Modern Girl's Guide To Vacation Flings (10 page)

Unfortunately three drinks later, Beth lost the ability to focus on the story and still had no idea what to do with herself. If this was how the next twelve days looked, she was tempted to stay drunk the rest of the trip.

Beth surveyed the lounge. A group of seniors had gathered for pre-dinner drinks and a couple was necking in the corner. She stuck out like a sore thumb, nursing her fourth fruity rum drink all by herself. No one went on a cruise alone. The ship was like a small floating nation filled with prepackaged units of people, and she was the odd man out.

She should have gone to dinner with Matt. He'd seemed disappointed when she'd given him an out for tonight. And despite her worry about getting too involved with him, being seen together in public would only help their cover. Beth thumbed her e-reader and looked around again.

Palo, the server who'd dutifully waited on her for the last hour, cleared his throat, causing Beth to jump. She'd been so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn't even seen him come up beside her.

"Can I get you anything else? I have to prep for the dinner shift, but I can get you something before I leave."

With a heavy sigh, Beth handed over her half-full glass.

"I should get ready for dinner," she said.

But the thought of tonight's meal just made her head pound. She couldn't do her normal dinner rotation. She was supposed to be having a "date" with her boyfriend. And besides, the thought of spending another night with her dull dinner companions made Beth want to leap into the ocean. Maybe it was time order room service and call it a night. She would just stay off her laptop.

Palo surprised her and sat down in the empty chair beside her. "Sweetie. You don't look like you're having much fun. This is the second day you've been in here for hours by yourself. If you're not sure what to do, I can give you some suggestions."

"Is my boredom that obvious?"

"Honey," he said with an exaggerated eye roll, "a hot number like you shouldn't spend a moment alone. There are things to do on this boat that don't involve bingo or shuffleboard. I know all the best events." He leaned over the table and said in a whisper, "The Social Director owes me a personal favor, so if you want to get into anything, just let me know and I'll hook you up."

"I don't know. I've been through the itinerary. I'm planning on hitting a few of the theme nights, but nothing else sparked my interest. It's a cruise. My book, the pool, and a few drinks should be all I need." Well that, and maybe dirty vacation sex with a hot marketing guy, she thought. "Please, don't worry about me."

Palo rolled his eyes and pulled out a schedule from his apron. "The ones I circled in green are a must go. The purple ones are good to kill some time, if you haven't found yourself something or someone to keep you occupied. And if that's what you're looking for, I'll keep an eye out for you."

She almost laughed. Oh, she already had a tasty distraction. The only question was, could she have fun with Matt without it becoming personal?

Palo wouldn't leave until she'd agreed to attend some of the, in his words, non-coma inducing events he'd circled in green. And a few did look fun.

She ordered room service and ate a quick dinner, feeling a whole lot better. Maybe a kick in the pants was exactly what she needed, because that heavy weight that had been weighing her down all afternoon was finally gone.

There was no use staying cooped up. Beth decided that some fresh air on the upper decks was in order. The pool was closed and almost everyone was at a show or the second dinner seating, so there weren't many people milling about. Lucky for her the deck bar was still open.

Armed with the drink of the day, a Pineapple Mojito, Beth snatched a blanket and settled in a deck chair. The breeze off the ocean was brisk, and it chased away the stale closed-in feeling she had from spending the afternoon in the lounge.

Despite her best efforts to focus on her book, her mind kept going back to Matt. She wondered how he'd spent his evening. Did he decide to have dinner with his family after all? Or did he use the excuse of their date to stay in? Was he working or enjoying his time off?

Was he thinking about her?

"Beth?" a voice came from behind her. Holly, Matt's sister, approached, carrying her son.

She hadn't said much during lunch, so Beth wasn't sure if Holly was happy she was here or was firmly in Bridget's camp and saw her as an interloper. Beth decided her best option was the friendly approach.

"Hi, Holly. Care to join me? You look like you could take a load off."

"If I stop moving, he'll start to fuss." The alert toddler in her arms made a grunting noise as Holly continued to sway back and forth. "Evidently, cruising isn't his thing. He hasn't slept well since we left Chicago, and surprise, surprise, neither have I. If I walk with him enough, I can get him to go down."

Matt hadn't mentioned the twin's age, but the little boy looked big. Bigger than his sister. He'd obviously inherited the male Carver genes and was likely to dwarf his mother by his teens.

"Do you mind if I try something?" Beth asked.

"Sure, but I'm not sure there's much you can do."

"Hold on." Beth hopped up and tied two strong knots into her blanket and wrapped it around her body. "This is something I learned in Africa. The moms would make a sling to keep their hands free." Beth carefully transferred the child from Holly's shoulder to hers. Then pushed the fabric up around his body. The little boy started to protest, but once she secured the knots tighter he relaxed and snuggled into her chest without further protest. "He still feels like you're holding him, but you get a little more freedom and the fabric wraps around them like a hug. If you don't mind, I'll hold him for a while."

"Knock yourself out. With twins, I learned quick that you never to turn down help." Holly sagged with obvious relief into the deck chair, but continued to watch her with an assessing eye. "So, Africa? That must have been an adventure."

Beth shrugged and started to bounce a little. "It didn't seem like it at the time. It was just my life." She could feel the boy settling against her and it wouldn't be long before he'd be asleep. "It wasn't until we moved back to the states that I felt like I was on an adventure. My first day of high school in the states was scarier than wading into croc infested waters."

"I'll give you that," Holly said with a laugh. "What high school did you go to?"

"I went to school in St. Louis," Beth said, knowing that Holly probably wouldn't know the small public school she'd attended.

"Sophia is your sister, right? Kitty said she attended Lake Forest Academy."

"Sophia is six years younger than me. I only had two more years of high school when my parents divorced. When my mom moved back to Chicago, I decided to stay in St. Louis with Dad. Sophia went with Mom."

"How awful," Holly said. A pained expression crossed her face, as if the thought alone hurt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. It's just, I can't imagine how hard that was for you to have your family separated like that."

Beth really didn't want to get into her parents' divorce. It wasn't pretty. Especially since she'd taken sides. Even after fourteen years, her mom still felt betrayed.

"It was better for me that way. I was on my way to early admission to Washington University. Moving to a new school would have complicated things. It was my choice," she said, hoping this answer would stop further questions. "On the other hand, LFA was good for Sophia. She really blossomed there."

"I don't think I could stand being separated from either of my brothers like that. They may be a pain in my ass, but we've always been tight. Matt and I especially. We used to be really close until the twins came along. The nanny only has the kids while Mike and I are working. I hardly have time for myself, let alone my brothers. I hate to admit it, but they have totally taken over my life." Holly let out a sigh and smiled. Shaking her head, she looked back at Beth and narrowed her eyes. "Even though we don't talk every week like we use to, I was shocked that Matt mentioned you."

So they'd finally come around to what was really on Holly's mind. She had thought maybe Holly had been too focused on caring for the twins during lunch to care about Beth's arrival, but now she'd guess that Holly had just been waiting to reserve judgment until she had more information. Beth was rocking back and forth, stroking Stephen's back, buying more time to form the best response.

"Matt and I met a while ago. But it's not like our relationship is serious enough to warrant a meet and greet with the family," she started. "When I'm in town, we try to see each other. But I'm gone so often, I never count on him being available when I'm back. We've kept things casual. There's nothing more to it than that." She did a little bounce on her toes and patted the now sleeping boy gently. "You obviously have your hands full, and I'm sure Matt didn't think what we had was worth mentioning."

"Fair enough," Holly said, on a sigh. Beth couldn't tell if it was from exhaustion or disbelief. Either way, Holly rose from the chair and came over to collect her son. "I should get back."

They did a transfer, looping the fabric of the blanket over Holly's head. After adjusting Stephen in the sling, she stared at Beth intensely for a few beats.

"I like you, Beth, but I'm worried you're going to hurt my brother. Matt isn't like the rest of the family. He's not rash and he doesn't just jump into things. If he invited you on this trip, even if he knew you couldn't come, that means something. I know it, and so does everyone else in the family. He's never introduced a woman as his girlfriend to us. Never."

Beth was taken aback by her proclamation. God, she was going to kill Matt. It was one thing to pretend to have a fake girlfriend, but to be the only woman he'd ever brought home to meet the family was too much. No wonder he was nervous and kept changing his mind. He knew exactly what they'd think once he introduced her.

What had he been thinking? This house of cards they'd built was going to come tumbling down around them. She just hoped no one got hurt when it collapsed.

Matt was restless all evening. He had tried to do some work. He'd even tried to lose himself in one of his favorite computer games, but he couldn't concentrate.

He couldn't stop thinking about Beth. It wasn't any of his business. She had gone out of her way to help him. But he was desperate to know what she had planned for tonight. He'd almost called her stateroom half a dozen times. And, of course, there was the key. There was nothing stopping him from going down to see her. Nothing, except for the fact she hadn't invited him.

By the time ten rolled around, Matt decided to call it a night. But just as he was shutting down his computer, there was a pounding on his stateroom door. For just a second, he thought it might be Beth, until he heard Jason's voice bellow from behind the door.

"Open up, God dammit."

Matt pulled open the door and frowned at his brother. "I don't care what you have planned, I'm not going. I'm tired and not in the mood to hang out."

"Well tough shit," Jason said, pushing past him. "I'm your bunk mate for the night, and it's your fucking fault. I hope Beth wasn't planning any late night visits. And if she is, you two need to go to her cabin."

"What's going on?" Matt asked as he watched his brother yank a pillow off the bed and flop onto the sofa. Then, without acknowledging him, Jason yanked off his shirt and started to take his shoes off. "Why does it look like you're getting ready to sleep on my sofa?"

"Because that's what's happening," Jason said, as if that explained everything. He picked up the phone beside the sofa and looked up. "I'm calling down for some beers. You need anything?"

"Jason,
why
are you sleeping on my couch? And what do you mean it's my fault?"

"Bridget's pissed about this Beth thing and Kitty has been fanning the flames all night." Jason slid a hand through his hair and started to rub the back of his neck. "Bridget is convinced that I knew all about Beth and was just keeping it from her. You know how she gets."

Matt knew alright. Bridget was high strung at the best of times, but since taking on a major role in planning the reception with Holly, she'd taken her crazy to a whole new level. The woman got on his last nerve. What Jason saw in her, he'd never know.

"But that still doesn't explain why you're here."