Page 14 of Adrift

Shayla points. “If she thinks she can steal a single inch of my closet, she’s going to have another think coming.” Shayla tosses back an energy drink and shoots the empty can in a perfect arc into the bin.

“I’m going back to work.” I smile at Haley and nod to Shayla.

“Since when do you work, mate?” Shayla mocks me.

I pat her on the back and do the same to Haley. Damn, touching her sends sparks through my body.

I climb the stairs. Even though she’s two decks away, I can hear Brianna’s voice. She’s loud. Like a mom-rooting-for-her-son-at-a-friendly-Saturday-afternoon-match-when-she’s-had-a-few-too-many-drinks loud. Come to think of it, she smelled like alcohol too.

Chapter 7

Mess

Haley

Itry not to watch Zane’s perfect ass go up the stairs.

“It’s a good one, isn’t it?” Shayla’s looking too.

I wrap up the rest of my sandwich and put it in the fridge. Shayla is one of those people whom you love or want to strangle, depending on the minute. I know after only a day with her I’m going to be friends with her forever. When she suggested we come down for lunch, I wasn’t going to eat. But then she made me a sandwich. How could I pass it up?

Shockingly, I never finished my complete tour of the ship. Shayla and I got wrapped up finishing the owner’s suite yesterday and today. We’ve gone from the back portico straight through to the main salon.

“You want to head back to the main salon? I’m going to go up to the wheelhouse and introduce myself to Brianna.”

“Will do, boss.” Shayla salutes me and heads up the stairs.

I gather my notes and stare at the luggage. Brianna really thinks she’s a guest. Why in the world would she need two giant bags and more? And where the heck is she going to put it all?I spent a few minutes yesterday during lunch checking out her social media, and after two minutes I closed it. And I shouldn’t be shocked by the giant bags.

In the wheelhouse, Brianna is sitting on the bench on the far wheel. She’s swinging her legs, but a flash of beige and bright orange on the far side of the captain’s chair catches my attention. A step forward reveals a goldendoodle wearing an orange life vest. The dog is glaring at Brianna.

“Oh, who is this?—”

“I’m Brianna.” She cocks her head at me.

But I’m after the furry goodness next to the chair.

“Oh, that’s my best mate,” the captain says.

“Thanks,” Anders, the first officer, pipes up from the corner of the bridge. I didn’t see him either. His head has popped up from under the control panel, his feet sticking out into the middle of the room. I bite at my lip, wondering why the first officer is under the control panel of a brand new mega yacht. It doesn’t build confidence in theRock Candyfor me.

“I’m going to have to get my vision checked,” I say. “I didn’t see the dog at first.”

“That’s Penny, ranking of first dog.” Anders laughs.

Dropping to my knees, I hold out my hand to let Penny have a sniff. She licks the side of my hand, and I scratch her behind her ears. “It’s nice to meet you,” I whisper into her fluffy curls.

The captain folds his arms over his chest, and his forehead scrunches up. Penny gives me an odd look too. “Wow. She likes you.”

Penny lies on her side.

“The feeling is mutual. It’s so awesome to have a dog on board. Dogs relieve so much stress for their owners.” I scratch her behind her ear, and her back leg thumps. “I bet she’s such a good girl.” I glance over at Captain Sam and Anders. Interesting, they’re looking at me like I’ve grown a second head. “What?”

Anders cocks his head. “It’s just Penny is particular about who she likes and who she doesn’t.”

“Yeah, dogs like me. All animals, actually.” I shrug it off and try not to think about my own dog. Well, she was Steven’s dog, but with us both working on ships so much, he gave her to his parents and then they moved back to New Jersey. He never really liked Ginger, said she wasn’t a real dog. Just because she was a mutt. I should have known then what an ass Steven was. Luckily, I like Barbara, his mom, enough not to worry about Ginger. I still miss her, though.

“I don’t like dogs.” Brianna is cowering on the bench. “One bit me when I was little.”

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