A Bodyguard For The Princess (A Bad Boy Romance) (26 page)

Before me lay the assignment I had brought home. Converting a townhouse into a series of apartments wasn't the most difficult task I'd ever done, but there was a certain finesse to it. Some walls would have to be knocked down and some piping would have to be redone, but for the most part, each floor of this particular building was already relatively self-contained. It made my job easier, and being put on lead had given me a huge bonus. Finalizing my blueprints was the one thing that took my mind off Annie for an extended period of time. It didn't work forever, though; I was back to worrying about going on a vacation with her more quickly than I should have been. Still, two years was a long time. Maybe things wouldn't be that bad.

I would have to deal with it either way. Apparently Donna was absolutely thrilled by the idea of going on a cruise with Dad and I and had managed to persuade Annie to come as well, which meant I either had to go or come up with a damn good reason why I couldn't go that wasn't just 'work said I can't.' Dad knew damn well I had a lot of leeway when it came to my job, especially when all my work was finished. Not for the first time, I cursed my own productivity and called Dad for details.

“Hey, kiddo!” he greeted, picking up after the second ring. “Got the good news?”

“Yep, sure did,” I replied. “You gonna give me the details or are you just gonna gush about how you were right and I was wrong?”

“Don't be a smart-ass,” Dad said. “I'm just double-checking the itinerary now. Donna and I talked about it a good deal last night, and as much as we love you kids, we want to make sure we have some time alone together. It's only two weeks.” I hummed, waiting for him to continue. “I hate to spring it on you so abruptly, but do you think you can get the vacation time this month?”

“Yeah,” I said, not even having to think about it. “That's kind of short notice, though.”

“Well, it's either grab these tickets now or have to pay a hell of a lot more for them. I'd like for you to come, but don't think for a second I won't ditch your ass for a good deal.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I replied. I heard him clacking away at his keyboard and leaned back in my chair, tapping the back of my pencil against the drawing laid out in front of me. After thirty seconds or so, I finally spoke up. “Dad.”

“Sorry,” he said automatically. “Was just typing back a response to Donna. She said Annie can do work from the ship as long as she can get on the internet, which she can. It'll be expensive but not too bad considering the deal I'm getting, and I assume you can do the same thing?”

“Yeah. I might have to Skype with someone, but other than that, the designs are done. A lot of my stuff is portable.”

“So it's settled then?” Dad asked.

I bit back a sigh. I could say 'no' if I really wanted to, but that would go against all the reasons I'd just given about why it wouldn't be a problem with work. I wasn't sure I could come up with another excuse in such a short amount of time. The decision had been made for me. I just had to hope it wouldn't end in a complete disaster.

“Yeah, it's settled,” I said. “Sign me up.”

Annie

Honestly, I can't really say how Mom persuaded me to go on a cruise with her. Everything happened so fast, and I was still in a state of shock when I agreed to go. I only remembered bits and pieces of the conversation, just like I only remembered bits and pieces of the dinner. Seeing Zach had brought up a mess of emotions that I couldn't even begin to sort out. And now, I'd managed to get myself wrapped up in a cruise with him and his dad—stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean with the only guy I had ever had a relationship with. There was a sharp little pain in my chest that I tried to breathe through until it faded to a dull ache.

There would be a whole ship I could lose myself in, I told myself as Mom rambled on about whatever Evan had emailed her. Zach had agreed to join our family vacation, so that settled that. Out of Mom's sight on the sofa, I ran my hands down my face and pushed at my cheeks with my fingers, letting out a strained stream of breath.

“You okay?” Mom called.

“Fine,” I replied. “Just tired.” Which was true enough. I'd barely slept the night before. My brain had been launched back to college and everything that came with it. Even when I did manage to fall asleep, I'd had dreams that felt more like memories and woke up every other hour or so. To me, it seemed like an ominous omen for the trip to come. A whole ship, I reminded myself. It was two weeks, but it was a whole ship. If I didn't want to see Zach, I wouldn't have to, except for meals, and even then, maybe not all the time.

“Well, Evan's bought the tickets!” Mom announced. She sounded so happy that I managed to fix a smile on my face when she came to sit next to me. “Oh, I'm so excited!” She looked it.

I knew how much Mom wanted to travel to the Caribbean, and it was nice of Evan to buy the tickets for all of us without asking Mom to help. It wasn't him that was the problem, although I did feel slightly awkward about the prospect of being on a trip with him and my mom. I didn't really want to think about what they would get up to. I pulled my knees up to my chest and leaned against the arm of the sofa. There was an entire ship, I told myself again. An entire ship.

I had only packed for a weekend with Mom, so I had to drive back home to get the rest of my stuff. Mom offered to come with me, and I gladly accepted; I could enjoy the ride from the passenger seat. It was a bit too chilly for me to put the window down, so I settled for pressing my face against the glass and watching the countryside pass by. That was the good thing about suddenly going on a cruise—warm weather and bright sunlight, and the bluest water in the world. Well, that and Mom being absolutely over the moon about it.

When we reached my apartment, Mom put on some coffee and I put on music, and we began to raid my closet. I let Mom take the lead and dug my big suitcase out from the back of my closet where it had been stashed since I'd moved in. A smaller bag rattled around inside it. Mom made a careless pile of clothes on my bed, leaving me to sort through them. I pulled out what I wanted and tossed them into my suitcase, intending to fold them later, and threw the rejects onto my pillows.

“You can't pack your suitcase like that,” Mom said.

“I'm going to fold it,” I replied. Mom just nudged me out of the way and picked up an armful of my clothes. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I'll go make lunch,” I said, and left Mom humming to the music and meticulously folding all my clothes.

If I didn't think about Zach, I had to admit I was excited about the trip. I'd never been on a cruise before. Mom hadn't said anything about where we were going or what we were going to do, and I didn't know if Evan was keeping it from her as a surprise or if she wanted to surprise me. The former made more sense. This trip was all about her.

I came back up with a sandwich. “Mom?” I asked.

“Yes, sweetie?” she replied. She'd rolled up all my clothes into impossibly small bundles and was tucking them neatly, side by side, into the bottom of my suitcase. I never would have been able to organize my bag like that. I hadn't inherited that skill from either of my parents.

“Are you sure about this? I mean...” I knew what I meant, but I didn't know how to put it into words.

Mom straightened, bracing her hands against her lower back, and half turned to smile at me. “I'm sure,” she said. “Evan's a lovely man. I don't think we've talked about this since our first date, and he remembered. I know two weeks seems long, but it's a pretty standard vacation. Part of it's going to be spent sailing down the coast, anyway.”

“You never told me where we're leaving from or where we're going, you know,” I said, and handed Mom her sandwich. She sat down on the bed.

“We're leaving from New York, so we'll have to drive down. The ship is going to sail down the coast to the Keys and spend a day there, and then it's onwards to the Bahamas for the rest! I think there's a short stop at the Keys on the way back as well, but I would have to double-check.” It did sound like a nice trip.

“Are we taking the same car?” I asked.

“Of course,” Mom replied. “Why wouldn't we?” I shrugged and took a bite of my sandwich before putting my plate on my nightstand.

I turned to my closet to grab a few more things, then to my dresser for my more intimate apparel. I had one bathing suit stuffed in the back of my sock drawer. I couldn't remember the last time I'd worn it. Out of curiosity, I held it up against myself and glanced in the mirror. It looked like it still fit. I'd have to hope that was the case or end up spending a fortune on a new one at the beach. I tossed it onto the bed.

“I just hope you know what you're doing,” I said as I pulled out panties and socks.

“Yes, Mom,” Mom said sarcastically, making me smile and laugh. She knew I meant well, and at least I'd have her around if I needed to escape. I just had to survive the car ride first.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

Since Evan had the bigger car, he drove out the morning we had to leave to pick Mom and I up, and I could hardly make her sit in the back so I didn't have to be next to Zach. He looked half asleep when he got out of the passenger seat in sweats and a hoodie to ward off the early chill to help Mom and me put our bags in the back. He offered me a little smile that made my throat close up; I somehow managed to return it. I'd dressed for comfort as well. The only difference in our outfits was that I'd put on jeans instead of sweats.

“Hey,” he said softly.

My shoulders stiffened in a reaction I couldn't control. I filled my lungs and slowly exhaled. “Hey.”

“Guess this is actually happening, isn't it?”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

Zach rubbed the back of his neck and opened his mouth to say something, but he must have thought better of it because his jaw clicked shut. He shoved around one of the suitcases already in the back to make room for Mom's, which was a good deal larger than mine, then stepped back to close the trunk. The four of us piled into the car and we were off.

I turned my phone on and dug my ear buds out of my pocket. It was probably impolite to tune out so quickly, but Evan and Mom were engrossed in each other, and I really didn't have anything to say to Zach. It was bad enough being close to him, like there was an itch under my skin that wouldn't go away. It didn't help that he kept looking at me, either. I didn't hate him or anything, not really. It was just the tension I could feel between us, separating us from our parents and from each other like a heavy curtain.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shift around and pull up the hood of his pullover to cover his messy hair and most of his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his head against the window, then yawned into his shoulder. He looked cramped in the back seat. Two years ago, I would have let him stretch out and put his head in my lap, but that was then. I curled into myself a bit and put on a music playlist to find some kind of distraction. It helped, but I was still aware of Zach next to me. The space of the middle seat between us wasn't quite enough. I sighed and closed my eyes, mirroring his position against the window. I'd have to get used to being around him. Maybe the whole trip would help me jump the final hurdle in the healing process.

I settled in, putting on a good bit of rock and roll to soothe my rattled nerves. Zach was quiet. Over the music in my ears, I could hear the sound of our parents talking and, just barely, the noise of whatever they were listening to on the radio. I wondered if he had fallen asleep. I wished I could, but I was too aware of his presence to relax. I was being silly. It had been two years. It was time to pull myself together. I glanced at Zach, but he hadn't moved an inch. I closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to Mom shaking my shoulder and asking me if I wanted anything from the gas station store. I didn't, but I did want to stretch my legs and use the bathroom. Zach was already awake and rubbing one of his eyes with his fingertips.

“Bathroom?” he asked me. I nodded. “Me, too.” We fell into step together. I hadn't meant for it to happen but it did, and it felt almost natural. His arm brushed against mine as we walked.

Unwillingly, I remembered the warmth of his body next to mine after that night we spent together, the kind that only came from spending hours tucked up in bed sleeping. The comforting, safe, familiar kind. And Zach had been all those things for a while. I shoved my hands into my pockets but didn't move away from him until we split to go into our respective restrooms.

I took care of business and washed my hands, then splashed water on my face to wake myself up. I pulled my hair tie out to fix my ponytail, then stopped. Zach had liked my hair down once. I slipped the tie over my wrist and shook my hair out, not quite sure why I was doing it. I reasoned it was because wearing my hair down kept me warmer. Zach waited for me outside, his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. He gave me a little smile as I walked over to him.

“You sure you don't want anything to eat or drink?” he asked. “Dad's still in line.”

“I'm sure,” I said. “How long until we get there?”

“Hour and a half.”

“Yeah, I'll pass.”

Zach shrugged and went to join his Dad in the food line while I went back to the car to sit alone until everyone got back. When they did return, Zach had a bottle of soda for me. When I glanced at the label, I realized it was my favorite kind of orange. My chest tightened painfully. I tried to say 'thank you' but nothing came out. Zach settled back in his seat, buckled up, and smiled at me again.