The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 1

I walked unsteadily up the boarding ramp from the pier to the Queen of Canada, trying my best not to get one of my heels stuck in between the planks. I'd seen this happen to a guest or two, and it was not how I wanted to start my evening.

"Hello, beautiful," Pietro purred once I'd made it to his station at the entrance. "Love the dress."

"Our boss said to look our best tonight, and I found this at the back of my closet."

I was wearing a black satin mini dress that I'd worn to a formal dance in tenth grade. It was probably out of style, but Brody's exact words had been to 'slut it up' and this number fit the bill since it was now a bit too short.

Pietro leaned closer to me. "We have a special guest coming tonight. You might actually enjoy yourself."

I scoffed. "Doubt it. Are the other girls here?"

"Yep. They are on the top deck with Brody."

I went down to the lowest level and put my cardigan and purse in a locker since I wouldn't need either. It was a hot and humid mid-June night; the type where it didn't cool off even after the sun set.

One of my favorite cooks, Burt, poked his head out of the galley door. "Ya hungry? I made a test batch of mini egg rolls and they won't stay hot until we leave."

"I'm starving!" Helping myself to several, I ate them in rapid succession. "Is anything in my teeth?" I asked when I was done chewing.

"Nah. You're perfect as always. Did I tell you my granddaughter is going Ryerson? She's the one that looks like you."

"You did not! That's exciting!"

"I'm helping pay, so I took a day job cooking at a diner," he said with evident pride.

"You're such a good grandpa. I'd better get up on deck before Brody comes looking for me."

"You definitely don't want that. He fired my assistant last week for showing up with a stain on his shirt."

Brody Henderson ran a very tight ship. Literally. He'd been managing the Queen for over three years and the employment turnover was ridiculous at first. These days the firings were less frequent, and those who'd been here awhile respected the boss more than they feared him. He was tough, but he was also fair. Burt's assistant ran food from the galley up to the deck so it was understandable that he needed to look sharp.

When I got to the upper level, my two best friends waved me over. "Hey, Lucy! You're looking good!" Fallon said with a toothy smile. Briya nodded in agreement.

"Thank you. You two look gorg!" I told them.

"Yes, yes...we're all lovely," Brody said with a dramatic eye roll. "Thank you for following directions regarding attire. Tonight I'd like you to push bottle service, especially with our VIP party."

"How exactly do we do that?" Briya asked.

He scowled at her. "Perhaps you can just casually mention it? Something like...'I hear bottle service is excellent on this boat,' and then see if they take the bait? You've been doing this for years so you know better than I do!"

We started working for him in college. It was a seasonal part-time job, but the pay and perks were worth it. Usually we just encouraged patrons to drink, so bottle service was not typically on our agenda.

Brody left to greet the guests who would be boarding soon so that we could set sail promptly at nine.

"Did you hear who is coming tonight?" Fallon asked me.

"No. Who?"

"It's supposed to be a secret, but one of the bartenders told a server that Brody hinted to Pietro that a famous singer from Toronto was coming with a party of twelve."

"Is it Bieber?" I asked since he was the first person to pop into my head.

"Ohmygod I hope so!" Briya gushed. "He was my teenage crush!"

"He's not in Toronto much and he's married. My guess is Drake. He was spotted at Canoe last week," Fallon said gleefully.

"I guess he has a thing for boats," I joked. Canoe was not an actual canoe but was one of the fanciest spots in the city, so I couldn't resist the joke.

"I call dibs!" Fallon blurted.

This was a thing we did. If there was a particularly attractive guest, one of us would call dibs rather than all three of us vie for their attention.

"You can have him, but I'm not taking the old single guys again," I said. "It's your turn, Bri."

"Ughhhh! Is it? I hate them! They tend to be the perviest since they grew up in a time when that shit was okay."

"Just walk away or get Brody. He won't allow assault, even if it increases his profit margin," I told her.

Half an hour later, we had drinks in our hands and were spread out over the three levels. I took the lowest one because that's where the biggest buffet was and I was still hungry. Free food and drinks were one of the better perks of this gig. The room began filling up and only a handful of guests wore masks. COVID protocol in Ontario dictated that they be worn indoors, but because the boat decks were considered outdoor dining, only the staff who served food and drinks had to wear them.

I started my usual routine of pretending to look for my friends and almost immediately, someone took the bait.

"You lost?" a guy about my age asked as he looked me up and down.

"I can't find my friends, but we're on a boat, so they couldn't have ditched me unless they fell overboard," I replied with a forced giggle.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

I held up the one in my hand which was half full. "Just let me finish this one." I drank it in one gulp, but there was no fear of getting intoxicated. Every bartender knew to make mine weak. They had half a shot max.

"What's your poison?"

"Arsenic," I said and immediately regretted it. Sometimes men didn't appreciate my sense of humor. "Bourbon and coke. I'll go to the bar with you."

He ordered for both of us and paid Mike, the bartender on this level, before turning to me. "You'd think they comp us a couple drinks considering how much admission is."

"I guess that's more for the food. I hear it's excellent. Have you tried it?"

"Not yet. Want to meet my friends? It's my buddy's bachelor party," he asked eagerly.

Poor guy was obviously excited to show his friends he'd met a girl only fifteen minutes into the evening. A party would probably be more likely to get bottle service if I pushed, but given that he'd just complained about buying drinks, I'd probably be wasting my time. It wouldn't hurt to have a drink with them, though.

"Brothers...I want you to meet-" he stopped and looked at me when he realized he didn't know my name.

"Lucy. You're all brothers?" I asked.

"Fraternity bros," one of them said. "That means we're brothers for life!"

They all raised their glasses, let out a whoop, and took a drink. Meanwhile, I tried to keep a smile on my face because these dudes were definitely not who I wanted to spend my evening with. I was introduced to each man, and only the groom-to-be seemed like a genuine person. Once an acceptable amount of time passed, I turned to Liam, the one who'd bought my drink, and excused myself to use the restroom.

"You'll come back, right?"

"Let me find my friends first," I said with a wink.

I navigated my way through the crowd and took the port side stairway to the middle level. As I rounded the corner, a tall figure ran into me, knocking me slightly off-balance. I caught myself before I fell on my ass, thankfully. I looked up and saw it was Shawn Mendes, which solved the mystery of the VIP guest.