That was the last photo.
Thank god.
I put the phone back down, feeling that guilty, shameful and anxious mix of feelings that you get the day after you’ve had too much to drink and have made a fool of yourself, but can’t quite remember. I just hope that the photos were the worst of it and I didn’t do anything stupid.
I sigh loudly and decide I can’t hide in my room any longer.
I get dressed into a simple white sundress and then head over to the bathroom across the hall to do my business and apply a little bit of makeup. I don’t hear anything in the house, which is strange. Perhaps they all went somewhere and left me here.
Oh, I know what it is. They probably took Lacey and Richard to the marina to see them off. Shit, I would have liked to have at least said goodbye.
After I’ve done my best to cover up the hangover on my face, I step back into the hall. I poke my head into my parent’s room and see all their luggage. The door to the Wakefield’s bedroom is open and when I call out, no one answers. There’s one more room that has always been shut and I’m tempted to open it, but instead I look inside Lacey and Richard’s.
To my puzzlement, all their luggage is still here. In fact, one duffel bag is on the bed, half-packed.
That’s weird.
I head downstairs, still finding no one, and then finally head out the back.
Sitting at the patio table in the backyard are Lacey and Richard, with Tai leaning against the house, a beer in hand. There’s a laptop open in front of them, and everyone’s phones are out.
“Hey,” I say to them. “I thought you left without saying goodbye.”
Lacey looks up at me, tears running down her face.
Oh shit.
“Oh my god, what happened?” I ask her, quickly coming over. My heart jolts in my chest, thinking the worst. “Are mom and dad okay?”
“Your parents are in town getting provisions,” Richard says calmly. “We’ve had some unexpected bad news.”
Then both Richard and Lacey look at Tai.
He gives them a chagrined smile. “I’m telling you, we can work this out.”
“So, what happened?” I ask, pulling out a chair and sitting down. I have to remember that Lacey does cry over the slightest thing. She has two moods: resting bitch face, and crying.
“Intrepid, the boat that they were supposed to charter,” Tai explains with a long sigh, “has a problem. A big problem. The last people who chartered the boat put in bad fuel. Meaning, water got in the tank. And I wasn’t here to check on them, so now the boat is fucked and draining the tanks is going to take a few days, at the least. Might even need to bring it out of the water.”
“My honeymoon is ruined,” Lacey wails, throwing her head back and sniffling into a tissue.
“It’s not ruined, angel boo,” Richard says, and I cringe inwardly at the nickname. “We’re still going to go sailing.”
“Isn’t there, like, a shitload of other boats you can charter?” I ask. “I mean, what about all these boats.” With a bold sweep of my arm I gesture to the bay, which has at least a dozen of them at anchor. “They’re everywhere. And they aren’t being used.”
“Those are private boats and they’re out of the question,” Tai says. “Unless you feel like being arrested for theft. As for chartering, it’s peak season right now, all over the country. Everyone is trying to get their last trip in before autumn comes. Some are available later in the week but…”
“But we need to leave today or tomorrow in order to make it to Fiji, and then fly back to Dunedin in time for work,” Richard explains. “It’s just not feasible otherwise.”
“Well, shit,” I say, crossing my arms.
“But there’s a solution,” Richard adds, eyeing his new bride. “Lacey isn’t too sold on this particular proposition.”
“What is it?”
“I still have a boat,” Tai informs me. “My boat. I’m talking my pride and joy. I don’t charter her out. She’s just for me.”
Richard nods solemnly, then gives me a smile. “Tai has graciously offered to captain the ship to Fiji for us.”
“Oh,” I say. “Well, that’s great.”
“He doesn’t trust me with it,” Richard adds under his breath.
“You’re right, I don’t,” Tai says.
I give Tai an impressed look. “Well, that’s awfully generous of you to do that for them. I can’t imagine this will be easy.”
“You’re right. It won’t be easy,” he says. “But it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and they can consider this an extra wedding present.”
“You mean you haven’t sailed to Fiji before?” Richard asks, his voice going to a higher frequency.
Tai has an easy sip of his beer and gives him a dismissive wave. “Relax. It’s a piece of cake.”