36

“Connor, I need your protection!”

Connor immediately looked over to where Chloe was laid out on the Orchid’s sundeck. In a canary-yellow bikini and sunglasses, she was wagging a bottle of suntan lotion at him. Connor rose from his chair, then noticed Ling, who was filling out an accident report for Brad, glance up and roll her eyes. Connor now hesitated, wondering if applying sunscreen would cross the line of appropriate behavior with a Principal.

“Please?” insisted Chloe, lowering her sunglasses, her expression all sweet innocence. “I can’t reach my back.”

Ling tutted quietly to herself as Connor went over. He replied with a shrug as if to say, What else can I do? It wasn’t as if the request was unusual, considering the circumstances.

“Thanks,” said Chloe, settling facedown on the padded sun bed attached to the hot tub.

As Connor dutifully rubbed the lotion on Chloe’s back, Ling continued with the accident report. She’d been extremely fortunate to get away with only a few scrapes and bruises, the worst injury being a minor burn on the inside of her left thigh. Not only had the water cushioned her fall and extinguished any flames, but her fire-retardant T-shirt and shorts had protected her from the worst of the explosion.

The remains of the offending Jet Ski were now with the Seychelles coast guard, pending an investigation into the cause of the accident. Profusely apologetic to Ling, Geoff, the ship’s engineer, was at a loss about how it could have happened in the first place, since the Jet Skis were brand-new. Ling herself was surprisingly relaxed about the whole affair, although she gladly accepted Brad’s proposal of an afternoon off to fully recover.

Emily emerged from the staircase, raised an eyebrow at her sister having suntan lotion applied by Connor, then turned to Ling. “How are you feeling, Ling?”

“Fine, thank you,” she replied. “The burn cream is working great.”

Emily strolled over to the handrail. With her back to Connor and her sister, she admired the view as the Orchid eased away from Bel Ombre for their next destination. Holding up her phone, she took a photo of the picture-perfect bay.

As Emily tapped away on the screen, Ling glanced over in curiosity. “Did you just post that photo online?”

Emily looked over. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I asked if you’d posted that on Instagram, or Facebook, or some other site.”

Emily nodded with a smile. “The view’s too good not to share.”

“Next time, don’t.”

“Why on earth can’t she?” said Chloe, raising herself onto her elbows and glaring at Ling. “I did exactly the same back on the beach.”

Ling put down her pen. “The problem is your phone automatically adds your location to the photos, letting people know where you are and when.”

Chloe looked at Ling as if she were dumb. “Duh! That’s the whole point.”

“It’s a security breach,” insisted Ling, holding Chloe’s glare.

Chloe groaned. “Jeez, you’re being paranoid. Your accident must have spooked you. Besides, I want my friends to know where I am. So, don’t tell us what to do and what not to do.”

Feeling the tension rise, Connor stepped in to back Ling up. “It’s not your friends we’re worried about,” he explained gently. “It’s anyone else who may be following your profile.”

“Like who?”

“Those muggers back in Sydney.”

“Oh, please. We’re thousands of miles from there.”

“Okay, I’ll be more careful in the future,” Emily cut in. She offered Ling an appeasing smile. “But I really can’t imagine anyone would be interested in our vacation pictures.”