Page 4 of Captain's Orders
"Don't worry about it." Dani unzipped her bag. "That's my job."
Another beat of silence. Dani looked up, and for a moment their eyes met. Then Dani turned back to her bag.
Jordan watched her unpack, feeling weird, which was ridiculous. Out of everyone on the crew, Dani was the one she was most comfortable with. Jordan trusted her, relied on her to run the charter.
But over the years there had been moments. Small ones, easy to dismiss. A look that lingered a beat too long. A smile that sometimes bordered on flirtatious. Jordan had filed them away, told herself she was imagining things.
"I won't be long," Dani said. "I need to get back to the guests so I'll ask Netty to put on the sheets later. I just wanted to unpack now, so I don't wake you up when I go to bed tonight."
"I usually don't turn in until late anyway." Jordan leaned against the desk, trying to look more relaxed than she felt. "Is there anything I should know? I usually read in bed but if the light bothers you, I can use a book light. And I'm up early. I'll try to be quiet, but?—"
"Jordan." Dani looked up from her bag, a hint of a smile on her face. "It's fine. I'm easy. I can sleep through anything—Lindsay snores like a diesel engine."
"Right."
"And I only need five minutes in the bathroom in the morning, so I won't be hogging the shower," Dani added, tucking a stack of clothes onto the shelf Jordan had cleared. "Honestly, you'll barely know I'm here."
Jordan doubted that very much. "Okay," she said. "Same here." She pushed off from the desk. "Well, I guess I'll see you later. I'll go check on Zoe."
She stepped into the corridor and pulled the door shut behind her, then stood there for a beat, hand still on the handle.
Five minutes. She'd lasted five minutes before inventing an excuse to leave her own cabin. Composure had always been her strongest suit but she had a feeling it was about to be tested.
3
DANI
Lunch was served on the aft deck, the long table set with white linen and silverware. The Whitfields had requested alfresco dining for their first meal aboard, and Lindsay had prepared a Mediterranean spread of grilled sea bass with lemon and herbs, roasted vegetables glossy with olive oil, a quinoa salad studded with pomegranate seeds, a green salad scattered with herbs, and fresh bread still warm from the oven. It looked beautiful and elegant, the kind of meal that photographed well for the charter company's Instagram. For the children, Lindsay had made spaghetti bolognese but the younger ones weren't impressed.
"Bea doesn't eat fish or pasta," Sarah said, not looking up from her phone. "I'm sure I put that on the form."
It was definitely not on the form, but Dani's smile didn't waver. "I'm sorry about that. I'll check with the chef. In the meantime, we also have some grilled chicken I can bring out for the younger ones."
"Chicken's fine, but no sauce. Tyler has a texture issue and Noah won't eat anything green."
"Of course. Plain chicken, no greens." Dani retreated to the galley with the first round of modifications.
Patricia and Gerald, at least, were easy. They'd accepted their sea bass with genuine delight, Gerald already on his second glass of Sancerre, Patricia praising the presentation. David and Caroline were reasonable too—Caroline had asked for dressing on the side and David wanted extra bread.
And then there was Sarah's side of the table.
Tyler, fourteen and sullen, had his earbuds in and was ignoring everyone. He didn't like spaghetti bolognese either. Noah had already knocked over his water glass twice and was now building a fortress out of bread rolls. And Bea, with her stuffed elephant propped in the chair beside her, had burst into tears when she'd seen the fish because "it still has eyes, Mommy, it's looking at me."
Grace had calmed her down while Dani quickly served the adults and removed what was left of the fish from the table.
In the galley, Lindsay was carving chicken at the stainless steel counter. "That was quick," she said, taking the fish plate.
"I had to work fast; the fish had eyes," Dani said. "Could I have the chicken plain, please? Vegetables on the side? Noah doesn't eat green things and Tyler and Bea don't like the pasta." She shrugged. "Sorry."
"It's fine." Lindsay started plating the chicken. "It's not the first time and it won't be the last."
"Has Grace moved into my bunk yet?" Dani asked.
"Yeah, she's settling in. Honestly, I think she's relieved to be down here. Further away from Sarah? That's not a downgrade, that's a holiday." Lindsay smirked. "What about you? How do you feel about Operation Bunking With The Captain?"
Dani felt heat rise to her cheeks. "It's worth it for the extra cash. No big deal."
"No big deal? You're about to spend a week sharing a cabin with the woman you've been pining over since the day you first stepped aboard this yacht."
