by Tegan Maher
"She's right," I said. "We're gonna do whatever we want this week. That's the entire reason we're here—we're settin' life aside for a while and spoilin' ourselves."
"Preach it, sister," Coralee said, raising her coffee mug. She was a little better at the whole treat yourself thing because she was hardwired a little differently than Bobbie Sue. She owned the local beauty salon, so she was sorta in that frame of mind all the time. Not to say she didn't work hard, but she believed in her product. Every woman should look her best in order to feel her best.
"Is it just me, or does everybody here seem rich?” Raeann asked. “I feel a little like Cinderella at the ball.”
I thought back to the diamonds dripping off the woman at the movie the night before, and then to all the folks in fancy dress at dinner. "No, it's not just you."
Bobbie Sue snorted. "Shoot, did it ever occur to you that half those folks probably looked at us and thought the same thing? I mean, we were dressed fancy, but ain't none of us hoity-toity rich folks. And even the ones out there who are, put their pants on the same way we do—one leg at a time."
"I know," I said, "but did you see the pearls and diamonds on that woman last night?"
"Sure I did," she replied. "Don't mean they were real, and even if they were, she sure didn't seem to be having a good time. It looked to me like she was lonely and lookin' for somebody to talk to. Money can't buy happiness, sweetie. It may prevent a lot of misery, but you can't buy real friends or a rich life."
That made me feel bad for blowing her off. "Yeah," I said. "You're right. She may have money, but we have each other." I realized what I said and how sickly sweet and cliche it sounded.
"Aww," Cheri Lynn said. "That was the sweetest thing anybody other than my grandmama ever said to me."
The sad part about that was that it was likely true. She hadn't had a good shake at life, and other than her grandma, she hadn't had any support system at all.
Raeann pushed to her feet and took one last look at the view before turning toward the glass doors to the suite. "Enough chatter then, ladies. It's time to eat, drink, and be merry."
"I do like the sound of that," Anna Mae said, following her inside.
I was the last one in, and slid the door shut behind me. While I was getting ready, somebody sighed behind me and I turned to see who it was. There was nothing there, though. I narrowed my eyes and stood still for a second, listening for any further sound. When none came, I shook it off. The ship made all kinds of weird sounds, so maybe that was it. Still, I cast another suspicious glance around the room before I left, and made a note to ask the others if they'd heard anything.
CHAPTER FOUR
I WAS SURPRISED TO find the main dining room fairly busy since it was almost eleven, but then remembered everybody there was on vacation just like we were. No need to get up early, though there were no doubt plenty of early birds on board too. That made me glad there was a coffeepot in our room, because I needed plenty of caffeine before I could deal with a morning person. Raeann was one of those, but she knew me well enough to steer clear until I had my fix.
The buffet had a ginormous stack of bacon, as well as every other breakfast food known to man. For once, I loaded up on eggs, meat, and fruit rather than pastries and waffles, figuring I'd need something that would stick to my ribs in case we found something to do that didn't involve eating for a bit. I was the last back to the table and had just tucked in when the lady from the night before approached out table.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked, motioning to one of the three empty chairs at our table.
I glanced around the dining room and noted there were no empty tables and remembered what Bobbie Sue had said about her earlier. "Nope," I said, motioning to it. "Have a seat."
She smiled and put her plate on the table, then took a seat.
"I'm April," she said, giving the table a general sweep with her gaze. "April King. Thanks for letting me join you."
Anna Mae was, of course, the first to respond, then the rest of us introduced ourselves and settled into random chitchat as we ate.
"So you're all here together, then? No men?" April looked a little wistful as she absently played with the string of pearls around her neck.
"Yup," Anna Mae said. "This is a man-free vacation. These are my best friends on the planet, and we're celebrating my recent widowhood."
I smiled at the expression on April's face.
"Pardon?" she asked, apparently thinking she'd misunderstood.
"My husband was recently murdered," Anna Mae clarified. "And we're celebrating."
"Oh," she said. "I see." It was obvious she didn't, though. "Did you do it?"
That one was worth a genuine laugh. "No, she didn’t," I answered, unable to avoid taking it a little further. "But the person who did is a dear friend of ours. She did Anna Mae—and the rest of us, for that matter—a huge favor."
April tilted her head and studied each of us, then cast a surreptitious glance over both shoulders and leaned in. "How much does she charge?" she whispered.
Okay, I did not see that one coming and wasn't sure what to say.
Coralee, however, was a fast thinker. "That's what makes her such an amazing friend—she did if for free!"
"You guys are foolin' with me, right?" April asked, leaning back in the chair.
"Only sort of," Coralee said, swallowing the last bite of what had been a huge mountain of french toast. "We actually are celebrating her recent good luck, and our friend really did do it, but it's a little more complicated than that."
"Okay," April said, deflated. "I didn't figure it would be that easy."
The dejected look on her face was both comical and terrifying, at least until a voice boomed behind her. I looked up to see a large man carrying a heaping plate of food our direction.
"April!" he barked, scowling. "Why are you sitting with these ... women?" His nose curled as he passed a judgmental glance around the table.
April's face fell and color stained her cheeks. "There wasn't anywhere else to sit, and these ladies were kind enough to let me join them. I thought you were on conference calls."
"Well I was," he sneered. "After all, somebody has to earn the money. But I finished early so I could get something to eat."
Not so he could spend time with her or take in the sights, but because he was hungry. I was beginning to see why she was so interested in getting rid of him. He and Hank would have been besties. Or maybe he would have looked down on Hank, and Hank would have found a way to either use him or blackmail him. Still, they were two peas in a pod.
It turns out his name was Gerard, though in his one and only weak attempt at being sociable, he informed us we could just call him The King. Addy took serious affront to that. Where we were from, at least for women of her generation, there was only one King. And he wasn't it.
His disposition didn't improve much when we just responded with polite smiles. Bless Anna Mae's heart, she tried a couple times to make civil conversation, but even she gave up after the man only replied by grunting with his mouth full or saying something asinine.
April seemed sweet, though, so we all did our best to be polite when she'd ask questions about us or share a tidbit about herself. Turns out, they were from South Carolina and he had some sort of slick job in finance.
A waitress came by to collect our plates, and when she reached around to take one of Gerard's, he snapped at her. "Did I ask you to take that?"
"No, sir," the server replied, her cheeks flaming as she pulled her hand back. "But it was empty and I was just trying to keep your table clear for you. I'm sorry." I could tell from the fire snapping from her eyes that the apology cost her. I knew exactly what she was feeling, because I'd felt it myself.
I narrowed my eyes at him. Being a waitress—and a decent human being—myself, his attitude got my goat. Coralee and Bobbie Sue both opened their mouths to speak up, but I beat them to it.
"I'm not sure who you think you are, but stop being an ass," I sa
id spooling up for a fight. Nothing ruffled my feathers faster than somebody who was rude to service staff, because the server's only choices were to take it or get fired. "She was just doing her job."
"Her job is to make sure I'm happy," he growled. Though he still had half a plate of food, he stood up so he towered over me. Too bad for him, I'd grown immune to that particular intimidation tactic after dealing with Hank for so long. Besides, I was a Flynn. I wasn't genetically hardwired to back down. I started to tell him a little more about himself, but was shocked when peace-loving Anna Mae spoke up.
"Her job doesn't involve taking flak from entitled bullies," my friend said, her face screwed into an expression I'm pretty sure would have backed a grizzly down. "I'd lay every dollar I have—and trust me, that's a lot of dollars—that she does more honest work in a week than you do in a year. Now sit down and let the girl take your plate! Or better yet, don't sit, just go!"
It wasn't until then that I remembered April. She was still sitting at the table, her face crimson with embarrassment. She was fingering her pearls again, and her eyes were downcast. I had to wonder why such a pretty woman would want to stay in a relationship with a man like that, then remembered Anna Mae's marriage. Hank had done what he could to keep her isolated, and she'd had nowhere to go and nobody to turn to.
The King was about to have an apoplectic fit. "C'mon, April. We're leaving," he said, curling his lip and tossing his napkin on the table. She stood and gave us an apologetic glance, then mouthed I'm sorry and followed him as he stormed out of the dining room.
CHAPTER FIVE
AFTER EATING THE REST of our breakfast in peace, we decided to go for it on the massages. I was still a little weirded out by the idea, but the appeal overrode the anxiety. They were busy, so while Bobbie Sue and Coralee were getting their Swedish massages, Anna Mae, Raeann, and I got facials. I was relaxed and my mind was wandering when the noise from that morning popped into my head.
"Have either of you heard any weird noises in the suite?" I asked, moving my lips as little as possible to keep from cracking or smearing the charcoal gloop on my face.
"What do you mean noises?" Raeann mumbled.
Thankfully, our lives idled at what others would consider crazy, so I didn't worry that she'd think I was nuts. "I thought I heard somebody breathing behind me this morning, but when I turned around, nobody was there."
"Huh," she said. "Nope. You sure it wasn't just the AC kickin' on or somethin'?"
"Maybe," I said after giving it some thought. "I hadn't really thought of that."
"It could have been a breeze, too," the woman rubbing the gloop into my face said. "The wind isn't something most first-timers think about. The ship's airtight to a certain degree, but with the glass sliders and what not, it's easy for a gust to slip through the cracks. Plus, the ship creaks a little, then there's the water sounds. You'll hear all kinds of weird noises, but our security is tight. I wouldn't give it another thought."
"I guess you're right," I said, though I was almost certain it hadn't been the wind. Still, I couldn't rule it out, so as long as it remained a one-off, I was okay with it.
"So how are you doin', Anna Mae?" Rae asked a few minutes later, after our faces were rinsed and the girls slathered some type of clear conditioning mask that smelled like coconuts onto us. "You sure seem to be takin' all of this in stride, but are you really?"
I'd wondered the same thing, but figured she was probably either still a little shell shocked or really was just grateful he was gone.
"You know, Raeann," Anna Mae answered without opening her eyes, "now that you mention it, I do feel a little like a fish outta water. I mean, I spent all my adult life with him. I went straight from my parents' to Hank's. I've never lived on my own before. But I figure I'll be much happier livin' with Hank's money than I ever was livin' with him. Plus, I have you girls. And I may open a business, too. Somethin' to keep me busy."
I'd been wondering about that, and she'd mentioned it in passing. "What kind of business would you open?" I asked, trying to keep from touching an itchy spot on my face.
"I don't know," she said. "I love antiques, and we don't have an antique shop in Keyhole. That's been rollin' around in my head a little. I'd probably enjoy a used clothes boutique, too. I just love the giant Goodwill in Atlanta, but the one we have doesn't offer much."
Either one would suit her. For that matter, she was smart and bubbly; I had no doubt anything she did would be a success, and I said as much.
"Thanks, Noelle. That means a lot coming from you."
Just as the girls were rinsing our faces, Bobbie Sue and Coralee came out of the massage area. They both looked like happy, relaxed, wet noodles.
"What did you think?" I asked Bobbie.
She gave me a goofy grin. "I have no idea why I waited this long. From now on, I'm gonna go to Atlanta with Coralee when she goes up to get one, assumin' I can get away. That's gold."
I figured if she was okay with it, then I had nothing to worry about. Still, when I stepped into the room and they handed me a towel and asked me to take my clothes off, a shiver of anxiety skittered down my spine. It reminded me of an appointment with my girlie doctor, except this place had better decor and smelled like exotic oils. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to climb onto the table and put my face in the hole, or what, so I just sat on the edge and awaited further instructions.
My fears were ridiculous though. Ten seconds after she applied the oil and started the massage, I was in hog heaven.
When the half hour was up, all I wanted to do was go take a nap, so I was glad we'd slotted in pool time for the afternoon. That was likely all I'd be able to manage.
CHAPTER SIX
ON OUR WAY TO THE POOL, we stopped and grabbed drinks. I decided to try the drink of the day, which still tasted mostly like the rumrunners I'd had the day before. I was okay with that, though I did make a note to myself to rein it in a little. Given I had a full day left ahead of me and it was ninety degrees, I figured it was best to pace myself if I didn't want to end up in bed before supper.
The ship had several pools, but we visited three of them before we found one that wasn't full of screaming kids. Not that I had anything against kids, but we were there to relax, and hanging out in an area full of squealing, splashing, crying, and flying pool toys didn't fit that criteria.
We found a great spot next to a nice little umbrella-covered table and spread out towels over the lounge chairs. We jumped into the pool to cool down, then settled in for a nice, peaceful afternoon.
After an hour or so, I realized we were missing somebody.
"Have you guys seen Cheri Lynn since this morning?" Addy'd popped in and out while we were eating and getting our massages, and was currently at the railing watching for dolphins. She'd never seen any before then, and they fascinated her. Cheri Lynn, however, had been gone since that morning. A little sliver of worry slid through me, though I had no idea why. It wasn’t like she could be abducted or hurt.
"Hmm," Coralee said without raising her head from the chair. "Now that you mention it, I haven't. She's probably off people-watching somewhere. You know how she loves to do that."
It was true; Cheri found joy in little things, and studying folks was one of her favorite pastimes. "You're probably right. I just sorta miss her."
"She does grow on you, doesn't she?" Bobbie Sue said. "Makes me wish I'd paid her more mind when she was livin'."
"I knew her," Coralee said, "and she was a different person then than she is now. Or maybe she just doesn't have to put on such a show now. She could be a real snot when she wanted to be."
"Yeah," I said, "but she did the right thing in the end. I have to wonder how much of what she put out there was just a defense mechanism."
Addy had floated back over and took a seat on the end of my lounge chair. "It's hard to tell. I knew her Grandma Tryphena, and she was a bit of an odd duck. Course, she had the sight, so she didn't like to be around folks much. Said their futures screame
d at her whether she wanted them to or not, and it was easier to just avoid the hassle altogether."
Cheri Lynn and I hadn't gone to school together because she was a few years younger than me, but I couldn't remember ever seeing her out with friends. Her granny used to bring her to functions we had at the farm, but she'd always kinda stayed on the fringe. I'd thought she was weird, and the adult me was a little ticked at my child self for not trying to be nice to her. I shook it off.
"Well," I said, "she's one of us now, even if it did take longer than it should have. And none of that explains where she's at now." I thought back to the bikini she'd been wearing that morning. "She was excited to hit the pool."
"She'll be along," Raeann said, flipping over onto her belly. "Give the poor girl a break. She's on vacation just like we are. She can't get massages or eat, so if she found somethin' she likes doin', then I'm glad."
We fell silent, and the warmth of the sunshine and lap of the water lulled me into that soft place between sleep and wakefulness. I don't know how much time passed, but a shadow fell across my face, and I got that prickly feeling you get when somebody's in your bubble, or getting close to it. I cracked an eye open to see April staring down at us from a few feet away, chewing on her lip.
"Hi, April," I said, figuring if I acknowledged her, she'd be more apt to get out of my sun.
