“Why the hell would you assume I was okay with it?”
Finn.
“It was just a kiss,” Gisella had whisper-yelled. “It’s not like I slept with him or something. Relax. You went to bed, remember?”
“So you kiss someone else? Jaysus, Gi.” The sound of pots and pans being thrown around had met my ears next. “Do you hear yourself?”
“I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to have fun in your absence.”
“And I didn’t realize your idea of fun was cheating on me.”
Gisella had scoffed. “Don’t be dramatic.”
Bernard had grimaced, his eyes finding mine before he was looking to the galley again. I’d felt guilty for listening and told myself to go back to what I’d been doing.
But my feet were rooted in place.
“Don’t be dra—” Finn hadn’t finished the echo before he was laughing, a deep, maniacal laugh that faded as the sound of a knife aggressively hitting a cutting board filled the air. “Right. Okay. I was knackered and wanted rest, so my girlfriend first makes me the butt of her joke, shows the entire crew something she knows is private to me, and then snogs another crew member once I’m gone — and I’mdramaticbecause I’m upset about it?”
“Are you seriously mad that I showed the crew your silly tattoo, Finn?” Gisella had laughed. “No one gives a fuck that you drunkenly got a bug tattooed on your ribcage.”
“I’m mad that my girlfriend kissed someone else!”
The next clattering of dishes was so loud I’d jumped, and then I’d shaken my head, ducking out of the pantry and heading back to the main salon to finish my job. It wasn’t my business what was happening between them.
But somehow, in the time that had passed since then, Finn and Gisella must have worked things out. I’d found them hugging in our cabin just before this meeting, and I’d slid to a halt and backed out quietly, hoping they hadn’t noticed me.
Now, Finn was quiet, but not in the way of someone who was just tired. He seemed… resigned.
That scared me more than if he were still angry.
I couldn’t help but peek at him out of my peripheral as Captain Gary went over all the details of our charter guests. Every muscle from his jaw to his shoulders was wrought with tension, his fingers gripping the papers a little too hard. I silently begged him to look at me, but he never did.
I wondered what was going through his head. Clearly, Gisella had been wrong about him being fine with her kissing Cameron. But then again, they were also okay now… so had he just needed to get a little fight out of his system and now he was past it? I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes. I knew how badly I would be hurt if it were me — the same way Leah was hurt by Cameron’s actions, and they weren’t even officially dating.
But maybe Finn wasn’t threatened. Maybe he had just been a little embarrassed, but now that they’d talked about it, he was fine. Maybe she’d promised it wouldn’t happen again. Maybe he didn’t care if it did, as long as he was notified beforehand.
My head spun and I squeezed my eyes shut against the noise, giving myself an internal shake.
It wasn’t my business.
And I had a job to focus on.
Our new charter guests consisted of a group of eight women jointly celebrating their fiftieth birthdays together. The primary, Deborah, had booked the charter as a surprise to her best girlfriends. She was a brain surgeon, and her friends ranged from a dentist and veterinarian to a kindergarten teacher and sandcastle artist.
One of them was also a chef at a Michelin-Star restaurant in Chicago.
And as soon as Captain said it, my eyes flicked to Finn again.
“Oof,” Palmer said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Bet you love to hear that.”
Finn offered a flat-lipped grin that fell quickly, his eyes focused on the list of food restrictions and desires from each guest. It was never a good time for a chef when another chef came aboard. Inevitably, they would be the harshest critic of the season when it came to the food, and the pressure to perform and impress was extremely high.
Which was not ideal, considering what Finn had already had to face this morning.
“On night one, the guests would like a seven-course tasting menu and a celebratory birthday cake,” Captain continued. He smiled at Finn. “Ah, nothing for you, Cheffy. You got this.”
Finn nodded at Captain like he wasn’t worried, but I saw his hands under the table.