Pleasure Cruise

by Yolanda Wallace

  “Did you get my note?” she asked, trying to keep things light.

  Spencer nodded. “I wasn’t expecting courier service. You really know how to make a girl feel special.”

  Spencer was smiling, but her body language said she was far from relaxed. Amy suspected she was partly to blame for Spencer’s tension, but she didn’t know how to relieve it since she wasn’t allowed to implement her preferred solution—taking Spencer in her arms and kissing her breathless.

  “Are you looking forward to the trip?”

  “Not really,” Spencer said. “I’m still trying to enjoy this one.”

  “With my job, I always have to plan ahead.”

  “If you’re always looking toward the future, do you ever take time to enjoy the present?”

  “Not often,” Amy was forced to admit. “I’m either looking ahead to the next trip, or looking back to review the most recent one.”

  Client satisfaction was one of the company’s top priorities. Amy and her fellow employees were always looking for ways to improve the customer experience, whether by selecting more luxuriously appointed ships, more exotic destinations, more quality entertainment, or more engaging activities. Customer feedback was helpful in determining what worked and what didn’t, but travel trends were notoriously hard to predict. Certain cities remained popular year after year, but which previously anonymous locale would become the next go-to destination? It was her job to find it before everyone else did, and to make sure SOS Tours’ clients enjoyed themselves when they arrived.

  “I feel like I’m constantly on the go,” she said. “And for good reason.”

  “Do yourself a favor.” Spencer leaned forward and placed her lips close to Amy’s ear. Close enough that Amy could feel Spencer’s breath on her skin. “Stop working long enough to enjoy some of the things you’ve worked so hard to earn. You go on vacation for a living, but when was the last time you took one yourself?”

  It had been several years since Amy had visited a city for fun instead of work. Hell, it had been years since she had done anything that wasn’t work-related. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t had fun. Or did it? Was she mistaking complacency for happiness or was she, in the immortal words of Oprah Winfrey, living her best life?

  “I have a job to do,” she said, resorting to her usual mantra.

  “Let someone else do it for a while.”

  “And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

  “Everything. Nothing. Whatever the hell you want.”

  Spencer made playing hooky sound incredibly tempting, but Amy felt guilty at the thought of shifting the burden of her job onto someone else’s shoulders. Breanna had a zip-lining excursion planned with her Indies tomorrow, and Leanna would be taking her Wahines on a snorkeling trip near Governor’s Beach. Someone had to keep an eye on things on the ship. Maybe she could do both. If something happened to one of the passengers on the Majestic Dream while the rest were onshore, she was just a radio call away. As long as she didn’t venture too far, she could be where she was needed in a matter of minutes.

  “It would be cool to rent a bike or a golf cart and take a tour of the island,” she said.

  “I’ve heard the views from the lighthouse are out of this world,” Spencer said enthusiastically. I’ve already got one ticket. I don’t mind paying for another if you care to join me.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Amy barely managed to convince herself not to say date. In time, perhaps she would be able to convince herself that it wasn’t one.

  Day Three

  Spencer got out of bed and threw open the curtains, treating herself to the welcome sight of land. The Majestic Dream was scheduled to arrive on Grand Turk Island, the capital of Turks and Caicos, at eight. That was a little more than an hour away, but she could see the port looming in the distance. The logical side of her said the ship’s navigation systems were top-notch, but being surrounded by water all day made the skeptic in her wonder if the captain truly knew where they were headed. She had the same fear each time she traveled on a flight with poor visibility. If she looked out the window and saw nothing but clouds, how could she be certain the flight crew had a better view than she did? Visibility wouldn’t be an issue today, though. Both the sky overhead and the water beneath the ship were crystal clear, gleaming a bright turquoise that could only be found in nature.

  Dozens of cruise ships lined the harbor as the Majestic Dream made its way into port. Spencer took a quick shower, then pulled on a loose-fitting T-shirt and a pair of comfortable shorts. After she brushed her teeth and laced up her tennis shoes, she stuffed some essentials into her backpack and headed to the buffet to meet Amy for breakfast before they headed onshore.

  She normally settled for little more than a cup of coffee and a muffin for breakfast, but she piled scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast, and fresh strawberries on her plate today. Amy’s plate was almost as loaded when she joined Spencer at their table, both seeming to realize they would need plenty of fuel to prepare themselves for a full day of exploring the island.

  “What time did you get to bed last night?” Amy asked after she washed down a bite of sourdough toast with a sip of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

  “I think I finally fell asleep around three.”

  “Me, too. The party might have officially ended at two, but I think the after-party’s still going on.”

  “Is that why it’s so empty in here?”

  Amy looked around the sparsely populated room. “I think a lot of people will be getting off to late starts today.”

  “That’s one way of putting it.” Spencer hadn’t had much to drink the night before. She hadn’t needed alcohol to cloud her senses. Not when she had Amy around. When she had asked Amy to put work aside for a while and spend the day sightseeing with her, she hadn’t expected Amy to accept either her challenge or her invitation. She had been pleasantly surprised to hear Amy consent to both. “It’s going to be a hot one today. Do you want to rent bikes or a golf cart?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I got more than enough exercise last night. A golf cart works for me.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that. I wasn’t looking forward to embarrassing myself when I crashed and burned trying to crest one of the hills we’re bound to come across. Now all I’ll have to do is figure out which side of the road I’m supposed to drive on.”

  “The left. And unless you want a speeding ticket, make sure you don’t go faster than forty miles per hour.”

  “Now you’re taking all the fun out of it.”

  “I hope not. I’ve been looking forward to this for hours. I don’t think I’ve thought about anything else since I left you last night.”

  “This morning, you mean?” Spencer felt remarkably refreshed for having had only four hours’ sleep. She attributed her good spirits to the good food warming her belly and the good company warming her heart. What else could it be? “I haven’t danced like that since college. When we weren’t cramming for exams, my friends and I used to head to the clubs downtown every chance we got so we could hear the local bands play.”

  “What kind of music do you like?” Amy asked as they headed to the purser’s office to retrieve their passports.

  “A little of everything, but I have a special affinity for R.E.M. and the B-52’s because they were both formed in Athens, the city where I went to college. What about you?”

  “My playlists are pretty schizophrenic, too. If you scroll through the music app on my phone, you’ll see everything from ABBA to ZZ Top.”

  Spencer could picture Amy rocking out to the Swedish quartet whose tight harmonies and even tighter spandex costumes had ruled the music charts for the better part of a decade. A trio of hairy blues rockers from Houston, Texas? Not so much. She couldn’t wait to discover what other surprises Amy had in store.

  After they left the ship and passed through passport control, they headed to one of the many rental stands lining the beach. They split the price of a golf c
art rental, listened to a quick tutorial from the stand’s owner, and joined the hordes of tourists treating themselves to self-directed or guided tours.

  After she slid behind the wheel and buckled herself in, Spencer was so distracted by the beautiful sights and sounds of the small island that she had a hard time keeping her eyes on the road.

  “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Amy asked after they drove past yet another picturesque beach.

  “I don’t know how anyone who lives here can get any work done. I’d be too busy staring out the window to focus on my computer screen.”

  “Granted, I haven’t known you very long, but I think it’s safe to say you don’t have a problem staying focused, no matter what your surroundings.”

  “Then you obviously didn’t see me almost run off the road while I was checking out those parasailers over there.”

  Amy stuck her head out the side of the golf cart to check out the parasailers floating overhead. Spencer wondered if Jordan was one of them. Luisa had volunteered to accompany Jordan while Finn and Tatum lounged in a cabana on the beach. Bathsheba and Raq had signed up for a zip-lining excursion, while Hannah and Maneet planned to do some shopping in the dozens of merchant stalls lining the port. All those activities sounded like worthy endeavors, but none of them had really appealed to Spencer. Some sounded a little too exciting, others a little too sedate. Today’s trip seemed to offer the best chance for her to enjoy herself without putting her life on the line in the process.

  When they reached the Grand Turk Lighthouse, Spencer handed her ticket to the attendant out front and paid to purchase a ticket for Amy. The three-dollar admission fee could be used toward the purchase of any item in the gift shop or snack bar. Since a bottle of water cost exactly three dollars, Spencer opted to pick up two of them so she and Amy could keep cool and stay hydrated while they wandered the grounds.

  “Hungry already?” Spencer asked after Amy set a handful of apples on the counter.

  “They’re not for me,” Amy said with a mysterious smile.

  “Then who are they for?”

  “You’ll see.”

  They lingered in front of the display panels detailing the history of the island, then headed over to the main reef that extended nearly three miles into the ocean. Spencer wished she could climb to the top of the lighthouse so she could take a look at the reef from a higher vantage point, but visitors weren’t allowed to enter the sixty-foot tall structure. The views she could see, however, were breathtaking.

  The lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper’s house were located on a small limestone hill overlooking North Creek. The lighthouse, made of whitewashed cast iron, had been built to warn sailors about the shallow reef that extended from the northern end of the island. Mangrove trees dotted the coast. A ropes course with several zip lines had been set up on the grounds, and dozens of people were lining up to take their turns.

  “Do you want to have a go?” Spencer asked. “It’s only a hundred bucks a person.”

  “Save your money.” Amy put her hand on Spencer’s arm to prevent her from reaching for her wallet. “I have something even better in mind. Follow me.”

  Spencer followed Amy to one of several trails leading from the lighthouse to the beach. They had gone only a few steps when Spencer realized why Amy had made her mysterious purchase in the snack bar.

  A pair of wild burros snacking on tufts of grass lifted their fuzzy gray heads when they heard Spencer and Amy approach. They appeared to be mother and child. Spencer stopped walking, afraid she might spook the animals. Instead of shying away, the burros began to walk toward them, the mother in front and her foal following closely behind. The mother nudged the bag in Amy’s hand with her nose.

  “Would you like some breakfast?” Amy reached into the bag and pulled out one of the apples. She balanced the apple on her palm and extended her hand. The burro greedily downed the treat while her foal brayed, begging for his own handout. “A little help?”

  Amy tossed the bag in Spencer’s direction. Spencer caught it and fed one of the apples to the baby burro. Spencer laughed when the mother nudged the bag again.

  “Do you still want to go zip-lining?” Amy asked as she fed the mother a second apple.

  Spencer ran a hand over the baby burro’s coarse fur after he plucked another apple from her hand. As she watched the animals make quick work of their treats, she couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be. Or anyone else she’d rather be with.

  “No, I’m good right here.”

  * * *

  As she and Spencer debated whether they should go horseback riding on the beach or pop into a local bar to down a couple of drinks and a basket of conch fritters, Amy resisted the urge to pull her walkie-talkie out of her bag and check in with the ship’s crew. Before she disembarked, she had turned the sound on the walkie-talkie down low so she could keep track of everyone’s transmissions while she was onshore. A few problems had arisen over the course of the day. One passenger had sprained an ankle after slipping on a loose cobblestone, another had cut her foot after stepping on a broken shell on Pillory Beach, and a few had returned to their cabins early after receiving a bit too much sun. But none of the incidents had been serious enough to warrant her personal attention.

  Amy was relieved nothing had gone wrong so far, though she was a bit disappointed not to be needed. The success or failure of this trip depended on how well she and her team performed. How would she know if she truly had what it took to handle a crisis if she wasn’t confronted with one? She was grateful that there had been only a few minor hiccups since they left Fort Lauderdale, but how much longer could their luck hold out? Hopefully, at least five more days.

  “Horseback riding sounds like fun,” she said, “but the ship is scheduled to leave at three. That’s less than two hours from now. Since we didn’t make reservations, the walk-up lines at all the horseback riding venues are bound to be a mile long. Chances are we wouldn’t have time to reach the front of the line before we’d have to report back to the ship.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “If you’d rather take a breather and enjoy some great views of the ocean, I know a place we can go. The exterior’s a little iffy and the service can be slow at times, but the locals swear by it. It’s supposed to have the best food and some of the best views on the island. It’s also one of the few bars and restaurants in this part of town that stays open after most of the cruise ships leave port.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’d rather spend time in a local hangout than a tourist trap any day.” Spencer tossed her the keys to the golf cart. “Since you know the way, why don’t you drive?”

  Amy knew several couples whose roles were so defined that only one partner was allowed to drive and the other was designated to navigate. Even though she and Spencer weren’t a couple, she couldn’t resist making a joke at their expense. “I’m glad to see this isn’t the kind of relationship where only one person is allowed to take the wheel.”

  “I’m nothing if not flexible.”

  “Good to know.”

  As she navigated the golf cart through the clogged city streets, Amy forced herself to stop thinking about work and return to the task at hand. Spencer had asked her to come onshore today so she could enjoy herself for a few hours. The memories she had made so far were bound to last much longer than that. Had that been part of Spencer’s plan? If so, the plan was working like a dream.

  Amy couldn’t help but smile as she thought back to the time she and Spencer had spent feeding apples to the wild burros that roamed freely on the grounds of the lighthouse. The look on Spencer’s face—part shock, part awe, and completely endearing—was one Amy wouldn’t soon forget.

  “How did you find out about the burros?” Spencer asked as Amy turned onto Front Street.

  “Breanna and I read about them on the internet before we visited the island to scout it as a potential destination. One post said the burros are so used to receiving handouts, they’ll even eat the
snacks in your cart if you leave the cart unattended.”

  “Is today the first time you ran across them?”

  “No, but it was by far the most memorable.”

  Not just memorable. Unforgettable. Because she had been able to share the moment with Spencer.

  Amy had been afraid this would happen. She had tried to establish distance between herself and Spencer so she could control her growing feelings. Today, she felt even more connected to Spencer instead of less. Should she keep fighting the bond that was forming between them, or should she just give in? She knew what the answer should be, but for one of the few times in her life, what she should do was in direct opposition to what she wanted to do. Her job was important to her, but was it more important than allowing herself a chance to fall in love?

  “Those burros were cute, weren’t they?” Spencer asked after Amy parked in front of a building whose nondescript façade belied both the incredible food and spectacular views that could be enjoyed from the open-air patio on the other side of the exterior doors. “Especially the foal. His pointy ears reminded me of Donkey from the Shrek movies. Every time he looked at me, I kept expecting to hear Eddie Murphy’s voice come out of his mouth. I can’t believe they’re so tame.”

  “They’re not,” Amy said after they took their seats at one of the picnic tables out back and ordered drinks, a diet soda for her and a local beer for Spencer. “They’re just used to people.”

  “Is there a difference?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then I’m all ears. Please explain.”

  Spencer put her elbow on the table and propped her chin on the heel of her hand. Amy didn’t know which sight was more breathtaking—the ocean a few yards away or the woman sitting across the table from her. Spencer’s eyes glinted with curiosity as she waited to hear what Amy would say next. Despite her assertions to the contrary, Spencer was a wonderful conversationalist. True, she didn’t always say much, but she was able to pack a great deal of meaning into just a few words. And she was an incredibly attentive listener. She had a way of looking at you like there was no one else in the world. No one else who mattered, anyway. Not at that moment. That was exactly the way she was looking at Amy now. And Amy didn’t want the moment to end.