Page 16 of Tell No Lies

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.”

I could definitely get used to this.

Stacy descended the stairs to the main deck. We passed another sitting room with a table and chairs as we followed her through the open entryway into the main cabin. The glass doors had been pushed back to allow the breeze to flow through. Immediately within the room were two beige leather couches facing each other, with a huge flat screen on the far wall. There was a clear line of sight into the modern kitchen; it looked just as nice and spacious as the one in my home.

Behind us, we heard people approaching the boat from the dock. Alexis ran back to the open deck and turned back to us. “Everyone else is here. We need to claim a room, fast!”

Stacy laughed and ushered us to the staircase next to the flat screen. “Mr. Carlton said to give you ladies the option of the master suite or the VIP suite. I’ll show you both.”

We followed her to the back of the lower deck where a door was opened to reveal a king-size bed, a couch, and plenty of room to walk around. It was much larger than I’d expected a room on a boat to be.

“This one is slightly larger and has a spacious bathroom.”

Talia beamed. “We’ll take it!”

Stacy smiled and nodded as she backed out of the room. “I’ll let you settle in and let the others know where you are.”

Wayne must have known which room we would pick, since our bags were set along the perimeter of the room. We could easily fit three on the bed and one on the couch, so only one of us would be left on the floor. Not too shabby.

Mckayla, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the tour, ran and dived onto the bed, squealing. “This is going to be the best weekend ever!”

I smiled at her enthusiasm and jumped onto the bed next to her. “How did you convince Caleb to let us stay in here? Why didn’t he let his friends have this room?”

Talia smirked suggestively. “First off, we are his friends. Second, he may or may not have a crush on someone in this room.”

We all looked at each other, but the only single girls were Cassie and me. Uh-oh.

“Please tell me it’s Cassie!”

“What? You don’t want to be a part of this family?”