Eledon finished tying off the boat. Girl? Pete and Bindu must have arrived, but Eledon had to set this shit straight. Because if Pete heard Bindu referred to as another man’s girl, there would be a fight.

He jumped down from the second story, landing smoothly on his feet. But the brisk movement rocked the boat.

“Get that out of my face!” Ryan yelled.

The woman could be a plastic doll with her perfect white tipped fingers and her perfect blonde hair. She wore black capris and a pink lace tank top with shoes that could feed a whole village. He only knew because Bindu had talked about red-soled shoes all through engineering school, and she bought a pair with her first paycheck.

She moved the phone out of Ryan’s face just long enough to make eye contact with Eledon. “You need to be more careful. You could have broken a bone or fallen in the water. I do hope the attendants are going to enforce better behavior, or this could be a dangerous trip.” And the phone was back in Ryan’s face.

“Who the hell did you bring on my boat?” Eledon asked Ryan.

“Uh—I thought she was yours. She was here when I boarded. What is she doing to me?”

That was a fair question. “What are you doing to him?”

She ignored the question. “Open your mouth.”

Ryan glanced to Eledon who shrugged. Ryan complied.

“You need to get off the boat and go to an urgent care clinic. Your eyes are yellow, and so is the inside of your mouth. Does your stomach hurt?”

“I just…”

“You just what?”

“I just need to crap.”

Eledon laughed at Ryan’s crimson face.

“I haven’t diagnosed in a while. I stick with anesthesiology, but I’m fairly certain you need treatment for jaundice. And a new hobby. The last thing you should do is spend two weeks at sea. Your illness could get complicated. Should I call someone for you? Or do you think you can drive yourself?”

Ryan’s mouth hung open and he looked to Eledon.

Eledon shrugged. “It sounds like she knows what she’s talking about.” But who the hell was this woman?

“I can drive.” Ryan started for the exit.

“We can delay if you need a ride. Jamaica will still be there if we’re a few hours late,” Eledon called after him.

“I’m fine.” Ryan picked up his pace and scurried off the boat.

“Who are you?” Eledon asked.

“Katie Pearson. Would you like to see my ticket?”

What ticket? “Since this is a private party, yes.”

Katie pulled the green piece of paper the airport Santa had given her from her bag and handed it to him.

He unfolded the paper to find Jason Morgan’s name on a party invitation with a strikethrough line and the neatly typed word “Transferrable.” He laughed so hard he bent at the waist and handed Dr. Barbie her invitation back.

She put her hands on her hips. “What?”

“I won this boat in a card game. I invited the dumbass who wagered it out of obligation or sympathy or something like that. How do you know Jason?”

“Oh,” she said slowly. “A guy in a Santa suit gave this to me at the airport yesterday.”

Jason didn’t even know the girl he gave his invite too? What if she was some kind of psycho? “Do you always take invitations from random strangers in Santa suits?”

Katie sighed. “No. It’s just I haven’t had a vacation in years. But you’re right I shouldn’t be here. Judging from the return date, I don’t even know if this boat can make the kind of voyage you’re planning.”

He stared at her. “My boat can make it.”

“Right. Well, anyhow. Nice to meet you. Try not to break any bones.” She picked up her bag and was about to climb back onto the dock.

“Wait,” Eledon said. “Why would a doctor take an invitation from a random guy in a Santa suit?”

“They tried to drag a teenager off the plane last night. I gave her my seat to keep the airline guards from manhandling her. I haven’t had a vacation in half a decade, so when he offered I thought I might as well.”

“If you weren’t working so hard to pay for those shoes, you wouldn’t need to go five years with no break.”

“Making money was the purpose of going to med school.”

“At least you had a reason.”

“Yeah. Most everyone dedicates ten years of their life to something in hopes of being impoverished. Have a nice trip, Aladdin.” She took another step toward the dock, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her exit.

His stomach lurched. Something about this girl brought him to life in a way that nothing had for years. “Dr. Barbie, stay.”

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth formed a perfect “o.” “I’m Dr. Katie Pearson. You may call me Katie, or Dr. Pearson. You may not refer to me as Dr. Barbie.”

He grinned. “Dr. Plastic Nails, don’t go.”

She moved toward him. And he was okay with this. Until she poked him in the chest with her white tipped index finger.

“My nails are real. Captain Fake Accent.”

“Love, the accent is real.”

“I think I prefer Dr. Barbie to ‘love.’ Prove the accent is real. Where are you from?”

“The far East.”

“Obviously some country where they still own women.”

He could think of one woman he would like to own. They were practically touching. If she came any closer to him, he might show her how to properly own a woman. And then he dismissed the thought, because he didn’t need that kind of trouble. “It’s not nearly that backward. Although, I’m not sure men still protecting women is a bad thing.”

“No but referring to them as plastic dolls might be.”

“Umm…you’re on a boat with three-inch heels and, priy. After the first wave, that shirt will be see through.”

A gust of wind rocked the ship. There would be waves, even she knew that. “I thought I would be on a cruise liner.”

Eledon pursed his lips. “What’s that loser up to?”

“I have no idea. Since it’s been brought to my attention I’ll need more appropriate attire, can you please point me toward my quarters?”

Eledon had promised a cabin to Bindu and her husband. Since there were only two, he’d be sleeping in the captain’s office tonight. “Second door on the left.”

She nodded and dragged her luggage away.

* * *

The next morning, Eledon knocked on Katie’s door. “Are you ever going to get up? You fell asleep before dinner. What are you doing in there?”

“Dreaming about Eliam.” That wistful note in her voice couldn’t be missed.

Where was this prick Eliam while his girl was on some pirate’s houseboat anyway? Then he remembered what she said about not having had a vacation in five years. She must be with one of those Indian Gurus who worked all the time and would be happy to keep his marriage-in-name-only wife a few states away. Why get mixed up with a girl as beautiful and smart as Dr. Plastic Nails if you’re only looking for social acceptance. Amma and Achan could have arranged for a girl who would be perfectly content like that. And why was Dr. Plastic Nails wasting her time with such a loser? And was she ever going to answer the door?

“Do you have decent shoes? Something that won’t put a hole in my boat?

“Yep.”

“Get up and open the door. Since it’s just you and me, you’re co-captaining.”