The Shippers(70)

Honestly, I really didn’t know what to do.

As the astonishment wore off, I felt my whole body just saturate with disappointment.

Never mind that I wouldn’t be setting the record straight anytime soon. And never mind that I’d have to find another place to sleep tonight.

More than anything, I just … couldn’t believe it.

Because I’ll tell you something true. The reason that I hadn’t wanted to kiss Finn Turner tonight was because the person I really wanted to kiss …

Was Cooper.

And I guess, after all that lovely slow dancing, I’d been thinking Cooper wanted that, too.

This was the second time in my life I’d let myself like Cooper Watts—and the second time I’d thought he liked me back.

And—apparently—the second time I was wrong.

Really wrong. About as wrong as you can be.

I turned away and started making my way back down the hall the way that I’d come, and my reaction was physical. My breaths were shallow. I got lightheaded. I had to stop near the elevator bank, lean against the wall for balance, and remind myself how breathing worked.

Three seconds in, three seconds out. Where was my mom when I needed her?

Cooper … had put a sock … on our cabin doorknob.

Cooper was in our room right now doing some kind of sock thing … with a sock person … who wasn’t me.

And whether this was fair or unfair, right or wrong, justified or not … it felt like the biggest betrayal of my life.

It felt like something I’d never recover from.

That’s what I was thinking as I walked back to the theater to find Ashley and ask if I could stay in her room. And then, after finding the theater emptied out, as I walked to Ashley’s cabin. And then, after hearing a few possible sock noises outside that door, as I walked down to Harmony’s room—which did not have a lei on its knob yet but was emanating sexy music like it was about to.

Was this whole boat just fornicating?

Maybe I’d just have to sleep outside on a deck chair.

I was making my way back down our hallway—toward the outdoor lounge—when I ran into Finn. Of all people.

“Is this your floor?” I asked.

“I never sleep below the waterline,” Finn replied, tilting his head at his cabin door.

Huh. He’d been three doors down from Cooper this whole time.

“What are you doing up here?” Finn asked.

I decided to go with a partial truth. “My roommate kicked me out.”

“Who’s your roommate?”

“Our cousin Harmony,” I said, and when he showed no recognition, I added, “The girl with all the hickeys.”

“Ah,” Finn said, like Of course. Then, putting it all together: “Sounds like you need a place to sleep.”

How astute. “That’s true.”

“You can use my room, if you like.”

I hesitated. “How do you mean ‘use’ it?”

“Sleep there,” Finn said, like Duh.

“With you?” I finally had to specify.

“Oh!” he said. “No. I’ll be joining a new friend I made at the bar. Just as soon as I pick up some—toiletries.”

Yes. The whole ship was fornicating.

But I got to the point: “You’re not using your room tonight?” I asked.

“Not unless my luck takes a nosedive.”

I can’t say it was a good idea to sleep over at Finn’s, given the whole context. But I also wasn’t sure that I saw another choice.

So that’s how I wound up sleeping in Finn’s cabin.

I spent the night in my dress, on top of his covers, studying my blistered feet and cursing the man who’d invented high heels. It was not exactly relaxing, but it was better, I kept telling myself, than sleeping outside.

Small blessings.

When I finally conked out, I slept until Finn showed back up in the morning.

He knocked politely with a knuckle, and we greeted each other pleasantly with big-brother, little-sister energy. He somehow seemed a lot more likable now that I wasn’t trying to force myself to fall in love with him.

And maybe he felt the same way about me.

He even let me use a spare travel toothbrush and invited me to breakfast. Which I was more than happy to agree to. Since if I never went back to Cooper’s cabin, it would be too soon.

Did I want to strap my terrible sandals back on and go to breakfast in my dress from the night before with an unshaven, bed-rumpled Finn?

Why not, right?

Cooper was probably ordering room service right now with Sock Girl.

Like a gentleman, Finn opened his door for me, and I stepped out into the hallway.

And there, just three doors down, standing at our cabin door, alone … was Cooper.

Staring right at us.





Twenty-Three


“OH, HEY,” FINN said, giving a wave.

My heart clenched at the sight of Cooper: wearing his suit from last night, too, wrinkled and disheveled like the rest of us, his ice-blue tie hanging open against his chest.

We all took in the unmistakable morning-after vibes.

Just as I, in my walk-of-shame dress, said to Cooper, “It’s not what it looks like.”

Cooper shook his head. “I don’t care.”