by Amber Crewes
Beth smiled. “They watched my husband, didn’t they? You’re gorgeous, funny, and good at what you do. People would love to watch you on television.”
Reuben nodded. “Who are you training now? Anyone special? Anyone we could snag a great soundbite from?”
Celia shrugged. “There aren’t many celebrities on this voyage,” she pouted.
Reuben shook his hand dismissively. “That’s fine. What about success stories? Any clients onboard who have blown you away? Everyone loves a good before and after story.”
Celia bit her lip. “I’m training a young newlywed right now,” she informed them. “Meghan Truman?”
“Never heard of her,” Beth sniffed.
“What’s she like?” Reuben asked.
Celia smiled. “She’s a sweet woman; she’s a successful baker in the Pacific Northwest. She adores her husband, too; I met him this morning, and he’s one handsome man, that’s for sure.”
Reuben’s face brightened. “How successful is she?”
“She’s modest,” Celia declared. “But I did some digging, and she’s had some national exposure before. She was featured in Martin Stuart Magazine last year for a pumpkin pie recipe she created, and she’s been on a few of the late-night regional television shows.”
His eyes sparkled. “This could be a great opportunity for you,” he murmured. “A sweet young newlywed, a handsome husband, and she already has some exposure? Celia, you should keep your eye on this girl. You could make a killing off of a show with her in it.”
Meghan’s stomach dropped. She didn’t want to be featured on a television show with Celia Hendon; what she wanted was to leave, but she didn’t know how to sneak away without drawing attention to herself.
“I don’t know,” she heard Celia continue. “Meghan’s first workout was... rough. I don’t think she would make for good television, to be honest...”
Beth and Reuben laughed. “The first Celia Hendon workout is never easy, but think about how dramatic her before and after photos could be?” Reuben coaxed her. “It’s just an idea. If you hate it, don’t listen to silly old me.”
Celia winked. “You know I’ll always have ears for you, Reub.”
The trio started chatting about their dinner plans, and as they talked, Meghan plotted her escape. If she could quickly walk to the side door, they wouldn’t see her. She took off her sweatshirt and tied it around her waist, hoping a minor outfit change would help her remain anonymous.
Just as Meghan darted out from behind the plant, Celia spotted her. “Speak of the devil. Guys, that’s Meghan. Meghan, over here!”
Meghan did not stop; with her eyes on her feet, she dashed out of Dressing with Celia calling out behind her. She didn’t stop until she had left the deck, ducking into a stairwell and running down two flights of stairs.
As she exited the stairwell, she ran straight into Mrs. Sheridan and Frank.
“Watch where you’re going,” Mrs. Sheridan screeched as Meghan crashed into her.
“Meghan? Where are you running off to?” Frank asked in confusion. “Are you alright?”
Meghan quickly gathered herself and attended to Mrs. Sheridan, who was sitting on the ground holding her knee. “Mrs. Sheridan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you. Are you hurt?”
Mrs. Sheridan glared at her. “We were on our way to the ship infirmary,” Mrs. Sheridan spat angrily.
“The infirmary?”
“Frank is sick.”
Meghan noticed Frank’s face was pale, and he had drips of sweat across his forehead and nose. He was panting as he stood clutching the railing in the hallway. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m fine,” he insisted, but Meghan could see otherwise.
“He’s been down and out for the last day,” Mrs. Sheridan informed her. “Look at him, he looks awful. We’re on our way to get him checked out. Honestly, Meghan, you should come too. You don’t look too hot…”
Meghan shrugged. “I just worked out, so I’m sure I’m a bit flushed,” she dismissed.
“No,” Mrs. Sheridan corrected her. “It’s something else. Look in the mirror.”
Meghan turned around and screamed as she glanced at her reflection in the oval-shaped mirror in the ship’s hallway.
“What? What the….”
“You look like death,” Frank told her jokingly. “Sorry, that was rude…”
“He’s right,” Mrs. Sheridan decided. “You look like death. What’s wrong with you, Meghan? Does Jack know?”
“I don’t know,” Meghan stammered as she touched her cheeks. Her entire neck was covered in raised red bumps. She looked down at her arms to see the large welts springing up. “This has never happened to me before.”
Mrs. Sheridan rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll walk the pair of you down to the infirmary,” she sighed. “Before you drop dead or something.”
14
Meghan backed away from Frank and Mrs. Sheridan. “Meghan?” Frank called out. “I’m a retired doctor... do you want me to take a look?”
She took off sprinting, ignoring Frank as he called after her. What was going on? She had never broken out before, not even with acne. What was this rash on her body?
Embarrassed, she covered her neck with her hands, trying to hide the ailment, but people were staring as she rushed by. “Looks like someone has a bad allergy,” she heard an older man comment to his companion as she moved past them.
“That’s what I look like any time I accidentally eat tuna,” his wife remarked. “Poor thing.”
Her face was burning with shame as she pumped her arms and headed back to her suite. She was dismayed to find her rooms locked. She banged on the door, pounding hard on the thick wood as she begged for Jack to open it.
“Babe?” Jack asked as he opened the double doors. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? What’s on your neck, honey?”
Meghan ran inside and stripped off her work out clothes. “Honey?” Jack asked as he followed her into the bathroom. “What are you doing? Is that a rash? That doesn’t look good.”
“You don’t think I realize that?” she cried as she reached into the glass-walled shower and turned the handle, releasing a fierce steam of burning hot water. “I was fine, and then, I had this turn up.”
She stepped into the shower and began to scrub furiously at the spots.
“Do you have any allergies, honey?” Jack asked with concern. “Should we take you to the infirmary?”
“I don’t want to go to the infirmary,” she declared as she poured a huge handful of soap between her palms. “I can’t have anyone seeing me like this. I look like a monster.”
Jack nodded. “Babe, I’ll just wait in the bedroom. Take your time and let me know if I can bring anything in for you…”
Meghan scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail; it was only when she switched the temperature of the water from scalding hot to freezing cold that she felt relief. After fifteen minutes, the spots began to fade, and finally, her skin was clear.
Shivering, she stepped out of the shower and threw on a fluffy white robe Jack had draped across the gold metal dressing chair. She wrapped her hair up in a matching towel and put on the little pair of pink slippers she had brought from home.
Meghan looked in the mirror and sighed. “Back to normal,” she commented as she ran her hands over her neck.
She walked into the bedroom to find Jack waiting for her. “Feeling better?” he asked as she sat next to him on the bed.
“Much,” she told him. “I don’t know what happened.”
Jack frowned. “It looked like an allergic reaction to me,” he told her. “Did you eat anything out of the ordinary today?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think so…”
“Lunch?”
“I had a salad with Celia Hendon,” she explained. “Celia ate it with no problem, and I thought mine tasted good…”
Jack shrugged. “Maybe it was a one-time thing… anxiety or something. Are you feeling worried, my
love?”
She leaned against him and placed her head on his muscular shoulder. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I am. I’m worried about a murderer being on the loose on the ship. I’m scared, babe. Besides Mrs. Sheridan and Frank, we don’t really know anyone on the ship... I’m just worried something awful is going to happen.”
He nodded. “That makes sense.”
She hung her head. “What a day…”
He threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. “How was the gym? I was missing you today. I’m happy to have my gorgeous wife back at last.”
She smiled. “It was hard, but I did it,” she told her husband. “Though I don’t think I want to go back; I think my rash was some sort of reaction to the spray they used to wipe down the equipment. It had a strong smell, and I’m wondering if that’s what was wrong with me…”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “Babe? I’m so proud of you,” he praised, bending down to kiss her cheek.
She flushed at his touch. “Really?”
“Babe, you worked out on vacation with a top-trainer. That’s so awesome. It’s more than I have done.”
She grinned. “Maybe when we get home, we can work out together?”
Jack winked. “I can think of some ways we can work out together right now…”
He pulled her close and kissed her hard on the lips; Meghan melted into his strong arms, inhaling the scent of his cologne and feeling so lucky to be deeply in love with her handsome, loving, kind-hearted husband.
Later that afternoon, it began to rain, and Meghan and Jack snuggled on the white leather couch in the living room. From their floor to ceiling windows, they could see the waves crashing outside, and Meghan’s stomach churned as the ship moved violently. “It’s a good thing you have a strong stomach,” she remarked as Jack held her tightly. “I feel sick.”
“Let’s talk,” he suggested. “Maybe chatting will keep your mind off of the seas. Tell me more about your day, my love.”
“There is something I forget to mention about my day,” she told her husband. She wrinkled her forehead as she recounted the exchange between Beth and Reuben. “What documents could they be talking about, babe?”
“I don’t know,” he told her. “But it does sound weird.”
“I think they’re having an affair, and I definitely think they killed Oliver Winterburn,” Meghan told him. “They were acting so shady. I think Beth was going to get back together with her husband, and Reuben killed him out of jealousy, and now he’s black-mailing Beth to help him cover it up.”
Jack laughed. “It sounds like you’ve thought about this a time or two….”
“How could I not?” she chided him. “It’s important, babe, especially when my husband has been dragged into things.”
Jack kissed her forehead. “Let’s just leave it alone, sweetheart,” he urged her. “We’re on our honeymoon, and it’s already been stressful enough. Let’s leave it alone, enjoy our time, and let the security officials do their jobs. Besides, we get to leave the ship tomorrow! We’ll be in Alaska by sunrise. Let’s have the best time and leave all the worrying to the professionals. For the next week, you and I have one job: being husband and wife.”
She nodded. “You’re right,” she told him. “I’ll try to relax.”
“We’ll have the best time in Alaska,” he promised her. “Tomorrow, when we dock in Ketchikan, I have a fun excursion picked out for us.”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “What’s that?”
“First, we’ll visit the Totem Heritage Center,” he said gleefully. “They have an activity where we can design and make our own tiny totem poles. Won’t that be fun? We can make one together and put it outside of our house. We’ll carve ourselves and the dogs.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you mean real totem poles? Like the statues?”
He nodded earnestly. “Totem poles are really special in the area, and when I was a little boy, my neighbor, who was a native Alaskan, had one in his backyard. I remember looking over my fence as a little boy and always wanting one of my own. Now, we can make one for our little family.”
Seeing the excitement in her husband’s face warmed Meghan’s heart. “That sounds grand, darling. I can’t wait.”
“Then,” he continued. “We’ll do a short hike on the Rainbird Hiking trail; a few miles in, they have a waterfall! Later, we’ll have a low-key dinner at the Bar Harbor Ale House. It’s a local place, and the reviews are great.”
Meghan smiled. “You put a lot of work into planning a perfect day in Alaska. I’m so excited.”
“Me too,” he grinned wolfishly. “Nothing can ruin our good time.”
Just then, they heard a pounding at the door of the suite.
“Who could that be?” Meghan asked as Jack stood up, a worried look on his face. “Babe, do you think it’s the security officials again?”
“I don’t know,” he told her. “But let’s find out. I’m going to be so angry if I have to be away from you again. I’ll die if I have to miss out on our day out tomorrow.”
15
Jack slowly opened the door. “Hello?”
A stunningly beautiful petite brunette woman waved. “Hola.”
Meghan gasped. It was Laia, the Catalan pop singer who had become an international sensation a few years ago with her song “Fes-Me Un Petó”.
“Laia?” Meghan asked in awe as the singer stepped inside of her suite. “I’m a huge fan.”
Laia smiled, her liquid brown eyes sparkling, and she tossed her waist-length dirty-blonde hair behind her shoulders. “Gràcies. That means Thank You in Catalan.”
Jack raised an eyebrow, unfazed by the international pop sensation who was standing in their living room. “Can we help you?”
Laia winked at him. “I think so,” she said in a charmingly accented voice. “I have something of yours.”
“Something of mine?” Jack asked in confusion.
“No, hers,” Laia pointed at Meghan. “We were working out at the same time, and you left your gym bag in the locker room. I was told you were staying in the suite next to mine, so I decided to come knock on your door.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me that YOU, Laia, the famous singer, brought my gym bag up to my room?”
Laia giggled. “I’m just a normal person like you, don’t you see?” She handed Meghan the small tote. “There you go. I know how frustrating it is to lose things, so I wanted to make sure you received it.”
Meghan stared at her. “Thank you so much. That was so kind of you.”
“It’s no problem,” Laia assured her. “Like I said, I’m staying just down the hall, so this wasn’t any trouble.”
Meghan nodded. “Well, can we at least offer you a drink to thank you? We have coffee, tea, soda…”
Laia shook her head. “No, gràcies. I’m performing tomorrow, and I can only drink hot water with lemon to soothe my voice.”
“Of course,” Meghan said as if she understood the regimens of pop singers.
“So, you perform tomorrow?” Jack asked. “What other days are you performing?”
Laia shrugged. “This was more of a pleasure cruise, to be honest,” she told them. “I needed a vacation, and the cruise line offered me a free suite and airfare if I performed a surprise show. It was the perfect deal and perfect timing; my mother is aboard with me, and she adores cruising. Not a lot of people know I’m onboard, so please don’t mention this to anyone. It’s been such a relief to have some quiet time.”
Meghan stared at her. “No one has recognized you?” she asked in confusion.
“It’s amazing what a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses will do,” Laia told her. “You didn’t notice me in the gym, did you?”
She shook her head. “I guess not.”
“Then my disguise worked,” Laia grinned. “Anyway, it was nice meeting you…?”
“Jack,” he told her. “And my wife, Meghan.”
“What a pleasure, Jack and Meghan.
Until next time,” Laia waved goodbye as she exited the suite.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” Meghan screeched as soon as the doors shut. “Babe, that was LAIA. She’s so famous and rich. She won ten Grammys last year. TEN. She’s hosting the Oscar’s next February, and her new song, Estima'm Per Sempre, went straight to number one on the charts the day it was released.”
Jack chuckled. “I didn’t realize my wife was such a fan-girl. I’ve never seen you like this.”
