a little fuzzy right now, but I’m getting the sense that I’m not on the right boat.”
The other passengers exchanged looks Juli couldn’t read. Well, everyone except Alex. He just kept watching her, as though he hoped at any moment she might disappear in a poof of smoke, to be replaced with something slightly more desirable. Like a leper.
It was the big guy who spoke first.
“Who does your highlights? Those are fabulous.”
Juli drew a hand to her hair. “Um, thanks. They’re actually natural.”
“Really? Wow, that’s amazing. Even this little section right here?”
“Well, sometimes in the summer I put a little lemon in my hair and sit out in the sun for an hour or so and then—”
“We should throw her overboard.”
This from the heavyset bald guy. Juli shut her mouth, suddenly less interested in the merits of citrus for hair care.
“You think?” mused the blonde prison warden. “I mean, we’re one hundred miles offshore, but still, a body could wash up somewhere.”
“Well we’d give her a life vest, Phyllis. Geez, we’re not murderers.”
“Um, what are you, exactly?” Juli interrupted.
All four of them gave her a blank look.
“Cartographers,” Alex answered quickly.
“Cartographers?” Juli asked. “You mean you make maps?”
“Right.”
“I see,” Juli said, glancing at each of them in turn. “I wasn’t aware that cartographers generally killed people at sea.”
“It’s been a rough week.”
“You don’t say.”
Juli thought she saw a faint smile tug at the corner of Alex’s mouth.
“We shouldn’t throw her overboard,” argued the big guy who liked her hair. “Can’t we just turn around and take her back?”
“We’re six hours out to sea, Cody,” Alex told him.
“Cookie.”
Alex looked pained. “Cookie,” he repeated. “That’s twelve hours of travel round-trip, not to mention fuel. You know how precise we had to be when we plotted our course.”
“Well, okay,” Cody said. “But we shouldn’t throw her overboard. She’s pretty. Maybe we should keep her.”
“Jesus, Cody— Cookie —” the blonde sputtered. “Like a pet?”
“No, not like a pet. Like a prisoner.”
Alex quirked an eyebrow at him. “You want to tie her up?”
Again, Juli caught a hint of a smile. She folded her arms over her chest and leveled a look at Alex.
“Well if you’d suggested bondage a little earlier in the marriage, I might not have rated you a four in the bedroom.”
The others looked confused, but Alex was definitely fighting a grin now. He nodded at her. “Can you excuse us for a moment, Juli? Maybe go back to your stateroom for a minute and—”
“ My stateroom,” the blonde insisted. “It’s not negotiable. Cody and Jake both said they snore, and you drew the straw for the master stateroom, Alex. I just want to make sure—”
“We’ll figure it out, Phyllis.”
Juli turned, ready to make her exit. Spotting the urn in the big guy’s hands, she reached for it. “May I have my Uncle Frank back?”
“Your what?”
“That’s my Uncle Frank. We’re traveling together.”
He handed the urn over, looking perplexed, and Juli hugged it tightly to her chest. “Okay, so I’ll just go back to my room.”
“It was nice to meet you, Juli,” the big guy—Cookie?—called after her.
Juli smiled over her shoulder. “Um, thanks. Aside from the threats on my life, it’s been a pleasure.”
***
As soon as Juli was out of earshot, the shouting began. Alex resisted the urge to cover his ears and hide under a deck chair.
“How is this possible?” Jake yelled. “We’ve got a stowaway on our top-secret pirate mission?”
“I don’t understand,” Cody said. “Why didn’t you see her in your room, Phyllis?”
“Because I didn’t get a chance to go in my room yet, Cookie! I dropped all my stuff in the salon after you nimrods yelled at me to come help put the groceries away.”
“Did you say you knew her, Alex?” Jake asked.
Alex
The other passengers exchanged looks Juli couldn’t read. Well, everyone except Alex. He just kept watching her, as though he hoped at any moment she might disappear in a poof of smoke, to be replaced with something slightly more desirable. Like a leper.
It was the big guy who spoke first.
“Who does your highlights? Those are fabulous.”
Juli drew a hand to her hair. “Um, thanks. They’re actually natural.”
“Really? Wow, that’s amazing. Even this little section right here?”
“Well, sometimes in the summer I put a little lemon in my hair and sit out in the sun for an hour or so and then—”
“We should throw her overboard.”
This from the heavyset bald guy. Juli shut her mouth, suddenly less interested in the merits of citrus for hair care.
“You think?” mused the blonde prison warden. “I mean, we’re one hundred miles offshore, but still, a body could wash up somewhere.”
“Well we’d give her a life vest, Phyllis. Geez, we’re not murderers.”
“Um, what are you, exactly?” Juli interrupted.
All four of them gave her a blank look.
“Cartographers,” Alex answered quickly.
“Cartographers?” Juli asked. “You mean you make maps?”
“Right.”
“I see,” Juli said, glancing at each of them in turn. “I wasn’t aware that cartographers generally killed people at sea.”
“It’s been a rough week.”
“You don’t say.”
Juli thought she saw a faint smile tug at the corner of Alex’s mouth.
“We shouldn’t throw her overboard,” argued the big guy who liked her hair. “Can’t we just turn around and take her back?”
“We’re six hours out to sea, Cody,” Alex told him.
“Cookie.”
Alex looked pained. “Cookie,” he repeated. “That’s twelve hours of travel round-trip, not to mention fuel. You know how precise we had to be when we plotted our course.”
“Well, okay,” Cody said. “But we shouldn’t throw her overboard. She’s pretty. Maybe we should keep her.”
“Jesus, Cody— Cookie —” the blonde sputtered. “Like a pet?”
“No, not like a pet. Like a prisoner.”
Alex quirked an eyebrow at him. “You want to tie her up?”
Again, Juli caught a hint of a smile. She folded her arms over her chest and leveled a look at Alex.
“Well if you’d suggested bondage a little earlier in the marriage, I might not have rated you a four in the bedroom.”
The others looked confused, but Alex was definitely fighting a grin now. He nodded at her. “Can you excuse us for a moment, Juli? Maybe go back to your stateroom for a minute and—”
“ My stateroom,” the blonde insisted. “It’s not negotiable. Cody and Jake both said they snore, and you drew the straw for the master stateroom, Alex. I just want to make sure—”
“We’ll figure it out, Phyllis.”
Juli turned, ready to make her exit. Spotting the urn in the big guy’s hands, she reached for it. “May I have my Uncle Frank back?”
“Your what?”
“That’s my Uncle Frank. We’re traveling together.”
He handed the urn over, looking perplexed, and Juli hugged it tightly to her chest. “Okay, so I’ll just go back to my room.”
“It was nice to meet you, Juli,” the big guy—Cookie?—called after her.
Juli smiled over her shoulder. “Um, thanks. Aside from the threats on my life, it’s been a pleasure.”
***
As soon as Juli was out of earshot, the shouting began. Alex resisted the urge to cover his ears and hide under a deck chair.
“How is this possible?” Jake yelled. “We’ve got a stowaway on our top-secret pirate mission?”
“I don’t understand,” Cody said. “Why didn’t you see her in your room, Phyllis?”
“Because I didn’t get a chance to go in my room yet, Cookie! I dropped all my stuff in the salon after you nimrods yelled at me to come help put the groceries away.”
“Did you say you knew her, Alex?” Jake asked.
Alex
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