Passage to Australia [Passage to Australia Trilogy Book One]

Chapter VIII A Plea for Help

Chapter VIII

A Plea for Help

"Hottie at one o'clock," Janine announced, bringing her sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose to study the person in question more closely. "Not bad," she added with a quick rise of her eyebrows.

"You're hopeless," Brandon couldn't help but smile. "That's not why we're on this cruise."

"Call it a 'fringe benefit'." Janine said with a glint in her eyes.

"Too bad those benefits don't include having a maid!" Paris sighed and fingered the vapor on the outside of her lemonade glass, drawing an "E" on the cool surface.

"Ew, and cleaning bathrooms has got to be the worst." Janine wrinkled up her nose, the cute guy across the deck suddenly forgotten. "I can't even imagine all the germs there must be on a single counter top."

"Garbages are my least favorite," Brandon shook her head with a grimace. "There was something squishy in the bag this morning."

They were on the pool deck, reclining in the striped deck chairs drinking soft drinks and soaking up the mid-Pacific sun.

"Eww!" Paris shivered. "I wonder how Erik is faring," she murmured almost to herself, absently drawing a circle around the "E" on the side of her cup. This was the second day they had been cleaning their own cabins, and she had seen Erik only occasionally in that time. It seemed he was avoiding her and she wasn't entirely certain how that made her feel.

"You never did tell us what happened the other day between you two," Janine raised her eyebrows. Paris felt her cheeks heat up at the remembrance of the elevator episode.

"Uh, nothing, actually," she stammered. "It was just..."

"It was what?" Erik was suddenly upon them, leaning over her with an amused grin. His grin only grew wider when she blushed.

"It was nothing," she managed to retort sourly, watching in dismay as he casually occupied the deck chair beside her.

"I don't recall inviting you to join us," Janine sent him a glare that he couldn't possibly mistake for amiability.

"Well, if Paris wants me to leave her to explain to you just what happened in that elevator," he shrugged carelessly and got to his feet, ostensibly prepared to depart as quickly as he had come while ignoring the sharp daggers Paris was sending him.

"Yes, go!" Janine's eyes brightened and she regarded her cousin with suspicion.

"Don't you dare." Paris muttered to him in a voice quiet but full of meaning. He simply grinned in that way that made her want to slap him. One of these days she would. They stared at each other for several seconds while she debated whether to slap him now or later.

"Where's Paul?" Brandon made an attempt to change the subject. Erik's eyes immediately took on a somewhat dark shade and the grin left his face.

"I need to talk you, Paris."

He sounded serious, which surprised her, but she rose and followed him without a word.

"What's wrong?" She questioned when they were out of earshot. He glanced quickly, and rather nervously, back at the girls before leading her to the side of the pool.

"I need your help."  There was an unmistakable urgency in his voice that was quite unlike the carefree Erik she knew.  "It's Paul, I'm worried about him." His brown eyes met hers and she read real worry there. "He's been - well, different - lately, ever since the divorce.  I've tried to talk to him but he just shuts down."  He took a deep breath.  "Look, I know you don't like me, but I'd be...obliged if you'd try to talk to him; maybe, being a stranger, he'll open up to you.  You know what they say, 'sometimes it easier to talk to a stranger'.  Besides," Erik said after licking his lips, "You remind me of our mother."