Page 10 of Adrift

“True.” Haley hesitates.

“There you go. I knew I could drag it out of you. On a scale of one to ten?—”

“No.” Haley is keeping it professional. Charlie was right about her. I might even tell him.

I pull the strip back on the stair and reposition it. And I miss what Shayla says next.

“Fine,” Haley continues. “Ten.”

“Seriously? I’ve had that shit, and you can keep it. Four.”

I’m not a teenager, and I shouldn’t be listening to them.And I’m not, I lie to myself,I’m fixing the steps.

“Zane?”

“Ten,” Haley says.

“Really. I’d say eight, but I also wouldn’t say no.” Shayla laughs. What about Waldo?”

“Pass.”

“No fair, you can’t pass. “

“I told you I need to have a feeling about a guy first. Or at least have had a conversation with him.”

“Okay, I can accept that. I’d actually give Waldo an eight.” A spoon clicks, and Shayla continues. “What about the captain?”

“Ten,” Haley answers quickly.

“Okay, okay, I’m liking the rapid-fire answer. I’m going to go wide open ten.”

“Wide open? Shay?”

“I’d suck him off. Wide open.”

I cringe. I’ve officially lost it. The step is fixed. My coffee cup is back in my hand. What the hell am I doing hiding on the stairs? I stomp the last six steps around the corner.

“Ladies,” I say without making eye contact. I head straight to the fresh pot of coffee and pour myself a cup. I take a sip. It’s better than I’ve had on board since we launched. “This is good. Did one of you make it?”

“I did, Captain.” Haley’s face is bright red when I turn around. She’s obviously wondering if I heard their conversation. And embarrassed. It’s adorable. And while having sex with either of them won’t ever be happening—they’re a good ten years younger than me and I’m their boss—Haley is exactly the kind of woman I liked when I was her age. Until my ex-wife convinced me otherwise.

I glance at Shayla. That’s it. I hadn’t seen the similarity before, but Shayla looks a lot like Jenifer—my former wife. The girl I should have left alone.

“Well, it’s perfect. Thanks.” I lean on the counter. I should head back to the bridge, but watching them both squirm in discomfort is way too much fun. “How are the cabins coming?”

Haley looks up from her notebook, where she’s been studying something underlined in thick blue pen. “Uh, good. I think after we finish our yogurt, we’re moving on to the main salon and the back sundeck.”

“Excellent. Brianna should be here early afternoon. Around the same time as Chef.”

“Oh, that’s good. But I was really hoping to get some of the boxes of dishes out of the galley before he showed up.” Haley scribbles something else on her pad.

“We can get it done.” Shayla gives Haley a tap with her elbow and gets up, taking both their dishes to the sink. “Ready, boss?”

“Yup.”

The two of them head up the stairs I just came down.

I find some bread and plop it in the toaster. Haley’s notebook catches my eye, and I spin it around to take a look. The Snooping Union is going to track me down and send me a union dues slip anytime now. What did she underline? I skim the page to where her pen has dug a canal in the paper. It reads:Focus on safety and the guest experience—the rest is temporary.

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