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With the curling iron, Caitlin curled her hair again. For the first time on the cruise, she was really interested in how she looked. Before, she didn’t care. None of the spoiled rich guys on the cruise had interested her. But Levka, jeez, she didn’t even get his last name, there was just something about him that drew her attention. She couldn’t put her finger on why she was so intrigued by him. For a moment, she forgot how much she hated being on the ship, sharing a room with Alicia—who was hogging the bathroom again—and dreading being around the other high school kids. Now she was hoping she’d catch a glimpse of Levka at dinner. Maybe he’d even go to the comedy show afterward, and she’d see him there.
She let out her breath in exasperation. She had to keep an eye on Alicia.
Unfortunately, the ship’s staff hadn’t filled the pool with water earlier, so Alicia was acting like a grizzly. Caitlin glanced at her watch. They had two minutes to get to dinner.
“Alicia, it’s time to go.”
“Go without me. I’ll be right up.”
Caitlin leaned against the wall. “I’ll wait.” She could imagine Dylan and her foster sister slipping off to his room, or even their own, while she went to dinner, and they never showed up.
Alicia threw the bathroom door open and stormed past her. “My parents were not serious about you watching every move I make. They only pulled this so you’d go on the cruise. You are such an idiot, you know? And I mean that in a nice way.” She shoved the door open and stepped into the hall. “They wanted their privacy and with you hanging about, they weren’t going to get it. That’s why they send me on all these trips; don’t you get it?” She stalked up the stairs.
Caitlin hurried after her, half wondering if what she said was true. But then knowing Alicia, she often twisted things to suit her own purposes. Yet the idea her foster parents felt Caitlin was a nuisance nagged at her. Her parents had always taken family vacations with her and her sister. The idea that parents would send their kids off for separate vacations seemed foreign to her, and it made her wish again that she was with her own family. She couldn’t dwell on that now, yet the sound of the ship splashing through the waves, the smell of the fishy water, and the stiff, salty breeze tugging at her hair, all reminded her of their final days together.
She blinked the tears away and caught up to her foster sister.
When they reached the formal dining area, a man dressed in a tux led them past tables covered in white table cloths. Mirrors lined the walls, making the large dining room appear even more expansive. A few small tables were situated opposite the eight-person tables, she figured for honeymooning couples.
Alicia pointed at a two-seater table. “That’s what I want to sit at with Dylan tomorrow night.”
As long as Caitlin could still watch her, it didn’t matter to her. “Sure.”
The man motioned to a table where Levka sat in his wheelchair, and his three friends were seated around him.
“Oh, no,” Alicia said. “I specifically asked to be seated with seven of my friends.”
“This is the arrangement, miss, and it cannot be changed tonight,” the man said, with a thick Serbian accent and an edge to his voice.
Levka looked up from his menu, and his eyes widened when he saw Caitlin. She wanted to smile at him, but he didn’t seem pleased to see her. He quickly looked at his friends, all who were smiling like she was the best thing they’d seen in years. The redheaded guy jumped up from his chair and offered it to Caitlin so she could sit between Levka and him, while Alicia continued to argue with the guy in the tux.
“Excuse me,” the blond said, taking hold of Alicia’s hand. “Have we met?” His blue eyes captured hers, held them.
She stuttered something unintelligible, then he led her to a seat across the table from Caitlin and sat next to her.
“Hey,” Dylan said, rushing to join her, “I thought we had a table of our own. Who are all these guys?”
The blond motioned for him to take a seat on the other side of Alicia. “Sit, please.”
Caitlin couldn’t believe Alicia would shut up and behave for once like an adult. Dylan hesitated, giving all the guys the evil eye, then sat next to Alicia and jerked his napkin into his lap.
One more girl joined them, Lynne Raven, the one that goaded Alicia—more than any of her friends—to give Caitlin a hard time. She sat in the only open seat between the redhead and Dylan.
“I thought we had our own table.” Lynne gave Caitlin a disparaging look. “I thought we made sure only the right people sat with us.”
So, Alicia and her friends had planned to exclude her from their table at dinner. Caitlin gave Lynne a small smile, glad they hadn’t gotten their way.
“I’m Ruric.” The redheaded guy bowed his head to Caitlin.
“Stasio,” the blond guy said. “Who apologizes most profusely for dropping his backpack on your feet earlier today.”
Caitlin smiled at him. “It was no big deal.”
“Arman,” the brown-haired guy offered and bowed his head slightly.
They all seemed genuinely pleased she’d joined them, and it couldn’t have made her feel any more welcome. Since no one else introduced themselves, she said, “That’s my foster sister, Alicia, her boyfriend, Dylan, and her friend, Lynne.” She didn’t bother with last names because the guys from Texas didn’t either. “And this is Levka,” she said, touching his arm.
Lynne snarled her lip. “Sweet.” She turned to Alicia. “So, are we swimming later?”
