Caribbean Cruising Read online

  “Hey, Lindsay, why didn’t you take your top off?” Cameron asked.

  “I’d be afraid a fish would come up and nibble on me,” I admitted.

  “It’s not the fish nibbling that you’d have to worry about,” Chad said.

  I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment. I definitely hadn’t figure out a flirtation style that wouldn’t get me into trouble.

  “Okay. You guys who are renting, if you’ll give me your equipment, I’ll go turn them in for you,” Jake said.

  He started gathering things up, and looked over at me with a wink. “Lindsay, would you mind helping me?”

  I felt Ryan’s, as well as Brooke’s, gaze fall on me. I decided to ignore them both. “Sure.”

  I helped collect the equipment, then followed him back to the diving shop so it could all be returned.

  “How’d you like snorkeling?” he asked.

  “Loved it,” I said. “I think I’d like to do some scuba diving.”

  “You could take a class on Cozumel, get in a little shallow diving maybe.”

  “I might do that.”

  “Are you sure there’s nothing between you and Ryan?” he asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  “It’s just that he seems to really keep an eye on you.”

  “Friend of the family. That’s all.” Calling Ryan a friend of the family was becoming second nature.

  We walked into the shop and returned all the equipment. When we stepped back outside, Jake took my hand and led me around to the side of the building.

  “I’m new to the ship,” he said. “I was wondering if you could give me directions to your cabin.”

  Before I could comment, he kissed me.

  It was a breath stealer. Probably the best kiss I ever had. When we broke apart, I was panting a little.

  Jake tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and grinned. “You know I shouldn’t have done that, right?”

  I nodded.

  “So let’s keep it our little secret.”

  “Sure.”

  He sighed with obvious regret. “We need to get back to the others.”

  I followed him around to the front of the building. We both came to an abrupt stop. Ryan was standing there, feet spread, arms crossed over his chest.

  “How would you like to go to Hell?” he asked.

  CHAPTER 24

  Like so many tourists, we all went to Hell simply so we could say we’d been.

  Although I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Ryan’s question had been completely in reference to the small town in the Cayman Islands. A part of me thought that maybe he’d been issuing a threat.

  Jake certainly hadn’t seemed to take it that way though. He’d rounded everyone up, put us on a bus, and took us to Hell.

  Hell was located on the north end of the island. It got its name from the unusual jagged, black rock formations that looked like the charred remains of a hellfire, but were actually a type of limestone coated with algae.

  Along with other tourists, we stood on a boardwalk taking pictures of the formations. Then we had our pictures taken with a one-dimensional wooden cutout of the devil, dressed in red with a pitchfork and pointed tail. We shopped for T-shirts at the Devil’s Den. Naturally I bought a postcard to send to Julie. I wrote a quick note on the back, “Wish you were here in Hell with me!”

  I bought a stamp, and dropped it in the mailbox along with about a thousand other postcards that would be sent from Hell.

  That night, after we’d all cleaned up and gotten the sand and surf off, we met up at Cruisin’. It was way different this time than it had been that first night. It was like we were all connected, and it was hard to believe that we’d only known one another for only a few days, a few nights. It was like we were all becoming friends. Real friends.

  We’d kinda confiscated one section of the club, pulled tables together, and ordered a pitcher of strawberry margaritas. Ryan was at the far end of the table, talking with Cathy. As a matter of fact the guys had situated themselves so each one of them was sitting beside one girl. I wasn’t sure how they’d managed to do it, but it was like they were settling in, realizing some of them might have a chance of hooking up with one of us before the cruise was over, while the others were destined to simply be along for the fun.

  Marc sat on one side of me, Michael on the other. Brooke was splitting her time between Marc and Shooter.

  “You know,” Brooke began, “we can say we’ve been to Hell and back.”

  “That’s exactly what the T-shirt I bought says,” Shooter announced. “‘I’ve been to Hell and back.’”

  “Dog, today was awesome,” Marc said. “I think it was the best so far.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Shooter announced. We all drank to it. Several times in fact. We ordered another pitcher of strawberry margaritas. I was feeling really relaxed and totally happy.

  “Wanna dance?” Marc asked me.

  “Sure.”

  We headed to the dance area. I was feeling so good, and I knew that the margaritas weren’t totally responsible for my attitude. Although I still had items on my list that I hadn’t yet checked off, I was having a great time on this vacation. I’d met some fun people, experienced some new things.

  And as I danced with Marc, I was beginning to think that I might have even figured out the flirtation game. Several guys had shown an interest in me. I still hadn’t found the guy who would be my last night fling. But I was more comfortable with looking.

  When the music ended, Marc and I walked back to the table. An order of nachos had arrived with the new pitcher of drinks.

  I dropped into the chair and reached for a cheese-laden chip. “I’m starving. Whose idea were these?”

  “Ryan’s,” Shooter said. “Not only that, he’s picking up the whole tab. Everybody’s drinks. He told us to order whatever we wanted.”

  I glanced down the table at him. He was leaning forward, grinning and talking with Donna now.

  “Is he, like, rich?” Brooke asked.

  “I don’t think so.” I wondered if Walter had given him permission to charge things as well.

  “We’ve had a lot to drink tonight,” Brooke said. “It’s going to be an expensive tab.”

  “Don’t worry about it. If he says he can pay for it, I’m sure he can pay for it.”

  She leaned across the table toward me. “Why don’t you think he’s hot?”

  “I do. He doesn’t think I’m hot.”

  “That’s bull. You’re the reason he hangs around with us.”

  I shook my head. “He’s like all of us. He doesn’t want to be on this cruise alone. That’s why he joins us.”

  “I don’t think it’s us at all,” she said. “I think it’s only you. I think you’re crazy to be sitting down at this end of the table.”

  “Hey, if he was interested in me, he could come down here.”

  “Maybe he feels like he’s been rejected too many times. Guys have really sensitive egos. Tell them no once and they’re, like, bruised forever. Girls heal. We’re tough. We bend. Guys break.”

  “Who made you the new Dr. Phil?”

  She nudged Shooter out of his chair, and scrambled over so she was sitting beside me.

  “‘Girls on cruises who can’t get laid.’ That would be a great show, wouldn’t it?” she asked.

  “You’ve hooked up with at least half these guys,” I reminded her.

  “And not one has made me forget about Chris. Isn’t that a bitch? I need to find someone who will hang around for more than one night.” Reaching across the table, she grabbed the pitcher and refilled her margarita glass and mine.

  “Drink up, Lindsay. It’s the easiest way to forget that we don’t have anyone special.”

  “Brooke, you are a total downer, you know that? I’m having a great time. Or at least I was until you got all morbid on me.”

  “I’m trying to have a good time, Lindsay. It’s just not working. I miss having one guy.”

  “S