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“I’m not, but I don’t mind it.”
I turned to look out the window.Not minding itwas very different than recoiling at the notion of touching like he had at the Connect office.
It also wasn’t exactly the same as saying he liked me touching him.
Disappointment washed over me. Despite my attempts to understand Adam’s actions, his mixed signals left me confused and unsure. I could admit that, when it came to him, my hormone cascades were... cascading. Plenty. And a teeny, tiny part of me wondered how it would feel if things were different, like if Adam didn’t work at Beaufort and the fake relationship had a possibility of becoming real.
I squashed the idea as mercilessly as I would a mosquito. Maybe we’d end up as good friends, but we’d never date, and I couldn’t let myself even think about a romantic future.
We got onto theKing of the Seasin just over an hour, walked around the ship for a long while, then attended the send-off party. I was certain Grandma could have used a nap, but my family opted to stay on deck and absorb more cancer-causing rays rather than retreat to the safety of our rooms.
Standing in the sun surrounded by strangers was every bit as awful as I would’ve anticipated. But I had a mission to keep Grandma from getting heatstroke or skin cancer, so I didn’t decamp to my room. At least Jenna looked happy as she stared out at the ocean.
Mom pointed out a lady walking past us. “Oh, look at that dress! You’d look great in that, Nicole.”
Nicole didn’t smile at Mom’s olive branch, and unfortunately, a single comment about the dress set Frank off with a creepy observation.
“What, her? She’s got nothing to fill that with. Might as well be a guy wearing that.”
In response, Nicole stormed off toward the opposite end of the deck.
Trying not to add to the drama, I avoided looking at her. I didn’t miss that Jenna stayed on Grandma’s right side, as far away from Frank as possible, so I positioned myself to cast a shadow over Grandma, with the added bonus that I was also shielding Jenna from Frank’s objectifying gaze.
“Are you getting too warm?” Jenna asked Grandma, considerate even when the sweat on her face made it clear she was just as uncomfortable as the rest of us.
Grandma smiled contentedly. “This breeze feels wonderful!” Before she could put her hands down on the deck rail, I pulled a pack of bleach wipes from my back pocket and disinfected it.
“Take this.” I offered the pack to Grandma, who nestled it carefully between her lipstick and tissues in her giant purse. “You should disinfect everything on this ship before you touch it.”
Mom’s laugh from behind my back was as loud as the alarms they’d taught us to interpret in the cruise ship safety videos. “Still a germaphobe, huh?”
“Yep.” Nobody would be laughing if they came down with norovirus.
Frank scoffed openly. “When I was a kid, I used to lick the floors of public bathroom stalls, and I turned out fine.”
My eyes automatically met Jenna’s, and I could read her thoughts as easily as my own. Frank wasn’t a ringing endorsement of the benefits of licking bathroom floors.
“Adam is a doctor,” Grandma announced. “I’d trust him with my life.”
Relief tinged with panic washed over me. I was glad Grandma would listen to me, but the idea of holding her life in my hands was overwhelming.
An announcement invited everyone to cheer as we prepared to pull away from the port. “Let’s make some noise!”
Grandma’s weak yell couldn’t be heard above the din, but the pure joy in her expression spoke volumes. I bit back a caution about taking it easy at the party so she didn’t cause any strain on her heart. She’d wanted this for a long time—not just the cruise, but gathering her family together.
I glanced at my watch and realized we didn’t have long before our scheduled dinner time. “I’m going to go disinfect everything in our rooms,” I yelled over the music. “Grandma, may I have your Ocean Wand?”
Grandma fished for the pass in her bag and readily handed it over to me.
“Do you need help?” Jenna offered.
I hadn’t brought her to be a servant. “I’ll be fine. Enjoy the party.”
Grandma slipped her hand through Jenna’s. “I’ll take good care of her for you, Adam.”
My heart did something irregular at the sight of Jenna and Grandma hand in hand.
It was nothing, I told myself. Faced with Mom’s thoughtless criticism, Nicole’s irritability, and Frank’s distasteful commentary, it was no wonder I felt increasing attachment to someone so caring and considerate. That’s all it was, though. Neither of us were looking for anything else.
