*Shelby**Five Months later*I sat staring out the small window in my office. It was nowhere near as impressive a view as Michael's top-floor CEO office, but I liked the fact that it was mine. I’d been an attorney at Stockton and Associates for five months now, and just last month, I was promoted from my tiny cubicle in the corner to my very own office.I’d framed photographs of Michael and me at our wedding, at a castle in Ireland on our honeymoon, and of us in Greece from our most recent vacation. I couldn't help but imagine another picture frame of a beautiful little baby, swaddled up tight in a hospital bassinet sitting next to the rest. Michael and I had taken a more active approach to try to have a baby. I took my temperature every morning to track my fertility window, and our bathroom was littered with boxes and boxes of ovulation tests. It seemed like the majority of my free time I now spent thinking of our future family. I even had an entire nursery planne
*Shelby*As soon as the soles of my worn-out converse hit the wood of the dock, I knew I was underdressed. My old roommate, Lauren, invited me to spend a few weeks with her on her father's boat. However, it was not just a boat. An enormous white yacht was docked at the end of the pier. The yacht's sides were lined with three stories of windows reflecting the ocean's crystal clear water.From where I was standing, I could make out a double staircase leading to an upper deck with a circular swimming pool large enough to land a helicopter in. Men and women in matching black and white uniforms paced the decks, preparing the ship to leave the marina.When Lauren had invited me, I had no idea the vacation would be so extravagant. If I had known, I would have packed something nicer than my department store shorts and tank tops. Truthfully, I didn't own anything that wouldn't make me feel undressed on a yacht that likely cost more than a private island.“Wow,” I sai
*Shelby*“Todd?” I said, completely dumbfounded by the fact that my very recent ex-boyfriend was standing in front of me with his arm around Lauren.“Yes, I’m Lauren’s boyfriend. Lauren told me one of her old roommates would be joining us.”“Um, yes. I’m Shelby.” I responded awkwardly. At first, I didn’t understand why Todd would act like he didn’t know me, but then a lump formed in my throat. Lauren said they had been together for four months.“Shelby, you should go get changed, and we can all go up to dinner together. We are eating on the rooftop deck tonight.” Lauren said, completely missing the strangeness of my interaction with Todd. She snapped her fingers again at another member of the yacht staff.“Will you show Miss Shelby to her room?”“Of course, Miss Lauren. If you will follow me, Miss Shelby,” the woman said and started walking towards the double doors leading into the ship. I glanced back at Todd and Lauren and quickly wished I h
*Michael*I was walking down the hallway on my way to the upper deck when I heard a loud burst of laughter. I sighed in frustration; this was supposed to be a quiet escape from work, yet my yacht was full of a bunch of twenty-year-olds. I had invited Lauren, my daughter, as a way to spend a bit of time together this summer, partly out of guilt for not being around much when she was younger. Lauren asked if she could bring her new boyfriend along, and I agreed without much thought. I had met Todd earlier in the week over breakfast, and he seemed like a good kid. He worked in finance for his father’s financial firm in New York, so we immediately had so much to talk about. He was very complimentary of my recent purchase of Explore Air, the second airline that I now owned. It truly was a good purchase, and I had big plans for expansion. I was impressed that Lauren had picked someone who was putting down roots, and he seemed like a stable choice. Lauren had n
*Shelby*“Are you okay, miss?” the attractive man said after I’d run directly into him.“Yes. I’m just heading back to my room, uh, sir.” “Oh, right,” he said, clearly lost in thought. He paused for a few seconds and then continued.“Before you do that, would you head up to my stateroom and unpack my luggage? I am afraid it has been delivered rather later than usual. I had some business I had to attend to before leaving port, and I did not get here as early as I would have liked.”“Oh…I am… Uh…” I stumbled over my words. I was mortified that he clearly thought I was a member of the staff rather than a guest on the yacht. However, I supposed I looked nothing like the typical guests.“Yes,” I finally said, deciding it was easier than trying to explain the mix-up. He thanked me and continued standing there staring at me, probably making sure I was actually going to go unpack for him. I quickly turned and headed back down the long hallway. I must hav
*Shelby*I woke up the next morning refreshed and excited about my first day on the ocean. Sometime during the early morning hours, someone had slipped an itinerary under my door. I couldn’t help the pang of dread I felt reading that Lauren planned the whole day out for me and that I would be spending all day with Todd.At least I had a few hours before I was expected at the poolside brunch starting at 10:00. So I called down for coffee to be sent to my room, and as I waited, I went to the sliding door to the balcony and opened it to let the sound of the waves take over my room. I got dressed in a pair of jean shorts and my favorite forest green tank top. Before I had time to finish my makeup, there was a knock at my door announcing my coffee had arrived. “Good morning, Miss Shelby,” said the pool boy Lauren had snapped at the day before. He was carrying a coffee tray holding a glass coffee decanter, cream and sugar, and a plate full of fruit. I loved that each
*Michael*As I rounded the corner, I was surprised to see Shelby’s red hair flowing off the back of the lounge chair. She looked so relaxed that I felt guilty invading her solace, but I couldn’t leave now. If she noticed me leaving, I’d make an even bigger fool of myself than I’d done the night before. “It looks like you found my hiding place. You must have had the same idea," I said, and her gray eyes fluttered open. “Mr. Astor!” she said, sitting up and turning to look at me.I sat down on the lounge chair next to her and laid back. I was taking full advantage of the moment to make a better impression. “Shelby, you can call me Michael.”“Mr. Astor, I don’t know if…” Shelby started.“Please, I insist,” I said before she could finish.“Alright,” she answered with a small smile. “I am so sorry if I took your hiding spot. I needed some time to myself, so your intern, Reggie, told me how to get here.”“You can stay as long as you’d like. D
*Shelby*I woke up on the fourth day of our trip to a fantastic view. I wrapped a robe around myself and made my way to the balcony. The yacht was no longer moving; we must have come into port sometime during the night. We were docked at a tropical island with white sand beaches lined with palm trees. I could barely hold back a squeal of excitement; Lauren told me yesterday that we would be going on a private luxury catamaran dolphin tour. I was finally going to get my wish of seeing a dolphin in the wild. It would even be worth being stuck on a smaller boat with Todd all day.I had become very creative in finding ways to avoid Todd each day. I still attended every planned activity but managed to sneak away and spend some time relaxing. On a few occasions, Reggie would save me from talking to the other members of the group. I’d also had a few decent conversations with Alison, the woman in our group with short black hair. I liked her far bett