birds with one stone.”
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