Page 43 of Last Night Was Fun

When throwback Britney blared out of the speakers to a roaring cheer, Gabe and Emmy stared at each other. A sense of embarrassment curled inside Emmy’s belly; she wasn’t sure why. There was nothing inherently embarrassing about Britney or booze or penis necklaces, but somehow all those things in front of Gabe Olson made her want to leap into the bay and swim to Mexico. Maybe it was because professional boundaries governed their relationship. He’d toed that line when he brought her breakfast after clobbering her with a baseball, but that was different. This was him seeing her fully exposed on a night out with friends and fully embracing the femininity she worked so hard to shield them all from at work.

As if he were reading her mind, Gabe gave her a shy but sincere look. “Emmy, um. I know you’re here for your sister’s party and this night is supposed to be fun, so just ignore me, okay? I’ll stay out of your way.”

She appreciated him saying it and felt a twinge of guilt for being so obvious in her discomfort.

“Thanks,” she said. She turned to join the party when a thought made her turn back. “Oh, could you—?” She cut off, embarrassed by the request.

“Could I what?”

Her face had become a lit fire again. She desperately needed to visit Gloria at the bar. “Could you please not tell anyone at work about anything that happens here tonight?”

“Hey,” he said, and pretended to twist a key in front of his lips. “What happens on Captain Carl’s boat stays on Captain Carl’s boat.”

Despite herself, she laughed in relief. “Thank you.”

“Enjoy the party.”

Emmy did enjoy the party. At least until she heard the unmistakable sound of someone puking halfway through.

She’d limited her own alcohol intake as the responsible older sister while the bride and everyone else got hammered. They’d danced, they’d belted 2000s pop classics, they’d eaten cupcakes with purple penis sprinkles. With the boat’s heaters and all the booze, they’d created quite the cozy little island on their dance floor. Outside of the pocket, the wind whipped and left the water restless with whitecaps. Emmy didn’t realize how much the boat was rocking until she left the dance floor to head to the bathroom.

On her way back, she heard the telltale retch and splash of someone hurling overboard. The thought of ignoring it tempted her to keep walking, but what kind of MOH would that make her if she didn’t hold back someone’s hair in her moment of need?

Gripping the handrail, Emmy breached the pocket and braved the chilly air on the starboard side of the boat. She looked both ways when she entered the walkway—forward, toward the bow, and backward toward the noisy party—and expected to see one of her sister’s scantily clad friends losing her dinner over the rail, but instead she saw someone else.

“Olson?” she asked toward his dark shape slumped over the rail. Gabe held his forehead in one hand and leaned on his other forearm. Spray from the rough water splashed up onto him. He turned at thesound of her voice, and even from a distance, Emmy could see the complete misery on his pale face.

“Oh god,” he muttered and leaned back over the rail. “Please don’t watch me puke, Jameson.”

The agony in his voice drew her toward him. “Are you okay? Do you need something?”

He squeezed his eyes shut like it was taking all his strength not to heave again. “Yes, I need this boat to stop swaying and I need you to please leave me alone.”

She reached across the walkway to the rail he was leaning on and firmly gripped it. He was right; the boat was swaying out here. “You know,” she said as she carefully inched her way toward him, “it’s much less choppy back where we are.”

“Yes, but I told you I’d stay out of your way.” He spoke through gritted teeth and then blew out a long, slow breath.

Emmy jerked back in surprise. “Wait. You’re out here puking because ofme?”

“No. I’m out here puking because I get seasick.”

She reeled in further confusion. “Then why... are you on a boat?”

The poor guy deeply inhaled and squeezed his eyes shut, not in frustration but in an effort to soothe his illness. “Because Carl needed my help.” He rushed out the words in a single stream before breathing deeply once more.

Again, she inched closer. Her hand gripped the rail half a foot from him. “You mean you volunteered for this job knowing you’d get sick?”

“I was hoping I wouldn’t, but yes. It’s not usually this rough out here.” He squeezed the rail again as they hit a wave and a splash of mist leapt up to greet them.

Emmy reeled for a whole different reason. “Wow. That’s incredibly selfless of you.”

“Maybe, but I’m starting to rethink it.Oh god.Please don’t stay here for this.” He leaned over the rail again, and before she couldstop herself, she reached out and pressed her hand to his back and gently rubbed.

“Hey, you carried me off the field when I couldn’t walk. This isn’t as bad as that.”

“Jameson, this is like,a million timesworse. Please.”

She continued to rub small circles on his back and noticed the terrain was as muscled and firm as expected. “You know, I thought you were just being dramatic about getting sick when you mentioned it that morning in my apartment.”