chance they had since the night of the Swing. But he never tried anything besides kissing, and Rose was too shy to let her hands roam anywhere south of his chest. Tonight was the night. It had to be. Rose shook her head. Even thinking about being with James made it feel too much like a jinx
.
She stretched her neck to the right, evaluating the clusters of people in the moonlight. The music she’d heard when shewalked aboard had all but disappeared, replaced by the drone of conversation. Diamonds sparkled on necks and ears and fingers. She watched as an older woman laughed, raking her manicured nails down the arm of a man who eyed her hungrily despite being nearly surgically attached to the woman on his other arm. The adult section of the party: exactly where she didn’t want to be. If anyone from the Club recognized her, it would get back to her mom, and she couldn’t imagine what might happen after that. She turned the other way. The stairwell to the bottom deck of the ship was blocked by velvet rope. A bouncer in a tux held a basket of cell phones in one hand, embossed cards in the other. He bowed as Rose approached. “Welcome aboard, Miss. Please take a phone.”
“Um, I already have my phone, so I’m all set.” Rose tried to push past him, but the bouncer deftly blocked her entrance
.
“Every lady must accept a phone.”
Rose looked behind her, confused. One of the boys she recognized from the pool approached and grabbed a card from the basket. He nodded at the bouncer and gave Rose’s all-too-accessible butt a little squeeze
.
“Wouldn’t mind dialing your digits tonight.” He winked and disappeared into the crowd of people dancing and mingling inside
.
“What the …”
Just then, Willa Ames-Rowan scooted around Rose and grabbed a phone. “It’s like spin the bottle,” she whispered. “Guys text girls to meet up in one of the fancy rooms.”
Rose blinked. She began to feel sick
.
Willa touched Rose’s arm, grazing her skin just as lightly as James’s lips had grazed her mouth. Her expression was serious. “Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay? If it rings and you’re not into it, just hit ignore. Easy.”She grabbed a phone out of the basket and turned around to look at Rose again. “Oh, and stay away from James. He’s spoken for tonight.” Willa waved her phone in front of Rose’s face, her smile so disarming that it took Rose a minute to understand what she was saying
.
“Um, yeah. Okay?” Rose tried to avoid Willa’s eyes, questions flooding her brain but never making it past her lips. She knew Willa liked James
. Everyone
knew Willa liked James. But now that Rose had spent so much time with James she thought it was just gossip. Rumors. Truthfully, she hadn’t really thought about it at all
.
Willa pressed a phone into Rose’s hand. “Everything is going to be fine. No, better than fine, it’s going to be fabulous,” and she smiled her heartbreaking smile again
.
Rose looked at her closely, trying to see past the perfect teeth and the sparkling blue eyes, searching for a hint of anger, resentment, or even laughter. Maybe this was all some big joke. But that smile was genuine. If Willa did know about the time Rose was spending with James, she didn’t hate her for it. Or maybe she just didn’t see Rose as competition. Maybe James had been in love with Willa all along, and Rose was just some pathetic Club employee’s daughter he’d been stringing along for fun
.
The phone felt like a time bomb ticking in Rose’s hand. Taking it felt like making a promise she had no intention of keeping, but Rose couldn’t force herself to let it go. She wanted to make a run for it. To throw the phone back at the weird guy standing there in the tux. Willa walked into the party to join her friends, and Rose looked back toward the upper deck, searching for a way out. The adults looked like they were beginning to feel the effects of all that top-shelf gin. Rose stiffened
.
She stretched her neck to the right, evaluating the clusters of people in the moonlight. The music she’d heard when shewalked aboard had all but disappeared, replaced by the drone of conversation. Diamonds sparkled on necks and ears and fingers. She watched as an older woman laughed, raking her manicured nails down the arm of a man who eyed her hungrily despite being nearly surgically attached to the woman on his other arm. The adult section of the party: exactly where she didn’t want to be. If anyone from the Club recognized her, it would get back to her mom, and she couldn’t imagine what might happen after that. She turned the other way. The stairwell to the bottom deck of the ship was blocked by velvet rope. A bouncer in a tux held a basket of cell phones in one hand, embossed cards in the other. He bowed as Rose approached. “Welcome aboard, Miss. Please take a phone.”
“Um, I already have my phone, so I’m all set.” Rose tried to push past him, but the bouncer deftly blocked her entrance
.
“Every lady must accept a phone.”
Rose looked behind her, confused. One of the boys she recognized from the pool approached and grabbed a card from the basket. He nodded at the bouncer and gave Rose’s all-too-accessible butt a little squeeze
.
“Wouldn’t mind dialing your digits tonight.” He winked and disappeared into the crowd of people dancing and mingling inside
.
“What the …”
Just then, Willa Ames-Rowan scooted around Rose and grabbed a phone. “It’s like spin the bottle,” she whispered. “Guys text girls to meet up in one of the fancy rooms.”
Rose blinked. She began to feel sick
.
Willa touched Rose’s arm, grazing her skin just as lightly as James’s lips had grazed her mouth. Her expression was serious. “Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay? If it rings and you’re not into it, just hit ignore. Easy.”She grabbed a phone out of the basket and turned around to look at Rose again. “Oh, and stay away from James. He’s spoken for tonight.” Willa waved her phone in front of Rose’s face, her smile so disarming that it took Rose a minute to understand what she was saying
.
“Um, yeah. Okay?” Rose tried to avoid Willa’s eyes, questions flooding her brain but never making it past her lips. She knew Willa liked James
. Everyone
knew Willa liked James. But now that Rose had spent so much time with James she thought it was just gossip. Rumors. Truthfully, she hadn’t really thought about it at all
.
Willa pressed a phone into Rose’s hand. “Everything is going to be fine. No, better than fine, it’s going to be fabulous,” and she smiled her heartbreaking smile again
.
Rose looked at her closely, trying to see past the perfect teeth and the sparkling blue eyes, searching for a hint of anger, resentment, or even laughter. Maybe this was all some big joke. But that smile was genuine. If Willa did know about the time Rose was spending with James, she didn’t hate her for it. Or maybe she just didn’t see Rose as competition. Maybe James had been in love with Willa all along, and Rose was just some pathetic Club employee’s daughter he’d been stringing along for fun
.
The phone felt like a time bomb ticking in Rose’s hand. Taking it felt like making a promise she had no intention of keeping, but Rose couldn’t force herself to let it go. She wanted to make a run for it. To throw the phone back at the weird guy standing there in the tux. Willa walked into the party to join her friends, and Rose looked back toward the upper deck, searching for a way out. The adults looked like they were beginning to feel the effects of all that top-shelf gin. Rose stiffened
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