Page 23 of Adrift

“That’s a lot of pillows.”

“And there’s more.” I touch the boxes containing pillows. “Which isn’t that big of a deal. I could order storage bags and suck the air out and put them in a coat closet or in the bilge of the boat. But it’s all the other stuff, the heavy stuff.”

“These were all marked for the salon?”

“Yes.” I shift onto my toes.

“I tell you what, let’s take them all out and just try it.”

“Okay.” I cringe inside because Shayla and I already tried it in one of the bedrooms. The bed disappeared in pillows, and the dressers and night stands didn’t have an inch of usable space left.

I turn around, and the captain is holding two brass horses. He wanders around the room, like a small child looking for Easter eggs after the teenagers have scooped them all up. “Well, this is blasted nuts. There are nine of these damn things in the box and I can’t find a spot for one that won’t kill someone if we hit a rogue wave.”

“So last night, Easton...” I hesitate. Easton is the owner’s son.

“What did he do?” The captain’s voice rumbles through me.

“He didn’t do anything. He told me that Candy wanted the crew to pick what decor to use and donate the rest.”

“That sounds like a load of trash. Why would she buy all this shit and tell us to donate it?”

“It wasn’t some mistake at the shipyard?”

“No. The deck crew had to check off the content of each box as they brought it on board.” Sam looks the boxes up and down. And he cocks a smile. “Is the younger Rockwell up?”

“Yes, Dante tried to make him breakfast, but he wouldn’t let him. He’s on the sun platform, working out. That’s what Shay said. She went up to see if he needed anything, and he said he was good, that he knew he was early and he would come find someone if he needed anything.”

“Let’s go see Easton.”

“You want me to come with you, sir?” I swallow. I’m not sure I want to be part of this conversation. I’m not one for conflict when I see it coming.

“Yes, I’m sure you can get the real answer out of him.”

“Okay.” I follow the captain up the stairs, at the exact rate that keeps my eyes off his ass.

The sundeck is gorgeous. I’ve hardly spent any time up here at all yet. There are a couple of exercise machines, a hot tub, and a bar. Shayla and I both came to the conclusion we could outfit the bar and bring up towels as we needed them.

Easton pounds the pedals of the elliptical. His skin glistens in the sun, and I try to not drool. He looks like an Olympian, well, because heisan Olympian.

Easton smiles and waves, reaching for his phone to silence his headphones. He brings the machine to a stop.

“Sorry to interrupt your workout.” The captain cocks his head back to me. “Haley tells me that Candy is being charitable and wants to donate the extra decor.”

“That’s Candy—she loves being helpful.”

“I know her, that’s why I want to confirm with you that the extra supplies are to be donated? We don’t have space for many of them, and they will end up being a safety hazard.”

“Safety hazard.” Easton smiles and then nods. “Of course, they would be too much weight.” He dries himself with a towel. A towel that he must’ve gotten for himself.

“More the flying objects. It’s a boat, not a house.”

“Yes, I would imagine Candy has forgotten that. The shipyard designers were more than happy to let her order as much as she wanted, I’m sure.”

The captain nods. “I’m going to be honest with you. I might be wrong, and maybe Candy has turned over a charitable leaf, but when we give away all this extra?—”

“—decor,” I interject. “Decor. It’s just a lot.”

“You want to make sure it comes back to me and not you or Haley or Shayla?”

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