Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FERN
I think I hate the twins.
They decided it’d be cool to have a big birthday bash by spending the weekend on a yacht cruising along the Pacific Ocean. I forgot to bring Dramamine. Actually, I forgot to say no, don’t count me in. I’ll be sick ninety-nine percent of the time or drugged.
As if that’s not enough, Elliot McPhee was invited to the celebration, and the asshole didn’t say no.
The nerve.
Am I upset at him?
No, I shouldn’t be. Who cares if he never called me or emailed me, or… he could’ve at least checked on me. Well, no, because it was one night. One of the most unforgettable nights of my life. It’s been five weeks since we said goodbye.
No. That’s a lie, too. He didn’t even bother to wake me up to tell me he was leaving.
Which should be fine, but for some reason, I hated it. This is why I never had hookups, and I probably never will again. It feels weird not to have at least coffee the following day. Maybe that’s why I’m staying away from him during this party. That and the possibility of seasickness.
My stomach has been queasy for the past couple of days and adding the ocean’s motion will make things disgustingly messy.
Thankfully, this yacht has so many hiding places that I can stay out of Elliot’s sight.
Tonight, I’m staying in the master suite.
It’s off-limits for the guests. I’m assuming that doesn’t include us.
“You could go to the party,” I tell Lysander, who has been next to me for the past hour.
He shakes his head.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t understand why you didn’t bring your meds. You should carry them with you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I insist.
“You look green.”
“Who is looking green?” Caspian asks as he joins us in one of the two living rooms of this obscenely luxurious yacht. When he sees me, he laughs. “Oh, it’s you. I should go back out there and miss the puke-a-thon.”
I glare at him. “You’re not funny.”
“You know what’s not funny? Mom pretending to be cool,” Cas groans. “Who invited her?”
She invited herself, but I don’t tell him that.
“It reminds me of the time we graduated,” Lysander says. “She offered the house to organize a party. Both our parents were trying to be cool. It was the most embarrassing day of our lives.”
“At least you had Dad during your graduation party,” Heath says as he enters the room. “Why are we here?”
The bile hits the back of my throat. “I’m going to be sick.”
Lysander hands me the bucket he’s been fidgeting with because he believed I’d need it. I hate that he’s right.
“Seriously, Fern?” Caspian groans. “Whose idea was it to invite her?”
“Heath, bring me another bucket just in case,” Lysander says as he hands me a wipe. “I didn’t sign up for this.”
I lift my gaze for a brief second before it happens again.
“You do it,” Heath orders. “I’m going to call the helicopter. She needs to be hooked to an IV saline solution or just sent home. I’m not dealing with this.”
“Why does he always have to take everything so seriously?” Lysander groans. “It’s not her first rodeo. She’s been doing that since… the first time Dad took us sailing.”
“You’re a doctor,” Cas says, and I imagine he’s talking to Heath. “Shouldn’t you bring along your medical bag? What’s the point of having you around if we have to deal with this?”
“Why is he so stupid?” he whines.
Iput the bucket down and clap my hands. “Stop! This is the twins’ birthday, and we’re not ruining it with your foolishness.”
“You’re doing it by puking,” Cas says, and I glare at him.
“Fern is in mommy-mode. You better behave, children.” Lysander chuckles.
“Everyone in this family is so… so—” I can’t finish because my stomach chooses to lose the little I have left.
The three of them laugh. A second later, I see Mom coming toward us. Behind her is Elliot. Is she trying to hook up with him?
I’m about to run, but I feel dizzy as I try to stand up.
“We need to take her home,” Heath mumbles.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Mom asks, pulling something out of her purse. “Here, take this.”
“What is it?” I stare at the plastic bag holding something that looks like gummies.
For all I know, she’s giving me some of her special candy.
One day, Cory and I were at her house and took some from the jar.
We thought they were regular gummies. I swear we partied with pink unicorns and purple narwhals all night.
I have nothing against her treats , but she should label them appropriately.
“Ginger gumdrops. They’re great for motion sickness.”
I narrow my gaze. It’s not like I don’t trust her, but I really can’t trust her. “Just ginger?”
She rolls her eyes. “It was one time,” she says, walking away.
Once she’s gone, Elliot sits next to me.
“Hey,” he mumbles. “I heard you’re sick.”
Have I mentioned I hate the twins? This isn’t how I wanted him to see me. Looking like a dying avocado. I’m thankful that Caspian disappears with the bucket almost immediately.
“She has to go,” Heath says, giving me a look between worry and suspicion. “You almost fainted a minute ago.”
“I didn’t,” I argue, but he’s right.
Elliot takes a deep breath, checks his watch, and walks away. I guess he doesn’t want to deal with my brothers arguing or me. It’s totally fine, though. We’re over. No, we never happened. I got him out of my system after the gala.
I lean back on the couch and close my eyes. Maybe Heath is right, and I should go home. Forget that Elliot was here a second ago and then left me. When the scent of Elliot hits my nostrils, I realize that maybe I’m lying about being over him. I want a few more minutes with him.
How about a kiss?
Well, not now, but maybe after I brush my teeth and shower and stop looking like I just lost my breakfast and lunch five minutes ago.
“I’m taking her,” Elliot says.
“You sure?” Lysander asks.
I open my eyes to find Elliot right in front of me, extending his hand. “Would you like me to take you home?”
“It’s the twins’ birthday,” I mumble.
“Yes, but they might enjoy their day more if they don’t have to worry about you.” Caspian is walking toward me, holding a glass of water. “Here, drink this before Elliot hauls you away.”
“Thank you for doing this and… everything,” Lysander says.
“It’s nothing,” Elliot answers.
Would they be this nice to him if they knew we slept together?
I almost gasp. Maybe they’re being nice because they know. I shouldn’t care though. After I finish the water, I hand the glass to Cas and rise from the couch.
“Goodbye, Ferny,” my brothers say.
Elliot places his hand on the small of my back and directs me toward the rooms. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but we stop in front of an elevator. We step inside and Elliot pokes the LL button. As the doors slide open, we’re in some sort of garage. There’re a couple of speedboats and some tools.
“Who owns this yacht?”
“Does it matter?”
“No, but it’s huge. I heard the master suite is the entire upstairs level. Maybe they can give me a tour when I’m less… sick.”
He grins but doesn’t say anything. We get into the speedboat, and one of the steel walls begins to move along with the floor.
“Sit down and put your seat belt on.”
“What if I puke?”
He points at a bucket. “Use that.”
This man looks too hot while driving the boat. I swear he’s like a European model, maybe Irish. What if that’s what he used to do in his past life?
It takes us less than twenty minutes to dock in San Francisco. I’m thankful that I didn’t get sick during the trip. Elliot helps me out of the boat, and I expect him to tell me to call a Lyft, but he doesn’t. We walk toward the parking lot where his truck is parked.
“You can go back to the party,” I mumble.
“And then who’s going to take care of you?”
“I can do it.”
He makes a weird noise. It’s like a huff or a groan or… something weird that I don’t understand.
“Let’s take you home,” he insists.
Since I’m not feeling well, I climb into his truck and let him take me home. During the ride, I close my eyes. It’s a way to avoid the awkwardness of the moment. This will be over soon.