Chapter Five
Jade was certain her jaw hadn’t hinged properly since she’d seen the cruise ship up close from the dock and then boarded and started walking the decks. It was massive, gargantuan, a beautiful, unreal floating city. She wished she had somebody to share this with. She wished Teal or Jesse was with her, but she was going to enjoy this week, and somehow she would get Joshua Jewel alone. She wasn’t certain what motivated her anymore. She’d checked in with HR, and they’d assured her that the investigation was ongoing and they would get to the bottom of the matter. Her lawyer also reassured her that there was no case yet and everything would turn out just fine. Yet she’d quit her job in anger over the accusation and she’d enjoyed her job and worked hard to be where she was at. She hated the worry of it all hanging over her head. Would it help to go straight to the big boss man?
The incurable desire she’d had to meet Joshua Jewel, for reasons she hadn’t even admitted to Teal, had waned. With Jesse on her mind, she really had no empty head space to daydream about the elusive, possibly handsome billionaire. Jesse was enough of a mystery and a draw for her, and any man who could kiss her like that deserved the allegiance of her brain and her body.
She was walking along one of the top decks, a running track that looked down into the open-air pool areas, when she spotted the very people she wanted to avoid: Curtis and several of his cronies from work, standing near one of the bars next to the sparkling blue waters of the center pool area. They were dressed in suits and ties, as if this was a power meeting instead of a cruise ship. Pompous jerks, anyway. No, that wasn’t fair. Curtis had ticked her off with his accusations, but the rest of the men had always been respectful and kind to her.
In the middle of the knot stood a man taller than the rest, with short, slightly curly chestnut-brown hair and broad shoulders. She couldn’t see his face from this angle, but in the fitted T-shirt and board shorts, she could tell he had a very nice build. The confident way he stood with his head tilted slightly toward Peter as he talked reminded her of Jesse somehow. She rolled her eyes. Was she going to make it through this week without Jesse? Maybe she should walk off this cruise ship and go find him.
No. She was going to enjoy this and find Joshua Jewel, clear her name, and maybe even get an interview for her blog. Could that man be her former boss? Maybe.
She kept walking, mostly because she didn’t want Curtis or the other guys to spot her. Peter, Trevor, and Gabe were all decent men, but they were definitely Curtis supporters. Yet what choice did they have? They either licked his toe jam or they got demoted or fired.
Quickening her pace, she made it around the track that overlooked the adults-only pool at the front of the boat, and then she hurried back to where she could get a glimpse of the group again before slowing down.
The man in the middle of the group now had his face turned slightly her way. His eyes were squinted against the sun, but he glanced up, staring straight at her, and then his eyes widened. Even from up here, she was startled by his eyes. They were the most incredible blue she’d ever seen. The connection she felt as she looked into those eyes made her stomach drop like she’d been pitched off the deck twelve stories to the water below.
It had to be Joshua Jewel. It just had to be. She didn’t have time to register more than that his face was incredibly handsome, clean-shaven, and somehow familiar to her, before she walked on and the group was under the deck and out of her sight.
Her heart was thumping madly. Was it because she’d finally seen him, knew Joshua Jewel was here? Or was it because of the crazy way she’d felt when she’d met his gaze? It was almost as if they knew each other. He might know her name, or maybe he’d seen a picture of her as one of his former employees, but he didn’t truly know her and she had never seen that handsome face before in her life. She would remember a man that attractive. Maybe they’d been friends in a past life. Or lovers. She shut that voice down, hard. She’d kissed Jesse last night and could hardly wait to see him again next Sunday. Hopefully, she’d really see him eyes and all. Jesse was fun, intriguing, and successful, and his kiss had lit her up.
Yet why was there this connection to Joshua Jewel? She blew out a breath and walked off the walking path and toward the rear of the boat. She came around past the mini-golf, basketball, and rock climbing sections and continued on to where she could watch people try to master the simulated surfing, or Flow Rider. She wanted to try all of it. If only she wasn’t alone. If only she could push Joshua Jewel’s incredible eyes, and the connection she’d felt to him, from her mind.
* * *
Joshua watched as Jade disappeared from his view. She’d seen him. Really seen him. His heart was thumping fast, and all he wanted to do was chase after her. Would she recognize him as Jesse? He didn’t want her to. He honestly wasn’t sure what he wanted in any regards with Jade, besides more time with her. She had him so stirred up he couldn’t even think business.
He smiled around at the group of men. “I’m going to go settle into my room. Great to see you, Curtis, and meet you all.” He shook each of their hands, and Curtis gave him a quick one-armed hug. It would’ve felt like a very natural gesture for Curtis to give to a Jewel family member, but for some reason, Joshua felt awkward knowing that Curtis was convinced Jade was the embezzler while Joshua couldn’t wrap his mind around that.
“Will we see you before dinner?” Curtis asked, almost anxiously.
Joshua kept his smile in place. This cruise was a bonus, not a business meeting, but Curtis was so close to his family that he’d probably assumed they would spend a lot of time together. He didn’t want to eat dinner with these men. Not that he minded their company, and he would need to spend some time with them to ascertain if one of them could be the perpetrator, but all he wanted right now was more time with Jade. “Probably not. I’ve got to deal with some issues. Have fun.” He clapped Peter on the shoulder. “And get rid of those suits. It’s eighty-five out here, and you’re on a cruise ship.”
They all laughed and bade him goodbye. He knew Peter and Trevor had brought their wives with them, but Curtis and Gabe were alone.
Joshua set his lemonade glass on the bar and hurried toward the rear of the ship and the closest staircase. Was Jade still walking the upper deck? The glimpse he’d seen of her had stirred something deep inside of him. It wasn’t just that she looked gorgeous in a striped blue dress that showed off her shoulders and legs. It was the power of his connection to her. He was afraid he’d fallen for her, in two days. That was insane.
Should he be chasing her like this? What if she guessed he was Jesse? He was clean-shaven, had gotten his hair trimmed, and was not going to put on sunglasses or a hat this trip, no matter if he got a headache from squinting into the sun. He wasn’t ready for her to connect the dots. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for her.
* * *
Jade got a glass of water from a server and sat under the shade on a sort-of tiered bench that surrounded the Flow Rider. There weren’t many spectators beyond parents taking pictures with their cell phones, but it was a fun atmosphere with the water rushing down the slick surface of the surfing track, some upbeat music playing, and a young crowd. She gazed over the railing along the back of the ship to the water far below. It was almost four, and they wouldn’t be setting sail until eight. She couldn’t wait to just stare at the endless water as the waves cut through it.
She focused back on the Flow Rider. They were doing the body surfing this hour, and the instructors had explained that to participate in the stand-up surfing, you had to do the body surfing first. She was tempted to get a wrist band and get in line, but her heart still hadn’t calmed from seeing Joshua, and her mind was racing with ways to get him alone and see what he was like. He was probably a cocky rich guy who she’d be bored talking to within minutes. It wasn’t betraying Jesse to meet somebody she’d wanted to meet for a long time. Right?
She shook her head. It wasn’t like she and Jesse even had a relationship. They’d obviously liked each other, and they’d kissed, but he probably wasn’t sitting around pining for her.
Jade sipped her water and watched a teenage boy do a body roll with the board. She cheered along with everyone else, but her voice hitched when she saw a man stride determinedly from around the separator of the smoke stacks.
Her mouth went dry. It was him. And from the way his eyes settled on her and his pace increased, she was certain he somehow knew who she was and was coming her way. The power of those blue eyes made her flush with heat stronger than the tropical sun. No wonder he stayed out of the public limelight. Women would stake out his home and businesses just praying for a glimpse of those eyes.
Jade clung to her cool water glass as he approached her. She didn’t know what to expect, what to say. His gaze never left hers as he descended the steps next to the Flow Rider, then climbed the short steps of the bleachers and took a seat next to her.
His shoulder brushed hers as he turned to her and extended his hand. “Joshua Jewel.” His voice was beautiful, husky, awe-inspiring, and familiar. She knew him. Somehow, someway, sheknewthis man.
Carefully inspecting his face, she tried to think why she was so certain they had met before. She’d studied his siblings’ pictures and the older pictures of him. That was it. The family shared similarities, of course. They all had the same ocean-blue eyes and straight nose. Some of the brothers had his strong jawline, but most of them wore beards, so it was harder to tell. His sisters were more delicate and feminine, obviously, but the youngest one, Eve, shared his hair color, and the other, Rachel, shared his beautifully formed lips. Those lips were almost too pretty for a man, but they were the perfect softening factor on his manly face.
Those lips. They reminded her of … Jesse. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. No. That was nuts. She was just missing Jesse, feeling guilty about her attraction to Joshua. They couldn’t be the same man. Jesse wouldn’t deceive her like that.