Caribbean Cruising Read online

  “I guess once we rest for a while, it won’t seem so hard,” she said.

  Jake turned from guide into photographer, and began taking pictures again, using everyone’s camera.

  “How many times have you taken this trek?” I asked him.

  “About a hundred. It never grows old.”

  “It’s so beautiful here,” I said.

  “Maybe I’ll stay, and you can pick me up on the way back down,” Brooke muttered.

  “You’re nuts,” Ryan said. “This is great, working our way up the mountain.”

  “You’re just saying that because you’re sandwiched between two girls,” Brooke said.

  Ryan grinned before disappearing beneath the water.

  Brooke edged closer to me. “I really like him,” she whispered.

  “What about all the other guys?” I asked.

  “What about them?”

  “You invited them to join us.”

  “That doesn’t mean that I have to settle for one of them.” She shrugged. “Besides, I invited Ryan too.”

  “I invited him first.”

  “He didn’t mention that to me.”

  I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I didn’t want to fight over Ryan. I rolled my shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. He’s here. All the guys we’ve met are here. So let’s have fun.”

  Ryan came up out of the water a short distance away. He stood, flicked back his wet hair, and walked toward us, arms outstretched. “Let’s go!”

  I was really hoping that Brooke wouldn’t put her hand in his, but she did. And then I thought how silly it was to care. I mean, he’d never given any indication that he liked me as more than a friend. Practically tossing me into the river was something that you’d do with your kid sister or your good pal.

  He hadn’t dunked Brooke, and he was following behind her now. I was okay with that. I really was. Or at least I tried to convince myself that I was.

  Cameron came up beside me, and with a self-conscious grin, took my hand.

  “This is kinda like a school field trip where you have to stay with your buddy,” he said.

  I slipped, fell to a knee, fought to ignore the sharp pain, and looked up at him. “Not really. If I wasn’t holding onto you guys, I’d be slipping and sliding all the way down the falls.”

  He and Ryan pulled me back to my feet.

  We slowly and laboriously worked our way over the falls. Jake pointed out various plants and some wildlife from time to time.

  Every now and then, someone would break off from the group, and at Jake’s direction take a steeper route. I considered trying the more challenging path, but in the end I followed the somewhat easier one. Although easier is a relative term, and it wasn’t really easy.

  I knew I’d be sore the next day. But a good kind of sore. Aching muscles that had been pushed to the limit. And a bruised knee.

  The higher we went, the more often Brooke lost her balance. I was beginning to think she did it on purpose just to have Ryan’s attention. And maybe Jake’s as well. Every time she slipped, they both helped her up.

  They were being gentlemen. Still, I didn’t much like it.

  Once she’d apologized for being so clumsy, we’d start up the trail again. Ryan would look back at me to take my hand.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I beamed at him. “Fine.”

  At one point, Cameron leaned toward me and asked, “Is he your ex-boyfriend?”

  I shook my head. “Friend of the family.”

  Which was absolutely true. He was Walter’s godson and Walter was my stepdad so in a roundabout way, Ryan was a friend of the family. I’d never put it all together like that before, and it sorta made my feelings toward him shift.

  It wasn’t that he was baby-sitting me or watching me as a favor to Walter. He was here because he was a friend of the family.

  I should be nicer. Take Brooke’s lead, and invite him to join us on things. Even though he said no to me and yes to Brooke—maybe if I was more enthusiastic with my invitations…

  I didn’t know where the time went, but suddenly we were standing at the top of the falls, looking down on where we’d come from. It was so gorgeous.

  Paradise.

  “I think I could stay here forever,” I said to no one in particular.

  “The coming and going is too much work,” Brooke said.

  I rolled my eyes, and wondered why today of all days, she had to be such a whiner.

  Ryan slung his arm around my shoulder. “I’m with you. It’s beautiful up here.”

  Brooke wandered closer, and nudged herself up under Ryan’s free arm. “Hey, Jake!” she yelled. “Take a picture.”

  Jake began sorting through all the cameras he was carrying.

  “That one!” Brooke yelled.

  He lifted the camera. I leaned in closer to Ryan, and smiled. Jake pointed.

  “Say ‘paradise.’”

  “Paradise!” we yelled.

  I eased out from beneath Ryan’s arm, and began strolling around, looking at the vegetation, studying the rocks, just simply enjoying this haven. The islands held such appeal. Maybe when I was finished with college, I’d return to the Caribbean to live and work. Or maybe I’d simply take another vacation here.

  “What are you thinking?” Ryan asked quietly.

  I glanced over my shoulder. I hadn’t realized that he’d followed me.

  “I was thinking how peaceful it all is. I think this is definitely my favorite spot so far.”

  Ryan was studying me, and I thought maybe there was something he wanted to say, but then Brooke was tugging on his hand.

  “Come on, we’re heading back down,” she said. “Jake promised a party at the bottom of the falls.”

  I was enjoying the party up here. Sure, it was a different kind of music, nature’s lullaby, but it was soothing and calming.

  “So are you ready to head down?”

  It was Cameron, my faithful companion. I guess he’d gotten dibs on me again—this time without the kiss.

  “Sure,” I said. I slipped my arm through the crook of his elbow.

  Going down the falls was a little different. We followed the trail beside the falls. It allowed us to view the falls from a completely different perspective, looking at everything from where we’d climbed up.

  I really did love this place.

  Until I caught sight of Brooke and Ryan, off to the side, almost hidden by the dense green foliage….

  Kissing.

  CHAPTER 21

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m new on this ship. Could you give me the directions to your cabin?”

  I stared at the guy who I was certain thought he’d had an original come-on line. It was only the fifth time I’d heard it in less than an hour.

  I was on the Starlight deck where the singles’ meet was taking place, wondering why guys thought corny pickup lines were the way to go. Every time I thought I’d heard them all, along came a guy with another one.

  The party was actually fun, and the guys all seemed pretty harmless. Jake kept walking around, keeping an eye on things, making sure people were mingling, and having fun.

  But I still hadn’t figured out exactly how to respond when a guy was standing before me with a goofy grin and hope in his eyes.

  “I have a terrible sense of direction,” I told him.

  He walked away, and I overheard him using the same line on another girl who was standing nearby.

  “That was a clever comeback,” someone said quietly behind me.

  I turned around and there was Jake. I shrugged. “I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

  “Is this your first singles’ event?”

  “Yeah. Somehow I missed the others.”

  “Well, a lot of people travel alone. I try to hook them up so they have a good time.” He angled his head thoughtfully. “Only I didn’t realize you were alone. I thought you were with Ryan.”

  I shook my head. “We hang out together now and then,