“Is that how you want it to be? Because if so, I won’t hold back, Stella.”
She said my name as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. What had I ever done to her? Maybe Pen was right, and she was jealous of me.
Instead of answering her, I stood and looked at the table as a whole. “I’m going to go get freshened up for dinner. I’ll see you when it’s time.”
I thought Pen might ask to join me, but she kept her mouth shut and her ass firmly in her seat. She knew if we were alone right now, I’d be asking about why she was so eager to take Captain Dan.
Turning on my heel, I went inside, but instead of immediately heading to my room, I took the scenic way in the hopes I might see Remy. With my luck, I didn’t see him, but I did find the chef in a panic, having to now cook for four extra people without much notice. He was banging everything around while he said every swear word in the dictionary and made up a few while he was at it. Damn, I’d have to mention it to Zelda, so she gave them all a good tip.
“Do you need anything?” Kylie, one of the stewardesses, asked as I walked past her.
“No, thank you. I was just trying to get away from the girls and decided to take the long way to my room. I hope that’s okay,” I tried to explain. There was no way I was going to say how I was on the lookout for Remy. It made sense he was working. It wasn’t like he was sitting idle all of the time.
“Of course, it’s okay. If you need anything, just let me or anyone else know, and we’ll get it right away.” She smiled, and it seemed genuine. I was sure it couldn’t be easy waiting on spoiled rich people day in and day out, but Kylie seemed like she genuinely enjoyed her job.
Back in my room, I threw myself down on my bed and groaned. How had I thought vacationing with these ladies would be fun and relaxing? Actually, if it wasn’t for Reagan, it would be, or at least it mostly would be. Even though Zelda could be a bit much, she was fun.
I needed to find a way to ignore Reagan without her trying to ruin what was left of our vacation. I wasn’t sure how that was possible, but I was going to try.
A knock sounded on my door, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Miss Stella, it’s time for dinner if you’re ready,” a soft voice said.
Already? How long had I been down here?
Standing from the bed, I smoothed the wrinkles out of my sundress before I answered the door. Standing there in all her cuteness was Jolene. She had these round cheeks that made you want to squeeze them with sparkling green eyes. But it was her soft-spoken voice that instantly put me at ease. From the moment I heard her speak, I wanted to pick her up and tuck her away to keep with me forever.
Stepping outside the door, I turned to Jolene. “Time must have slipped away from me. I didn’t realize it was time for dinner already.”
“It happens if you’re not too careful. The lull of the ship can make you fall asleep even when you don’t mean to.”
Had I fallen asleep, or did she just assume that going by my now frumpy state? As we walked up to the top deck, I ran my fingers through my hair that I’d curled earlier after we’d gotten back. I’d tried to look my best without making it look like I was trying too hard for when I saw Remy later tonight. At the time, I had no idea he’d be joining us for dinner.
My skin broke out into goosebumps, just thinking about seeing him again. Damn, what was that boy doing to me? The way my body reacted to him was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
I was shocked to find all the guys from the crew as well as the Captain standing on deck with their hands on the top of the chairs I assumed they would be sitting in.
One look out at the horizon, and I knew I’d been downstairs for longer than I thought. The sun was setting, and I’d almost messed up dinner. I stood for a minute, taking in the pink and purples of the sky as the sun slowly set.
“I hope you weren’t waiting on me,” I said as I went to sit at the only chair unoccupied. Remy moved around and pulled it out for me and then pushed it in before he went back to where he’d been previously standing.
Heat ran up from my chest to my cheeks and then to my ears. “Thank you. It’s hard to find a true gentleman nowadays,” I said quietly.
Remy nodded but kept stoically quiet. As one, all the guys sat down and placed their napkins in their laps.
It was so in sync it made me wonder if they trained for that very scenario.
Captain Dan cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Thank you for inviting us to have dinner with you. It’s an honor. I do have some bad news to share with you, though.”
“Oh, no! What is it?” Reagan swayed in her seat, being overly dramatic as usual. As if the unknown news was going to make her faint. I wanted to roll my eyes at her, but I also didn’t want to start a fight in front of the Captain. Unfortunately, the crew had already heard and seen what happened earlier.
“I’ll only be able to join you for the dinner portion of the evening. We are unfortunately going to have to dock tonight because a storm front is moving in and will hit early in the morning. It will be unsafe for us to be out on the water. Don’t worry, though. There’s plenty to do onboard, but you can always go into town to eat and shop or do whatever you’d like.”
“Well, that’s no fun,” Zelda pouted. “Can we have the guys escort us if we go into town?”
“Of course. Whatever you’d like. They’ll be at your beck and call from the moment we dock. We normally have someone go with you in case you need something.” Captain Dan seemed to love saying that, going by the smirk that crossed his face before he hid it with a cough.
I swore I heard one of the guys groan, but I didn’t catch who it was. My eyes were only on Remy as he sat across from me in his dress blacks, looking good enough to eat. What was it about a man in uniform? Whatever it was, I’d take him over food any day of the week.
Remy broke eye contact with me so he could speak to the rest of the table. “Let us know whatever we can do for you to make your stay on the Seas the Day more pleasant.”
Was sleeping with the guests part of making the trip more satisfying?
“Oh, we most definitely will,” Zelda purred, her eyes on Scout. The poor guy. I saw his smile falter for a moment before he put it back into place. I didn’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to be on Zelda’s radar either. She screamed man-eater.
One by one, the stewardesses appeared, balancing three plates on their arms. I had no idea how they did that. I was always grateful when carrying my own food to not drop it, let alone have three plates to have to keep steady.
With a grace I’d never know, they set our plates down in front of us. It didn’t go unnoticed the way Ophelia’s eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared when she set Remy’s plate down in front of him.
Ophelia moved off to the side and announced. “Tonight, the chef wanted to give you a taste of Spain, so for the main course, we have paella with seasonal vegetables. Enjoy.”
One whiff of the food and I had to close my eyes. It smelled absolutely heavenly. My stomach rumbled at the aroma. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to eat without looking like I’d been starved for a week straight.
“Oh my god,” Zelda moaned as she took her first bite. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I might steal your chef, and after tasting this Paella, I’m going to offer him to come back to the States with us and cook for me every night. I don’t even care if I gain a hundred pounds. It would be worth it.”