Love Overboard

Chapter 23

A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR PELTED THE large windows of the tour bus as it wound through the streets of Charlestown. With a placid smile on her face, Lacey rode on the seat behind the driver. She tucked her purple polo shirt into the waistband of her khaki pants and rested her hands on her stomach. But inside, her brain was biting its nails. Would the tenders still be running? The covered ferries worked great in calm waters, but rough weather sometimes stranded passengers ashore.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” A polite young man wearing an I Love Oklahoma T-shirt tapped her on the shoulder. “Is this rain going to affect our ride to the ship?”

“No need to worry.” Lacey hoped she wasn’t bamboozling him. “The ferryboat drivers are used to this island’s weather patterns.”

He nodded and sat back across the aisle with his bride.

Please, God.Her brain stopped biting its nails and prayed for a miracle instead. Let the boats be running.

Her cell phone rang, and her nerves tightened.

Please, God. Please, God. Please, God.

“Hello?” She tried to keep the anxiety from her voice as the honeymooners eavesdropped from the opposite side. Her hostess smile reappeared. “Yes. That’s correct.”

Mr. Oklahoma tilted his head.

“I understand.” Lacey kept her tone calm and even. “Please let me know.”

She ended the call and whispered to the driver. He put on his signal and made a sharp left at the stop sign. Lacey stood and faced the people in the bus.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” Sixteen pairs of eyes pointed at her. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the unfortunate storm outside. I regret to inform you that the heavy rain makes it impossible for our tender boat to return to the ship at this time.”

Exclamations of disbelief and a few colorful words she wouldn’t be repeating answered her announcement.

“It doesn’t seem that bad,” a woman in the last row called. “Can’t we give it a try and turn around if it doesn’t work?”

Lacey tried to look sympathetic instead of scoffing at the idiotic question. “Your safety is our utmost priority. We won’t risk your lives to stay on schedule. The ship will wait for us.”

“Where do we go in the meantime?” Mrs. Oklahoma asked. “Do we stay on the bus?”

“Oh, no.” Lacey grabbed the headrest of a seat and held on as the vehicle made another sharp left. “The company has already arranged for a resting area near the dock.”

“Are we sleeping in a hotel?”

Lacey wished she could ignore the question, but they’d find out soon enough. “Passengers from other cruise lines are also stranded on the island, and there were no vacant hotel rooms. I’m afraid we’ll have to rough it a little.”

Thunder crashed. The storm increased both outside and inside the bus. Voices rose in a crescendo of discontent. Lacey braced herself for a mutiny.

“How exciting!” A frizzy gray head popped up among the turmoil. Emily stood and braced herself between the seats as the bus swayed along. “We’ll have something to brag about to the people who stayed on the ship.”

“I wish I was one of them,” Mrs. Oklahoma grumbled.

“And miss the adventure?” Emily shook her finger at the grumpy honeymooner. “Didn’t you come on this cruise to get away from the routine?” She sat. “Trust me, my dears. I’ve lived a long time, and there’s one thing I know for sure. The best adventures happen off the schedule.”

Lacey mentally retracted every complaint she’d ever made about Emily Windsor. The woman was an angel. Her phone rang as the bus stopped in front of an unidentified building. The dark outline loomed in the pounding rain. She lowered her voice while the caller on the other end informed her of the unattractive details.

A school gymnasium. Army cots. Cold sandwiches. And no one to take care of the passengers but her.

The bearer of bad tidings hung up without a word of sympathy.

Lacey continued to hold the phone to her ear to buy extra time. How could she put a positive spin on this? She sent another silent request heavenward, lowered her cell, and walked down the aisle.

“Would it sound too cliché to say I have good news and bad news? The bad news is, we’ll be staying in a school gym.”

Gasps and protests ensued, and Lacey raised her voice.

“The good news is this rain is supposed to end in a short while. Once the sea calms, we’ll head straight to the ship. It shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”

“Hours!”

The home-kit dye-job, earring stud–wearing man from orientation day rose from the back row like an angry Grim Reaper. She’d avoided him all day on the tour, but there was no escaping now. There would definitely be no umbrella drinks for him in this place.

Emily slid from her seat with her purse on her arm. “What a relief. Just a few hours.” She stepped into the aisle and blocked the angry man from a clear view of Lacey. “Lead the way, dear.” She shooed her with both hands.

The bus driver jerked the lever, and the automatic door whooshed open. Lacey sprinted through the rain and reached an awning that stretched from the side of the gymnasium. She turned the dented knob at the entrance and pushed. The rusty metal door creaked as she crossed the threshold. A cavernous room lay before her, and a musty smell emanated from the peeling paint. Battered wooden floorboards reflected the flickering fluorescent lights. Rows of army cots with blankets piled on top lined the far wall, and a cafeteria table was set with sandwiches, chips, and drinks.

Emily appeared at her side, brushing a soggy gray curl from her cheek. “What can I do to help?”

Lacey pressed wet fingers to her overheated forehead and resisted the urge to bury her face in the woman’s neck. “Honestly, I don’t even know where to start.”

Horrified passengers filed into the cold, dreary room. Disgruntled murmurs rose. People held their cell phones high, checking for a signal. Were they planning to leave scathing reviews on every website available?

A woman wearing a damp sundress and holding a small child by the hand stared at the last-minute accommodations. “Is this the best they could do?”

Lacey approached her. “I’m so sorry for this inconvenience. We hope it will only be for a short time. As soon as the weather clears, they can come and get us.”

Emily scuttled up. “Think of the great anecdotes we’ll get from this. I can hardly wait to tell my friends.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” The woman shrugged. “At least my husband kept the other two kids on the boat with him. I should consider this a mini vacation.”

“How old is your daughter?” Lacey waved at the little girl beside her. The strawberry-blond stuck her thumb in her mouth and hid behind her mother’s skirt.

“Four.”

“Four and a half,” a tiny voice behind the woman’s legs corrected her.

“Yes.” The mom rolled her eyes at Lacey. “How dare I forget those extra six months?”

“It’s a good thing you told me.” Lacey crouched. “We have a special spot for big girls. I don’t want to put you in the four-year-old section.”

A blue eye peeked around her mother, and a lopsided smile appeared.

An expletive exploded from the gym doorway, and the little girl’s smile disappeared. Lacey saw her black-haired nemesis stalk into the room.

“You got to be kidding me.” He dropped a large black bag, pitched his jacket on the ground, and swore again.

A mere sixteen customers were stranded because of the rough waters. Why did Mr. Online Review have to be one of them? Lacey considered her chances if she were to try swimming to the boat.

No.

Even if she made it, she’d be in trouble for deserting the passengers.

Emily stood on her toes and whispered. “We’re going to have trouble with that one.”

Lacey showed the mother and child to an empty cot and spent the next hour comforting people. Emily served food and tried to bolster morale, and Lacey left her as a lookout while she scrubbed the locker room showers and toilets.

“Finally,” Mrs. Oklahoma said when Lacey emerged with her bucket and cleaning supplies. “How long does it take to get a shower here?”

“I apologize for the wait.” Lacey swept her arm to the door. “The bathroom is clean. There’s soap and a stack of towels on a table by the stalls.”

“Great,” the young woman grumbled.

Lacey noted the rough white lines on her own palms and hid her hand. Her skin cracked like a desert floor in July from prolonged contact with the harsh industrial cleaner. She wandered through the cots, checking on everyone and offering bottles of water. Most had accepted their sorry lot and were posing for pictures to post on social media. She hoped their comments wouldn’t be too harsh.

A clang sounded from the entrance.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!”

Heads turned toward the cheerful voice.

Jonathan King stood in the main doorway, soaked to the skin. He searched the crowd until he found Lacey, gave her a nod, and swung a waterproof knapsack off his arm. His rain poncho dripped a puddle of water on the floor, but his smile filled the gymnasium.

“We missed you on board! So I commandeered one of the tender boats. Trust me, you don’t want to make that rough ride just yet.” Jon clutched his stomach with an exaggerated scowl. “I’m here to make sure everyone is taken care of until it’s safe to travel to the ship.” He strode through the room to the very center. “I realize this is a far cry from the dream vacation you imagined, but I promise I’ll have the chef whip up an exclusive meal for you the second we get back to the MS Buckingham.” He ran his fingers through the wet strands of hair hanging over his forehead.

“Wow!” A twentysomething with black lipstick giggled near Lacey. “They sent the cruise director for us.”

Impressed whispers volleyed around her. It didn’t hurt that Jon looked as if he’d stepped out of a shower-gel commercial. How had he convinced someone to let him take a tender?

Passengers crowded around him, and he listened to a catalog of stories and complaints. The peevish expressions dissipated under the charismatic force of his goodwill. He pulled gourmet chocolate bars from his bag and distributed them while he moved through the room. When he reached the little girl, he lowered himself to her height.

“I brought a friend to keep you company.” Jon set the knapsack on the floor and drew out a small teddy bear with a crown on its head and the Monarch logo on its right paw.

The child shyly accepted the gift and hid behind her mother’s dress again.

Jon stood and raised his voice. “These accommodations can’t compare to the MS Buckingham’s, but I packed a little music from home to help us relax.” He retrieved a small speaker from his bag and connected it to his phone. Before long, a soothing instrumental orchestration flowed through the gym.

Lacey recognized the mix. The ship played it in the early-morning hours, when they wanted the passengers to calm down and go to bed. She marveled at his thoroughness. He’d planned for every contingency. It would be a shame if he grew tired of his position and switched jobs again. This one made use of his many talents so well.

She shook her head as Jon joined her. “Do you happen to have a popcorn machine and a movie screen in that Mary Poppins bag?”

His eyes swept over her. “You look terrible.”

Her urge to swoon dissipated. “Thanks a lot.” She smoothed the bedraggled hem of her polo.

Would a kind word kill him? She’d been in a silent state of panic all afternoon. Her appearance had been the last thing on her mind. Until now.

He pulled a dark-blue sweatshirt with matching pants and a toiletries kit from the pack and passed them to her. “I’ll handle the situation here. You go take a shower.”

She wanted nothing more. But how could she leave him alone with the cranky passengers? “You don’t have to—”

Jon grasped her shoulders and spun her around. “Go.” He gave her a gentle push and turned to focus on the customers.

Lacey hugged the clean, dry sweats. They smelled of fabric softener and Jon. She’d never read a fairy tale where Prince Charming carried a miraculous backpack, but a change of clothes was better than a glass slipper any day of the week.

And the shower rivaled a European vacation. She allowed herself nine whole minutes of bliss under the hot spray before worries about the passengers prompted her to cut it short. The wet concrete chilled her bare feet while she dressed. She wrung the ends of her hair in a towel as she exited the locker room.

Jon waited for her outside the door. He grinned as he gave her the once-over. “My clothes fit better on you.”

Lacey tugged at the loose neckline. “Thanks for bringing them. It’s such a relief to be dry.” She peeked around his side at a welcome scene. The worn-out travelers stretched on their cots as a tranquil piano piece drifted through the air. A noisy snore sounded from the corner. “Where’s Emily?” she whispered.

Jon pointed at a slumbering figure near the sandwich table. “She’s a trouper. Helped tend to everyone else before she crashed.”

He took Lacey by the hand and led her to a small office off the main room. Inside were a single cot and blanket shoved against the wall. A sandwich and drink sat on a nearby table. Jon motioned to the food.

“You eat and get some rest. I’ll keep watch.”

Lacey sank on the floor next to the cot. She wrapped the towel around her thick mane of wet hair and squeezed. “I don’t think I could sleep. I’d be too worried the call would come that the storm’s over.” She stopped wringing the moisture out. “Speaking of which, how did you get here?”

“It’s too dangerous to risk the passengers’ lives, but I convinced the captain to let me drive one of the boats from the ship. I have the proper training and promised not to sink on the way.”

Lacey combed her fingers through her tangled locks. “Still, I’m shocked he allowed you to—”

“It won’t dry the way you’re doing it.” Jon sat on the floor across from her. He took the towel away and dropped it over her head.

The terry cloth shrouded her. She debated how to react, until two large hands settled on her scalp and began a furious massage.

“Ow.” Lacey peeked from under the cloth. “Are you trying to peel the skin off?”

“Sorry.” Jon tugged the towel over her face and took the rubbing down a few notches.

She sighed as the gentle pressure relaxed her. The tension drained from her body, and she sank into a hypnotic state as Jon’s fingers pushed the worries from her mind.

“Lacey?”

The voice called from far away.

“Lacey?”

She jolted awake as Jon’s face poked under the towel. It draped over both of them, providing a private, fuzzy refuge. He stopped an inch from her nose, close enough his breath grazed her skin. Lacey’s fatigue vanished. The outside of her body froze, but the inside was hopping on one foot, squealing like a toddler in a bouncy castle.

Jon’s gaze wandered from her eyes to her nose to her lips. “If I kiss you, will you start dating someone else again?”

Lacey gulped. Her mouth refused to form the word. All she could manage was a slight shake of the head. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Tilting his chin to the left, he looked in her eyes once more as if checking for permission.

She nodded.

His mouth lowered and drew near. Lacey’s lids drooped shut as she waited for that first, searing contact her body still remembered so well.

An ear-piercing scream jerked her back to reality.