Yeah, let’s talk about that first dinner service.
Finn laughs, folding his arms.
FINN
Let’s not.
PRODUCER
I take it you weren’t happy with how it went?
Finn sighs, scrubs hand over his face.
FINN
That first dinner service was an absolute bin fire.
PRODUCER
And whose fault was it?
Finn smirks, shaking head.
FINN
Depends on who you ask.
Out of all the things I discovered the first day of that first charter, perhaps the worst was that Gisella was absolutely lovely.
After an already grueling day with the guests requesting access to every water toy we had, Gisella bounded into the main salon asking if Bernard and I needed help setting up for dinner or if she could offer Leah some assistance with laundry. She was a bit sun-kissed from the afternoon, brightening every room she walked into with her pearly white smile. She did dishes from lunch so Finn could start dinner service with a clean galley, tidied up the crew mess after breaks had turned it to chaos, and took care of filling drinks so Bernard could focus on setting the dining table.
The guests adored her, the crew was motivated by her, and I couldn’t help but feel the same — even though I wished desperately that I could.
I pretended I didn’t see when she sat in Finn’s lap during a brief break in the crew mess, me passing by them on my way to check on a dress Leah had steamed for Theodora. But I saw it. I saw his hands on her waist, hers in his hair. I heard her giggle after he murmured something low and deep in her ear.
I knew I’d need to get used to it. They were a couple, and if I was already having a hard time with their actions on the clock, I was really in for it when the crew went out after this first charter.
Maybe thebestthing I discovered that first day was that Leah was going to be a great friend. She was the kind of stew who did what needed to be done before I even had the chance to ask, and the fact that she also did it all with a smile was a huge relief. More than that, though, she was kind and funny and sweet. Westruck up conversation easily any time we worked together, and she did the same with every guest.
“Do you miss Alabama yet?” I’d asked her as I did a cabin check with her, ensuring she’d done everything to my standards. She was already great at it, and with a few pointers, I knew she’d have every room pristine.
“Not even a little bit.”
“No?”
She’d shaken her head, and we paused long enough for me to show her how to fold the hand towels properly in the primary bath before she continued.
“I’m from a very small town where nothing happens. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”
“I take it you don’t have a boyfriend waiting for you back home then?”
She’d wrinkled her nose. “Ew, absolutely not.”
I’d chuckled. “Yeah. Those are my sentiments about the guys I’ve tried to date in South Florida, too.” I’d shivered at the memory of the few times I’d tried dating apps and lived to regret it. It didn’t help matters that most of that regret came from ever thinking any other guy could live up to Finn.
I’d wanted to move on from him so badly, and in a lot of ways, I’d convinced myself I had.
Him showing up on this boat swiftly proved just how wrong I was about that.