Houston, we had a major problem.
Cade’s mom had appeared out of thin air, and I got the vibe she didn’t like me very much.
Or at all.
Not that I’d even had the honor of talking to her while I was wearing pants yet. But it was difficult to find my zen during meditation with her glaring daggers into the back of my head.
It didn’t help that Cade was in no rush to introduce us. The opposite, actually. After Dr. Lovejoy’s meditation activity, he did everything in his power to keep his mom far away from me. Because even for our little pretend deal, he knew she wouldn’t believe he’d be with someone like me.
I tried and failed not to take it personally.
They ate lunch together on the top deck, while I crocheted on the main deck with Mac and Whiskey. Cade eventually visited and brought me water for my lingering hangover, leading to Harrison teasing him about Mommy coming to check up on him.
But the worst part? Cade changed after his mom’s arrival. Gone was the man who’d given me butterflies and kissed me through a sheet this morning. He’d been replaced by someone colder. More off-limits.
Dinner was miserable.
Cade’s mom sat across the table from us, and I felt more like a stale piece of arm candy than a scheming partner. My so-called fiancé deflected every question the woman asked about us, never even giving me a chance to speak.
I was nothing more than a plastic doll sitting next to him. When he rested his arm over the back of my chair as dessert was served—a move that would’ve made my heart explode into an army of butterflies yesterday—my dread deepened. He’d waited until hismomwas here to do that?
My stomach soured, and I couldn’t take a single bite of the decadent chocolate mousse.
After making an excuse to skip out on after-dinner drinks, I went on a much-needed adventure with Whiskey. I wanted to avoid Cade, so we strolled around the yacht to explore all the areas I hadn’t seen yet. We found a cozy little movie theater on a lower deck, the Endless Pool Cade swam in every morning, and a dozen other rooms, each more luxurious than the last.
We might’ve also trespassed on the captain’s deck, but I couldn’t resist getting closer to the stars and further away fromthe happy sounds of the others drinking and hanging out below. Mrs. Westbrook’s laughter rang out louder than the rest.
It was peaceful up here. Quiet.
Exactly what I needed.
I carried Whiskey—strapped in his dashing orange life jacket—over to a pair of deck chairs, and we settled in to admire a sky full of glittering stars.
We cuddled like that for a while, until the nearest sliding door opened and an older man in all white exited. He paused in the doorway, while I stiffened at being caught in a private area, and we stared at each other.
His white hair gleamed in the moonlight, complemented by a neatly trimmed beard. He may be older, but there was nothing frail about him as he took a commanding step forward, sliding the door shut behind him.
“I didn’t know others knew about my spot,” he said, making me wince. Of course. It was just my luck the captain showed up at the same time I was intruding on his private deck. His gaze moved out to the horizon, before he gestured to the chair beside me. “May I join you?”
I cleared my throat and adjusted Whiskey in my lap. “Absolutely. It’s your deck.”
A deck I wisely didn’t admit to trespassing on.
The captain’s brows rose, and he took a seat while eyeing the cat in my lap. “That’s a handsome fellow you’ve got.”
“Thank you very much. This is Lord Whiskerson. You can pet him if you’d like,” I offered, shifting so Whiskey was closer to him. My cat’s grumpy little frown didn’t change. “He holds a bit of a grudge against the world, but he loves chin scratches.”
The captain held his hand up to Whiskey’s nose, who gave a few cursory sniffs before turning away in disinterest.
I smiled sheepishly, but the captain still patted his head, earning a pleased, rumbling purr from my fickle cat.
“What brings you up here?” he asked, reclining in his chair. “I know the view can’t be beat, but it sounds like the party’s in full swing below.”
Bass-heavy music and laughter floated up to us from the party deck, but it only reminded me of how uncomfortable dinner had been.
“Oh. I just needed a minute,” I said with a sigh. “It’s been a long day.”
A day I couldn’t wait to be over.