chapter twelve #2
Her witch-like screech slices through me, and I’m suddenly hesitant to repeat myself. “I… uh… moved it.”
“Did you bring it back inside?”
“N—”
Riles bursts out of the bathroom and shoves past me before wrenching the balcony door open and stepping outside. “Where’d you put it?”
“On the chair.”
“It’s not on the chair, Riley.”
“What?” I follow her, confused.
“It’s gone!”
“Gone? What about my shorts?”
“They’re gone too. Oh my God! I can’t believe you left them out here. What did you think would happen?”
“I….” I run my hand through my hair, eyes scanning the balcony. “Shit! I didn’t think they’d disappear.”
“They didn’t disappear!” She leans over the railing to see past the partition into next door, one foot lifting from the ground.
“What the hell are you doing?” I lunge forward and yank her into my arms, my heart thudding manically in my chest. “You’ll fall.”
“I thought you said I couldn’t fall.”
“If you lean over the damn railing, you might. Jesus, Riles. Be careful.”
“Be careful?” She shoves my chest, then slams her hands onto her hips. “You be careful. Because of you, my swimsuit blew away.”
“My shorts blew away too!”
“That’s because you left them out on the balcony of a ship sailing at twenty knots.”
Stunned by her knowledge of how fast we’ve been traveling, I burst into laughter.
“It’s not funny!”
“Come on, it kind of is.”
She growls and storms back inside.
“I’m sorry,” I say, following her. “I wasn’t thinking when I put them out there.”
“No shit!”
“I’ll buy you a new one.”
“Oh, I know you will. And you’ll do it before we get to Iceland. I’ve booked a shore excursion at the Blue Lagoon, and despite the popularity of nudity in Nordic regions, I’m not bathing without a swimsuit.”
This time, I can’t help but double over.
“Damn it, Riley!” She giggles. “It’s not funny!”
“It is.”
The flaming-red of her cheeks settles to a blush-pink, and she slumps onto her bed. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“What can I say? I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. Well—” She holds her thumb and forefinger roughly an inch apart. “—maybe a little.”
“I’ll take you shopping before we get to Iceland. I promise.”
She sighs. “Don’t worry about it. I probably needed a new bathing suit anyway.”
“No, I insist.”
Huffing, she gets to her feet and retrieves her coffee. “What are your plans in Qaqortok today?”
“Not much. I’m just going to wander around the village. How about you?”
She bites her lip, a wave of joy spreading across her face. “I’m taking a helicopter charter over a glacier. I’m so excited. I’ve never seen a glacier. I’ve never even been near a helicopter.”
I blink. “You’re flying over a glacier?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you see the shore excursion on your booking profile?”
I shamefully shake my head. Stupid, uninterested me hadn’t given the booking profile the time of day, and now my level of regret is as high as the Arctic Circle.
“Have you booked any shore excursions yet?”
“Only the Stonehenge tour.”
“Riley! You must book the Blue Lagoon. You absolutely cannot visit Iceland without going there.”
“Okaaay,” I drawl. “Maybe I will.”
“No. Do it now, or you’ll miss out. Here, give me your phone.
” She holds her hand out, so I slide my cell out of my back pocket, unlock it, and pass it to her.
Tapping the cruise app, she scrolls then taps, scrolls then taps, then hands it back to me.
“There. You’re lucky they have a couple of spots left.
I read that you usually have to book several months in advance. ”
“What’s so good about this Blue Lagoon?”
“It’s a geothermal pool with healing properties.”
“I have nothing to heal.”
“Nonsense. We all have something to heal. Our bodies, minds—” She pauses, her eyes landing somewhere beyond my shoulder. “—hearts and souls.”
Skeptical that a pool of water can cure the broken parts of me, I thank her anyway. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Riles gathers her bag. “My charter isn’t until ten, so if you want, we can wander around the village together, unless—”
“Sounds good.”
“Great!” She grins. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am. I just need my passport. Which reminds me… what’s the code to the safe?”
Her grin falters. “You don’t need it. I got your passport out for you last night. It’s in the drawer of your bedside table.”
“Thanks.” I retrieve it and slide it into my jacket pocket. “But I’m still going to need the code.”
“Why?” she snaps.
Confused and a little taken aback, I frown. “Because I’m not keeping my passport in the bedside table.”
“Just give it to me, and I’ll put it in the safe.”
“No. Just give me the code.”
“No.”
“Riles, this is my room too.”
“I know, but…”
I tap my foot, waiting for her to elaborate.
“I have something precious in there.”
“Okay. Care to explain what that is exactly?”
“No. It’s none of your business.”
Facepalming, I groan and then drag my hand through my hair. “Just tell me. I’m not going to steal it. Fuck, who do you take me for?”
“I know you’re not going to steal it.”
“Then tell me the damn code!”
“No!”
Taking a deep breath, I’m ready to lose my shit but rein it in, because I did lose her swimsuit. “Fine!”
“Good.”
I grit my teeth. “Good.”