Bermuda Nights - The Boxed Set (26 page)

Jeff put up his hands in a sign of submission. “I just want to talk, that’s all. I’m not here to cause any trouble.”

Evan’s finger’s flexed, and Jeff took a half-step backward. His gaze turned crafty. “Unless you’d rather I wait to talk with her alone when she and I are back in Boston, while you’re sailing off over the horizon?”

Jeff glanced back at me, and I nodded. “We were nearly finished with dinner anyway,” I pointed out. “Let’s get this over with so we can enjoy our dessert.”

Evan eased back down in his chair, but he turned it so he faced Jeff. His hands rested on his knees.

Jeff grabbed a chair from a nearby table and dragged it over, plunking it at the side of the table. He grabbed a roll from the basket and took a bite. “Mmmm, fresh baked,” he said between swallows. “Good stuff.”

I sighed. “What is it that you want, Jeff?”

He popped the rest of his roll into his mouth, lounging back. He had on a dark blue polo top today over tan khaki pants. To my surprise he didn’t seem drunk, which I would have expected from him during a Sox game, never mind a World Series game.

“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought,” he stated, looking over me as if I were a new form of virus lurking under a microscope. “How could you have fooled me these past few years? I guess it’s true what they say about addicts, how they develop an ability to deceive that is unparalleled in all the world. To think you were capable of looking me square in the eyes and lying.” He shook his head. “Not in a thousand years would I have guessed it. You must feel quite proud.”

I forced my face to remain placid and calm. “Your point?”

He gave a small smile. “I would bet, if you were lying to me, that you were also lying to your parents. I’m sure Nancy and Franklin would be quite horrified to hear what their darling little girl has been up to.”

A flush of heat swept through me. I took up my wine glass to give myself time to hold in the emotions.

He wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t.

Jeff’s smile grew. “So they don’t know, just as I figured. Wouldn’t that put a dent into your Thanksgiving plans next month? I bet mummy and daddy would spend the entire time haranguing you about your poor choices.” His eyes lit up. “Heck, maybe they’d force you into one of those boot-camp rehab places where you have to sleep in tents and pee in an outhouse. Wouldn’t that be a change of scenery for you?”

The wine eased into me, soothing me, reminding me that Jeff’s threats were distant from touching me. Whatever he told them, I could always reveal the truth to them in a few weeks once Evan’s operation had been completed.

I chuckled. Heck, it would serve my parents right to get all wound up for a little while. They rarely showed even an inkling of interest in my well-being.

I grinned sweetly at Jeff, putting down my glass. “I didn’t realize you still stayed in touch with my parents after you ran off on me. My father has some choice words for you. I’m sure he’d love to share the opportunity to tell you how he feels about that.”

His brow creased. “And how would they feel about your heroin habit?”

I shrugged. “You know those rich types. One week it’s cocaine, the next it’s LSD. Heroin’s all the rage now. Don’t you read the Globe? It’s one of the top concerns of police chiefs across the state.” I chuckled. “I bet my parents would be secretly thrilled to have a heroin user in the family. It’d be something to boast about to their friends down at the golf club. So trendy.”

Jeff’s face darkened; he reset himself in his chair, leaning forward. “Well, then, I wasn’t going to go beyond your family, but clearly you need a wake-up call.” His eyes gleamed. “Maybe that fine bank of yours might be upset to know they have an employee engaged in a felony crime.” He glanced down my crimson dress with a sneer. “You’d have to change that in for an outfit of a completely different tailoring in prison.”

I blanched. Him telling my parents was one thing, but if it went to my boss, they might fire me on the spot. By the time it was safe to reveal the truth to them, the news could have spread so far that undoing the damage could be impossible.

My career might be ruined forever.

Jeff was positively glowing now. “Not so glib any more, are you, you lying sack of dung.”

My mind scrambled for options – and grabbed at the first straw it found.

My tone brightened. “Well, as I’m considering coming to work on board the ship, I’m really not too concerned with what the bank thinks. I’ll be gone soon enough anyway.”

Jeff’s brow creased in confusion. “You’re going to work with the cruise line? Like Kayla?”

I nodded, warming up to it. “Absolutely! She’s inspired me. We’ll be laughing all day and partying all night! Can you imagine what the two of us will be like together?”

Jeff looked like he could, and his gaze narrowed. “You really are just like her, aren’t you? All those times I told her you were the superior woman, and you were just lying through your teeth.” He shook his head. “I should have known better than to believe a word you said.”

I shrugged. “Yes, you should have. It was almost too easy. I barely had to work at it.”

He launched to his feet, and Evan was at the edge of his chair, ready to leap in. But Jeff did not move forward toward me. He just stared at me, his eyes hardening into marbles.

At last he spoke, his tone guttural. “Karma is real, you know. The actions you take cycle around and revisit on you ten-fold. You just wait. All of those lies are going to catch up with you sooner than you think.”

I kept my tone light. “Enjoy the rest of the game.”

His eyes slid to Evan for a minute, and his jaw hardened. “You deserve her,” he spat out. “She’ll tear through you like a hot knife through butter. And when you’re lying there, bleeding, you’ll wish you never met her.”

Evan held his gaze, but said nothing.

At last Jeff blew out his breath, spun on his heel, and stormed out of the empty restaurant.

I waited until I was sure he wasn’t going to return before slumping back in my chair. Evan reached his hand out to mine, cupping my fingers. “Are you all right?”

I nodded. “He’s all hot air and bluster. Even if he does tell someone, I’ll ride it out. It won’t be long before it can be set right again.”

His brow creased. “I hate to have your life torn apart by this.”

I shook my head. “Don’t you start that. I chose to stay. I chose each step which got me into this mess. I’m a big girl. I can take responsibility for what I’ve done and live with the consequences.”

I twined my fingers into his. “Especially if the reward at the end is I get to have you by my side.”

He brought his lips down to kiss my fingers. “I will always be there,” he vowed.

The waiter came over to us, his eyes bright with interest. “Did we save room for dessert?”

Behind him on a tray was a selection of the most amazing delicacies I had ever seen.

I looked over to Evan, and suddenly Jeff mattered not at all.

Chapter 8

I was beyond stuffed, the moon was shimmering in the sky like a delicate china plate, and Evan held my hand as we walked along the deck. A slight breeze blew back my hair. I looked over at him, soaking him in. He was stunningly handsome in his black tux, the crisp white linen shirt layering over his rippled muscles that I was coming to know so well.

He raised an eyebrow. “What?”

I smiled. “Just so amazed that you are mine,” I murmured. “It seems like a dream.”

He gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m real, and I’m here for you.”

My gaze moved along the railing toward the back of the ship. Right there is where I had stood, one short week ago. Right there I had stared into the ship’s wake, crying, wrapped in despair and loneliness. I could never have dreamed what a short seven days would bring into my life.

I blinked in surprise – and stopped.

It was like I was looking back in time. There I was, the breeze catching my hair, my shoulders heaving with sobs.

I stepped forward, and the figure resolved.

It was Kayla.

I waved for Evan to stay back, and I walked forward, coming up to Kayla’s side. She barely looked up as I put my arm around her, drawing her in.

“Kayla, sweetie, what is it? What’s wrong?”

It took her a little while of wiping her eyes and reining in her emotion, but at last she turned to me. Her voice was thick. “It’s Sven.”

A tremor of fear rippled through me, but I held my gaze on her, my voice steady. “What about Sven? Did he do something to you?”

She shook her head, turning to look down at the wake. The moonlight glistened on the curls, layering them like frosting. We were leaving a shimmering trail which, in faint echo, connected us all the way back to Bermuda.

“Sven and I were partying with the rest of the guys in his room,” she explained, sniffling. “Watching the game, drinking, you know. There was Hank and Tom, of course, but then this waitress Tom is seeing was there, and a few friends. So we were all pretty stacked on top of each other.”

Her fingers clenched on the rail. “Someone was in our bathroom so I went to one of the other open rooms a few doors down and used theirs. When I got back …”

Her lip quivered.

I kept my tone gentle. “When you got back …?”

“It was
her
,” she hissed. “That cleaning lady we saw the very first day we were coming on board. She was straddling him, and he was kissing her! He had his hand up inside her blouse and was fondling her breast. And the rest of them didn’t even care! They were just watching the game, drinking, and laughing!”

I rubbed her shoulder. “What did you do?”

She ran a hand shakily through her hair. “I just stood there in the doorway. They didn’t even notice me. The Sox kept playing, his hand kept roaming, and it all became crystal clear. This is the way he is. I can’t change him. It’ll just be a life of misery.”

I gave her a hug. “You’re probably right, Kayla. People often just don’t change. They have a way they’re used to and they stick with it.” I let out a breath. “So what do you think you’re going to do?”

She gave a rueful smile. “I guess I’ll get off the ship in Boston. Chalk it up to a whirlwind shipboard romance.” Her eyes shone for a moment. “We definitely had our good times. Our wild, banging-against-the-headboards nights.” She shrugged. “But it wasn’t meant to last.” She leaned against the railing. “I’m just so tired now.”

I gave her fingers a squeeze. “Why don’t I walk you back to the cabin. You just need a good sleep. Tomorrow we’ll get off the boat, go have some drinks, and you’ll feel right as rain.”

A yawn escaped her lip. “I could use with some sleep,” she agreed. She glanced past me, blinking as she saw Evan for the first time. “Oh, I didn’t realize you two were out for a walk.” She looked down my outfit, blinking in surprise, noticing my crimson dress. “And where in the world did you get that?”

I smiled. “I’ll tell you all about that tomorrow, over those drinks,” I promised. “But first, let me get you back to the cabin.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine, really. You two enjoy this last night out.” She yawned again, louder this time. “I’ll be out like a light the moment my head hits the pillow.”

She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Amanda. You’ve been a great friend through all of this. I appreciate it.”

“You know I’m here for you,” I emphasized. “If you need me, I’ll be at your side. But I think for now you should go get some rest.”