Had they dug up the past on purpose, piecing together the remnants of what we were to set the stage for what we could be? Or had they simply gotten lucky, striking gold in the form of unfinished business and unresolved tension?
Either way, I knew one thing for certain.
This wasn’t just a coincidence.
It was a setup.
Well, I hoped they didn’t waste all their ammo betting on the fact that I would play into this little game, because I wouldn’t.
I didn’t care that he was here.
I didn’t plan on giving him any more attention than what was absolutely necessary to run the interior.
I was here forme —not for Finn Pearson.
In order, it was him, Gisella, Eli, and Leah on one couch, and then Bernard, Cameron, Palmer and me on the other. Our engineers and first mate — Rocco, Quest, and Liz, who would be excluded from being filmed for the show, the lucky bastards — stood in the corners off to the side, their arms folded, shoulders leaning against the wood- paneled walls.
“Alright,” Captain Gary said, sporting a toothy grin as he spread his arms wide. “Welcome to theSinking Sun, crew. Are we ready to have a great season?”
We all clapped and did various little hoots and hollers of enthusiasm — mostly at the request of the producers. Bernard and I shared conspiratorial looks when the noise died down, both of us making fun of the situation. I already knew he’d be my drinking buddy come crew night out, and I couldn’t wait.
My eyes flicked to Finn then, and my next breath shuddered in my chest when I realized his were already fixed on me. It was like a car crash, the way my body seized beneath those piercing blue-green eyes.
We watched each other for a long, rib-crushing moment — one that sent me flying back to another time, another version of myself.
“I love this look you get,” he says, the corner of his mouth crooked, eyes sleepy as he runs his knuckles over my cheek.
“What look?”
“This dreamy-eyed one you wear when you talk about yachting. Travel. Seeing the world.”
“It’s the same one you get when you talk about food.”
“Food makes sense. But getting your kicks from serving people? That one I’ll never understand.”
I smirk, climbing on top of him. We both laugh when I hit my head on the ceiling, his top bunk making the maneuver anything but graceful. We’re both exhausted after a long day with a charter of particularly difficult guests, knowing we need sleep but not willing to sacrifice this time together to get it.
“I like serving you,” I tease, biting my lip before I lower my mouth to his.
Finn groans with the kiss, his hands bruising my hips as he rocks into me. “And I like feeding you.”
“Careful,” I warn with a nip of his bottom lip. “You once told me food is how you show your love.”
He pauses at that, sweeping my hair behind one ear, his eyes searching mine.
“I meant it.”
I blinked, tearing my gaze from his and focusing on Captain Gary as my neck burned with a furious heat.
Captain started with a rundown of the yacht, detailing every feature of it from the length to the number of bedrooms. We all knew this was mostly for the show rather than for us, but we nodded and followed along.
After that, he launched into his speech — one I’d heard a half-dozen times before when I’d worked with him on other boats. I knew the way he ran his ship.
For Captain Gary, he wanted professionalism and top-notch service when we were working. If there were guests on this boat, we’d better be going above and beyond every second of every day to make their experience the best possible.
But when it came to our down time, he loosened that iron fist. He encouraged us to have fun, to enjoy our time in Italy as long as we were smart about it.
“When a charter ends, it’s on you and your teams to get the boat sorted for the next one. After that, what you do with your time’s your business. Go out, blow off steam, have a laugh — but don’t let it mess with your work. First time one of you can’t get out of bed because you’re hungover, you’ll be answering to me. I don’t care if you party — just know your limits, and don’t leave your crew mates hanging because you couldn’t handle your booze.”