Vacations from Hell
“When what?”
“I chickened out,” I admit. “And bolted.”
“He must have loved that.” Hailey laughs.
“I’m sure he got over it,” I say. Not that I ever saw him again. Better off for both of us, I’d say.
“What about you?” Hailey asks Liz. “When did you lose it?”
She shakes her head. “It feels like forever ago.” She shrugs. “Who can remember?”
Hailey stretches her arms above her head. “I should probably go check on my mom. Make sure she hasn’t thrown herself off the side of the boat.”
“Or gotten attacked by vampires,” Liz says, winking.
Hailey laughs. “Will you guys be around later?”
“Yup,” I say.
“Cool.”
“We’ll be at the casino,” Liz says, reclining in her seat again. “Meet us at nine.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“Wait, Hailey?” I ask. “Are you finished with the Eagle?”
“Yup. You want it?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”
She tosses it on my chair. “Enjoy.”
Liz snickers as I open the paper.
“It’s not funny,” I say, reading the details. “It says there have been seven disappearances on six different cruise ships in the past year. Two people were found in the water, drained of blood. Drained of blood! Aren’t you even a little bit worried?”
“Gimme a break. It’s the Eagle. Hello, there’s no such thing as vampires, remember? Anyway, you’re transferring your anxiety from what you’re really afraid of.”
“And what’s that?”
She gives me a knowing look. “You know. Losing it.”
“Thank you, Dr. Laura. But I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” I flip over in my lounge chair, turning my back to her.
“Are you hungry?” she asks a few minutes later.
“No,” I say, still mad.
“Stop being a baby,” she says. “I’m starving. I’ll get us something to eat. Let me find Jarred.”
“Hailey says I should have called dibs.”
“Hey, he’s all yours if you want him,” she offers.
“No, you go ahead. I don’t want your charity. I’ll find my own guy.” I take a deep breath of ocean air. “Promise.”
Liz and I meet Hailey at the casino later that night, by a James Bond slot machine. If I put in a quarter, will a gorgeous spy pop out?
“You two look amazing,” Hailey says.
“So do you,” I say. She does look very pretty in a simple black cotton dress.
“Oh, please, you guys look like you’re going to a Manhattan gala, and I look like I’m going to a school dance.” She admires the purple strapless dress Liz forced me into and Liz’s glamorous backless red sheath. “Can I come raid your closet?”
“Anytime,” Liz says, fixing the strap on her shoe. “And you smell great. What perfume is that?”
Hailey smiles. “Thanks! It’s called Parfum de Vie.”
“Very yummy.”
“How’s your mom?” I ask.
“Passed out. So pathetic.” She rolls her eyes and straightens her shoulders. “What do you wanna do? Gamble? Scope the scene? Find cute boys? Slay vampires?”
“I’m up for the first two,” Liz says, and scans the room. “Let’s start at the bar.”
When we make our way over, a much older but still very hot bartender asks us what we’d like to drink. Liz purrs her order over the bar, showing extra cle**age.
She turns back to us and murmurs, “Dibs.”
“He’s old enough to be your father,” Hailey says.
“I like mature men. They smell better. Like fine wine.” She lifts her glass to ours and we clink.
As I lower my glass, I spot him.
The one.
I know right away. He’s it. He’s perfect.
Standing by the blackjack table.
If I thought Checker Boy was cute, this guy is a whole other level of cute. The level twelve of cute. He’s gorgeous. Tall, shiny dark hair, sculpted cheekbones, shoulders like a quarterback’s. Unlike Mr. Bartender he can’t be more than twenty-two. And he’s wearing a tux.
Seriously.
Who needs a quarter? I just found my very own James Bond. An old-school, dark-haired one too. Go me.
“Dibs,” I whisper.
Liz squeezes my shoulder. “Good call.”
“I’m in love,” I say.