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“If he gets out the door or window I accidentally left open, I’m sorry,” she joked.
“Handcock is going nowhere,” I said. “He knows where he gets fed.”
“Great,” she muttered. “I’ll see you soon.”
The ship was coming alive. I could hear the voices of the crew and my coworkers. The quiet was over. It was time to be social.
I went into the restaurant on the lower deck where the breakfast was being served. I helped myself to a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. The fresh fruit selection was impressive. I was enjoying my meal when I saw Jon stroll in. He was wearing sunglasses, cargo shorts, and a white button-up shirt. He looked like he belonged on an island. He was so cool and casual and effortlessly handsome.
I tossed the remainder of my breakfast in the trash and went back to my room. I changed into another bikini, grabbed the smut book I was currently reading, and donned my dark sunglasses. I was planning on soaking up the sun for a while until we hit the island.
“You look comfy,” Doris said and stretched out in the chair beside me. “Mind if I join you?”
“Please do,” I said. “How’s your husband feeling?”
“Much better,” she said. “He’s upstairs in the casino playing poker with a few of the other husbands.”
“Ah, so you get some girl time.”
“I finally get some time to read my new book without him asking what it’s about thirty different times,” she retorted.
I chuckled and went back to reading my own book. It wasn’t long until the chairs around the pool began to fill with ladies all looking for sun after a long, wet winter.
“Did you see him?” I heard a woman say.
“I swear, if I was single and ten years younger, I would be chasing after that man,” another said.
“I know you ladies aren’t talking about our boss,” Doris teased.
“You know we are. Doris, you even said if you were forty years younger, you’d be trying to land him.”
When I realized they were talking about Jon, my ears perked up. I listened to them carrying on about how handsome he was. I avoided giving any opinion on the matter. I didn’t think I could hide what I thought about his good looks.
“Has he ever been married?” someone asked.
“Nope,” Doris answered. “Mabel told me he was determined to be a bachelor for the rest of his days.”
That was true. I discovered that the hard way.
“I don’t understand how a man like him stays single,” one said.
“He’s definitely not gay,” another replied.
I casually looked to see who said it. She was a middle-aged woman. Did she have first-hand knowledge about the matter, I wondered.
“I think he’s just waiting for the right woman,” Doris said. “A man like that has to be careful. There are plenty of women who would want him just for his money. He needs to guard his heart and his wallet from any gold-diggers.”
That was one worry I had. I didn’t want people thinking I was a gold-digger. They wouldn’t understand Jon and I had a thing before I knew who he was. Not that it mattered now. We weren’t together. Period.
“What do you think, Macy?”
“I’m his assistant,” I said. “I can’t have an opinion.”
“Nonsense,” Doris said. “You work the closest to him. I imagine you have plenty of opinions.”
Just to satisfy them and to hopefully quell the conversation before it got any more awkward, I smiled and nodded. “He is a very handsome man, but I don’t think it’s his attractiveness that is his best quality.”
“Do tell!”
