Page 14 of Not that Sea-Rious

Marissa

“W here did Tina go to get our drinks?” Carolyn asked, sitting on her lounger and peering around.

“Seriously.” Joyce sighed. “The line isn’t that long. We could’ve had them by now.”

Pursing her lips, Marissa joined in with her friends, searching for Tina from the comfort of their seats by the pool.

Their friend had decided that going to the nearest bar would take too long to get drinks.

So she went to another one apparently in the deepest bowels of the ship. That logic had been flawed.

“Maybe she ran into a hot redhead too,” Carolyn joked.

Groaning, Marissa rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Cynthia wouldn’t mind,” she said of Tina’s wife.

“What happens on the cruise stays on the cruise,” Joyce reminded through a giggle.

Shaking her head, Marissa sighed. Thankfully, Tina approached with four adult beverages in her hands and a little bag dangling from her wrist. She wore the biggest, most mischievous smile Marissa had ever seen.

Immediately, her hackles rose. That couldn’t be good. Tina was up to something.

“What is that?” Marissa asked as Tina started handing out drinks.

“Okay. I’m setting a ground rule,” Carolyn announced, accepting her glass. “No cheating is happening during my bachelorette party.” She pointed a finger at her two friends. “No marriages will be ruined on my trip.”

Joyce continued to chuckle. Marissa blinked at the bride-to-be.

“Alright,” Tina said as she peered at them, clearly confused. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing worth bringing up,” Marissa offered, with her focus on the tiny sack. “What did you get at the store?”

Taking a moment, Tina settled back on her lounger, sipped at her drink, and placed the object of Marissa’s curiosity in her lap. With the group’s eyes on her, she took her time savoring the beverage.

“What is it?” Joyce urged.

“Was there a sale on something?” Carolyn asked. “I know they do that dollar an inch thingy. Oh! We should get matching anklets!”

“Yes!” Joyce agreed, glancing back and forth between her friends. “Was that today?”

“It’s in an hour,” Tina said.

“Should we get gold or silver?” Carolyn asked as she tapped her finger against her chin.

“Silver will go better with our bridesmaid dresses,” Joyce suggested.

“True.” Carolyn nodded.

Relaxing in her chair, letting her friends get off track, Marissa decided whatever Tina purchased was private. She might have gotten her Aunt Flo and needed tampons or something. Either way, if her friend didn’t want to share, it was none of Marissa’s business.

But why was her friend smiling like that? No one was that happy on their period.

Marissa took a deep pull from her drink, closed her eyes, and lifted her chin toward the sun. The warmth of its rays heated her skin as she relaxed. If she didn’t pay attention to Tina, Marissa couldn’t be anxious about the bag.

“I may or may not have run into a rather morose-looking ginger at the sports bar,” Tina announced.

Carolyn and Joyce immediately quieted their conversation about jewelry. The two of them leaned in closer to Tina. Marissa did her best to stay put. If she was talking about Beau—let’s be honest, she was—Marissa didn’t have to be desperate about it.

Wait.

Why was Beau sad?

“Seems his cruise experience isn’t going how he’d hoped,” Tina added.

Doing her best to pretend she wasn’t interested, Marissa stayed still. His enjoyment wasn’t her concern. It was a one-off. They weren’t dating. His mood and his time on the ship were none of her business.

“So, I figured I’d help a guy out,” Tina said as she tossed something in Marissa’s direction.

Reflexively, Marissa caught the rectangular box. She didn’t need to turn it over to know what it was. Sitting up, she glared at her friend.

Wearing a confident smile, Tina arched a brow and took another sip of her drink.

“What did you get?” Joyce asked innocently.

Carolyn was too busy cackling beside her to answer.

“You’re assuming a lot,” Marissa said.

Tina only cocked her head.

“What makes you think we’re even going to see each other again?”

“Will someone just show me what it is?” Joyce interjected.

Marissa tossed the box over her shoulder toward Joyce.

“The boat is only so big. You two won’t be able to avoid each other forever,” Tina pointed out.

“Ohhh,” Joyce said, seeming to be oblivious to the conversation. “Smart.”

“I’m not avoiding him,” Marissa challenged.

It was true. She wasn’t going out of her way to not see him. The bridal party made plans to be by the pool. It wasn’t her fault Beau hadn’t moseyed on by. If anything, he was evading her .

“Maybe you should’ve given the condoms to him,” Joyce suggested.

Tina smirked. “Nah. Marissa can save the day when they see each other again.”

“If!” Marissa interjected.

There were no guarantees in life. She wasn’t about to get her hopes up that Beau would even want to get it on with her again. She was content with their dalliance being a memory. Why were her friends pushing this so hard?

Rolling her eyes, Tina crossed her leg. “Fine. If .” She flicked her hand in Marissa’s direction. “ If you see him again, you are now prepared for things to progress.”

Joyce popped the box into Marissa’s bag. “If,” she repeated.

Carolyn lifted her glass. “If!” she announced.

Tina and Joyce walked over and clinked their drinks with hers. “If,” they said in unison.

The three of them turned to stare at Marissa.

Joyce lifted her brows expectantly.

Sighing, Marissa took her glass and tapped it against her friends’. “If,” she grumbled.

They would not let this die, so she might as well go along with it. Their disappointment when everything didn’t go the way they expected it to would be on them, not her. For all they knew, Beau was married and left his wife at home because she was sick.

That wasn’t the case, but it could be. This wasn’t how Marissa had anticipated the trip going, but surprises made it all worthwhile. She might as well just roll with the punches at this point. There were only three days left.

What was the worst that could happen?