Page 61 of Uncharted

“Pizza’s a serious business.” I laugh.

“Right, the red and white one it is.” She sashays out of my galley.

And I’m about to turn and follow her when I realize I’ve got things to do. I’m working on getting a chocolate cake together. I’ve got to get it in and out of the grill before I turn the heat up for the pizza stones. I’m not sure it will work, but why not try?

Two hours in, and I’m almost done. I’m not going to do this every day. I know there are things I could be doing to help the Rock Candy be seaworthy again. Unlike Easton and Haley, I’ve done some work around boats before. But we need to celebrate, and a celebration needs food.

I’ve snuck the cake back to the galley without Haley seeing. It’s a bit of a mess, but it’s not burnt, and with the canned frosting from the crew galley, no one will notice. I’m not one for using boxed food, but it’s here and shelf stable.

It’s hotter than hell in the decks below, but the galley has a bit of a cross breeze, so I risk it and frost the cake. I’ve got a friend watching me. “Chocolate is bad for dogs.” I lower my head to Penny and give her a stale cracker. Then I put a large bowl over the cake to both hide it and keep it safe from the dog. She goes down on her belly, her soulful eyes begging up at me. “No. No chocolate for you.” I take all the supplies for the pizza on a tray, and she trots after me. “Hey, Sassy. Are you almost ready? I’ve got the last pizza on the grill now. Holy crap on a cracker, that’s amazing.”

Haley’s done the table up in a cozy Italian restaurant style. There’s a garland of leaves and fake lemons along the middle of the table, surrounded by mini tea lights, their fake flames flickering. In front of the checkered plates are wine and water goblets.

“It’s so weird how I hadn’t missed ice, but now I can’t stop thinking about it.” Haley straightens a water goblet.

“It’s the glasses, and it’s a lot warmer on the ship than back at camp.”

“True.”

“Have you seen anyone else?” I ask. “I’m ready if you are?”

“I think so.” She’s staring at the table. “I haven’t seen anyone. They must all be in the engine room. I’ll go grab them.” Haley heads down to the swim platform, taking the back way to the engine room through the toy hauler space. I remember what Zane said about his guys taking off from the aft. I have no clue what happened after the boat listed hard and I bashed my head. The next thing I remember is waking up to the smell of fish guts on the raft. But I do remember flying across the galley. If we were listing that hard, I can’t see how anyone could have made it through the toy hauler garage. It’s full of large bulky things, most with sharp edges, and fuel cans. Fuck, no way would I have gone through there. No matter how much money it was.

I made three pizzas. Honestly, I wasn’t sure the yeast was going to work, and I didn’t want to waste flour turning it into a brick if the yeast didn’t proof.

“Damn.” Zane’s the first to the table, but the rest of the guys aren’t far behind. I’ve got one eye on the dog, the other on everyone sitting down.

“Wow, Firefly, this is amazing.” Easton gives her a quick kiss. “How did you do this so fast?”

“Thanks.” She hugs him back. “How’s the patch look?”

Sam trudges up the steps. “Good. Calvin’s getting changed out of his wets, then he’ll be right up.”

“Do you want me to go get him?” Haley looks at me.

“No, Sassy. You’re the last person who should go get the Viking when he’s changing out of his clothes. I’ll do it. Pour the wine and watch the dog.” I’m down the stairs and at his cabin. “Green, hurry up,” I say. There’s a weird noise coming out of his cabin. The door’s cracked. I give it a light tap, and it eases open enough that I see Green sitting away from the door, his shoulders hunched. He’s crying—or at least, I think he is. I back away through the crew galley to the back stairs, and this time I come down harder, hitting each step as I do. When I pass the laundry room, I slam the door. “Hey, Green, when you’re ready, I’ve made pizza. We’re having wine and beer, and I’m surprising Sassy with a chocolate cake for dessert.” I stop short of his door.

“Great, good. I’ll be right up.” His voice echoes through the hall.

“Don’t take too long. Haley will miss you.”

He laughs. “I’ll be there. You can start without me.”

“Nope, we’re family, we eat together. Get your ass upstairs.”

His dark blond head ducks out of his door. “Thanks, Dante.”

“For what?” I nudge him with my elbow.

He nods and takes the stairs two at a time.

Chapter28

Grog

Sam

“Want me to help pour the wine, Haley?” I ask.

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