Lissie's Promise: Shipmates Adventures at Sea, #2

By Stacey Watts

Shy, reserved, Lissie Baker is in over her head.  She is stuck with the most formidable man on the planet. Why does he have to act like a big juvenile delinquent? Teasing her is his favorite pastime.  Her newly married best friend warns her to be careful. Deep down, Eric intrigues her and challenges her. He is like a drug she can't resist. Can these two odd misfits tackle the weight of the world and realize they belong together? The second novel of the Shipmates series won't disappoint.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stacey Watts
• Release date: Jun 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201709327

Stacey Watts

Stacey Watts loves telling stories, as her writing reflects this. She currently lives in a small town in Texas with her husband and three children. Her imaginative spirit will not disappoint as she weaves stories of romance and intrigue. An author with Self-Published works; she invites you to consider her words.

Book preview

Chapter 1

H ey Bookworm! How’s it going? Lissie cringed when she heard Eric Taylor’s voice on the other end of her ringing cell phone. Even the Frankenstein themed ring-tone was enough to make her gag.

Hello, what do I owe this pleasure? She said in annoyance.

I can't make it tonight. Can you finish up the plans for the party?

Typical. I'm taking it Heather has the night off? She responded.

Jealous?

Of course not. It is a great excuse to slack off the party plans. I mean you never were the type to finish what you started.

Not slacking.  I forgot I had a date with Heather.  I can come over tomorrow and finish up the party plans. Why don’t you take the night off?  Maybe you could go out have some fun.  You could still be in by nine. He said.

No need. I'll take care of it. It was my idea any way. Lissie said.

Fine, Bookworm! Please call when you finish the arrangements. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean I don't care. Leo is my best friend. This should be the party of the century.  I’m glad we can pull our resources together to make it happen.

I don’t think we should go overboard.  Simple and elegant is fine. Lissie said.

You only marry once.  That is unless you are me and end up in a foreign country with a rifle to your head forced to marry a man’s daughter just because she’s pregnant. Eric shuddered. The kicker was he wasn’t even my baby.

It should be a lesson to you.  Maybe Heather is the one.  She has outlasted the others. Lissie quipped.

Well, my dear, I need to go shore up plans for the next contract.  I have a dive coming up soon. I am a busy man.

I will let you know when I finish the plans. Goodbye Lissie ended the call.

Cranky didn’t even explain the story of her life as of late. Why did Eric make her so crazy?  Why did Cynthia and Leo have to throw everyone’s friendship off balance by getting married?

She mindlessly tapped a pen against the desk. So many changes in just a short time. Cynthia Seville, her best friend, went to sea having the time of her life. She married a man who absolutely adored her and found out she was the owner of a treasure worth billions of dollars.

Not that she begrudged Cynthia of her newfound happiness. Nobody deserved happiness more than Cynthia did. Lissie hated the fact things in her own life changed around her dramatically. She felt alone and stuck in the same rut as always. Even Eric took steps to change his life. He even bought out Leo’s treasure recovery business. Now, Leo and Cynthia spent their time together, married and in love. Eric spent all his time pestering her. It just wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t as if Cynthia and Leo didn’t make time for her, it was hard to pop over to Morning Glen whenever she pleased now to see Cynthia. She went from being a barge right in kind of friend to knocking. They were newlyweds and needed their privacy.  What kind of friend would she be if she couldn’t honor that?

She tried to figure out her role as single woman with a married best friend. From time to time the jealousy would eat at her no matter how hard it was to fight it off. 

Staying busy was the only thing that seemed to help.  By the end of the day, she exhausted herself. It also helped her not focus on the loneliness. She single-handed reorganized the library. She also took on planning Leo and Cynthia's wedding reception and Eric ended up weaseling his way into the plans. He was about as helpful as the wall. He had no decorum at all.

Picking up her cell phone, she called the caterers. Eric said he would cover the expenses. Lissie tried hard to talk him out of it. She lost out when in a battle of wits, charmed his way in. This somehow annoyed her. He thought they were friends. 

He made no decisions other than throwing money at the event. She made sure the menu was perfect and the banquet hall rented. Today she would have to find a band to play.

Making a note in her journal and scribbling down band with a question mark made her take a long cleansing breath.

After all the plans were in place, she decided she should call Eric and at least let him know they spared no expense on the catering.  A wicked little thought crossed her mind.  If he wanted to pony up the money for the event, she would give Cynthia the best of the best.

She pulled the number to his cell phone up and pressed the send button.

Hey sunshine. He sang into the phone.

It's Lissie! Not Sunshine or bookworm. Why do you insist on calling me silly names? She said.  I am not one of your girls.

I know, who you are, Lissie. Lighten up! It was just a slip of the tongue. He said.

Lissie sighed. He liked girls named Rainbow, Sunshine, and Precious. She just bet they were on his contact list and it annoyed her a great deal if they were. She didn't understand why men insisted on giving girls stupid nicknames. It was demeaning and childish. 

For Eric, she guessed it was because he couldn't remember what their actual names were. Nicknames were easier to keep straight and still seem endearing. He could cover his tracks with a honey laden nickname.

Of course, if she was being completely honest with herself, she liked him calling her bookworm. But there was no way in hell she would never admit it to anyone, especially him.

The party is next Saturday at seven in the evening. I rented the city banquet hall. Can you pick up Leo and Cynthia and bring them? I will be there early making sure everything is ready. Dress is semi-formal, it means you will need a suit.

I have an awesome red suit I will wear. Eric said.

Wow! Just figures. Maybe Heather can wear blue and white stars. You will be the fine example of a patriotic couple. Throw in sparklers, maybe we can call it an Independence Day celebration. It sure would be a sight to see. Lissie snickered at her own little joke.

Bookworm, what do you have for me other than making fun of my red suit? He said.

The caterers are serving a choice of veal or chicken, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Dessert is a chocolate torte with a vanilla cream sauce. There will be an open bar plus champagne. There will be the traditional wedding cake. They can feed one another. It will be romantic. She read off her list with a sigh.

No way! Leo will smash cake in her face. I would in a heartbeat. I would rip his man card away if he didn’t. He laughed. You have covered the bases. I knew you were the right one for the job. He said.

This was my idea! She snapped back.

Have you booked a band? We will want to dance our hearts out. I know Leo will want Cynthia to himself on the dance floor. They are nauseating. He said.

Fine, I will book the band. Anything else sir?

Lissie, are you bringing a date?

No, I will be too busy overseeing party plans. She said.

If you want, you can hang out with me and Heather. It will be fun.

No thanks.  Nothing personal, I won’t be a third wheel for anyone.

Two women and all. It would be hot. He growled seductively over the phone before he hung up.

Rolling her eyes, now she would have to fumigate her phone. This party was becoming a nightmare to plan, and he was the reason. Looking over at the clock, it was finally time to go home.

Fighting the urge to talk to Cynthia, she placed the phone into her book bag. Dinner was at seven, so most likely there would be a gourmet meal waiting for Leo when he walked through the door.

If she called now, they would feel sorry for her. Then of course, there would be the obligation to accept, if they pushed an invitation to dinner. It was better to throw herself into a good book and finish up chow-main from last nights take out.

Walking to her front door, she placed the key into the lock. Going in, the room was dark. She flipped on the lights. Maybe a walk down by the ocean would make her feel better. Axing the idea because she was tired, she got cozy in her library. The books that lined the shelves looked marvelous against the mahogany panel.

Searching for the perfect title, there was nothing that hadn't already read a