Cabin Fever

“On the other side of this station,” he said, eyes shimmering like pools of sea-green water, and a smile that could make a girl swoon. But she wasn’t going to be one of them. Nope, not her. She knew better. Besides, she wasn’t ready for romance, especially with this type of guy. His interest had to be all PR. It couldn’t be real. Or could it?

She didn’t want to reflect on that. She had her kids with her, for heaven’s sake. What would they think of their mother swooning over some man who would sail off again at the end of their cruise. The whole thing was ridiculous. She needed to stop these crazy thoughts right now, before her fantasies got completely out of control.

And she’d start with the broccoli.

“Never mind. I’m not really that fond of broccoli,” she said without flinching at her little white lie, meant to prevent him from accompanying her to another buffet station.

“I would have thought you were.”

“Is there a broccoli type?”

She was sure there was a teasing glint in his eyes. “Well, actually, there is.”

“And just what would that be?” He had her smiling now. She liked how easy it was to talk to him.

“She usually has an athletic body, strong arms and an equally strong opinion on matters that count. She eats whole grains, avoids most carbs and never eats anything with hydrogenated or trans fats, but she loves gelato, all flavors, and only has it when she’s on vacation. By the way…Artemis deck, Just Gelato. Best on the ship.”

Becky turned back to the cornucopia of steaming food and added a square of lasagna to her plate. She considered lasagna the perfect food, at least lately. “And you’ve done research on this broccoli-woman theory, have you?”

“It’s just an observation. You can tell a lot about a person from the foods they eat.”

He followed her down the line as she added scalloped potatoes to her plate, and then some kind of stuffing with thick, creamy gravy. She figured this would do the trick. He was looking for a broccoli babe, and right now she was the carboholic.

“And what if a person doesn’t eat vegetables? What does that say about her?” She stopped and turned to him. He looked down at her plate, which was now a mess of carbs swimming in brown gravy. She felt a little of the gravy drip off her plate and onto her toes.

He gave her a sly smile, reached over, swiped the dripping gravy from the side of her plate, and quickly licked it off of his finger.

“They make the best beef gravy on this ship,” he said, wearing a pirate’s smile. Then he turned and walked away.

Becky watched him for a moment, angry at his audacity, but also charmed by it at the same time.

She spotted a waiter, apologized and handed him her dripping plate, then, wearing her own pirate’s smile, she went in search of the broccoli salad.

DAMN IF HE DIDN’T RUN into Ms. Becky Montgomery. And damn if he didn’t have to go right up to her and start a conversation. Dylan couldn’t understand why he hadn’t left as soon as he’d seen her. No. Not him. He’d had to joke with her, laugh with her, and even flirt a little. All right, a lot.

Dylan walked back to his cabin as if he were late for a meeting. He didn’t talk to anyone, nor did he gaze out at the full moon that seemed to hang just out of reach in the black sky. If a staff member had seen him swipe that gravy off her plate and lick his finger, he’d be on the carpet in no time. What was he thinking?

That was the problem. He wasn’t thinking. Not rationally, anyway. He was being led by his emotions and he knew his emotions always got him in trouble. He had to be more logical about this. After all, it couldn’t lead anywhere. She was a passenger.

It had been a long day and he was eager to get to his cabin. He had to admit that when he couldn’t get a good hold on that choking woman at first, dread had crept in and almost made him want to give up entirely. He hadn’t felt that way since he was a little boy and his dad used to take him out fishing off the coast of Twillingate, in northern Newfoundland. It was crazy, but at the time he just couldn’t bear to watch all those cod suffocating around him. He would try to push as many as he could back into the water, and his dad would scold him for doing it, so he stopped. But he never got used to it. Never got used to the thrashing, their need to breathe, their gasping for breath.

He’d had the same feeling with that woman. He’d had the power of life and death in his hands, and for a moment it had scared him to the point of wanting to run. But he hadn’t, and that’s what he needed to hold on to. He hadn’t run. Not this time. He had stayed the course and gotten her through. And because of him, she would enjoy the rest of the cruise and the rest of her life.

He needed a drink to calm down, to stop the internal shaking, but instead he just walked at a fast clip, ignoring everyone around him. He wasn’t rude. He would nod when it was appropriate, or smile when someone looked his way, but for the most part he kept his head down and his feet moving forward.

When he finally reached the crew’s quarters, he unlocked the door to his small cabin and shut it behind him. Then a sense of ease took hold and the shaking began to subside. He took a deep breath and let it out again, then searched for his cranberry juice, poured himself a tall one, sat in a comfortable dark blue chair, pushed off his white shoes, opened his shirt and let the day fade away.

Too bad that the minute he closed his eyes Becky Montgomery came into focus.

“Damn her,” he said out loud, and slammed his now empty glass down on the small coffee table, got up and went in to take a long, hot shower.

THE PLATES HAD BEEN CLEARED from the table and the kids were pestering Becky to make her announcement about the pendant. She was still reluctant.

“It’s time, Mom,” Sarah urged “You have to tell everybody now.”

Estelle, Kim and Bob were at the other end of the table chatting about something that seemed to occupy all their attention. Mark sat sipping his coffee, staring out at the people passing by, seemingly oblivious to anything but the thoughts whirring around in his head.

“Yeah, Mom, you promised right after dinner,” Connor insisted. “Well, it’s after dinner now.”

He was standing next to her, pulling at the necklace’s chain, trying to get it out from under her sweater. Becky kept moving his hands away. The whole thing suddenly seemed ridiculous. She really wanted to just give the thing to one of the kids and let them get all the attention.

She leaned over to Laura. “How about if I slip it to you and you tell everyone you found it?”

Laura turned to her. “It’s all yours. You need the good luck more than I do. Besides, I want to see the look on Grandma’s face when you tell her you found it. She called the captain this afternoon and asked if he could somehow arrange it so that my mom could find it, as a joke.”

“You’re kidding. What did he say?”

“I don’t know, but he invited her to take a private tour of the ship.”

“She’s unbelievable.”

“She’s Estelle. Now, please, show her the pendant.”

Reluctantly Becky pulled the necklace out from under her sweater. Holding the teardrop pendant in her hand, she took another good look at it. She had to admit that although the silver teardrop was rather large and heavy, the necklace looked as if someone had worn it every day for their entire life. If she wasn’t careful, the chain might fall apart with one good tug.

Sarah and Laura had been so excited when they returned that afternoon with ice cream and pickles that Connor had caught their enthusiasm and it still showed on his face. She simply had to go through with this for his sake. It was almost as if the pendant had its own little magic effect on Connor.

“Everybody, quiet please.” Connor held out his hands as if that would make his grandmother and aunt stop their conversation. Instead they simply glanced at him and continued talking.

Laura stood. “Mom. Grandma. Aunt Becky has an announcement.”

Suddenly, Bob, Estelle and Kim began laughing, but never turned their attention to Laura.

Then Mark reached over and grabbed Estelle’s arm. “Becky has something to say.”

Estelle looked up at Mark, pulled her arm from his grasp, mumbled something to Kim, leaned back in her chair, rested her hands on her lap and swung her hair off her shoulders. Apparently comfortable, she looked at Becky and said, “You have my complete and undivided attention, dear. What is it that you want to say?”

Becky felt like a total fool and wanted to simply disappear. She mindlessly slid the pendant back and forth on its chain and thought of a million things she’d like to say to Estelle. Hurtful, mean things. Things that had been on her mind for years. She thought maybe she could do it right now. Clear the air. Get the hostility off her chest.

But instead Sarah came to her rescue, preventing her from putting her foot in her mouth and possibly spoiling the rest of the cruise. “My mom found the moon goddess’s pendant in our cabin! Mom found it! Isn’t she lucky, Grandma? Isn’t my mom the best?”

Sarah beamed as she hugged Becky tight around the neck.

Becky let go of the pendant and it settled heavily on her chest. She put an arm around Sarah to steady her as she knelt on the chair next to Becky’s, and put her other arm around Connor, who stood beside her. Both kids wore grins that encompassed their entire face.

“That’s the missing pendant that everyone’s been looking for?” Kim asked with a large dose of sarcasm.

“Yes,” Becky said, bringing her kids in even tighter.

Estelle slipped on her glasses to get a better look. “But, darling, it’s so tacky. And here I thought it was going to be worth something.”

Becky could actually feel Connor’s enthusiasm waning as his body slumped against her.

“But it is worth something,” Becky protested. “It’s meant to bring good luck to the person who found it.”

“Yeah, especially in love,” Laura added.

“Your aunt already found her one true love with my son, Laura, and no pendant will help her find someone to take Ryder’s place,” Estelle chided. “Once you’ve had love like that, you don’t ever want to replace it. Not ever. And someday, my dear naive child, you might be lucky enough to have the same thing.” She turned and reached for Mark’s hand, but he picked up his coffee cup before she could touch him. Estelle instantly withdrew her hand, but Becky noticed.

Laura excused herself from the table. Becky could tell she was upset by Estelle’s thoughtless reprimand.

Connor moved away from Becky, his expression sullen, but Becky wouldn’t let go of his hand. She reached for Sarah’s and helped her slide off the chair. “This is just a game, Estelle, a charming promotion that someone on this ship thought would be fun and romantic. I happen to agree and intend to wear this pendant the entire time I’m on this cruise.” With those words she led her children away from the table.

“Of course, dear—” Estelle began, but Becky and the kids were already on their way to find Laura.

Part of her had wanted to tell Estelle that she agreed with her about Ryder. She would never find someone to replace him, and wouldn’t want to try. But deep down in her heart, she hoped that someday she would be lucky enough to find love again. She hadn’t realized that until she’d heard Estelle’s presumption that she’d never be interested in romance again.

However, Becky refused to allow Estelle to get the best of her in front of the kids. She wanted them to have a good relationship with their grandmother, no matter what Becky personally thought of the woman.

And at that precise moment, it wasn’t anything good.

CHAPTER FOUR

“LAURA, WAIT UP,” Becky called as she made her way through the crowded main lounge, bumping into a woman who didn’t even stop to let her apologize. It was hard moving quickly because Sarah had wanted to be carried so she could play with the necklace around Becky’s neck. At seven, Sarah was too big to be carried, but Becky knew she was dead tired.

Sarah and Connor chimed in for Laura to stop, and she finally did, but Becky could see the torment in her eyes.

Sliding down from her mom’s embrace, Sarah ran to meet Laura.

“She’s my grandmother and I love her, but sometimes she just makes me so mad I want to scream,” Laura said, with the emphasis on “scream.”

“You can scream if you want, Laura,” Sarah told her. “This room is so big I don’t think anyone would notice.”

Becky looked around. Sarah was right. They were standing in the Court of Dreams—a huge space with Doric columns and a sweeping staircase with ornate gold railings and marble steps. A fiber-optic chandelier hung in the center and gave the appearance of suspended stars. Cherubs and clouds were painted on the ceiling and Renaissance-style pink, white and gold upholstered chairs and sofas were arranged in small groupings for passengers to sit and enjoy the opulent space.

What Becky really liked were the huge statues of Artemis, Athena, and Poseidon that flanked a black concert grand piano where a woman, dressed in a flowing pink floral dress, was getting ready to serenade everyone.

The place was fabulous and reminded Becky that Estelle had, in fact, paid for this entire trip. She needed to find a way to get along with the woman for a week.

“Let’s sit down and talk,” Becky urged.

“Thanks, Aunt Becky, but I want to go back to my room,” Laura said.

“Okay, but before you do, can I just say one thing?”

Laura’s eyes were beginning to water.

“You’re a bright and beautiful young woman, and when the time comes, any guy would be lucky if you even smiled his way.”

“Thanks.” A tear slid down Laura’s cheek. “But I know that Gram and my mom think I’m fat, and dumb, and no one will ever love me like Uncle Ryder loved you.”

“He loved you, too, honey. And he wouldn’t want you talking like this.”

“I love you,” Sarah said, looking up all doe-eyed at Laura. “And Connor loves you, and so does Mommy.”

Laura wiped her tears away and smiled at Sarah. “I love you guys, too.”

“Then don’t be sad, Laura. The moon goddess wouldn’t want any of us to be sad. She’s happy ’cause we found her pendant, and she wants us to be happy with her.” Sarah took Laura’s hand in hers.

Connor handed Laura a tissue, then slipped away and sat on a chair by himself.

Laura wiped her tears and squatted eye level with Sarah. “Tell you what, hot stuff. You catch me tomorrow morning and I’ll be my usual happy self. We’ll spend the entire morning in the pool. I hear there are some great activities and super instructors. I’ll come and get you guys early.”

“Before the sun comes up?” Sarah asked.

“Not quite that early, but somewhere around eight-thirty if that’s all right with your mom.” Laura looked up at Becky.

“Sounds perfect,” Becky said, thinking she could use the time alone to explore the ship so she could learn her way around all the decks.

“It’s a date,” Sarah agreed.

“You betcha,” Laura confirmed, giving Sarah a tight hug. Then she stood and walked toward the glass elevators.

She could tell her niece didn’t like having the kids see her so upset. When the little family of three finally walked up to the same bank of glass elevators Laura had taken and Connor pushed the button, Becky thought about her strong urge to lash out at Estelle. She was thankful that she hadn’t, especially in front of the kids. After all, even though the woman was crass and unfeeling, she still deserved Becky’s respect…didn’t she?

TRACY HAD PERSONALLY checked out everyone who had been in that bingo room, then scoped out the casino and the main lounge, but that pendant was nowhere to be found. She reasoned that perhaps no one had actually found it, and considering that half the ship hadn’t even gotten their luggage yet, most of the passengers probably hadn’t stayed in their cabins long enough to start looking for the necklace.

Still, she had hoped against hope that she would be lucky to spot the damn thing dangling from someone’s neck. The brochure had promised so many perks that anyone who found it would be sporting it around like some sort of trophy.

Tracy swiped the card on her cabin door and walked inside. The room was dark. Her roommate was probably still down at the crew’s bar and on her forth or fifth martini. Tracy had learned a long time ago that if you wanted to thrive in Vegas you didn’t gamble or drink. The same thing went for working a cruise ship. Drinks cost money, not to mention the hangover the next morning when you had to be up to monitor a shuffleboard game or to help somebody climb a rubber mountain. Tracy had danced at the Stardust for five years in Vegas before they closed it down, and she could count on one hand when she’d gone out for drinks or to gamble after a show. Besides, she had a kid to raise.

God, how she missed her little boy. She wanted to hold him, like that woman she had bumped into who was holding onto her kid.

Wait. Tracy flashed on the woman and the little blond-haired girl. That little girl was spinning a silver necklace around her fingers. Could it be the necklace Tracy had been looking for the entire night?

Why hadn’t she focused on it before? She’d been so distraught about not spotting the necklace earlier that she’d given up right when it was practically staring her in the face.

She grabbed her purse and ran out of the room, praying they were still in the lounge.

She punched the button for the elevator, but when it didn’t come fast enough she ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time. The metal felt slippery under her feet and the tinny sound echoed through the stairwell with each step. When she got to the right deck she was almost out of breath, but she swung open the door and ran out as if someone was chasing her.

The room was an expanse of people, but she was only looking for two, a brown-haired woman and her curly-haired child.

Tracy prowled the room, eyes desperately searching for the right features, the right clothes, anyone that even resembled the woman and her little girl.

She climbed a few stairs to get a better vantage point, and frantically continued her search, but with no luck. Then, just as she was about to walk through the lounge one more time, she spotted the little girl’s blond curly hair. The child stood with her mom and a little boy in front of the elevators.

Tracy’s heart raced as she walked as quickly as she could across the room.

People got in her way, and one guy bumped into her, but she just kept walking, praying, holding on to her hope of getting to that little girl.

The area in front of the elevators was crowded, especially since the glass elevators were such an attraction. By the time she reached them, the woman and her children were nowhere in sight. Tracy stood in front of the elevators for a moment and thought about her next move. She would have to be smarter if she was going to get that pendant, and she would start by asking Patti Kennedy the name of the passenger who found it. Her only problem now was having to wait until morning.

BECKY HAD SPENT MOST of the morning on her private veranda, watching the water slip by along with her angry disposition. When they eventually set anchor near Grand Turk Island for a port stop, she wouldn’t move. She had no intention of leaving the ship with the rest of the passengers. It was a fabulous morning with a bright blue sky and an endless sea that reached up and kissed that sky. The sun had drenched her balcony with its warm rays, and Becky soaked the heat up, feeling it deep inside her body. It was wonderful just to lie there, not doing anything, not really thinking anything, floating on a daydream.

She loved it.

It was her cabin that made her edgy. For some reason she couldn’t relax when she was cooped up inside that room. Not that it wasn’t spacious and lovely, but there was just something about it that made her anxious, impatient to get outdoors.

As planned, Laura had taken the kids for a poolside adventure that had lasted several hours, but now it was time for Becky to go in search of her family.

She was wearing a modest two-piece suit, but ever since she had put on those ten pounds, she mostly wore a one-piece suit—black, of course—when she went to the beach. However, she was feeling a little bold today. After applying another layer of sunscreen, she pulled on a gauzy white sleeveless top and wrapped a bright red fringed shawl around her hips. And even though her thighs weren’t as toned as they once were, she didn’t have any cellulite, so why not be comfortable?

She grabbed a bottle of water out of the minibar, pulled her hair up in a ponytail, slipped on her large black shades, clasped the pendant around her neck and set off in search of her family.

The swimming pool, or Coral Cove, was on Artemis deck, the same deck as the gelato shop that Dylan had told her about. She had to try it.

She glanced at a small sign that requested guests order only one scoop, and ordered cherry gelato from a friendly girl in her early twenties wearing a bright yellow shirt.

“You found the pendant! Wow! You can have three scoops if you want them.”

Becky hesitated for a moment, thinking of the calories, but then remembered she hadn’t eaten much for dinner the previous night, just some great broccoli salad, and only had coffee for breakfast. “Sure,” she said, smiling back at the girl behind the counter. “Bring ’em on.”

When she had her mound of gelato, she sat on a nearby white deck chair to enjoy the sounds and feel of the ship before she looked for the kids. She could hear the water rushing by, people laughing and chatting about silly things as they passed, the occasional announcements about onboard events or port excursions, and the gentle sway of the ship itself when it was under way. The combination seemed to be soothing her restless thoughts. She only hoped it was doing the same for Connor.

Before she could take her first bite of gelato, her bliss was threatened by the Kim and Bob show. The two of them appeared out of nowhere and were headed right for Becky’s table.

“Look who’s here, Bob, my ill-tempered sister-in-law,” Kim teased as she approached Becky. She wore her hair up under a straw hat, large hoop earrings and an outfit that belonged on a runway. The woman really needed to learn what casual attire actually meant.

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