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All of those were valid reasons for me to go. I was still nervous and wanted some time to think about it, but for once in my life, I found myself nodding rather than shaking my head. “Okay, Luce,” I told her. “I’ll do it. I’ll go on the cruise.”
Lucy squealed and threw her arms around my neck. “You’re going to have such an amazing time, Georgia,” she told me, letting go and bouncing up and down a few times.
Something about her reaction seemed a little strange to me. Why was she so excited that I was going on a cruise? “Thanks,” I said, but I could already hear the skepticism in my voice. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Lucy fluttered her long eyelashes several times. “What? No! Why? Of course not. I’m just happy that my bestie is finally taking some time for herself, that’s all.”
I continued to stare at her for several seconds before accepting her response, even though I wasn’t sure I believed her. But then, I couldn’t think of anything that would make me change my mind. It wasn’t like this was a cruise for a bunch of nudists or anything—was it?
Fear pulsed inside of me. “Will the other people on the cruise be normal people—like me? Or is it for a nudist colony? Or Satan worshippers? Or fans of BTS?”
Lucy laughed. “Trust me, Georgia. You’re going to have a great time. Stop worrying about everything!” She started hiking again and was a good twenty paces in front of me before I got my feet moving again.
Right. Why didn’t I just trust her? She was my friend. What could possibly go wrong?
3
BEAU
The smell of fish hit my lungs, tinged with a faint scent of mildew, as the bell above my head dinged in announcement of my arrival. Inside, my eyes scanned the small space, rolling past aisles of fishing equipment, past the bait tanks, to the dingy white counter where an ancient cash register sat amongst last-minute purchase ideas and dozens of signs advertising current prices for various types of bait.
I didn’t see Ryan, which was odd. The bait shop was too small for him to hide. Unless he was in the back grabbing items that needed restocking or in the bathroom. It wasn’t like there was another employee here that could give him a break. Donald, the guy who owned the bait shop, was too cheap to pay for more than one employee, so the only time the bait shop was open was when Ryan was here or on the rare occasion when Don came in himself.
Hearing a familiar tune coming from the small supply closet off the back of the store, I couldn’t help but smile. Ryan was back there, probably rifling through boxes trying to find the one item someone had purchased earlier that needed to have another placed on the shelf. I went over to the tanks and helped myself to the bait I needed. I was going fishing today, and I was going to find that mammoth salmon that had gotten away from me a few weeks ago. This time, I was going to catch him. At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
The door behind the counter opened, and Ryan came out, still singing. Rather than calling out to him, I joined in on the chorus of “Hotel California,” scaring the hell out of him. He stopped singing. “Dude! What the hell? When did you come in?”
“Did you really not hear the bell?” I asked, plunking the containers of live bait down on the counter.
“No, I was in the back,” Ryan said, his face still pale.
Looking at the still swinging door, I could see all the way to the back of the building, and it was less than ten feet away. “Maybe the bell is broken. Can you turn up the volume?”
He glared at me and then shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re my friend, or else I might’ve beaten you up.”
“What would the universe say about that?” I asked, grabbing my wallet as he began to ring me up.
“It would say you shouldn’t sneak up on people,” he replied before giving me a total.
I handed over the money. “You should come out on the bay with me.”
Ryan shook his head, taking the bills from my hand and sticking them in the old cash register. “No can do, buddy. I still have three hours left on my shift.”
I looked around. “No one ever comes in here except for me.”
“That’s not true. Old man Russel came in earlier and bought the last spinner we had on the shelf.” He gestured to the box he’d been rummaging around in to find the replacement spinner.
“Oh, well, I’m sure that Don will miss out on approximately three dollars’ worth of profits if you leave early and come with me.” I took my change and shoved my wallet into my back pocket.
Ryan continued to protest. “No, man. You’ve gotta take my job seriously. Look, I’ve been employee of the month four out of the last six months.” Ryan pointed at the photographs behind him hanging on the wall. Four horrible photographs of Ryan with his eyes half-closed in a blink stared back at me, his hair all askew as usual as he leaned toward the camera.
I bit back a laugh, knowing he took a lot of pride in his work, even if it seemed menial to me. Still, I had to ask. “You’re the only one who works here. Who won it the other two months?”
Ryan’s face turned red, and he dragged a hand through his hair, leaving it standing on end. “We don’t need to talk about that.”
A couple of incidents came to mind. “The octopus situation?”
He fumed for a minute. “How was I supposed to know that kid shouldn’t stick his face in the tank? I didn’t know an octopus could adhere itself like that!”
