Page 13 of Falling Overboard

Chapter Five

Hunter

Lucky had been watching me. It hadn’t been my imagination or wishful thinking. And it seemed like it had been against her will, like she was trying not to. When she disappeared a part of me hoped that it was some kind of silent invitation.

I tried to figure out just how long I had to wait before following her down to our cabin without appearing creepy. I would much rather hang with her than anyone else here, but I (1) didn’t want to freak her out and (2) had to follow that idiotic nonfraternization rule.

The rules didn’t say that she and I couldn’t be friends. Who couldn’t use another friend?

I just had to be sure that I didn’t think too much about how we’d met. There was a switch in me that flipped when I saw someone in need. Especially someone dealing with the same issues my sister Harper had. My heart twinged as I thought of her. I wondered if the grief of losing her would ever go away.

Our cabin was empty, which surprised me. Maybe I had misread the situation and she wasn’t interested. I wondered where she had wandered off to but decided I was not going to be a stalker and would not go looking for her.

Instead I got ready for bed and climbed into my bunk. I pulled the blanket up to my chest and started scrolling through my phone. I knew I was completely addicted—one of my therapists had told me that social media gave people with ADHD hits of dopamine. I supposed that was one good thing about coming here. I couldn’t compulsively be on my phone all day.

Then the other good thing about being here walked in through our door.

“Hi,” she said, sounding nervous. Her gaze kept dipping down to my shoulders. Did she like what she saw or was she bothered that I didn’t have a shirt on?

“Hey.” I put my phone down. She was far more interesting. “I thought you said you were going to bed.”

I grimaced. She was definitely going to think I was a stalker.

Her gaze came back up to my face and she flushed slightly, like she was embarrassed that she’d been staring. Interesting.

“I was. I am.” She fumbled her words and I thought her flustered reaction was adorable.

“Where have you been?”

“I was fixing the guest cabins. Emilie didn’t do a very good job. There’s clean and then there’s superyacht clean. Every surface has to be polished, buffed, and detailed to the highest degree possible. There was dust everywhere. Streaks on the shower door. The gold-plated fixtures hadn’t been properly dried, which could lead to serious damage.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m not a gossipy kind of person. She just gives me twice as much work to do.”

Friends. I could do this. “Why don’t you say something to her?”

“It doesn’t do much good.”

I heard her collapse onto her own bunk.

“Couldn’t you speak to the captain?”

“No, because she’s his niece. He wants us to rehabilitate her and teach her how to work, and so far she spends all of her time on her phone and she’s completely exhausting and I have no idea how I’msupposed to motivate or teach her. She’s so unreliable. She’s like an airline in person form.”

I stuck my phone under my thigh, making sure I wouldn’t accidentally pick it up since it bothered her. I wasn’t sure what to say and so I decided to channel my therapist. “That sounds rough.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be complaining to you. That’s not the kind of person I am.”

“No, you seem like the kind of person who likes to bottle things up until you have a panic attack.”

My teasing worked and she laughed. The sound made my chest feel warm. “Thank you. I needed to laugh.”

“I aim to please.”

Then I didn’t let my brain get distracted by the many ways that I could offer to please Lucky. It was entirely inappropriate.

She didn’t respond and suddenly stood, grabbed something from her drawer, and went into the bathroom. Was that a hint to leave her alone?

The only thing that distracted me more than my phone was a pretty girl, and Lucky was gorgeous. I’d already seen that French guy make a pass at her. I wondered if she spent her time pushing men overboard after they hit on her.

My phone buzzed under my leg. I pulled it out and saw a message from my mom. It was another long explanation as to why they thought I wasn’t responsible enough to start up a residential center in Harper’s memory, that they loved me and wanted to support me, but given my track record ...

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