Page 104 of Tell No Lies

We followed him over as the group gathered. He stood at the front with Tony and Caleb. Slowly, the group quieted and waited expectantly for them to speak.

“Alright, the boats have been figured out, and a text was sent with the names of who’s on Tony’s and who’s on Caleb’s. Did everyone get that?”

Everyone nodded. They were much more organized than I’d expected.

“Great. Both boats are at the Balboa Marina, and we got approval to leave five cars there, so we have to carpool. Let’s figure that out. Group up with who you’re planning on driving with, and we’ll go from there.”

Talia grabbed each of us and called for Cassie to join. “You’re with us. We got a suite on Caleb’s yacht if you don’t want to camp.”

Cassie laughed and nodded. “Shelby and Jess are sharing a tent and invited me, but the boat sounds way better!”

“Great. Do you have your bag here?”

“Yeah, it’s in my car. I’ll go grab it.”

While we were talking, Mike organized everyone else and made sure they were clear on what was going on.

Alexis tapped her foot impatiently. “Can we go already? Mike is turning this into a field trip.”

I laughed at her comparison. She was right, but I was grateful someone was taking charge.

Talia rolled her eyes and waved for us to follow. She led us to her Jeep. “I think we can figure out what to do.”

☼ ☼ ☼

We pulled up to the marina and parked in a reserved spot. After grabbing our bags, we made our way to the entrance. Talia led the way, walking confidently to the gate, where she met a young-looking man in a preppy uniform.

“Hello, ladies. Can I help you?”

Talia tipped her sunglasses and smiled up at him. “We’re with the Carlton party.”

His demeanor suddenly changed. He stood up straight and offered his hands to take our bags. “Right, of course. I wasn’t expecting your group until later. I apologize.”

I stole a glance at Alexis and saw she was covering her mouth to hide her smile. Cassie looked just as confused as I was.

Talia handed her bag to the attendant and looked expectantly at him. “Can you show us the way?”

He smirked and picked up our bags. Pushing against the gate, he held it open for us to walk through. “It would be my pleasure.”

I looped my arm through Cassie’s, and we followed the others, going down a short set of steps to a dock that seemed to extend forever in each direction along the parking lot and main building. We walked by a few smaller boats then cut across a row of docks that led farther in the water. The boats grew in size and, no doubt, price the farther in we went. Suddenly, the speedboats gave way to yachts. They, too, varied in size, and Cassie and I made a game of guessing which one would be Caleb’s.

Finally, we stopped next to the biggest boat I’d ever seen. Well, short of a cruise ship. There was a raised walkway that led up to the main deck. Waiting for us at the top were a man and a woman dressed in white polos and white shorts.

“The boat arrived just this afternoon. The crew is ready for you.” He lifted one arm, still carrying bags, and directed us to walk up.

Cassie’s eyebrows shot up, mirroring my shock. The yacht had to be at least one hundred feet long. It was sleek and modern with two levels rising above the deck where we’d arrived.

The man with the bags handed them off to the man on the boat then left.

The woman looked at us with a large smile. “Welcome aboard! I’m Stacy, and this is Wayne. If you need anything at all, please let us know.” She turned, waving for us to follow. “I assume you are the young ladies the suite has been reserved for. Wayne will deliver your bags while I give you the tour.”

Her pleasant personality seemed genuine. I guessed I would be happy, too, if I spent all my time on this gorgeous yacht.

“Let’s start from the top.” She led us to a staircase on the left side of the main cabin. “This top level is called the flybridge. If you ask any of the staff a question, they’ll likely respond with the boating terms, so try to remember these.”

I walked around, admiring the luxury surrounding me. Facing the back of the boat was flat padding about the size of a queen bed that I assumed was for tanning, which we could take advantage of this weekend. Directly in front of us was a couch and table with additional seating. Why bother giving the rest of the tour? I was pretty sure we could stay up here and be very happy.

“There is a steering and control station on this level, but the captain will likely stay below, so your party can have this area to yourselves.”