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“Excuse me for a moment, girls. I need to speak with the captain.” I turned back. “Not that Captain.”
They were all laughing when I took the spiral staircase to the bridge. “Captain Jim, is everything okay up here?”
“Sawyer, this girl knows her stuff about boats. Did you know she’s a marine biologist?” Asher sat in one of the hightop stools. “She’s Dr. Campbell.”
“Impressive, but right now I’m wondering who’s at the helm?” I asked, a little unfriendly. “I’d like to turn back and not crash.”
“Captain Jim went to grab something from the engine room,” Jade replied back a little cold. “Don’t fret. I know how to handle this beast.”
“I think the doctor here can handle all of us.” Asher joked. “Why are we going in already?”
“Because the one girl you picked is laying down in your stateroom ill, and the other looks bored.” I looked out over the bridge to see them sitting in loungers now. “Come down there and talk to them instead of giving all your time to the Doctor.”
“What if I want to give all my time to the Doctor, though?” Asher downed the rest of a beer in his hand. “She doesn’t call me Fancy Yacht Boy. She likes me.”
“Knock it off, you two. I’ll come down and see if I can help with the girls,” Jade said when Captain Jim returned. “You two and all of this is a lot to take in. Give them a break.”
For the rest of the cruise back we all sat in the loungers. Asher was being Asher and I couldn’t fault him for that. At least they were smiling and talking now. Jade was harder to read with her mirrored sunglasses on, but she had to be listening to the conversation because she smiled and responded at the right times. I heard her cell ringing and then she was up and walking to the bow.
“I’ll go see what’s up.” Asher stood and followed her when she hung up. “She likes me better.”
“She puts up with you ‘cause you’re like having a little kid around,” I joked when he walked by.
The girls seemed to be content to lounge in the sun for the last ten minutes of the cruise, so I laid back and enjoyed it as well. The whole time I laid there I could hear Asher and Jade laughing. It was a nice laugh.
I have to figure out a way to make her not hate me.
Asher and Jade were the first off the yacht when we docked. Jade waited at the ramp to help the other girls exit safely.
“Sorry, it’s habit,” Jade said when I got to the ramp. “Please don’t push me in. Again.”
I turned to bark at her that we settled that to find her smirking at me.
“You’re a funny girl, aren’t you?” I watched her effortlessly help the crew tie the boat. “Are you going to stay for dinner?”
“I believe I was already included, so yes, I’ll be here.” Jade walked along next to me. “What do you think of the girls Asher picked?”
“I think the ones his mother picked are better choices, personality-wise,” I said. “They’re all attractive, but that’s not everything.”
“It’s not?” Jade stopped walking. “Are you sure, because look at them. I look like Raggedy Ann next to them.”
“Are you kidding me? You look great. You look natural, and that’s refreshing,” I said, just before we got to the patio. “Look at him over there. He can’t help himself with women.”
It was my turn to have a private laugh with Jade and it felt good. There were many layers to her and I was glad we were beginning to be friends. I had a feeling she was someone you’d want on your side.
“Sawyer, what’s next on the day’s activities?” Asher called out from behind three of the women. “We already have our afternoon cocktails.”
Aunt Victoria must have heard us coming back and joined us on the patio, all smiles.
“I trust you enjoyed the yacht and the dolphins?” she said to the whole group. “I also see my son has you started on cocktails.”
Marcus and a few servers brought in a platter of assorted fruit. “I thought this might be nice after the hot sun, sir.” Marcus nodded and left as quickly as he’d come in.
The girls circled the table, taking a plate of fruit. Then the questions started.
“Will we be allowed to talk to people outside of the island?” Nadia asked. “I need to check on my mother.”
“Yeah, and I have a job back home that might need to contact me,” Tina said. “Is there a time frame that we’re not allowed to swim in the pools?”
