Jack & Jilted Read Online Free Page A

anything, though.”
    “Now I’m really feeling scummy,” he muttered, surprising her. “Are you going to be okay here? I mean…well, you know what I mean.”
    “Am I going to be okay all alone in the honeymoon suite of a romantic cruise, dealing with the emotional aftershocks of being left at the altar by my supposed future husband?” she summarized, feeling each word like a lash on her skin.
    “Well,” he said, clearing his throat, “that’s one way of putting it.”
    She thought about it. Thought about what she’d left behind. Her parents had argued vociferously against her going on the cruise, using the exact same logic. But the idea of being back home, surrounded by her well-intentioned family and friends, was far more claustrophobic than any small ship cabin could be. And while the ship was romantic, it wasn’t as though Gerald and she had been feeling intimate lately, anyway. If they’d actually gotten married, all this ambience would’ve been wasted on them after they arrived, since they’d both probably just tumble in and simply sleep. She hadn’t even had the full wedding and she felt like crashing into bed and staying unconscious for the full seven days. And with the size of the bed, she would probably be more comfortable alone, if she was honest about it.
    As her father said, When life gives you lemons…
    “I’m going to be okay,” she announced clearly. “It’ll take time, but…yeah, I’ll be okay.”
    Then she turned her full attention to Jack. He looked concerned. Actually, he looked a little unnerved. Men didn’t normally deal well with emotional women, she told herself, torn between amusement and irritation. Gerald had always found some excuse to vanish when she was in “one of her fits” as he called them, her rare outbursts of temper or upset. She’d learned not to expose him to them. When she felt like crying, she called her friends; when she felt like hollering, she drove somewhere isolated and screamed in her car with the windows rolled up. Afterward, she could calmly deal with whatever was bothering her. Generally by that point, Gerald didn’t even have to become involved.
    She frowned. That might have been part of the problem, too.
    “One last thing,” he said, sounding hesitant. “There’s a minifridge over here. It’s got, er, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. It’s also got some beer, if you want it.”
    “Thanks,” she said. “And don’t feel guilty, okay? You didn’t talk me into anything.”
    “Sure I didn’t,” he said, and his recriminating tone spoke volumes.
    “No, really,” she argued. “I decided to take some time to develop an action plan. I really am regrouping.”
    The look he sent her was almost one of pity, but he let it go. “All right. Since I’ve got you settled in, I’ll cast off and we’ll be on our way. We’ll be cruising up toward Catalina, but we won’t go all the way there tonight. If you need anything, just hit the intercom button here.” He gestured to a panel by the door. “Whatever you want, ask, and I’ll jump to.”
    “That sounds nice,” she said. “Thanks very much…Jack.”
    He smiled, revealing two dimples that probably broke hearts in every port he’d ever sailed into. Too bad her heart had already been broken.
    “No problem…Chloe.”
    She smiled back when he shut the door. The smile didn’t last long, though, as she leaned back against the bed.
    All right. You’re here. Now what?
    She could feel the motions of the boat—the whirr of the engine as it roared to life, the slow, steady sway as it moved out of its slip and carefully navigated its way to the Coronado Channel. She could see out the small window. The sun had almost entirely set, the sky bleeding from crimson to purple to navy, left to right. It was beautiful, so beautiful it made her heart hurt.
    In the twilight, later, she decided to go about settling in. She’d be here for a week, after all. She unpacked her luggage neatly