by Vivi Holt
They’d never been close, never had the father-son relationship they showed in Hallmark movies. He’d longed for it for years, wished his father would toss the baseball with him or take him camping, or just stop yelling long enough to see him for who he was. When it never happened, his heart had hardened. So when his mother died and his father threw him out, he had no intention of having anything to do with him again.
He sighed and headed for the living room to check the windows. Everything was shut tight and it was time to go. Jessie would meet him at Hartsfield for the flight to Miami. He couldn’t think about his father now – he had to focus on the task ahead. When he got back, he’d consider calling the old man, but that meant preparing to swallow the insults, the pain. It meant he’d have to forgive, again.
Please God, give me strength to forgive. He knew it was something he had to do. He’d heard it preached from the pulpit, read it in the Bible. Jesus forgave and so should we – it made sense. And he had.
Yet he’d never managed to do it fully. Everything his father had done to him and his mother over the years before her death, the things he’d said to Callum after she passed, still came back, bringing with them the same emotions, the same anger. His father, of course, never admitted to doing anything wrong. Callum had forgiven him over and over again, and then been hurt all over again. His heart constricted at the thought. No, he wasn’t ready to tackle that.
He opened the garage and climbed into the truck. Right now, he had a job to do. There wasn’t time to dwell on the past. If he did, he knew it might drag him back into its deadly grip. He’d moved on. Things were different now. He was a man. His father held no sway over him. Still, his heart pounded and a sweat broke out across his brow.
Callum stared straight ahead as the garage door shut behind him and he pulled out of the driveway. He’d deal with Dad later, when he could figure out exactly what he would say, if he said anything at all. When he had the strength to forgive him for the umpteenth time, and maybe make it stick.
4
Jessie peered out the window of the shuttle bus as it rolled through the streets of Miami. The sky above was an impossible blue, and palm trees lined both sides of the road, their fronds bouncing in the warm breeze. She was very aware of Callum seated next to her. They’d agreed on the flight from Atlanta to begin the ruse right away. So here they were, Mr. and Mrs. Callum and Jessie McKenzie, newlyweds from Atlanta, in love and on their honeymoon.
She shifted in her seat, conscious of being pressed up against him. Callum was a big guy and didn’t quite fit in the seat – his shoulders jutted out on both sides, taking some of her own space. The whole thing was making her nervous – her first PI gig, her first undercover job of any kind, and here she was in a new place with a man she barely knew, about to board a ten-day Caribbean cruise.
She leaned further toward the window with a sigh and watched the buildings go by, the glare of the sunlight glinting off glass and concrete and making her squint.
“Have you ever been to Miami before?” asked Callum.
She glanced his way. “No. You?”
He nodded. “I came down here with some buddies once. We went to the Keys for a few days.”
“I bet it’s beautiful down there.”
“Uh-huh. Great fishing too.”
She shifted again so she could look up at him without hurting her neck. It made sense for her to get used to being near him, seeing as they had to convince everyone around them they were in love. “We should get to know each other better.”
He nodded. “Have you been undercover before?”
She shook her head. “No. I was a beat cop.”
“Well, the key is to use as much truth in your cover story as possible, so you’re not scrambling to keep track of what you’ve said to people. So I’ll say I’m an ex-Navy SEAL, now living in Atlanta and working in construction.”
It made sense. She could keep it simple, since her own story worked well enough with a few tweaks. “And I’m from Chicago. My son and I moved to Atlanta to be with my mom after my dad died. I’m in private security. We met at church, fell in love, married quickly and here we are.”
“Simple is good.” He nodded his approval and smiled warmly. “You’re a natural.”
She laughed. “Maybe it’ll be fun.”
“Absolutely.”
“Do you miss your SEAL buddies? I always heard from the ex-military guys who joined the force in Chicago how they miss the camaraderie, and that was part of why they became police.”
“Sure I miss them. I don’t miss Afghanistan …” He chuckled. “Happy to leave that behind. But I do miss my team.”
“Do you like Atlanta?”
He shrugged. “I guess. I’ve got some good friends and a church I feel a part of.”
“I need to look for a church myself, now that we’re settled.”
He nodded. “You can come to mine if you want. It’s pretty great – a bit of a conservative background, strong theology, but embraces the move of the Holy Spirit.”
Her eyes widened. “That sounds perfect. I want to get Scott into a Sunday School class where he can make some friends. I’m hoping it’ll help him adjust.”
Callum rested his hand on the back of the seat in front of him. His knees were pushed against either side of the seat, as though struggling for space. “He’s having a hard time?”
“I’m not sure. Getting information out of him is like pulling teeth. I think he’s finding it hard to let go of where we lived, what we experienced there … but so am I, in all truthfulness.”
He nodded.
The shuttle pulled into the Port of Miami. Blue water sparkled like jewels, and in the distance boats traversed the ocean, white spray in their wake. She spotted the cruise liner right away – it sat by the dock, enormous and stately, a rainbow of colorful twirls painted on its side, its proud white bow jutting beneath rows of decks.
“There it is,” stated Callum.
Jessie took a long, slow breath, her pulse racing. She’d been nervous before about Scott and Mom and what would happen in Atlanta while she was gone, not to mention whether she could pull off pretending to be married to a stranger. But now that she was here with the boat moored in front of her, all the worries, concerns and fears fled her mind. She was going on a cruise!
The check-in line stretched ahead and behind them. Jessie had handed her luggage to the porters in their white shirts and hats. All she had to carry on board was her purse. She straightened a kink in the strap on her shoulder, then felt Callum’s hand on the small of her back, urging her forward as the line moved. It sent a shiver of delight up her spine. “What are you going to do first?” she asked, scanning the cruise liner.
He shrugged.
“I don’t know whether to swim or explore,” she continued. “I should probably take a look around first, then decide what I want to do. I’ve heard there are so many activities on a cruise. I can’t wait – I don’t want to miss out on anything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh,” he whispered in her ear. “You do remember we’re here to work?”
“Of course.” She flushed with warmth. “But enjoying ourselves is part of our cover, right?”
“Right.”
“So I’ll make sure to do that to the best of my ability, just like I do everything.” She laughed and flirtatiously grinned at him.
He chuckled.
The couple ahead of them in line were older – the woman in a peaked hat, a button-down blouse with a blue tropical flower print, white sweater and white pants, the man in khakis, a blue polo and a white sweater over his shoulders. “Did you remember to pack our passports, dear?” asked the woman.
The man grunted in response.
“Because I think we’re gonna need them.”
He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.
“I just have to find the tickets … now where did I put them?” She foraged in her purse.
Her husband sighed loudly.
She pu
lled a set of tickets from her purse triumphantly. “Here they are! Hmmm … I wonder if we’ll see any other Americans on the cruise with us? I’ll bet it’s all foreigners. You know how things are these days …”
Her husband looked down the line of American tourists behind them. “I think there’ll be plenty, honey.”
Jessie stifled a giggle. Were this couple really newlyweds? She’d love to know their story.
It was the older couple’s turn to check in. The woman behind the reception desk had thick brunette hair swept into a bouncing ponytail and large brown eyes. Her smile lit up at the couple as she finished typing on her computer keyboard. Her name tag read, HELLO, I’m ANNIE from Guest Logistics. “Welcome to the Royal Duchess True Love’s Cruise – how are you today?”
The old woman frowned at Annie, then turned to her husband. “Honey, she’s foreign. I told you.” She turned back to Annie with a huge smile. When she spoke again, her words were slow and exaggerated. “Hello, Annie. We’re Ethel and Sam Timms.” She studied Annie’s badge. “My, I’ve never heard of a country called Guestlogistics! Where is that?”
“Ma’am, that’s my position here at the terminal. I’m actually from around here.”
Ethel didn’t clue in. “Is that in Europe?”
Annie’s eyes narrowed. “Uh … no, I’m from Doral.”
“Ohhh. Anyway, we’re here to check in.”
The incredulity on Annie’s face was too much for Jessie to bear. She turned to face the other direction, biting her lip, and found herself face-to-chest with Callum. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath as her gaze traveled up his thick chest, over the V-neck of his shirt where his tanned skin showed through, and finally to his face.
He was staring down at her, laughing silently, his eyes twinkling with delight. “I think it’s our turn, sweetheart.”
She nodded and gathered herself together to face Annie. “Hi, Annie.”
“Welcome to the Royal Duchess True Love’s Cruise – how are you today?”
“I’m fine, thank you, Annie. You’re doing a wonderful job.”
Annie’s smile widened – likely in relief at having survived Ethel Timms. “Thank you. Let’s get you all checked in so you can relax.”
Callum stepped into their cabin, following Jessie, and glanced around. There were three large closets to his left. To his right was an orange couch that the woman he’d booked the tickets through had assured him was a pull-out sofa. The bed was made up with white sheets and a coverlet folded down at one corner, chocolates adorned the pillows. Their luggage sat at the foot of the bed, and a curtained glass door led out to a balcony.
Jessie slid the door open and stepped outside. A breeze ruffled the curtain and filled the room with fresh air. “This is amazing,” she called back to him. “I can’t wait until we’re out on the open sea. The view will be incredible.” She wandered back in and sat on the bed.
He smiled as he set his bag on the couch, unzipped it and began putting his things away. “You can have the bed. I’m going to take the sofa.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it pulls out into a bed.”
“Okay, thanks. Oh look, a mini-bar.” She jumped off the bed and pulled open the refrigerator, sorting through it.
By the time he was done unpacking, she’d looked in every drawer and closet in the cabin. It wasn’t very big, but she exclaimed over each and every find as if it was the most amazing thing she’d ever discovered. And each time it made him smile. She was like a kid in a candy store. “How long has it been since you took a vacation?” he asked.
She grimaced. “Other than visiting family?”
“Uh-huh. I mean a real vacation.”
“Um …” She squinted as she counted on her fingers. “Five years.”
His eyes widened. “Whoa – I thought I was bad.”
“Why, how long for you?”
“Three years.”
“That’s still pretty bad. I have a kid, so I kind of have an excuse.”
He laughed. “That’s true. I have no excuse at all.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love vacations – it’s just that with everything that happened in Chicago and being a parent, it hasn’t worked out to take time off for anything other than family stuff.”
His eyes narrowed. She still hadn’t told him what happened in Chicago or to her husband. But he didn’t want to pry. If she felt like telling him, she would.
“I’m going to check out the ship,” she declared. “Find the pools, the best restaurants, that kind of thing.”
“Okay. I’m going to see if I can locate Alton Meer and find out what room he’s in.”
Just then the boat lurched and her eyes flew wide. “Oh, are we moving?” She ran back out onto the balcony and began waving frantically to the people standing on the dock.
Callum strolled out to stand beside her, enjoying the feel of the sea breeze on his skin and thankful it was much warmer than back home. He gripped the railing with both hands as they pulled away from the dock and headed out to sea. Perhaps Jessie was right – maybe they’d be able to enjoy the cruise and work at the same time. After all, they’d never blend in if they didn’t take advantage of what the ship had to offer. But first, he wanted to make sure Alton Meer and his guest were on board and discover just where they were staying. Business before pleasure.
Jessie returned to the cabin, but he stayed where he was, watching the land shrink away and the ocean between it and the ship growing with blue-green peaks and troughs. He drew a deep breath of the salty air, remembering similar departures from his Navy days, and smiled before walking back into the cabin.
Jessie stood in the middle of the room in a blue bathing suit. Her lithe body curved in all the right places and his heart pounded. She faced him with a smile as she tied a white wrap around her waist.
His cheeks colored. “Um … I’m going to head out.” He hurried past her and tugged two photographs of Alton Meer out of his suitcase, handing one to her. “This is Alton Meer. He’s on board with a guest – I have no idea who. Obviously it must be his wife, since this is a honeymoon cruise, but I couldn’t find anything about his wedding in the media or online.”
She frowned and took the photograph, studying it. “Interesting.”
“Let’s meet up on the pool deck in an hour. I’ll go to see what I can find out.” Callum left the cabin and walked down the hall.
Jessie wandered down the long hallway, adjusting the strap of her shoulder bag. A few turns and an elevator ride brought her to the reception area. A dual staircase wrapped around the glass-walled elevator shaft. She stepped out, gazing in awe at the twin crystal chandeliers hanging to either side of the elevator door. In front of her was a sweeping mahogany reception desk with a young man behind it, studying a computer screen. Passengers milled around with leaflets in their hands or tapped at a large interactive map of the ship.
She tugged self-consciously at her bikini which seemed to shrink each time she wore it – or maybe it had just been so long since she’d worn it, she’d forgotten how little of her skin it covered up. She walked toward the reception desk. “Good afternoon.”
The man behind the desk smiled. “Good afternoon. I’m Jax, the front desk manager. How can I help you?”
“Jax, I was just about to head for the pool but I thought I’d stop and ask if there are towels poolside already, or do I have to bring one with me?” She leaned on the reception desk and did her best to make her eyes sparkle.
He grinned. “The towels are already there. You can dry off and leave them there if you wish, or take them back to your cabin and put them in the laundry chute.”
She could almost see the screen of his computer – if she could only get a slightly better angle. She shifted around, laying her hands on the desk. “Hmmm, that’s great. And they serve drinks at the pool?”
He nodded. “You can order a drinks package here first if you like, or order them a la carte poolside.”
“That
sounds perfect. I’ll order a package here, I think.”
“Great. I’ll just get you a form – hold on …” He glanced around. “Hmmm … I seem to have used them all up. You can use the form to order an internet package and special tours and activities as well. I would just do it on my computer, but for some reason the program isn’t working today.”
“That’s unfortunate. Kind of a busy day to have it crash on you.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I’ll just go get some more forms and be right with you.” He hurried through a door behind the reception desk.
Perfect! Jessie moved quickly, pulling the keyboard and mouse closer and shifting the monitor so she could see. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that no one was looking in her direction. She’d still have to move quickly. A cursor blinked in an empty search bar. She typed in Meer, hit ENTER, and instantaneously an alphabetical list of passengers popped up on the screen. The first name was Alton Meer, and under it read Ms. Meer. Odd – no first name?
But there was their room number, 1326. That was a lucky break – hers and Callum’s was 1332, only three doors down. She shifted the monitor, keyboard and mouse back into place, and spun around to lean back against the reception desk, crossing her feet.
Not ten seconds later, Jax returned. “Here you go.”
She faced him, forcing a smile. “Great, thanks. I think I’ll take it with me and fill it out later.”
“Okay. Just drop it back here when you’re done and I’ll take care of it for you.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Jax.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He was cute, no doubt about that, and looked athletic as well. But definitely not her type – he couldn’t have been more than twenty-two. Still, she’d enjoyed the flirtation, even if her motives had been less than pure. Smiling to herself, she headed for the pool deck. She might as well enjoy a swim before she went looking for Callum to tell him her discovery. Make him sweat just a little – maybe he’d even be impressed.
