Page 29 of Adrift

“I’m having a margarita on the pool deck.” No way would she drink on charter. While we aren’t underway, we still have a guest on board.

I laugh.

“I was taking a little nap, but I’m getting up now,” she says a second later. “I’ll be in the crew mess.”

“Copy, I’ll meet you there.”

I step down onto the second landing, and Zane is coming up. We meet in the same spot where we collided two days ago.

“We’ve got to stop running into each other like this.”

I smile at his cheesy line. He’s cute, and his tousled hair is sexy in a don’t-care way. “Wow, you’re in a good mood.”

“What?”

“I’ve just never seen you smile like that. I’m glad. You’re doing such an amazing job with the ship. You and Shayla. The third is . . . well, you need to meet her, and judge for yourself.”

“She’s here. I’m going to go wake Sleeping Beauty up now.”

“Sleeping Beauty?” Easton has come out of his room. He’s got a shirt on now, covering up his Olympian body. Which is good because he’d be a total distraction for Shayla. And we don’t need two distracted stews.

“Hey, thanks for your help.” Zane pats Easton on the back.

“No worries, man. Cardio and strength at the same time is a bonus. And we got the boxes off before the wildebeest arrives.” Easton holds running shoes in his hand. “I’m going to go for a run now. But let me know if you need anything else.” He winks at me and strolls to the gangplank off the rear deck.

I turn to Zane after Easton is out of earshot. “You guys are done?”

“Yeah, in fact, I’m just coming back from taking the last load of boxes to the dock. The harbor master is donating them to a charity shop that supports the local hospital.”

“Well, that’s cool. I’m going to go find Shayla. Thanks for your help.”

“We’re all a team. Especially this season, with the owner’s new wife being such a jealous weirdo.”

“Thanks Zane, I really appreciate it.”

He takes off, and I just stop for a minute. Have I ended up not on the other side of the world but in an alternate universe where most of the men are not only good-looking but reasonable? This didn’t happen in the Caribbean, did it?

I take the spiral steps slowly down to the crew mess. No, I distinctly remember a bosun from two seasons ago telling me if he wanted to be a dishwasher, he would have applied to be a low-ass stew. There’s something in the water here.

I round the corner. And Shayla stands above Brianna with a knife in her hand.

“What’s going on?” I scream.

Chapter 13

Melee

Calvin

Iam running toward the crew mess. Brianna screams and then Shayla. Their voices blur together. Someone screeches like a monkey, and I pick up speed. Things have been tense the whole season, and we haven’t even gotten truly underway yet. But Brianna isn’t helping things, that’s for sure.

Haley blurts something out on the radio, but I’m so darn close it just echoes with a high pitch between her set and my ears.

Haley holds Shayla’s wrist, and a knife spins on the floor. It flashes with reflections of the lights as it spins. Brianna has backed herself into the corner of the bench.

“What’s going on?” I flick my gaze between the three stews.

“Calvin, secure Shayla,” Haley grunts out.

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