“I don’t think this is going to work out. Good luck. You and Dauphine probably need to spend more time together anyway. You don’t need me for that. For the second time in three days, I quit.” I pushed back from the table and turned on my heel quickly, making my way back down the way I’d come. My heart thundered in my throat.
Paco looked up, surprised, as I hurried past without a word. Tears of impotent rage streaked my cheeks before I was even halfway back to my cabin. God, why did being angry and embarrassed always make me cry? I flew down the next set of steps and hit a brick wall of a chest.
“Whoa,” the wall rumbled. Evan. I tried to push past but hands gripped my upper arms gently but firmly. “Hey. You all right, love?”
I shook my head. “Let me go, please?”
“What happened?”
“Please, can you drive me back to the train station in the morning? I just quit.”
His eyes bugged out. “You what? What happened?” Then his forehead drew down sharply. “Did something happen? He didn’t …” Evan shook his head like he couldn’t believe the question he was asking. Then the look of utter disbelief warred with a sudden heroic chivalry on his face. “He didn’t like … do anything to you, did he?”
“God, no,” I assured. “No. He implied some things. Accused me of being here to get to him. Using Dauphine to get to him.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
Evan shrugged with a small grimace. “It wouldn’t be the first time. You can understand, he’s a bit of a target.”
“Ugh. Why would anyone want to be with that entitled, arrogant ass?” God, his personality had literally just made him the most unattractive man I’d ever come across. “There’s not enough money in the world.” I’d pretty much probably told him that too by quitting.
Evan threw back his head and barked out a laugh.
“It’s not funny.”
“It kind of is. Did you tell him that?”
I folded my arms. “Along those lines. Now, can you get me off this boat or what?”
“Nope.”
“No?” I cried. “I just lost my temper at my boss and quit. I have to leave the building. Like now. You’re security, help me box up my shit and escort me the hell out of here. Now.” Especially as I began to suspect I may have slightly overreacted. “He’d fire me for how I reacted if I hadn’t already quit.”
Evan laughed harder, his face crinkling and his eyes tearing up. “This … this is perfect.”
I stomped my foot. “Okay, move. I need to pack. I’ll find my own way back.”
He moved but didn’t stop laughing.
I glared at him as I passed. “What pray tell is ‘perfect’ about this situation?”
He shook his head. “Nothing you’d understand. Just, uh, I’ll tell Andrea you aren’t eating with Mister P.”
“You do that.” I was really hungry, though. “Any chance of making myself a sandwich or something without getting in the chef’s way?”
“Impossible. I’ll have something brought to you or you can wait until about midnight when Chef is out of the kitchen. But I don’t recommend it. He’s totally OCD and counts the grains of rice left over.”
“Wow. Okay.” I swallowed. “I don’t want to … rock the boat, so to speak.”
Evan erupted in a new round of laughter, mumbling something about how I killed him.
“Perhaps I’ll just quickly pack and get off the boat and get something in town,” I continued and headed into my room. I would have slammed the door on his craziness if it didn’t mean it would set off all my claustrophobic alarms to be closed inside the cabin while my heart was pounding. I stared at the bed and let out a big sigh. I’d miss being able to sleep a night on that comfy bed after being crammed into a tiny airplane seat all night. I’d just unpacked and now I was leaving. I’d have to call Tabs and break the news. A heavy dose of guilt thudded in my belly. I hated I was letting her down already. But it couldn’t be helped now. God knew where I’d stay in town while I tried to get home. But I’d figure it out. I grabbed my bag I’d stashed under the side table shelf, then turned to the dresser.
“You know you can’t leave, right?” Evan said from the doorway, finally sobering.
I scowled at him. “Excuse me?”
“You can’t leave. We don’t allow anyone on or off the boat twelve hours before we move. As his security