Rose
After the tour of the basilica, I said good-bye to my grandparents, who were continuing with the bus tour, and headed off with my group for lunch. We wandered along narrow pedestrian-only streets full of shops in tallish buildings, Nick dashing from one store to another while Clio shook her head. The whole place reminded me of Venice, except we weren’t crossing bridges over canals.
The area finally opened up to a plaza with a modern-looking stone church—well, compared to the basilica—at its center. Tourists and locals strolled by, some stopping to sit in the shade on the church steps. I stayed by Alexis at the rear of our group. Sam seemed unhappy about something, but I couldn’t guess what it might be. He’d shut down and wasn’t talking to anyone. He walked to one side of us, like he was trying to be alone, his hands shoved into the pockets of his khaki shorts.
I wished I could do something to help, but I couldn’t think of anything. I sure wasn’t going to force him into a conversation to find out what was wrong. If he wanted to tell me, he would. Besides, his cousins were giving him space, so I decided to do the same.
We followed Clio to a sidewalk café shaded by large red umbrellas boasting the words Adriatic Cafe in white. She immediately snagged two round wooden tables and began dragging chairs around. A waiter hurried over to help her. Once the tables had been smashed next to each other, people chose seats. Before I could even try to figure out how to sit near Sam, Marie plopped down on one side of him and Nick on the other. That’s what I got for not asserting myself.
At least I was right across from him—it wouldn’t be obvious that I was staring every time I looked up.
After we ordered and the waiter brought us two tall bottles of spring water to share, Clio got down to business. She brushed her long auburn bangs to the side of her forehead and cleared her throat. “So what did everyone think of the basilica?”
“I loved all the mosaics,” Sophie said, her soft voice louder than usual. “I mean, all those apostles, the angels, the artwork is stunning. They were all gorgeous.”
Clio smiled. “I’ve always loved them too.”
Jacques poured water into Sophie’s glass and stared at her profile before saying, “Zere were many beautiful things in the basilica.”
Did he mean Sophie? Wow. Jacques had game. I’d say that much for him.
Sam coughed—a little too loudly—and reached for his water glass. But for some reason, Marie stuck her hand out toward the same glass, making their fingers touch. “Zorry,” she said, giggling.
Sam smiled. “No problem.”
I straightened the napkin in my lap. Had Marie done that on purpose? If she was planning to flirt with Sam for the rest of the trip, all bets were off for me. There was no way I could complete with her blondness—my hair dulled in comparison—or her sophistication. I mean, she was French!
A quiet sigh drained out of me, and Alexis looked over with a question in her eyes. Thank goodness I didn’t have to answer it, because Clio piped up, “Anyone else?”
“It was cool,” Nick said, “but aren’t we going swimming today?”
“No,” Clio said. “That is tomorrow. On the ship.”
Nick frowned. “In that tiny pool? There’s no room for all eight of us.”
“Of course not,” she said, scowling at him. “Off the back of the ship. When the water sports deck is open.” Her lips were pursed as though he should already know that. Maybe she’d told him once already.
Nick looked like he was about to say something, but Alexis broke in. “I liked looking down at the different layers of mosaic flooring from previous churches.”
Clio nodded but didn’t say anything else, so the silence stretched until I became hyperaware of laughter and voices from neighboring tables. What was going on? The awkwardness made me edgy, so I blurted out, “I liked that too.”
Nobody responded. To my relief, the waiter arrived seconds later carrying a tray of drinks. Once they were distributed, I sipped my diet soda and waited for Clio to take charge again. She didn’t. Instead, she pulled papers out of her bag and pretended to study them. At least that’s what it looked like to me—an activity that would keep her from having to talk.
Jacques began telling Sophie about a small town in France; Nick stirred his drink with a straw, and Alexis angled toward me. “Sam says you live in Texas too.”
“Yeah, near Dallas.” Across the table, Marie murmured something to Sam while twirling a strand of hair in her fingers. I looked away. The warm air under the umbrella suddenly felt too thick to breathe. I took a hair tie out of my purse and then twisted my hair into a messy bun to get it off my neck.
“That’s cool,” Alexis said.
I zipped my purse closed and looked up to Sam’s intense gaze. What was up with that? His mouth curved in a half smile, and he slowly tapped his fingers on the tabletop. Heat raced into my face. Dang it. Why did I have to blush at every little thing? I had no idea what that smile meant, especially since he turned his attention back to Marie.
“I thought about going to school in Texas,” Alexis said. “You know, because it’d be fun to be near Sam and his parents, but finances said you must go to school in Indiana, so that’s where I’ll start my sophomore year in—” she frowned “—about six weeks.”
Sam tossed a wadded-up napkin at her. “Worst excuse ever. I still think you could’ve made it work.”
“What’s done is done,” she said. “Besides, I like it there.” She lowered her voice. “My dad will take us on vacation, but he wouldn’t cough up tuition for the first year of college. He says he wants to make sure we’re serious about school. So I had to work for it.”
“That doesn’t sound fun,” I said.
Sam glanced from one of us to the other as though trying to figure out what we were saying. He opened his mouth, but then Marie motioned to the water bottle, and he handed it over.
“It wasn’t bad,” Alexis continued. “I’d already saved up from working as a barista, and it was easy enough to find the same kind of work at college.”
“Baristas are some of my favorite people,” I said.
“You’re a coffee lover?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. In fact, I wish I’d had more time this morning to just sit on the deck and savor my latte.”
“But an early morning excursion thwarted your plan.”
I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Yes.”
Marie moved her hand close to where Sam’s rested on the table, then said something and giggled. I turned away and focused on Alexis’s brown curls dancing in the breeze near her shoulders. Sam and Marie were giving me a headache. “So, what’re you majoring in?”
“For now, pre-law,” Alexis said. “I might change later if something more compelling appeals to me.” She grinned, and for just a second, looked a lot like Sam. “Just don’t tell my dad. It would drive him crazy to hear that.”
I laughed. “Isn’t that our job as daughters?”
“Good point, but there are some things he’s better off not knowing.” She took a swallow of her soda. “So what do you like to do?”
It felt like someone was watching me, so I idly gazed over at Sam and Marie. She was talking to Clio, but sure enough, he was leaning his elbows on the table and studying me. My pulse sped up. “I read,” I said to Alexis. “A lot. Boring, right? I love mysteries. My mom does too, so we share books, talk about them, watch old movies that are mysteries.” I pressed fingers to my cheek. “Did I just say the word mystery six times?”
Alexis laughed. “No, but close.”
The waiter arrived with our food, giving me something else to focus on besides Marie and Sam flirting. Talking to Alexis had been great but wasn’t a big enough distraction to what was happening across the table. Plates of pasta, pizza, and calzones were passed around, and the combined scents of garlic and cheese filled the air. I picked up my fork with a sense of determination. I would attack this fettuccine alfredo. I would not listen to Marie’s throaty laughter or Sam’s deep-voiced murmurings.
So much for a romantic adventure on the high seas. I really should ignore Lindsey’s challenge. Last night as I lay in bed, I’d read her card over and over. I practically had it memorized. First, she apologized again for being stupid enough to get grounded. Next, she tried to gain sympathy by reminding me of how boring her week at home would be. And finally, she issued the challenge:
Pretend I’m there with you. Do something every day you’d never do at home. And I don’t mean visiting some tourist sight you’ve never seen before—of course you’re going to do that. Just step out of your comfort zone. Be impulsive. And a little bit dangerous.
Right. Easy for her to say. She lived for that. But I didn’t. I was perfectly happy in my quiet, shy existence. I spun fettuccine around the tines of my fork. Wasn’t I?
Laughter rolled among the group as Jacques finished a story about touring through Ireland and a run-in with a bunch of sheep. I smiled. I couldn’t laugh with them; I’d only been half listening. I was so ready to be back on the ship. To spend some time alone. I just had to get through the next hour or more as we finished lunch and traveled to where the ship was docked in Rovinj.
By the time lunch was over, my shoulder muscles felt like I had a metal bar running through them. If I had to hear Marie giggle one more time, I’d shoot lasers out of my eyes. So when Clio rose and said she and Nick had a ten-minute errand to run, I treated it as an excuse to move away from the group. I went inside the restaurant and used the tiny bathroom, then wandered out across the plaza into the warm sunshine.
Two little girls jumped up and down on the seven steps leading to the church’s entry, while a young woman sat below them next to a baby in a stroller. The whole scene was happy and lighthearted, but I was still having trouble getting out of my funk. Not even the sun could relax the tightness in my shoulders. A walk might help, though.
The rest of my group loitered beside the café, waiting for whoever was still in the restroom. I didn’t see Sam or Marie anywhere. They were probably off together somewhere. Hurray.
I strode off across the plaza with an excuse ready in case anyone asked—I wanted to look at the shops across the square. But as I approached, an alley off to the left hinted at blue ocean in the distance. I didn’t even hesitate. A quick look at the sea was just what I needed. Something calming. Something bigger than my silly jealousy.
The narrow path widened as I descended toward a grassy park with benches facing the ocean. It was like I’d stepped into a different world. No one was around. Other than the chirping of birds and the wind rustling the trees, quiet reigned. I inhaled and exhaled a long breath. My shoulder muscles loosened a fraction.
The buildings behind the shops on the square looked like people’s homes. Bright orange flowers cascaded from balconies. Low cement walls topped by three feet of decorative wrought iron enclosed beautiful sloping gardens. I followed the path around the rear of the gardens, figuring I could wander for about three minutes in one direction before I had to head back.
A sudden angry male voice broke across the silence. I froze. It had come from ahead, but no one was there. Then came a low voice, quieter, more placating. These people must be in one of the backyards. At first, I thought they were speaking Italian, but not enough words sounded familiar. Probably Croatian.
Guess I should head back. I didn’t want to interrupt a personal argument. It wasn’t my business. The angry voice ground across words like the guy wanted to chew nails.
“Ah!” the other person said. A high distressing sound. Definitely female.
Was someone being hurt? Should I do something? Adrenaline shot through me, and my pulse sped up. What could I do? Nothing sounded like a physical fight was happening. Just the man’s gravelly voice, now even louder.
It really, really wasn’t my business. I didn’t even know what they were saying. It could be completely innocent. I bit my lip. No. I could feel all the way down to my toes that it wasn’t. But how could I help? I glanced around the park. Still empty of people. Except me, of course.
Maybe I could make enough noise that they’d realize someone was here. That would probably stop the argument. At least temporarily.
The man shouted one short word, then launched into a rant. I doubted they could hear me if I set off a bomb out here. I wanted to swing around and march right back up the path and into the plaza, but I still couldn’t make myself move—like I’d become a section of that decorative wrought iron, encased in cement.
Another agonized female sound. And just like that, I shifted into action. I had to know what was happening. I tiptoed forward until I reached the trailing branches of a bush that hung over one wall. I peeked around it, and my heart jumped into my throat. It was Clio!
She stood there like a slumped statue, a balding man practically in her face, gripping her forearm as though he wanted to tear it off, still spitting words at her. Even through the wrought iron, I could see the pleading look on her face. But she wasn’t saying anything. And where was Nick? Was he inside that house? Or was he close by, watching the whole thing go down?
My whole body began to shake. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. But that was nothing compared to what was happening to Clio. I had to do something. “Hey,” I said, so quietly that it sounded more like a puff of air. I forced myself to step out of the protection of the trailing branches. “Hey,” I croaked.
They both started, the man releasing Clio and taking a step backward. Her expression changed from pleading to terrified in half a second. His, on the other hand, was like granite. He glared at me and stepped closer, his stocky body poised like he was about to leap over the wall.
Behind his back, Clio waved a hand and tried to smile. “Everything’s fine. I’ll be back in a few moments. You can go back to the square.” Her voice sounded completely composed—as if this kind of crap happened every day. Did it? “Go on,” she said.
The man walked closer, rested his fingers against the wrought iron, and peered through a diamond-shape, studying me like he was memorizing my face. Ice ran down my spine, and I backed up. I was out of my depth here, but the argument seemed to be over. For now, anyway.
“Rose!” Sam’s shout snapped the wire of tension that enclosed the three of us.
I swung around. Sam was jogging up the path about fifty feet away. “What’re you doing?” he called out. “We need to meet Clio in a few minutes.”
I wanted to yell that she was right here, but words wouldn’t come. My entire back prickled, and I looked over my shoulder. Clio and the man were walking toward the house, the man close to her ear as though he were whispering.
Sam’s footsteps stopped. I faced him. He stood with hands on his hips, his breathing loud. “What’s going on? It’s hard to chase someone in flip-flops, you know.”
His teasing tone wrapped me in a blanket of normal, yet I still couldn’t speak. I tried to clear my throat, but it sounded like a groan.
Sam frowned. “Hey, you okay?” He came closer and dipped his head to look me in the eye. My sunglasses made that impossible. He started to lift the frames with his fingers but stopped, staring behind me. “Is that Clio?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What happened? Did she see you?”
I moved past him, heading back to the plaza. I couldn’t shake the sense that staying by that house was about to be dangerous for both of us. Sam caught up with me. “Rose?”
“I’ll tell you later.” I stumbled, and he caught my elbow.
“Why not now?” he asked, keeping in step with me, his flip-flops snapping against the concrete.
Because I’m freaking confused. It felt like I was making too big a deal of it.
He tugged on my elbow. “Rose, wait.”