The Wrong Gentleman

I would just have to ignore him.

Pretend he didn’t exist.

I sat at the internal dining table, hunched over my laptop, trying to concentrate. I was trying to do the provisioning—making sure our chef had everything he needed and the interior crew had everything the guests might want. I had to do my job and concentrate on getting this boat ready for Walt Williams. Focus on my future and not some silly decision I’d made when two tequilas in.

“Skylar?”

I snapped my head up to find August in the doorway.

“Did you know he was going to be on board?” I asked. The question had been bugging me since I’d finished my meeting with the captain.

“No! I swear, I had no idea. I thought he was on Harvey’s yacht. I can’t believe you didn’t know.”

I blew out a breath. “Nope. What are the odds?”

“How did you leave things with him?”

“It was just a hookup. We didn’t exchange promise rings.” Landon being on board was no big deal. I had to keep telling myself that.

August slumped into one of the chairs across from me. “Okay, well, you’re both adults. Things should be fine.”

August was right. Things should be fine, but that same feeling that allowed me to surrender to him was telling me that Landon was trouble. For years I’d stayed clear of men. I didn’t want to waste time. I didn’t want to be distracted. It was easy to fall for a hard body and a pretty smile. But I knew how much misery such a decision could bring. And it was a decision.

So I was deciding that Landon James was no longer attractive to me.

“Right,” I agreed. “He’s a junior deckhand. I won’t have much to do with him.”

August’s silence told a different story. With just twelve crew members on a 162-foot yacht, it was impossible to completely avoid anyone. I’d just have to do my best.

“Like you said, on days off, you’ll be doing other things. Except . . .” August trailed off.

“What?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I mean, maybe there’s a reason why he’s here.” She concentrated on drawing circles on the glossy surface of the table rather than looking at me.

“A reason?”

She shrugged. “Yes, you ended up meeting Landon. And now he’s on board. That’s a pretty big coincidence.”

“An unfortunate one.” God, I hoped it didn’t get around that we’d slept together. I could trust August not to say anything, but I had little idea of who the hell Landon was. What if he told the whole crew? I had rank over most of the crew on board. I didn’t want to be disrespected because I’d slept with a junior deckhand.

“But maybe it’s fate.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We all make our own fate. I just hope he doesn’t tell anyone. I don’t want Captain thinking I’m unprofessional.” Last night I’d been blown off course, but I wouldn’t let it happen again.

“He doesn’t strike me as a sharer. He didn’t even say which yacht he was on.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t tell him we were on the Sapphire, either.”

“True, but he’s older. More mature. You didn’t fuck a nineteen-year-old who can’t believe he just got laid. Landon doesn’t strike me as a man who needs to shout about who he’s slept with or show off about anything.”

I’d met Landon less than twenty-four hours ago, but August was right. He was cool, calm, and confident. He wasn’t just another junior deckhand. Perhaps I’d pull him aside and warn him how quickly gossip spread on a yacht, just to ensure he didn’t make a silly mistake.

“I’m sure he’ll continue to be discreet. My relationship with Harvey and his history with Landon during their time in the army provides the perfect cover if you two are a little familiar. No one would know that anything is going on with the two of you.”

“August, seriously. How many times do I have to tell you? It was a one-off thing. Whatever I’m looking for, Landon James isn’t it.”

“I know,” she said, slumping back on the chair. “I’d dropped it, but I just think it’s weird that he ended up on the same yacht as us.”