Chapter Twenty-Nine Lucky
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lucky
Could Hunter and I have what Georgia and Pieter did? I wanted it so badly that I couldn’t respond to his observation. We hung back a bit behind the rest of the crew. Emilie kept sneaking glances at us over her shoulder, even though Kai had his arm around her.
I looked up at the dark sky, studying the bright stars above me that reminded me so much of the freckle patterns on Hunter’s shoulders.
“Do you know anything about constellations?” I asked, desperate to stop my brain from remembering with perfect clarity what his back and skin had felt like when I’d massaged him.
“Of course.”
“What’s that one?” I pointed right above us.
He studied it for a moment and then said, “That is clearly a constellation.”
I elbowed him while he laughed. “That wasn’t what I meant!”
“I may not know the constellations, but I know what that heavenly body is right there.” He pointed at a bright star. “That’s my lucky star. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
His words rendered me speechless. And I couldn’t bring myself to ask the questions I wanted to.
Was that deliberate? Had he said that because of me?
There was a noise off to our left and we both turned to see that an elderly woman had dropped her large bag as she struggled with her dog, who was straining against its leash.
She was yelling at her dog in Italian and Hunter ran over to help. He picked up the bag, handed it to the woman, and then crouched down to talk to the dog. The dog started wagging its tail and then sat down on the ground, staring up at him adoringly.
Whatever he’d said seemed to have worked. The older woman kissed him on both cheeks and then hurried off down the street. The whole scene was so cute it made my uterus hurt.
“If that was for my benefit, I’m not impressed,” I joked as he walked back over to me.
It was a complete lie. I was very impressed with his kindness and thoughtfulness and how even unruly dogs fell in line just to please him.
He teased me right back. “This is just how I am. If you’re impressed, that’s on you.”
That was a true statement. It was just who he was. He was the kind of man who saw a need and took care of it.
Was he doing that with me? He sensed how I needed him and he was being that guy for me?
I didn’t like that idea. Better to keep things light and not think about depressing stuff. To remember that relationships never worked out for me. “I do like that you don’t try to impress me.”
He smiled. “I aim not to please.”
“I don’t believe that. I think you love to please.”
His eyebrows shot up his forehead, and I suddenly realized how that might have sounded. Then he gave me that infuriating secret smile of his that had me feeling like one of those fainting Victorian-era women.
Before I could launch into what most likely would have been a very weak and pathetic explanation, my phone buzzed.
Saved by the bell.
And again, Lily had the uncanny sense that I must have felt happy and wanted to wreck it.
I’m a bit behind on my credit card this month. Could you send me another six hundred dollars? I promise I’ll pay you back!
“What is it?” he asked.
“You get two guesses and the first one doesn’t count,” I said before I put my phone back in my pocket. I would deal with her later.
“Isn’t that like, the sixth text from them this week?”
“Yes.”
He put his hands in his pockets as we continued our stroll back to the yacht. Hunter didn’t have to say anything. I knew what I needed to do. Put my foot down and tell them that they were adult women and needed to start paying their own bills.
“I’m scared of losing them,” I confessed. Another thing I’d never actually said aloud before. What was it about this man that made me want to share everything with him?
“They’re your sisters. The only family you have left. Do you really think that if you stopped giving them money, they would stop loving you?”
I was afraid of exactly that. Hot, unshed tears clouded my vision. I didn’t want to keep crying in front of him. I never did this. I had always had to be the strong one. The one who took care of everyone else and made Mom’s life easier. I didn’t get to fall apart. Ever.
But he made me feel like I could and then he’d be there to help me put myself back together again.
Somehow he alone seemed to be in possession of a key that could unlock this emotional side of me that I kept hidden from everyone else.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me gently, to offer what comfort he could. He probably didn’t realize that he comforted and soothed me just by being here.
“What’s your favorite thing to bake?” he asked, and I realized that he was trying to distract me. That he somehow knew it was what I needed in this moment, to help me not fall apart.
“I don’t know if I have a favorite,” I said, trying not to sniffle. “There is one thing I can’t master no matter how many times I try. Sfogliatelle. It was my nonna’s signature item, but she didn’t leave the recipe behind. I’ve tried it a million different ways and they never turn out like hers.”
He considered this information while I noted that his arm was still around my shoulders. This was something friends did. Right?
I just loved how warm and safe it made me feel. Like he’d fight off every bad thing that came my way.
“What is sfogliatelle?”
“A Neapolitan dessert that kind of resembles a lobster’s tail but it’s made of these buttery, crispy, thin layers of pastry. Sometimes it has fillings like orange and vanilla-flavored ricotta, or almond paste or whipped cream. I’ve asked so many chefs for tips, including Andre, but no one can tell me anything that makes them taste right.”
“Is there anyone else who might know the recipe? Maybe before she came to America?”
“My nonna told me once that she worked in a bakery in Salerno owned by a married couple. Arturo and Giovanna Mascarelli.” She had loved them like family and had talked about them often while I was growing up. “I’m guessing they’ve passed on. Maybe their kids or grandkids took over? I don’t know. As far as I can tell, they aren’t on social media. It’s why I was bummed our original charter got canceled. We were supposed to have spent the whole trip on the western coast of Italy. At some point I was hoping to go into Naples. I could have talked to some of the bakers there. Maybe they’d be able to figure out what I’m doing wrong.”
“And you’d get to eat the pasta,” he added.
“I can’t even imagine,” I told him with a sigh. “I bet it’s like eating tiny bites of heaven.” I’d never been to Italy before.
He smiled at me and we walked along the docks, only a few steps behind the others now.
“You didn’t drink very much tonight,” he observed.
So I don’t launch myself at you. “Neither did you.”
Did it mean something that we were aware of each other’s alcoholic content? I couldn’t have said how many shots Thomas had taken or how many bottles of wine Georgia was personally responsible for demolishing.
“After Harper, I told you that I got out of control. That included a lot of blackout drinking. One time I fell and broke my foot, something I have no memory of. When I woke up in the hospital, all I could think about was my sister being in the same hospital and how terrible my decisions had been. It made me want to turn my life around. Plus, as my therapist was fond of pointing out, copious amounts of alcohol can interfere with my meds. And people with ADHD are more likely to become addicts because of how our brains are wired. It didn’t get to that point for me, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I don’t think anyone here shares your concern,” I said as Kai very nearly stumbled into the water, almost taking Emilie with him.
“Do you ever worry that our fellow crewmembers are a bunch of lushes?” he asked jokingly.
“Constantly. But then I worry about everything.”
He smiled. “I find life is better for me when I do things in moderation.”
That’s disappointing, my inner Georgia-esque voice said.
“This crew is allergic to moderation. They prefer to participate in stuff that ends with them being bailed out of jail.” I was about to climb up onto the passerelle when Thomas peered down at me from the deck with an unfocused grin.
“Don’t worry, Lucky! We won’t do anything stupid or felonious tonight.”
“History suggests otherwise,” I told him, and he broke into peals of laughter.
“Meet us in the hot tub in five!” Georgia called out as I came on board, disappearing downstairs with Pieter.
Hunter and I went back to our cabin and I grabbed my suit and then headed into the bathroom to get changed first. I was cursing the fact that I had brought mostly practical swimsuits. I had thought I’d be using them to go swimming or diving. I’d never imagined hot tub nights.
I came out into the cabin and grabbed my cover-up and realized that Hunter had left.
Maybe he’d gone into one of the guys’ cabins to get changed.
I made my way up to the sundeck and the hot tub, which I could hear bubbling all the way from the stairs. When I got there, Georgia was alone and drinking a flute of champagne.
“Lucky! Come and sit with me.”
I took off my cover-up, climbed in, and grimaced slightly. The water was very warm. I knew I would get accustomed to it. I sank down next to her and let out a sigh of relief. The lights of Nice twinkled at me from the shore.
I felt the warmth of the water seeping into my bones and sighed again. I knew it would stop being relaxing when everybody else arrived, so I planned on taking advantage of the next few minutes.
My quiet was short lived, though. I had just closed my eyes when Georgia said, “So when, exactly, were you planning on telling me that you and Hunter are dating?”
“What?”
“Lucky, I know. It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“I do not understand what’s happening right now,” I said.
She mumbled something under her breath that I automatically assumed was bloody dag and then said, “I’m just glad you finally came to your senses. I know that’s not an easy journey for you to make. Somebody should give me a medal for encouraging you to go after him. I’m a bloody American hero.”
“You are neither American nor a hero,” I said, my brain still scrambling to make sense of what she was saying. “And Hunter and I are not dating.”
“Lucky, I’m possibly quite drunk, and so you should be honest with me because the odds are I won’t remember this tomorrow.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
She patted the water next to her, like she was patting a spot on a couch for me to sit on. “I accept your implied apology.”
“For what?”
“Because I was right and you were wrong.”
This conversation felt like it was spiraling out of control. “Georgia, I’m not dating Hunter. I think I would know.” Given how closely I paid attention to him, there was no way I would have been able to miss the fact that we were boyfriend and girlfriend.
“It’s your lie. You go ahead and tell it however you’d like. But even Professor Plum and Colonel Mustard are happy you finally caught a clue,” she said.
“I’m telling you the truth. Hunter and I are not together.”
She frowned. “I caught you in bed with him.”
“Where nothing happened. I told you I haven’t even kissed him.” It literally happened only in my dreams.
“I just assumed you were lying to try and cover your butt. Which I respect because I wouldn’t want you to get fired.”
“Georgia.” I got her attention before I went on. “Why are you so sure that he and I are dating?”
She blinked slowly. “Because Hunter told me you were.”