Sweet Reality by Laura Heffernan (11)

 

 

 

 

Montego Bay is well known for its variety of glittering beaches, water so blue it looks like an Instagram filter, and popular golf courses. There’s also a protected Marine Park, which allows our cruise-goers to get an up-close look at wildlife on coral reefs. Whether snorkeling or diving is more your speed, there’s something to see for everyone.

 

We’re expecting high temperatures in the upper 80s with clear skies and lots of sun on this beautiful November day. Anyone who forgot their sunblock can pick some up at the gift shop before we drop anchor or after we set sail this evening.

Our large ship isn’t allowed to enter the main port, so we’ll be ferrying passengers from our very own floating dock over to the island. Life jackets will be available onboard and are required for all passengers. We’re expecting smooth waters today, but if you’re predisposed to seasickness, visit the infirmary after breakfast for a shot to get you through the day. Pills are also available for those who prefer.

 

Return to the ship after lunch for an introductory ASL lesson taught by Deaf Teen Mother Madison at 2 PM in the large theater. The Fishbowl Ariana will also be on hand to assist.

 

We’ll be leaving the harbor at 5 PM sharp, with the last catamarans heading for the floating dock at 4:50 PM.

 

Tonight, join all the Reality Stars in the Rocker Lounge for themed drinks and dancing until the sun comes up!

 

Full schedule of onboard events 2

Map of Montego Bay, Jamaica 4-5

Things to Do in Montego Bay 3, 6

Meet Your Entertainment Director 7

 

 

As Justin and I left the dining room after breakfast Wednesday morning, something tickled the back of my mind. We’d signed up for an excursion in Jamaica. Outside. My waterproof bag held my swimsuit, a towel, cheap plastic watch, and flip-flops to wear on the beach, but something was missing. I halted to rummage through it a second time. Justin stopped short behind me. Rachel stumbled, nearly walking into him.

“What’s wrong?” Justin asked.

“I forgot my sunblock,” I said.

“No worries. You’ve got mine in there, right?”

“Your SPF 30? That’s about as effective as putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole. I need mine. Don’t worry—I’ll run to my cabin for it, and meet you at the floating dock.”

“We have to be there in fifteen minutes,” Justin said. “Here, give me your key, and I’ll go get it.”

“No need,” Rachel said. “I’m going to swing by our cabin before heading to the casino for a bit. I’ll let you in.”

“Are you sure?”

He leaned over and kissed me briefly. “We don’t have time to discuss it. I’ll see you in a few.”

The two of them raced down the hall. I texted Danielle to tell her I’d be there soon and started toward the meeting point. Because the ship took up so much room, the Queen Kelly wasn’t allowed to pull all the way into the port. Instead, the harbormaster dropped a floating dock and smaller boats carried us across the sea in groups of ten to twenty-five.

Watching the boat rock on the waves, my stomach flip-flopped. Maybe I could wait for Justin on the dock until I didn’t want to throw up. Or cancel the trip and go sit on the upper deck, not puking.

“You coming?” A smiling guy about my dad’s age stood on the deck, directing people into the boats. His flat-topped white hat identified him as the captain.

“I’m waiting for my boyfriend.”

“Wait onboard,” he said. “That way, these nice people behind you can take their seats. I’m sure your boyfriend will be here shortly.”

With a shrug, I moved into the boat. Another wave hit me, but the nausea was nervousness, not actual seasickness. Once someone reassured me this thing wouldn’t sink, I’d be fine. Probably.

Danielle hadn’t arrived yet. Neither had Justin, but given his detour, I wasn’t surprised. A large group of Latina women who appeared to all know each other occupied most of the other seats. They spoke animatedly in Spanish, paying no attention to me. As I searched for three empty seats together, Janine joined the boat. I smiled and waved. She wore a camera bag slung across her upper body. Before I could ask, the captain whistled to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay, before we take off, it’s time for roll call! When I say your name, raise your hand.”

He went down the list of names, while I kept glancing nervously at the ship. Reid and Taylor would be at the end of the list, but where was Justin?

“J. Reid?”

“Here!” I said, before remembering to raise my hand.

“D. Rossellini?”

I looked up to wave Danielle over, but before I could, a deep voice answered.

“Here.”

Not Danielle. Dominic. What was going on? Did she set me up? Danielle swore she would be on the excursion, which meant Dominic couldn’t tag along. I’d been genuinely excited about getting to tour the island with her. And now, Justin and I were stuck with her stupid ex instead. My stupid ex.

Or I was.

“J. Taylor?” The captain said. “Is there a J. Taylor onboard?”

I said, “That’s my boyfriend. He’ll be here any second.”

“Okay. A. Sassani?”

Oh, no. A tremor rolled down my spine. Somehow, when she didn’t respond, I wasn’t surprised at all. The captain called the last two names again, but only silence answered.

“Okay, then, that’s everyone. Have a seat and we’ll be ashore in about ten minutes.”

I stood. “Excuse me. My boyfriend isn’t here yet. We need to wait.”

“Sorry, ma’am. It’s eight o’clock. We take off at eight, whether the boat is full or not. No time to wait for stragglers.”

“He’s not a straggler. Look, he just went to get my sunblock. He’ll be here any second.” I moved toward the exit. “If you can’t wait, I’ll get off the boat and wait for him myself.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

To my horror, when I reached the side of the boat, the floating dock now sat about ten yards away. Each waved pushed us further from the ship, toward the Jamaican shore.

“I pulled anchor before starting roll call,” the captain said. “That was so I could tell the cruise director who made it and who didn’t. I’m afraid we’re headed for shore now.”

Justin appeared in the doorway of the ship, where the floating dock now led to nothing. I waved at him, but a crew member held him in place. He waved back, mouthing something I couldn’t see.

“Can he take the next boat?”

The captain looked at the sky. “I’m afraid not. The wind’s picking up. By the time we drop you off, it won’t be safe for these little boats out here. We’ll be staying at the dock until it lets up. These catamarans can’t sail in bad weather.”

With every word he spoke, my heart sank further. “You mean I can’t go back to the ship myself?”

“I’m afraid not. You’ll all have to stay safe on dry land for a few hours. Anyone not already on shore will remain on the cruise ship until the weather clears up. It’s for safety. But don’t worry. Your excursion is on the other side of the island, and I’m told it’s clear, calm waters over there.”

Great. Clear, calm waters for me to go on a “romantic” horseback ride with my ex-boyfriend while my current boyfriend remained behind with the woman who’d do anything to wreck our relationship.

* * *

Dominic took the seat next to me, despite the two empty seats on the other side of the tiny vessel. I stood to move, but the boat rocked, and I found myself thrown backward, nearly landing in his lap. After lurching to my feet, my gaze darted to Janine who was, naturally, already filming us. Wonderful.

“Hey, babe.”

“Don’t call me that. I always hated when you called me that.”

“Is there another term of endearment you’d prefer? Schnookums? Sweetie?”

“How about ‘Woman I swear never to speak to again’?” Grumbling, I grabbed my bag and jumped up again. This time, I rocked with the boat and managed to stay upright.

A voice blared on the loudspeaker in the corner. “Please stay seated for the duration of the trip. We’ll be on land shortly. Thank you.”

Great. I couldn’t move without falling overboard.

Well, I may be stuck sitting next to Dominic, but I didn’t have to talk to him. I turned my entire body toward the young woman on my left. “¡Hola! ¿Como estás?”

Her rapid-fire response left me desperately wishing I’d picked up more than about fifty words of Spanish since moving to Miami. Unfortunately, whatever the friendly woman beside me said in reply, it wasn’t “Where is the bathroom?” or “Donald Trump es horrible.”

I smiled helplessly, wracking my brain for something to say. The only words in my head were, “Yo soy una margarita.”

Over my shoulder, Dominic spoke, addressing the woman in flawless Spanish. She smiled at him and chuckled before turning her attention to the man beside her and the toddler in his lap. Darn it.

I stared at my lap resolutely for about thirty seconds before curiosity got the better of me. “What did you say to her?”

“I apologized for my American sister and said you have a condition that makes it impossible for you to think before you speak.”

Rolling my eyes, I returned my gaze to my lap. I shouldn’t have asked.

“Hey, since we’re stuck with each other, and I’m apparently the only other person who speaks English, you could try talking to me.”

“I have nothing to say to you. Besides, Janine speaks English.”

Dominic gestured over his shoulder with one thumb. “That Janine?”

On the other side of the boat, the eager production assistant still held a camera to her eye, pointed at me and Dominic. She didn’t seem inclined to pause the video so I could chat with someone other than my ex.

For a moment, I heartily wished I could whip my microphone out into the ocean, never to be seen or heard again. Then chuck the camera, and possibly Dominic, in after it.

But I agreed to do this show. And I didn’t want to spend five hundred dollars to replace a wireless mic destroyed in a fit of pique.

Swallowing my frustration, I forced a smile for the benefit of the viewers. “I may be stuck with you, but I don’t have to like it. What are you doing here? Where’s Danielle?”

“I convinced Danielle to let me take her place. She admits we were a bad couple, and she’s agreed to help me make things up to you so you’ll give me another chance.”

I looked at him like he’d sprouted a second head. “What are you talking about? Doesn’t Danielle have a restraining order against you?”

He chuckled. “Sweet, sweet Jen. That was all part of the plan.”

“No way,” I said. “Aren’t you here with Ariana?”

“We may be on the ship together, but we’re not here as a couple. Let’s just say Ari and I have a similar agenda. Danielle graciously agreed to help, once I waved enough money at her.”

He had to be lying. None of what he said made sense. Why would Danielle help her ex-husband lure me away from Justin for the day?

Money’s a powerful motivator, a voice inside me said.

But she got a huge settlement, I argued with myself.

I didn’t want to believe Dominic, but the evidence lay before me: no Justin, no Ariana, no Danielle. Just me and Dominic, alone on a “romantic” excursion with ten other people who physically couldn’t talk to me, a representative of the Network, and a video camera.

Bile rose in my throat when I realized all three of them played me. “You’re despicable. I can’t believe I ever thought I loved you.”

He shrugged. “You’ll come around. All I need is time to convince you how sorry I am for not telling you about Danielle sooner. Then you’ll realize we’re meant to be together.”

“Are you high?”

“Nope. I’m a determined man in love.”

“And I’m a woman in love—with Justin.”

He looked around the boat. “Speaking of, where is your darling ‘Reality Lover’? If he’s so great, why isn’t he here with you?”

“I forgot my sunblock. He went to get it,” I said. “Something must have delayed him.”

“Something or someone? Wasn’t Ariana with him at the dock?”

My head dropped into my hands. How stupid of me not to predict something like this. “I should’ve gone with him. I’d much rather be stuck on the boat with Justin than enjoying our excursion without him.”

“Well, you’re not. And since we’re here, we might as well make the most of our day together. Just think, you spend an excruciating, miserable eight hours with me, and when we get to the ship, your golden boy can kiss you and make it all better.”

I hated myself for the chuckle that escaped me. Dominic was right, though. I didn’t need to make myself miserable all day because Justin wasn’t here. I’d always prided myself on being able to make the best of bad situations—before I met Ariana. Surely I could enjoy one tour of Jamaica and one beach horseback ride, even if my ex happened to be nearby.

“At least let me give you some sunblock,” Dominic said. “You burn like crazy.”

The last thing I wanted was my ex-boyfriend slathering lotion on my back, leaning forward to whisper seductively in one ear while turning to ensure the cameras captured his good side. Silently, I cursed everyone I knew: myself for forgetting the SPF 100; Justin for going to get it; Rachel for spending the day shopping instead of providing backup on this excursion; Danielle for whatever part she played in this switcheroo; Dominic for taking her spot on the excursion; Ariana for engineering the whole thing; Ed and Connor for planning this cruise in the first place; the Network for casting us all on The Fishbowl.

Still, I’d burn to a crisp if I stayed out here much longer, and I couldn’t reach my own back without extendable arms. “Fine.”

A smile that used to be sensual but now made me queasy stretched across Dominic’s face. “Great. Turn around and I’ll rub your back.”

“No need.” Stifling my revulsion at the thought of his hands on my flesh, I pulled my waterproof bag off my back and rifled through it before producing Justin’s aerosol can of SPF 30. “Spray me?”

His face fell so fast I wanted to laugh, but he took the can. “Turn around. And hand me your bag so you don’t have a giant strap mark across it tomorrow.”

I turned my back on him, willing the catamaran to travel to shore faster so I could get away from him. Once there, ignoring my ex should get easier. Even in a twelve-person excursion where we didn’t know anyone else. Make that a ten-person excursion. Sigh.

With a deep breath, I forced away those thoughts and turned toward the railing, letting myself enjoy the cool mist hitting my face and the dazzling view unfolding in front of me. If it had been Justin standing with me applying the sunblock, my mind would’ve been racing at the day’s possibilities for romance.

Instead, the voice that said, “All finished” was too deep, too rumbly.

“Thanks,” I said, putting my hand out for the bottle and my bag.

“No problem.” He put the bottle into the bag and zipped it. “You sure you don’t want to spend the day with me?”

The boat tooted its horn, signaling our arrival at the main dock. Not a moment too soon. The faster I could get away from Dominic, the better. I gazed out at the shore, already trying to figure out how to keep him from getting on the bus taking us to our excursion.

Men appeared on the dock, pulling the ship in and securing it. When he realized I didn’t intend to answer his question, Dominic repeated it.

“Positive,” I said. “I’d rather spend it with a snake—of the reptilian variety.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” he said, flinging the strap of my bag over his own head. “Especially since you handed me your wallet, which has your key card, and you can’t get on the cruise ship without it.”

Well . . . . crap. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could I have handed over my bag? Even to get sunscreen, it wasn’t worth it. I should’ve let myself burn.

Dominic trotted down the gangway toward the bus, leaving me with no choice but to follow him, cursing under my breath. Behind me, Janine followed, her handheld camera never straying from the two of us. It was going to be a very long day.