Jill Shalvis - The Trouble With Paradise

Andy was in the water with Dorie, putting his hands on her as required. Which seemed to be fairly often. Every time he touched her, he was smiling easily, innocently.

Sweetly and kindly.

She tried to relax and enjoy the fact that Baseball Cutie wanted to touch her, but her tongue wouldn’t cooperate, and as a result, she was having a hard time relaxing herself.

The crew took turns taking quick dips, including Christian, who dove off the top deck wearing nothing but a pair of black board shorts low on his hips. He swam hard and fast, straight out until he vanished, and then straight back, pulling himself out of the water in one sleek motion, collapsing on the deck to catch his breath.

“Mmm-hmm,” Brandy murmured softly, for Cadence and Dorie’s ears only. “Ladies, I can almost feel the man-made orgasms as I lie here.”

Dorie, who’d just taken an unfortunate sip of soda, choked.

Brandy just smiled. “Much better than battery-operated toys.”

Dorie coughed some more while Cadence let out a shocked laugh.

Andy scooted closer. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Dorie said quickly.

He nodded but didn’t shift away, using his new closeness to get extra attentive, lotioning up Dorie’s back and shoulders, and taking his time about it. Not that Christian seemed to notice or care. Nope, as soon as he dried off, he simply pushed up to his feet and vanished.

Without a word.

Which worked for Dorie. Really, it did.

That night they ate Ethan’s fresh salmon and beef tender-loin with French onion soup served by an even surlier than usual Bobby, as the setting sun tinted the sky lavender and orange. For dessert they consumed homemade ice cream to die for, then listened to Denny’s pitch on why they should buy into time-share sailing on the next luxurious sailing yacht the owner of the Sun Song was having built.

Afterward, they danced beneath a darkening sky as clouds moved in with shocking speed, blotting out the moon and stars, churning up the night sky. Even the air changed, chilled, and from far off to the east, lightning flashed.

“Bumpy seas ahead,” Denny called out.

Dorie grabbed her drink just as it would have sailed across the table. “He’s not kidding.”

The boat lurched again, and Cadence gripped her hand.

“Uh-oh.” Brandy went an interesting shade of green. “I like to sleep off all unpleasantries. Time for me to hit the sack.” She went through her purse, pulling out a bottle of pills, shaking a few out in her hand. “Nope, not those”-she fingered through them-“No, not that one either. Ladies, never, ever, take a sleeping pill and a laxative in the same night…” She looked up. “Oblivion, anyone?”

Dorie shook her head.

Cadence did the same.

“Suit yourselves.” She popped a sleeping pill, while the boat continued to rise and fall with sharp precision.

Bobby appeared at their side. Though the night had cooled considerably, he was sweating. “The captain wants you to go down to your rooms for the night.”

“Why?” Cadence asked.

“I’ll take the nasty storm that wants to eat us up for a hundred, Bob,” Brandy said, still looking green.

Dorie kept her gaze on Bobby, who wasn’t looking happy. Not that he ever did, but tonight he seemed especially grim. “Are we in danger?”

“There’s a storm moving in. It’s…” He looked away. Adjusted his cap low on his head. “Unexpected.”

No, it wasn’t. Denny had warned him yesterday to check something-the storm jib?-but Bobby hadn’t wanted to.

“A big storm then?” Cadence asked worriedly.

He grimaced, not very effective at hiding his feelings, which at the moment included frustration at having to deal with them when he clearly had other things to get to. Like checking the storm jib. “Can you just go below please?”

“I’ll get seasick below,” Cadence said, just as the boat pitched hard to the right.

Dorie gasped and grabbed onto the table to steady herself.

“Look at the sky,” Cadence said in a low, fear-pitched voice.

The sky was black, huge, and menacing as the storm clouds roiled above them. Earlier, Dorie had looked at the view with awe. It’d seemed so impossibly big, so all encompassing. She was still filled with awe, but horror-filled now, because this sky seemed bigger, and more all encompassing. Ready to gobble them up.

“Ohmigod,” Cadence gasped.

“Relax.” This from Denny, at the helm. “It’ll blow over by morning-”

The boat pitched harshly. They all grabbed their things.

“Go on down now,” Denny called. “We’ll have a day for the memory books tomorrow. Parasailing, whale watching… tons of fun, I promise. But go now.”

Brandy leaned into Dorie and Cadence. “Yeah, that whole buying a time-share thing? Doesn’t look so good.”

They all laughed a little, but it felt weak as they stood and got a glimpse of what they were sailing into. A billowing, churning sky, and huge, tumbling waves.

“What if a wave knocks us over?” Cadence asked in a small voice. “I didn’t really listen when they were going over the safety procedures… oh, God. I’m going to die.”

“No one’s going to die,” Brandy said. “Not yet. Not when I haven’t gone to confession in fifteen years. Hey,” she called to Christian, who’d come to stand next to Denny. “You aren’t by any chance a priest, too, are you, Doc? I need to confess before I kick the bucket.”

“No one’s dying,” Ethan said, coming out of the galley, but he looked uncustomarily ruffled. “Going below is simply for your own safety.”

“Absolument.” Sounding extremely in charge and extremely French, Christian moved forward, his eyes right on Dorie, as if planning on taking her by the arm to escort her below himself if he had to, which definitely didn’t qualify as sweet but reached her anyway.

“Tous ensemble,” Christian said. “Together.” But before he got to her side, Andy stepped between them, reaching for Dorie himself. “I’ll get them below.”

Christian simply changed course as if it mattered not in the least to him, but he did give Dorie a long, almost daring look that she couldn’t have begun to interpret.

Nor did she understand the funny feeling still sizzling in her belly, sort of like hunger but not.

More like lust. Really? She asked herself. Now? She decided to ignore it and looked at Andy to see if she got the same feeling when he looked at her. He smiled, but all that happened was that her tongue threatened to swell. Damn it. She bit it, then jumped when Denny yelled.

“Jesus, look at that! Sixty knots, and counting! Bobby, hoist that storm jib, goddamnit!”

“I’m trying!”

Christian leapt to help Bobby, his expression tense as he effortlessly climbed up the equipment in the face of the storm, the wind battering him as he did, without any sign of fear for his own safety while he ensured hers. Dorie stared at him, knowing she’d never forget the sight of him silhouetted against the terrifying sky. “Get below,” he shouted at her roughly. “Jesus, Andy, do it. Get the women belowdecks.”

“Come on.” Andy grabbed Dorie and Cadence, who was holding on to Brandy. They moved to the stairs, and then hesitated, staring belowdecks. Nothing but pitch darkness.

“Whoa,” Cadence said, hands out for balance as the boat rocked and rolled.

Andy flipped on the running lights, which illuminated the stairs but not much else. Still, they headed down. At the bottom, they were galvanized by a sudden drumming sound.

“What’s that?” Brandy gasped as it grew louder and louder. “A pack of angry bees on crack?”

“Rain.” Andy sounded grim. “Torrential rain.”

They stood belowdecks, huddled together in the middle of the dimly lit hallway. When the boat pitched again, Brandy gasped and grabbed the closest person-Andy. “Sorry, hon, but my pill is kicking in. Take me to bed, sailor?”

Andy glanced at Dorie, clearly torn, which was incredibly sweet. Sweet was on her list. She liked her list. “We’ll be okay,” she assured him.

“I’ll be right back.” He slipped an arm around Brandy and steered her toward her room.

“I don’t like storms.” Cadence said this very quietly to Dorie. “Especially when I’m on a boat in the middle of the ocean.”

Dorie thought of the men above deck. Particularly Christian, putting his life on the line. “Me either.”

They could hear the shouts of the crew. “Bobby, wrestle down the reefed mainsail!” This from Denny, clearly taut and angry. “Jesus, get the number three jib! Speed it up!”

More drumming rain, even louder if that was possible.

“Shorten sail, shorten the fucking sail, Bobby!” Denny yelled, and then Ethan’s voice joined his. “Come on, man, get with it!”

Dorie swallowed hard. “Sounds… intense.”

“And not very encouraging,” Cadence whispered.

“Oh, you know sailors.” Dorie smiled, trying to be brave. “They make everything sound so dangerous.”

The boat rolled. They crashed into each other, where they remained together, hugging tightly. “So you don’t think…” Cadence started.

“No. Absolutely not.” But in spite of herself, Dorie’s cheerful tone faded just a little bit as around them the wind howled and screeched, the rain continuing to come down at deafening decibels. She thought about the boat sitting on the churning, swirling, massive waves, being flung about like a bath toy, and wasn’t comforted.

Every few seconds it seemed they’d hear something crack or crash, and would wince in tandem.

Was the sailboat falling apart?

She didn’t want to think about what would happen if it did just that, because it would mean getting onto a ten-man raft out on that sea.

If the eighty-two-foot Sun Song couldn’t survive the seas, how could a raft?

That, in a crux, was the source of panic balled in her throat. “Stay calm.”

“Calm,” Cadence repeated. “Right. I’m calm.”

“Actually, I was talking to myself.” They held on to each other like orphaned baby monkeys as they pitched up and down and every which way.

“We’re going to capsize,” Cadence whispered.

“No. No, we’re going to be fine.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I didn’t finish living yet.” Truth be told, she hadn’t really even started. “Just stay positive. That’s the trick. Stay positive.”

That’s when the lights went out.

Forget the cabana boys,

send out the Coast Guard.

And chocolate…

Are you still thinking positively?” Cadence whispered.

“Yes.” Or trying anyway, Dorie thought.

“I really don’t want to be a statistic.”

“We are not going to become a statistic.” Not as certain as she’d needed to sound, Dorie’s voice wobbled just a little bit on the last syllable. “The key is the whole positive thinking thing.”

“Not my strong suit. The positive part, that is. Not the thinking.”

Dorie felt a smile at that. “Okay, humor is good. More of that, please.”

“I’m fresh out.”

It was up to her. Great. Positive thinking… well, there was the food. The food had been good. And-

The boat swayed. Hard. Cadence whimpered in terror, and so did Dorie at the sensation of floating on choppy water while not being able to see a damn thing. With the electricity out, there was utter and complete darkness such as she’d never known; no city lights, no glow from a computer screen or cell phone.

Nothing.

Cadence let out a small sob as panic gripped her, and Dorie felt her heart squeeze. “I know!” Fumbling through her purse in the dark, her fingers finally closed over what she’d been looking for.

Her penlight.

She clicked it on, and a small beam of light cut through the dark.

Cadence threw her arms around her. “I love you!”

Dorie laughed and hugged her back. “It’s the bag. This baby has everything we need.” She flicked the light down the narrow hallway just as the boat tipped and listed hard to the right. With no warning, they both went flying against the wall, as did Dorie’s purse, which flew out of her hands, slid down the floor, and emptied out everywhere.

Dorie went crawling after it on all fours, and Cadence went after her. But then the boat rocked to the left, and to the left they all went; Dorie, Cadence, and brush, dental floss, sketch pad, charcoal, sugar packets, box of condoms…

They landed in a tangled heap at the end of the hallway, and slowly, a little dazed, used the light to stuff the things back into the purse.

“Good thinking,” Cadence said, holding up the condoms.

“More like wishful thinking.” Dorie put the box in the bag. “They were on sale.”