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He takes a step forward.
I follow suit.
My moves are tentative as I make my approach. The boat is ancient, at least fifty years old, if not more . . .
Probably seventy.
It’s covered in rust and grime. Once upon a time, it was probably white, but now it’s murky like the ocean below it.
I move closer, but there are no steps. Only a small landing before you enter the boat.
There’s barely enough room in the thing for the captain, let alone Paxton and me.
“Well, are you getting in or not?”
Pulling my gaze away from the water, I peer up at Paxton. “Stop rushing me,” I mutter under my breath.
“What did you say?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.” There’s no point in repeating myself. It would make no difference, regardless. The man’s going to be pushy, and if I say something about it, he’ll likely turn it up. Anything to get a rise out of me.
If I don’t get in, my career will be over before it’s really started.
Sure, I’ve been in the business for two years already, but this is my big break. I’m barely getting by as it is.
That’s what Paxton doesn’t realize. I don’t intend to clue him into the fact, but at some point, I’ll have to take up a new career if this doesn’t pan out.
He thinks of me as this nepo baby, one where everything comes easy to me, but that’s the last thing I am.
Hell, even my one client didn’t know who I was when she first came to work with me.
When I approached her, I didn’t tell her who my father was. I wanted to represent her because she believed in me. Not my capability due to my birth.
Lucky for me, she was young and didn’t do her research. Her mother, on the other hand, had dug for all the details.
It’s the reason she didn’t fight with her daughter, who decided to sign with me. She thought I was bringing the big guns and probably still does.
Which is one of the reasons I need this movie to be a success. I have managed to keep my one client even though I never used my father’s success for my own benefit, but if this crashes and burns to the ground, her mom will only let me get away with so much.
I cannot afford, literally and figuratively, to lose my only client.
If I thought telling all of this to Paxton would convince him to get off my back, I’d happily do that, but I know men like him, stubborn guys who think they know everything.
Men like my father.
“Is this thing stable?” I practically squeak.
“Yes, miss,” the captain responds, but I don’t miss his eye roll as he turns his back on me.
I look toward Paxton, an eyebrow lifted in question, and boy, are there a lot of questions.
Will this make it to the island? Will we get stuck? Is there a radio on board just in case we do?
And most importantly—will we die?
“Get on the boat. If we don’t leave now, the waters will get too rough for us to leave, and we will have to stay here overnight.” He gestures behind us to the run-down dock. There was nothing on the way here from the airport, so there will most likely be no place for us to sleep.
The idea has me shivering at the thought of being stranded on the beach in the middle of nowhere with this man.
With careful steps, I make my way onto the boat. Beneath my weight, the back end rocks forward.
Then Paxton gets in after me.
The captain grabs our two bags and throws them in the back of the boat. He doesn’t lock them up or anything.
An uneasy feeling weaves its way through me.
What if we hit a bump?
Will all my stuff get ruined?
Paxton moves up to sit near the captain, but I hang back, instead choosing to sit in the very back next to my bag. I place my foot on the suitcase as if my leg will act as a restraint.
Probably a dumb idea.
Paxton pivots his body and looks at me. “You plan to sit there?”
“Yeah. You have a problem with that?”
His lip tips up, but he keeps his mouth shut as he shakes his head. Just as I get my legs locked in the correct position, the small boat takes off.
It’s going much faster than I anticipated, and although I know the back is better than the front for rocking, I can still feel every single bump. And don’t get me started on the water spraying my face.
Now his question makes sense. I should be in the middle of the boat.
Despite knowing I should move, I don’t dare. I’m holding on for dear life, sending up prayers to all the saints and whoever else is listening to deliver me safely to the island.
