“I don’t want to go to dinner with your family,” Katie blurted out as they walked back to the ship.
“Please tell me what happened between you and my sister, and don’t keep saying nothing and it’s fine. Something happened, Kate. Your whole mood changed. Did Laura say something? Did she do something? I’m happy to go address it with her, but I need to know what she did.”
Katie stopped walking and turned to face him. “I don't need you to go address it. I don't need you to do anything. It's fine, and I'm fine. But I don't wanna go to dinner with your family. I'll have dinner on my own.”
She turned and continued toward the ship, and Ben stared after her for a moment before catching up easily with his longer stride.
“Okay, how about this? You jump in the shower, and I’ll go grab a pizza from the little shop in the gallery. Then, we can sit out on the balcony and eat it before we head down to the beach party.”
“I don’t want to keep you from spending time with them, okay? That’s the whole reason you’re on this cruise. I can get my own pizza. It’s all right.”
He grasped her hand and stopped walking, and when she stopped too, he attempted a smile. “What if I’d rather eat with you? What if I’d rather spend my time being Cruise Ben sharing a slice of pizza with Cruise Katie?”
Katie shook her head as she rubbed her lips together and then sighed.
How did she get so tangled up in this? And if she could see so clearly that she shouldn’t be involved, why couldn’t she just let go?
Pulling her hand from his, she crossed her arms over her bikini top. “What about Brady? You said you wanted all the time with him that you can get. Why skip a meal that he’ll be at?”
“I make my memories with Brady, and the most special ones are never going to be around the dinner table with my mother.”
The mention of his mother only stoked the storm brewing inside Katie. She wanted to ask him why his mother wanted him punished. What on earth could a son do that would make his mother actively work against his happiness? What could he have said or done when he was nineteen that couldn’t be forgiven?
But if Ben wanted her to know, he clearly would have told her. Laura seemed surprised that he hadn’t, and that told Katie he either didn’t want her to know or he felt it had no bearing on their arrangement for the week. Either way, she wasn’t going to ask and further insert herself where she didn’t belong.
“You need to spend time with your family, Ben. They’re going to be in your life a lot longer than I will.”
She turned to go, trying to ignore how much it hurt to say that. But it was true. No matter how messed up Lydia and Laura were, and no matter how poorly they treated him, they were still his family. And she…she was a pretend girlfriend who had no stake at all to claim.
This time, Ben didn’t try to stop her, and he offered no rebuttal as he stood there and let her walk away. He followed her at some point though, because she could feel his presence behind her, as though her body had already become attuned to know when he was near.
Neither of them spoke until they met up again while she was waiting for an elevator inside the ship.
“I need to take a shower,” she said.
“Okay, sure. I’ll, um, I’ll go for a walk and give you some time to shower and change…and whatever else you need to do.”
“I’ll text you when I’m done.”
She moved past him and started up the stairs, eager to burn off nervous energy and clear her mind of the wounded look on his face.
Being mean to him wasn’t her intention, and hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. Her anger wasn’t even directed at him.
She was angry with Laura for being a slithering snake in the grass, whispering secrets behind Ben’s back as she cheerfully plotted her manipulations.
She was furious with Lydia for being a nasty human being and for making Ben feel like he wasn’t loved…or perhaps even lovable.
She was also mad at Maya, because she felt like she’d been sent out to sea without all the facts, and it hurt to think that her sister had been looking out for someone else’s interests over her own.
But most of all, Katie was angry with herself. Once again, she’d met a guy and fallen for an idea of who he seemed to be. And maybe Ben was that guy, but there was no way for Katie to know. Because since the moment they’d met, she’d been snared in a web of omissions, lies, and deceit.
“Hey, how’s the cruise?” Maya said when she answered the phone. “I can’t believe you have a cell signal.”
“Me either, and I don’t know how long I’ll have it or how much this is costing me to call you, so I need you to listen and I need answers.”’
“Okay. What’s wrong, Kate?”
“Did you know Ben was interested in me before you said I should go on this cruise?”
“I knew he would like to get to know you better, yes.”
“Oh my God, Maya. You set me up with your best friend without telling me!” Katie slapped her palm against her forehead as she paced the room wearing nothing but a towel. “Your best friend who has mother issues that are almost on a Norman Bates level. Your best friend who seems to loathe the family he was raised with and yet, for some reason I don’t understand, he continues to submit himself to their craziness and abuse. Your best friend who is so witty, so smart, more handsome than any man should have the right to be and still be that nice. He loves to travel. He loves art. He loves movies. He’s funny. He’s creative. He’s kind.”
“I’m confused,” Maya cut in. “Why are you angry but also telling me Ben’s the perfect guy? What's going on? What happened? I threatened his life if he made a move on you, so please tell me I don't need to kill my best friend.”
“You knew,” Katie said, her voice shaking with anger. “You knew he was interested in me since that night at the concert. And you knew I had no idea who he was. He’s been asking you about me for a year, Maya! Yet, you sent me in blind. I had no idea! Whose side are you on?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side, Kate. But if I was, it would be yours. Every time. Period. What happened?”
Katie closed her eyes and focused on calming herself by exhaling out as much air as she could before slowing taking more in.
“Are you still there? Did I lose you? Kate?”
“I’m still here,” Katie said. “I can’t believe you set me up without telling me you were setting me up.”
“I didn’t! Christ, you were there when I fell off the ladder. Do you think I somehow did that on purpose just so I could get you to go on a cruise with Ben?”
“No, but me going was your idea. You knew he was interested, and you knew he would check every single box I’ve ever had for the type of guy I want to spend my life with. Oh, well, with one exception—his mother hates him and hates me by association, and she doesn’t even know me! That’s definitely not something I want to deal with for the rest of my life.”
“Was she rude to you? Was she ugly to you? Did you say something? Ben better have stuck up for you. She has no right to be mean to you, Kate. Don’t put up with that.”
“So, does she have a right to be mean to Ben? What did he do, Maya? Because I know you know. I know you do. What on earth did this guy do to make his mother hate him so much? Did he murder someone? Is he a rapist?”
“Christ, Kate! What are you even saying? You think I’d send you on a cruise with someone like that?”
“I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know what anything is anymore. I don’t know who or what to believe. Obviously, I don’t know him. At this point, I don’t even know who I am. All I know is I’m in a mess. I’ve fallen for someone who may or may not be real, and there are so many reasons I could give you why I shouldn’t be with him…and you’re one of them. But when I think of getting off this ship and walking away without him…this is ludicrous. I don’t need this in my life right now. You knew that. You knew I was trying to get my life put back together. That I need to figure myself out. And you put me in this situation where you were, what? Hoping I’d fall in love with Ben and it would all work out so we could be one big happy family? You can’t marry him, so you hoped I would?”
“Whoa. You are so far out of line right now, and you’re saying crap that doesn’t even make sense. Listen to me. I didn’t set you up. The reason I didn’t tell you he was interested is because you do need to figure yourself out and get your life together, and you just got out of a relationship. I’d be the last person to encourage you to rush into another. And might I remember you that even though it was my idea originally, I dropped the subject. You were the one who brought it back up, and you were the one who decided you want to go. I didn’t push you into this. As far as Ben and his interest in you, I told him you needed this trip, and I asked him to take you. I thought it might help you break out of your funk and find some joy again. I hated seeing you without hope. But I wasn't kidding when I said I threatened his life if he made a move on you. I told him you were off-limits, so you better believe I’m gonna take it up with him if he—”
“That’s not up to you. You can’t control who I love and who loves me anymore than Ben’s mom can control him. I gotta go.”
“Wait. You never did tell me what happened.”
“Ben,” Katie said, closing her eyes again so it was easier to picture his smile. “Ben happened.”