Chapter 7
DANI
For once, the universe had shown Dani mercy.
The children had exhausted themselves all day, burning through enough energy that even Noah had been yawning by dessert.
Sarah had retreated to her stateroom early with a headache—self-inflicted, Dani suspected, given the amount of rosé she'd consumed with dinner—and the grandparents had declared themselves ready for bed shortly after.
By ten, every guest was in their cabin, the yacht was quiet, and Netty and Elsa were on clearing duty.
Dani was suddenly blessed with something she almost never had during a charter: free time.
She knocked on Jordan's door—it felt wrong to just walk in, even though technically this was her room too now—and heard Jordan's voice from inside.
"Come in."
Jordan was propped up in her berth, a book open in her lap. She looked up when Dani entered.
"Hey. Guests all settled?"
"Yes. It's nice to finish early." Dani held up the half-empty bottle of champagne she'd brought. "We can't serve this tomorrow, so I'm having a nightcap. Want one?"
Jordan hesitated, then set her book aside and swung her legs off the bed.
Boy shorts. White tank top. So that's what Captain Jordan Hayes slept in.
Dani couldn't help but stare. Tanned legs that went on forever. The curve of her strong shoulders. The way the tank top lifted at her waist as she moved and left very little to the imagination. A perky ass, she noticed as Jordan stood up.
Jordan crossed to the small cabinet under her desk, produced a key from somewhere, and unlocked it.
"I'll have a nightcap with you, but I prefer this," she said, pulling out a bottle of Macallan 18.
She turned and caught Dani looking, then glanced down at herself.
"Sorry. I'm not exactly decent. I don't have pajamas, I usually just wear—"
"It's fine." Dani waved a hand, the words coming out too fast. "Don't worry about it.
We're all girls here. One big family. Nothing I haven't seen before.
In the general sense, I mean, I haven't been looking at you specifically.
Obviously. That would be—anyway." She poured herself a flute and took a long sip of champagne, cringing at the verbal diarrhea that came out of her.
This was a mistake. She should have had a drink in the mess by herself instead.
Jordan didn't reply, but her lips twitched as she poured herself two fingers.
"I didn't take you for a nightcap person," Dani said, desperate to fill the silence. "You rarely drink more than a glass except for tonight."
"I don't. This is purely for emergencies."
Dani swallowed hard. "And this is an emergency?"
"Yeah..." Jordan recapped the bottle and locked it away again. "I'm not very good at... talks."
Dani shook her head. "We don't need to talk. I can take this downstairs and leave you to it if you're uncomfortable."
"No, we actually do need to talk..." Jordan gestured vaguely with her glass. "About... things."
Dani poured herself more champagne. This was worrying. Had she talked in her sleep? Said something inappropriate? "Okay. What's on your mind?" she asked.
Jordan took a sip. Then another. Then she sat back down on her berth and pulled the covers over her. "I overheard something in the galley before dinner," she said. "Lindsay and Rei were talking about us."
Dani's eyes widened. She had an idea where this was going and it wasn't good. "What did they say?"
"That you've been finding excuses to bring me coffee. That you blush when you say my name." Jordan winced. "They think something's brewing between us."
The color drained from Dani's face. "That's absurd. I can't think of a single moment we could have given them any indication that we're..." her voice trailed off as she felt her cheeks glow. "Also, it's my job to bring you coffee."
"I know. They were also discussing which one of us would make the first move."
Dani's mouth opened but no sound came out.
"You look exactly like Lindsay did when I walked in on them," Jordan said dryly. "Would you like a scotch instead?"
Dani set down the champagne bottle and nodded.
"Yeah, I think I might need something stronger.
" She waited while Jordan got up and poured her a glass, focusing on her lap while Jordan walked around barely dressed again.
This was a disaster and she could kill Rei and Lindsay for running their mouths.
Jordan handed her the glass and Dani took a sip that was more of a gulp, the scotch burning a trail down her throat. She coughed. "Right. So. What did you say to them?"
"I told them the truth. That our relationship is strictly professional. Obviously." Jordan sat back down on her berth, pulling the covers up to her waist again. She swirled the scotch in her glass. "I'm not sure why they think we're..." She gestured between them. "I mean, I don't think I've—"
"You haven't said or done anything," Dani interrupted her. "This is just Lindsay and Rei goofing around. They'd ship you with a lamppost if you stood close enough to it."
Jordan chuckled. "That's reassuring."
"What I mean is—you've been nothing but professional. Always. It's them reading into things that aren't there," Dani said. "You're attractive, obviously. Anyone with eyes can see that. But—" She stopped. Damn it. She shouldn't have said that.
Jordan was quiet.
"That came out wrong," Dani said. "I just meant—objectively. As a statement of fact. I've noticed it the way any person would notice it and I'm going to stop talking now." She drained her scotch.
Jordan looked at her tumbler as though the Macallan contained her reply. There was color along her cheekbones that hadn't been there thirty seconds ago.
"For what it's worth," she finally said without looking up, "the observation isn't one-directional."
Dani's stomach dropped through the hull. "I'm sorry?"
Jordan looked up. "Don't make me say it differently. I barely survived saying it once." Something shifted behind her eyes, as though she'd already decided this conversation had been a mistake. "I think we should leave it at that and talk about something else now, because this is getting awkward."
"Right. Yes. Different topic. Good idea." Dani nodded too many times. "So... have you ever been to Portugal?"
Jordan raised her brows. "Portugal?"
"I don't know why I said that. It was the first thing that came into my head.
" Dani shifted back, pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.
"I've always wanted to go there. Lisbon, specifically.
The seafood is supposed to be incredible and the architecture—" She was rambling.
She knew she was rambling. But the alternative was awkward silence and that was worse. "Have you? Been to Portugal?"
"No," Jordan said.
"Oh." One-word answers. Fantastic. Dani pressed on anyway.
"Well, you should. I mean, not right now, obviously.
But generally. As a life goal. My sister went last year with her boyfriend.
She said the tiles alone are worth the trip.
They have these beautiful hand-painted ceramic tiles on the buildings.
Blue and white, mostly. Some of them are hundreds of years old. "
Jordan smiled and nodded, like she was waiting for Dani to run out of steam.
Dani did not run out of steam. "And the trams. They have these tiny old yellow trams that go up these steep hills.
Honestly, it looks terrifying, like a rollercoaster but with pensioners and grocery bags.
" The scotch had already gone to her head.
"My sister got pickpocketed on one. Lost her phone. So there's that."
She set down her glass and blew out her cheeks. "Sorry. I do this thing where I talk a lot when I'm nervous. It's like a faucet with no off valve."
"I've never noticed that before," Jordan said.
"That's because I'm rarely nervous. I deal with difficult people all the time and that doesn't faze me." She paused. "But this, apparently, is my limit."
Jordan held her gaze. "Do I make you nervous?"
The question was so direct that it caught Dani completely off guard. There was no captain's mask now. Just gray eyes, steady and curious, waiting for an honest answer.
"Not until you told me about the conversation you'd overheard, no."
Jordan was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. But I had to address it—you needed to know what was being said."
Dani was all too aware of what was being said, but she kept that to herself. "No, I appreciate that. I do." At least they would stop the relentless teasing now.
"I made it clear to them it's unacceptable so I suspect they won't be having that particular conversation again.
At least not where anyone can hear them.
" Jordan studied her. "Is there anything I can do to make this easier?
I realize the arrangement isn't ideal, but we're committed now. Can't exactly turn the ship around."
"No, I'm fine. Honestly. I'm fine. It's all fine.
" Dani heard herself and cringed. Three fines.
Very convincing. "You probably think I have some massive crush on you now and that's mortifying, but I promise I don't. I've never even said out loud to the crew that I find you attractive so I don't understand why they—" She stopped herself and buried her face in her hands.
"Okay, I really need to stop talking because I'm making it so much worse. "
Jordan got up, crossed the narrow gap between their beds, and sat down beside her. A hand settled on Dani's shoulder and she looked up, meeting Jordan's eyes.
"Dani, I never make assumptions and we can forget about this whole conversation after tonight."
Dani nodded, not trusting what might come out of her mouth next.
Jordan was sitting close enough that Dani could smell the scotch on her breath.
The tank top strap had slipped off one shoulder and those legs, those ridiculous legs, were right next to hers.
If Jordan was trying to make this easier on her, she was failing.
Something hot and unwelcome curled through her abdomen and she silently told her body to get a grip.
"Okay," she said. "Good. Let's never mention this again."