Chapter 217

“Hey,” I said, holding my plate in one hand as I considered sitting down. “You, uh-”

JC looked up from his plate at me, obviously uncomfortable. He was sitting at the back of the top deck on the Couples Boat, alone.

“Uh, hey,” he said.

“Look-”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Well, maybe- I dunno.”

“I feel like I should be apologising.”

“I don’t ... think you need to.”

“OK,” I said. “Um. How did talking with her go?”

“Short,” he said. “I was hoping she’d come eat with me.”

“Do you want me to find her?” I asked.

“ ... No, it’s fine,” he said.

“OK. Well ... I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

I left JC where he was and went back across to the top deck of the Singles Boat where Cassidy was waiting for me with Becca, Zenya and Wanda.

“How did that go?” Cassidy asked me.

“Awkward as hell,” I said.

“Told you it would be,” Cassidy said.

“He had to do something,” Becca said. “What did he say?”

“I don’t think he’s retroactively pissed at me,” I said. “He was hoping that Terra would eat with him and they could talk more. Or, I guess he wants to talk. He just thought she would come find him.”

“I’ll go get her,” Wanda sighed, setting her plate aside and standing up from her chair. “She needs to talk to him, too.”

“Want me to come help?” Cassidy offered.

Wanda hesitated and then nodded. “She’ll need encouraging.”

“We’ll be back,” Cassidy said. “Take my seat, Tiger.”

Cassidy gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she headed down below deck with Wanda.

“Jesus, you guys know how to make a good time turn awkward,” Zenya said, smirking a little and shaking her head.

“Didn’t mean to,” I sighed.

“Oh, I know,” Zenya assured me. “You could have stuck to single girls for your sex-a-thon though.”

“Jealous, Zee?” Becca asked with a little grin hidden behind her raised cup as she took a sip. She reached over for my hand as I sat in Cassidy’s chair beside her, and I gave it to her.

“Of the chaos? Not a chance,” Zenya said. “Of getting some private time with him? Definitely.”

“You could always just get on your knees and start blowing him right here,” Becca teased the curvy redhead.

“Don’t tempt me,” Zenya laughed. “But I don’t think the sad golden retriever would appreciate that.” She gestured with her head over towards JC.

“Neither would some other folks,” Becca sighed, looking towards the far end of the Couples Boat where the dull sounds of voices were coming up from the back porch area. Heather, Sherry, Ginnie and Heels were eating back there after they’d gone for a quick swim right before dinner. I wasn’t sure where Cattie, Leia or Ami were.

I was about to ask Becca and Zenya about how they met, since the two of them knew each other fairly well, but I didn’t get the chance as Terra came up the back stairs followed by Cassidy, but no Wanda. Terra shot me a nervous look as she walked purposefully across the boats towards JC and slid down to her butt next to him and started to talk.

“Where was she?” I asked Cass as she came back and sat in Wanda’s seat.

“Downstairs talking with Cattie,” Cass said. “Wanda stayed down there with Cattie to talk. I would have too but we’re part of the problem so I just told her we loved her.”