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“Um, yeah. What time?”
“Didn’t you get my itinerary?” Nicole sighed. “I thought you, at least, would read it.” She stood and left the balcony.
I’d examined her twenty-page document, but I hadn’t memorized every word. Mom’s interference was making Nicole more irritable than usual. Mom wasn’t really mean, just thoughtless, but Nicole lacked my ability to stay detached from it.
Nicole returned momentarily and thrust a large, laminated card into my hands. “This is an abbreviated version I made for Jenna, but you two can share it.” The card had boxes for each day of our trip, with Nicole’s preferred mealtimes in bold.
“Thanks.”
“Not like dinner will be enjoyable with Mom and Frank there.” Nicole rolled her eyes. “Mom is much easier to deal with over the phone. I can always pretend my signal is out when she annoys me.”
I pressed my lips together rather than respond that I wished Nicole would avoid Mom over the phone as much as she had on deck earlier. Their gossipy calls were what got me into the whole mess with needing a fake date. Much better to stay out of the drama, like I tried to.
Jenna appeared at the door. “Your drink arrived!” Since the balcony was barely big enough for two, Nicole edged past her to get back to Grandma.
“Thanks.” I took a sip to be polite, then offered Jenna Nicole’s schedule. “I emailed you the full plan, but I didn’t know there would be a quiz.”
Jenna laughed and took it from me. “I already memorized a lot of it. Dinner tonight at five thirty in the main dining room. At sea all day tomorrow. Sunday and Monday in Mexico.” She scanned the card and then bit her lip. “And uh, snorkeling.”
“Not a fan?”
“To be honest, fish creep me out a little.”
“Really? What did you put down on the Connect survey?”
Jenna stared blankly at me for a moment. “Oh, the sea animal question? Manatee, because I love how they just float through the water. Reminded me of being on a lazy river. What about you?”
“Also manatee.” I was too embarrassed to explain I’d only put it down in a weird form of protest which had undoubtedly only been registered by me. “Anyways, you don’t have to go snorkeling. You’re doing enough just being here. Any time you want to sit out, feel free.”
“Okay.” Jenna perched on the edge of the lounge chair Nicole had vacated. “Do you have thoughts about dinner?”
“In general, I’m a fan,” I replied caustically.
Jenna chuckled at my sarcasm. “And tonight? Will you be up to—” She broke off as a truly awful smell assaulted us.
We both looked over to see Frank on the next balcony over, saluting us with a giant cigar.
“Put that out!” I hissed, hand over my nose.
Frank blew out a fresh cloud of smoke. “You sick?”
“It’s illegal,” Jenna explained, looking worriedly from side to side, checking to see if other passengers had noticed. “It was in the rules we agreed to. If they catch you, they’ll put you off at the next port.” She pointed at the large “No Smoking” sign right next to his head.
Frank only snorted and took another puff. “Ifthey catch me. The smoke will just blow away into the air.”
Mom stepped out onto their balcony. “Someone from the ship is here about your smoking.”
Frank tossed his cigar over the railing and into the ocean. “What smoking?”
He wasn’t supposed to do that, either, since the butt could get sucked into the fans and cause an engine fire, but clearly Frank had ignored the mandatory safety video we’d all watched before boarding.
I was not prepared to die on the ocean because of my mom’s idiot boyfriend.
Jenna got to her feet. “I think I’m going to change before dinner.”
I hadn’t planned on changing, but I stood to go as well in case Frank decided to light up another one. I got to my feet cautiously, but the fresh air and sip of gingerale seemed to have done their work, and I no longer felt lightheaded.
Grandma was pulling something out of her suitcase when we passed through the room, using one of the air purifiers as a furniture ledge. “This is the scrapbook I made for Adam’s high school and college years. I had to start a whole new one when he went to medical school for all his awards and speeches.”
