He shrugs “Just pointed out where she could see us from your apartment window through one of your camera lenses,” he says casually, and sounds like he means it.

“Uh, what?”

“Look,” he says, ignoring me. “If you want to get past this seasickness—”

“I could just stay on land forever.”

“—a bigger boat is a good place to start. That’s why I thought we’d try out the Nimble Narwhal, here. My dad acquired it in a trade earlier this year. Impressed?”

“If by ‘impressed’ you mean ‘is it giving off Cape Fear vibes,’ then yes. Are you sure there aren’t bodies stuffed inside the sofa?”

“You insult me, Saint-Martin. I’ll have you know I spent hours scrubbing everything down here until my fingers bled.”

“Don’t believe you.” God, he’s adorable.

“Maybe not bled. I did clean it, though. And it’s body-free. And rodent-free. I also threw away a lot of insect carcasses. You’re welcome.”

“What is all this for, if I may ask?”

“This is how I’m going to turn you into a water rat.”

“Why?”

He taps the side of his head with his finger and waggles his brows. “I have a plan.”

“Hey! That’s my thing,” I insist. “I’m the person with the plans and schemes.”

“Tough,” he says, shrugging. “It’s upside-down day. You ready?”

“No, I’m not ready in the least bit! I don’t want to get sick again,” I say, clinging to the carrot-colored kitchenette counter. “Especially not in that bathroom.”

“Told you before, seasickness is an inner ear problem. It’s sort of a battle between your senses, right? Your body is used to being on solid ground, and once you’re on a boat, your eyes are seeing one thing, and your inner ears are detecting another, and it’s one big sensory overload, and kablam! You’re sick.”

“Terrific for science. Let’s not do any kablamming.”

“Nope. We’re going to kablam until your body gets used to the water. The ginger helps your inner ear. So does antihistamine. That’s all motion-sickness pills are, really. And I’ve got them in case you need them.” He pats his pocket. “Remember last time, with the old fish and the sealant smells? I think that was a big factor. Strong smells make it worse.”

“It definitely didn’t help,” I agree.

“That’s why I cleaned, see? And I aired everything out. No smells. So today let’s start small. We’re just going to sail out for about a nautical mile, then I’ll stop the boat. Got it?”

Okay, adorable or not, I’m really unsure about all this and moan a protest.

“Mind over matter,” he says, gesturing to the deck above.