Page 38 of The Bosun

All eyes were on me as Ophelia spoke. A giant lump formed in my throat at what they’d think of me now. We still had half the season left, and I had to work and live with them. My dick had gotten me into trouble.

“Oh please, you’re just jealous and wish it was your pants he was getting into,” Jolene stepped closer with her shoulders squared off to O. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, including you, could feel something happening between them from day one. I, for one, am happy if there was a love connection.”

“Oh my God.” O’s tone dripped with disgust as she narrowed her eyes at her steward. “Stop living in a fairytale world. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend. Your head is living in La-La land.”

“Alright, O, you need to back off the girls. It’s me you’re really mad at, so don’t take it out on them. Kylie and Jolene, please come over here for a second.” I wanted Ophelia to know she wasn’t included in my little powwow with the others. She huffed and went about unfolding the chairs and setting them up around the table.

“Girls, I don’t want to lie to you, and that was never my intention. Something did happen between Stella and me.” Their eyes lit up with happiness, and it killed me that I was going to extinguish the light. “I love that you’re happy for me or us or whatever, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for us. Ophelia is trying to kill any chance I have.”

Kylie’s brows furrowed. “Of course, she is. Well, I, for one, am not going to let her win. I’ll get Stella off to the side and tell her not to listen to O.”

These girls were too sweet.

“Don’t do that. It will probably make it worse. She’s leaving tomorrow, and we’re not docked, so our time together is over.”

“Yeah, she’s leaving tomorrow. Do you want her to think you’re a total douchebag for the rest of her life?”

“I wouldn’t care if it were true, but she’s lying to Stella to keep her away from me.” I shook my head. Why was I telling them all this? It would likely only cause problems, and I didn’t need more. “I shouldn’t be airing all my dirty laundry to you, but I want you to know not to believe everything O says. Especially about me.”

“We got the memo loud and clear. Unfortunately, we have to be civil to her because she’s our boss and can make our lives a living hell.”

“Oh, I understand that all too well. I hooked up with O early on in my first season, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Trust me, unless she drugs me, it will never happen again.”

‘Wow,’ they mouthed.

I clapped my hands, letting them know our talk was over. I was sure they’d love to drag more information out of me, but I was done. “Alright, let’s get back to work and make this the best picnic we’ve ever had.”

After that, we all worked quietly and as fast as possible so we could retrieve our guests and get on with the hot day. For the first time in this charter, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Stella. I let Scout and Owen go back to the boat to pick them up while I helped with the last-minute details of the setup. The atmosphere was charged with hostility coming from O. She was snapping orders at her girls left and right and sending daggers my way. I wasn’t sure what she thought was going to happen. Did she really think I was going to let her spout her lies about me and do nothing?

Once done and waiting for the guys to be back with the guests, I pulled O to the side so the other two girls wouldn’t overhear.

“What do you want?” She wouldn’t look at me as she stood with her hands on her hips.

“You gave me no choice but to tell them thetruth. I wasn’t going to say anything to Jolene and Kylie.” I was, but she didn’t need to know the timetable.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” O turned to me with her narrowed gaze all but drilling into me. “All I’ve said was the truth from day one.”

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t yell at her. My fists opened and closed as I tried to rein myself in. “While I don’t know everything you’ve said, I’ve heard some, and what I’ve heard has no founding. You blatantly lied.”

O got in my face, poking my chest with her fingernail with each word she spoke. “Don’t believe all the precious words coming out of her mouth. It’s her who’s lying to you.”

Throwing my head back, I laughed. O had no idea that I had overheard her talking to Stella. “She didn’t tell me anything.” Her lips parted, probably ready to spew more lies, but I was done. “No one said a word to me. It was my own two ears that caught your lies, and I’m here to tell you that it needs to stop. I don’t want my name on your lips ever again, do you hear me? I will make your life a living hell if I even catch wind that you’ve said my name in any manner that isn’t involved directly with work.”

An ugly smirk spread across her face. “And I can go to the Captain and get you fired.”

“Do it. Unlike you, I have other skill sets besides what lies on that boat. I’ve got bigger aspirations than being a Bosun for the rest of my life.”

Ophelia let out a frustrated noise and stomped off.

On the horizon, I could see Owen and Scout bringing our guests and braced for impact. I wasn’t sure if I’d made things worse with O or if she’d keep her big mouth shut. At this point, I couldn’t say. It was like she was living in an alternate timeline where we’d been together ever since our one-time hookup.

Turning back to the girls, they quickly went back to work as if they hadn’t likely heard every word O and I had spoken. I didn’t care. All I had was my pride, and there wasn’t much of that since my time in the military, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take what I had away.

None of the women looked my way as Scout and Owen helped them off the boat and onto the shore. As the guests were served drinks, Scout came over to me, his lips set in a fine line.

“What the hell happened while we were away?”

Keeping my eyes on Stella, who was avoiding me at all costs, I gave Scout the shortened version. “I had to set O straight. She’d been telling lies about me to the girls and the guests. I called her out on it and told her under no circumstance did I want to hear my name come out of her mouth to anyone or I’d go to the Captain.”

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