Page 2 of Sail Me to Ruin
“What’s that look for? I don’t trust that look,” I question, hoping to get a straight answer.
“I’m just glad you’re finally excited. I was worried you would mope around, or worse, think you don’t deserve this. Now, the room on the left is yours! Freshen up and I have an outfit for you to wear to the sail away party. We have an hour or so, but it's down on the deck so we should leave a little early!” She shoos me out of the shared space and into what will be my room for the next four days.
The queen-sized bed sits in the center of the room with a folded-hand-towel swan sitting in the middle of the plush white linens.
How cute.
Gently lifting the swan off the comforter, I place it on the dresser directly in front of the bed. I toss my suitcase on the bed and unzip it to find my toiletries then head to the bathroom.
I scatter my makeup and skin care products on the counter before setting my brush and toothbrush into the fray. Setting to work to revive myself, I brush my teeth and hair. I keep my long chestnut waves loose then add winged liner to my dark eyes and powder to my cheeks to cover the shine my skin gets when it’s hot out.
Heading back into the room, I run face-first into Jade with a powder-blue outfit in her hand.
“Is that all you’re going to do for makeup?” she prods, handing over the buttery-soft outfit.
I open my mouth to respond but she holds her hand up, cutting me off.
“Go put the dress and some lipstick on. We’re trying to get you a man, being plain doesn’t always work, babe. Come on!”
She shoves me into the bathroom, and I strip out of my athleisure outfit, praying that she picked a dress that compliments me and not her.
I love her to pieces, but her style and mine are not the same.
I shimmy into the dress, loving the soft material against my skin. Looking into the mirror, I find it’s slightly shorter and tighter than I’d prefer, clinging to my thighs like a second skin. However, it is flattering.
The thick straps and sweetheart neckline give my figure a boost in ways I didn’t know I needed. I turn around and make sure there are no panty lines, and to my surprise, there aren’t.
I search the counter for my lipsticks and pick up a baby pink shade that I always use for work.
As I go to apply, Jade’s voice startles me. “Elodie Rose! Don’t youdarewear that pink! For God’s sake use something different.”
The comment makes me chuckle as I set the color down, swapping it for a dark mocha shade that pops against my caramel complexion. I touch up the corners of my lips, making sure the color is within the lines before stepping out.
“DAMN, BABE! I did good!” Jade praises her choice, making me giggle as I nod my head in agreement.
“You’re right, babe, you did good. Now, enough of tooting your own horn, we need to go so we aren’t late.” I usher her out of my bedroom, grab the room key she placed on the dresser, and slide my sandals on.
“Let’s go!”
I sigh and take in her outfit as she runs across the shared space. She’s wearing a light pink halter top and a black leather mini skirt with heels that don’t feel safe for a cruise.
Jade has the looks and build of a modern day Barbie doll, so she’s able to pull off almost any outfit and look drop-dead gorgeous.
She takes my empty hand and hauls ass out of the room with impressive speed given her choice in shoes. She practically drags me down the maze of hallways and elevators until we reach the grand atrium. There are already other passengers gathered around in the massive space.
Jade weaves us through the crowd to get closer to the front of the room and I mutter apologies to every person we pass. Once we hit the point where we can’t get closer, she finally stops and releases my hand.
Looking up, I stare at the elevators made of glass that refract the light off the chandelier above us. The whole room is covered in windows so the port is visible all around us and I notice there’s people milling around the deck, still making their way over.
I click my phone on to check the time and if I have any notifications. It’s five minutes until the meeting begins and the notification makes me nauseous.
Mom
I hope that you have fun on your trip escaping reality. Some of us don't get that luxury.
Nope. Absolutely not, screw that.
I lock the screen as Jade looks my way, arching a brow to see if I’ll say anything. I shake my head and turn to look in front of us where members of the crew have gathered on a small stage. Jadegives me a pointed look that tells me we will be talking about that later.
