Santa Cruise

by Fern Michaels

  “Everything all right?” Nina looked concerned as she wrapped a bathrobe around her T-shirt and boy shorts.

  “Dandy,” Amy squawked.

  Frankie held the door open as the women shuffled in. “Tell them,” she directed Amy.

  Rachael and Nina deposited themselves on the sofa. Amy sat on the bed in a big huff. “The good news is that I don’t have anything wrong with my brain as far as hallucinating, nor do I suffer from parental guilt.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?” Nina looked at her with wonder. Frankie bit the inside corner of her lower lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

  “Remember when I thought I saw my dad, and Rachael thought it was guilt?” They nodded in agreement. “And the other day, when I was feeling a little dizzy because I thought I saw him again?”

  “Yes. Get on with it puh-leeze,” Rachael demanded.

  “It wasn’t a mirage. He’s on the ship.”

  “He’s wh-what?” Rachael stammered.

  “Are you kidding?” Nina realized it was a rhetorical question.

  “I. Kid. You. Not.” Amy practically spelled the words out.

  “Oh wait,” Frankie gleefully interjected. “It gets better.”

  “How?” Nina asked curiously. As if William Blanchard’s presence on board wasn’t enough of a shock.

  “Marilyn’s mystery man?” Amy spread her hands inviting the answer.

  “No. You can’t be serious,” Nina blurted out.

  “Yes. And yes I can,” Amy replied calmly.

  “That is simply unbelievable,” Rachael remarked, astounded. “How did you find out? Where were you?”

  Amy, with the help of Frankie, recounted their steps, how Amy stumbled, and voilà.

  “Were they kissing? Hugging?” Rachael was trying to pull the words out of Amy’s mouth.

  “Nope. They were leaning on the railing. Chatting. He pointed up at something, then I planted my face on the deck.”

  “They call that ‘face-planting,’ ” Rachael said.

  “Yes. Evidently people do it so often they now have a new word for ‘klutz,’ ” Frankie chimed in.

  “And then what happened?” Rachael was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for more details.

  “Marilyn left, and I made Dad go after her. I told him we could discuss this little vacation snafu later.”

  “How long ago did this happen?” Nina asked.

  “Half hour maybe. As long as it took for us to get back here,” Frankie said.

  “I wonder if he was able to catch up with her,” Rachael mused.

  “I should probably call him.” Amy lifted the house phone off the cradle. “Mr. William Blanchard, please.”

  Two rings, and he answered. “Hello?”

  “Dad. It’s Amy.”

  “I wasn’t expecting anyone else to call me Dad.” He was trying to keep the conversation light, all the while knowing he was going to get a tongue-lashing from his daughter for not telling her his plans.

  “Very funny,” Amy quipped. “I caught a glimpse of you twice, and thought I was having some kind of hallucination. You should have told me your plans.”

  “You didn’t tell me yours either, doll.”

  “Fair enough. So how can we continue our trip without it becoming awkward? Speaking of which, were you able to catch up with Marilyn?”

  “Yes, I was.” William wasn’t about to kiss and tell, but he certainly wanted to thank whoever stuck that mistletoe in the elevator. It didn’t look like it was official. “She was very gracious about the whole thing.”

  “Are you going to see her again?” Amy crossed her fingers.

  “As a matter of fact, I am. We’re going to play miniature golf tomorrow after lunch. And then some bocce and croquet. We’re doing the circuit as it’s listed on the manifest.”

  Amy heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m very happy to hear that.” She gave the thumbs-up to everyone trying to listen in.

  “I sure hope Marilyn isn’t mad at us.”

  “Well, she was a bit peeved that you were spying on her.”

  “Mea culpa,” Amy said. “I hope she can forgive us.”

  “I’m sure she’ll get over it.” William smiled. His instincts told him she would. “It’s almost one thirty in the morning, my dear. Time for me to get these old bones to bed.”

  “Old bones? That’s a bunch of malarkey. I saw you trying to move in on her,” Amy teased.

  “You what?” All William could think of was that kiss on the elevator. How could she have seen it?

  “I’m kidding. I saw you pointing up at something in the sky. I figured that was how you were going to eventually wrap your arm around her.”

  “That old move?” William chuckled. “Not me. Now say good night.”

  “ ’Night, Dad. See you around.” Amy hung up.

  Rachael sat with her mouth agape. Nina looked at her. “I don’t think you’ve ever been this quiet, as in ever.”

  “I . . . I am dumbfounded.”

  “Imagine how I feel.” Amy leaned against the dresser.

  “Well, it seems like things are OK between Marilyn and your dad. Now we have to mend fences.” She picked up the phone and asked for the concierge. “Good evening. Could I please have a box of Jacques Torres chocolates sent to Mrs. Marilyn Mitchell’s stateroom in the morning? Do you happen to have an All Things Wicked collection?” She paused. “Excellent. Can you include a note that says, ‘Nothing wicked intended except these chocolates. Please forgive us.’ Signed Amy, Frankie, Nina, Rachael.” She listened for a moment. “Yes, thank you very much.” Frankie turned to the others. “It’s the best we can do.”

  “Imagine if she starts dating my dad for real? This will be one heck of a story.” Amy flattened herself on Frankie’s bed.

  Frankie noticed an envelope on the floor near the door. She reached to pick it up. “I completely forgot about this. Go get yours.” It was the results of the speed-dating event.

  They ran to their staterooms and returned with their envelopes.

  Nina was the only one with whom anyone was interested in pursuing a date. For the other women, men were more interested in friendship or business, and there were few enough of them.

  Nina’s hands trembled as she ran her finger down the card. Then she broke out in a big smile. “Richard would like to see me again. As a date.” Nina read it again to be sure she hadn’t made a mistake. She handed the card to Frankie. “It does say that, doesn’t it?”

  “It does indeed.” Frankie handed it back to her. “With his contact information.”

  “So now what happens?” Rachael asked. “I am assuming you put Richard down in the same column?”

  “Duh. Correct,” Nina chirped back.

  “Either one can call, text, or e-mail the other one,” Frankie said.

  “What are you going to do, Nina? Wait for him to call you?” Rachael was too impatient for that sort of thing.

  “I’ll sleep on it. If I can sleep. Do you realize how long it’s been since I’ve been on a date with someone?” Nina said thoughtfully.

  “Well, I have got to get some sleep.” Amy stretched. “This was a lot to process.”

  The women said their good-nights and went to their staterooms, agreeing to meet for breakfast in the Coastal Café. Frankie made a reservation for nine o’clock. She knew that everyone was going to get a slow start in the morning. Luckily for Rachael, Henry had moved the dance class to eleven.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Day 3

  Cruising to Cozumel

  As anticipated, the women made a slow start. Frankie was happy she had ordered coffee to be delivered to her stateroom at seven. She knew her unusually slow pace would stretch the time she needed to get ready. Normally, she was in and out of the shower, hair blown dry, makeup applied, and dressed in an hour. But that morning, it was going to take at least ninety minutes. A half hour of caffeine in her system should help.

  They convened at the café and were seated next
to a wall of windows. “This is divine.” Amy sighed. “I’m so glad we planned this trip. Actually you, Frankie, made the plans. Bravo to you.”

  “Too bad I didn’t plan on your father showing up.” Frankie smiled over her third cup of the morning.

  “It’s fine. I’m over it. The ship is big enough where I doubt we’ll keep bumping into each other. Besides, I’m making him give me his itinerary just to be sure.” Amy buttered her warm muffin.

  “See. You are a genius.” Rachael bit into a slice of mango.

  “Uh-oh.” Frankie ducked her head.

  “What?” Nina turned around to see what Frankie had spotted.

  “Uh-oh. It’s Marilyn.”

  Amy froze. “Is she with my father?”

  “No. She’s sitting alone.”

  “Should we go talk to her?” Rachael asked.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Amy said.

  “I hope she got the chocolates.” Frankie sat up a little straighter. A few minutes later, the waiter came over with a slip of paper. It read:

  Thank you for the chocolates. And the surprise. All is forgiven.

  —Marilyn.

  After Frankie read the note out loud, they looked in Marilyn’s direction and waved. No one dared to get up. One step at a time. They didn’t want her to feel as if she were being invaded.

  Amy was the first to speak. “I’m going to go over to her. We don’t want to have any tension.”

  “She wrote a note,” Rachael replied.

  “Yes, but it’s always that first difficult conversation that takes you to the other side of the issue that’s important,” Frankie observed.

  “Another self-help book?” Rachael asked sarcastically.

  “No. My mother.” Frankie chuckled.

  Amy got up from the table and walked toward Marilyn. She wasn’t sure if Marilyn was going to throw a bagel at her or give her the opportunity to speak.

  “Hi,” Amy said sheepishly. “I wanted to apologize again.”

  “No need. Your father and I sorted it out.” Marilyn gestured for Amy to sit.

  “Thank you.” Amy took a seat and continued. “It was silly of me. Us. But it was kind of a knee-jerk reaction for me.” Amy fidgeted in the chair. “I’m really, really sorry.”

  “Well, you are all forgiven. As long as I don’t find you lurking around deck chairs or hiding behind a poinsettia display.” She smiled at Amy.

  “Thank you, Marilyn. I promise that you won’t see any of us stalking you.” Amy laughed nervously. “I better get back to my breakfast before it gets cold. I hope we can see each other under less covert circumstances. Have a really good day.” Amy stood and returned to her table.

  She was smiling when she sat down. “All good.” She looked down at her plate. “Where’s my bacon?”

  Rachael pretended not to hear her.

  Frankie spoke up. “We never heard about your mistletoe mission. How did it go?”

  Nina took the lead. “We hung all of them. Rachael insisted we go back to her stateroom to get the rest. I think we hung about a dozen all told.”

  Rachael leaned back with a smug look on her face. “Come on, Nina, admit it. It was fun.”

  “Sure, if you don’t mind dodging passengers and crew members.” Nina was only half joking.

  “So where are they?” Frankie cut another piece of her French toast.

  “Several elevators, the doorway from the second deck lounge to the outer deck, and the main stairwell.”

  “The main stairwell? How did you manage that?” Amy asked curiously.

  “I tied a string to one of the bunches and hung it over the railing. It’s dangling down about halfway against the wall.”

  “But it counts if you’re going up or down the stairs.” Rachael grabbed a piece of bacon from Nina’s plate.

  “Hey, get your own.” Nina slapped her hand.

  “But this way the calories don’t count,” Rachael said, mounting a ridiculous defense.

  Frankie looked at her watch. “Wow, it’s almost ten thirty. Rachael, you have a dance class at eleven, right?”

  “Right-o. Better shake a leg.” She motioned for the waitress and signed the check assigned to her stateroom. “Not sure what I’m doing for lunch. I mean, we just ate. But I have a tennis match at two.”

  “OK. We’ll see you at dinner?” Frankie asked. “Tonight, we’re going to be in the main dining room. Apparently Santa is going to pay us a visit.”

  “Santa?” Amy asked curiously before taking a last swig of her coffee.

  “Isn’t he a little late?” Nina asked.

  “He’s been busy.” Frankie snickered. “I think I’m going to walk around the ship for a while. Maybe sit near the pool. My painting workshop goes from two until four.”

  “Yoga for me is at one,” Nina said. “Then a spa treatment from two to four. What time does your class get out, Amy?”

  “Five.”

  “Should we meet up for drinks around five thirty? Dinner is at six thirty.”

  “When does Santa arrive?” Amy asked, childlike.

  “Sometime around nine, I think,” Frankie answered.

  “OK. Let’s plan on meeting at the Leeward Lounge at five thirty,” Frankie suggested.

  “Sounds good. Unless I have other plans.” Nina tweaked her eyebrows.

  “Yeah, what are you going to do about that?” Rachael got her last few words in before exiting.

  “Nothing yet. I’m still trying to decide.”

  “The longer you wait, the less likely he’ll still be available,” Rachael warned.

  “I’ll take my chances. I think I’ll let him chase me until I catch him.” Nina dabbed the syrup from her chin.

  “I like that plan,” Frankie interjected. “You don’t want to seem overanxious.”

  “Oh, I’m anxious all right,” Nina said, laughing.

  The women signed their checks and headed in different directions, waving at Marilyn as they exited the café.

  Marilyn waved back.

  As Nina was walking toward the elevators to get to the sundeck, she heard a loud announcement over the PA system. “May I have your attention please. Would Nina Hunter and Rachael Newmark please report to the main lobby.” Nina froze. There was no escaping the ship, so she decided it was better if she turned herself in.

  Rachael was about to enter her class when she, too, stopped in her tracks. “Oh poo.” She knew she was in trouble. “Maestro, as you can hear, I am being summoned to the main lobby.”

  “Is everything all right?” He sounded genuinely concerned.

  “I hope so. My apologies. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Rachael scooted out the door and made her way to the lobby.

  The captain and the first mate were standing near the grand staircase. The captain was holding a green clump of leaves in his hand. Rachael saw Nina and hurried to her side. “We’re so screwed.”

  “Maybe not. Let me handle this, OK?” It was more of a statement than a question. Nina approached the captain.

  “Good morning, Captain. I’m Nina Hunter. This is Rachael Newmark.”

  “Yes, ladies, I am aware of your identities, as are all the security cameras onboard.” The captain’s tone was even-tempered. “We couldn’t help but notice that you have been decorating the ship.”

  Rachael couldn’t contain herself. “It was all in good fun.”

  Nina touched Rachael’s arm as if to say, “Shut up.” Then she spoke to the captain. “Sir, how much trouble are we in?”

  “As of now, you are on notice. Any more shenanigans, and you’ll be walking the plank.” There was a twinkle in his eye.

  Rachael didn’t know how to respond. Her face turned white as a sheet.

  “Aye aye, Captain.” Nina saluted him. “No more shenanigans.”

  “Seriously, ladies. We appreciate you getting into the spirit of the season, but we cannot allow our guests to be climbing all over to plant, well, plants.”

  “Un
derstood. Apologies.” Nina wasn’t saying much more, and hoped Rachael would do the same.

  “But . . . because you took such initiative, I am inviting the two of you and your friends to sit at my table tonight.”

  “That would be delightful,” Nina said appreciatively.

  “Oh yes. It would be an honor.” Rachael chose the right words.

  “Six thirty. Don’t be late.”

  “Thank you, sir. Thank you for being so understanding.” Nina extended her hand to shake his.

  “This way I’ll be able to keep an eye on all of you.” He gave them a short salute.

  Rachael and Nina made a beeline to the hallway. Rachael took one last look at the grand staircase. The mistletoe was still swaying from the railing above.

  Once they were far enough down the corridor, Rachael gasped. “Boy, did we dodge a bullet.” She was almost hyperventilating. “And did you see? There was still the one hanging over the railing.”

  When the elevator arrived, Nina looked up. “And there’s another one.” She paused. “I wonder if they took the rest of them down?”

  “And tonight, I’m not going to ask.” Rachael waved as she got off on her floor and rushed back to her class.

  Nina knew that everyone on the ship had heard that announcement, including Richard. At least that would be an icebreaker for conversation.

  Amy had been heading back to her stateroom when she heard the announcement summoning her friends to the grand foyer. She assumed it could only be because of the mistletoe. When she entered her stateroom, she saw the blinking light on the house phone indicating there was a message. She hit the speed-dial button. It was her father. “Amy? Everything all right? I heard two of your friends being called to see the captain. Please call me back.”

  Amy instantly called to be connected to his room. She hoped he was still there.

  “Hello?”

  “Dad, it’s me. Everything is all right. Nina and Rachael were on their own mission last night.”

  “What kind of mission?” he asked.

  “They were hanging mistletoe in elevators and doorways. I’m assuming that is what it was all about.”

  William Blanchard snickered and thought, So that’s whom I have to thank.