Chapter 3
Millie glanced at her cousin’s cell phone. “I’m thrilled to see you downloaded the Siren of the Seas’ app.”
Liz quickly covered the screen. “Yes. I, uh, have been adding activities to my list.”
“Let me guess…bingo,” Gloria said.
“Bingo?”
“Liz has become a regular at the American Legion.”
“You’re in luck. We have bingo games galore.”
“I’ve added five so far.”
Gloria turned, giving her sister her full attention. “Wouldn’t you like to try new activities instead of playing bingo all week?”
“What’s wrong with bingo?” Liz argued. “I love it.”
“More like become obsessed with it.”
Floyd, Liz’s new husband, was loaded, having made a boatload of money from selling mineral and natural gas rights on his property.
Not long after, he’d fallen head over heels in love with her.
To be blunt, he spoiled Liz rotten, including moving her into an exquisite country estate, albeit only after completing extensive renovations to bring it up to the new Mrs. Rasmussen’s standards.
Liz had gone from being penniless to becoming one of the richest women in West Michigan. Floyd, a man who had spent most of his years living a modest life, had met the one woman who could help him part with his windfall.
The couple was the epitome of opposites attracting. Floyd would be perfectly content living in a shack on his farm. Meanwhile, Liz desired all the creature comforts and high-end accoutrements her husband’s money could buy.
How had Liz become preoccupied with bingo? Gloria had no idea, but at least the obsession sounded a lot less dangerous than sports or online betting.
Liz scrambled to her feet. “The welcome bingo session begins in twenty minutes.” She snatched her keycard off the coffee table and hurried to the door. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Millie waited until she was gone. “You weren’t kidding about the obsession part. If I recall correctly, Liz’s new husband is loaded.”
Gloria rubbed her thumb and index finger together. “They’re set for life.”
Millie tapped the top of her watch. “I know you’ve been on board before but thought a refresher tour might be helpful.”
“Lead the way.”
The cousins tracked down Dot, Ruth, Lucy, and Margaret.
Starting at the tippy-top of the ship, Millie showed the women around—the spa where Margaret and Dot promptly booked appointments.
They toured the fitness center before strolling past the spa’s café, offering light meals and healthy, nutritious snacks.
While they walked, Millie rattled off the day’s events. “I highly recommend seeing the shows.”
“I’m down for shows,” Ruth said.
“Me too,” Lucy said. “I also want some pool time.”
“Which is where we’re headed next.” With Millie in the lead, they trekked to the lido deck.
Steel drums and the festive sounds of Caribbean music wafted in the air. An abundance of loungers, both in the water and lining the sides of the pool deck, invited them to kick back and relax.
Margaret clasped her hands, dreamily eyeing an empty chair. “This is my idea of paradise. As soon as we finish the tour, I’m changing into my swimsuit, grabbing my beach book and soaking up some sun.”
Top to bottom, stem to stern, Millie offered them glimpses of what was in store. She answered questions, mostly from Dot about the dining options.
“What’s your favorite food?” she finally asked.
“Greek, dolmades, tzatziki, gyros.” Dot licked her lips. “Pita chips with a slathering of hummus. My stomach is growling already.”
“We have a wide variety of dishes, guaranteed to tempt even the pickiest of palates.”
“Liz,” Gloria and the others echoed in unison.
“Gotta love Liz,” Millie chuckled. “She hasn’t changed.”
“Speaking of my sister, she’s meeting us on the bridge.”
By the time the women arrived, Liz had beat them and stood waiting at the door.
Millie swiped her keycard and ushered the others inside.
Nic, who was on duty, made his way over. “Welcome back to Siren of the Seas. I trust you enjoyed my wife showing you around?”
“It was our own private behind-the-scenes tour and a nice refresher,” Gloria joked. “We’re super excited about the voyage.”
Liz muscled her way past her sister and held out her hand, batting her eyes at her cousin’s husband. “You’re looking especially dashing, Captain,” she flattered.
Nic placed a light kiss on top of her hand. Millie could’ve sworn Liz swooned. “It is our pleasure to have you, Gloria and your friends cruise with us again.”
“And even more mine,” Liz coyly replied.
Gloria nudged her arm. “Floyd.”
Millie covered her mouth to hide her grin. Liz was Liz and it tickled her every time a female passenger flirted with Nic. Not that she could blame them. Tall, with golden brown eyes and streaks of silver highlighting his jet black hair, he still made her swoon.
“Thank you for the tour. I’m even more excited now.” Margaret glanced at the clock. “The pool deck is calling.”
Gloria gave Millie a warm hug. “Thanks for the tour, for helping book such awesome suites. We’ll get out of your hair.”
She trailed them to the exit. “Turnaround days tend to be hectic.”
“Don’t forget about dinner,” Nic reminded her.
“Yes.” Millie snapped her fingers. “You’ll be dining at the captain’s table tomorrow evening.”
Lucy whistled loudly. “Count me in.”
“I bought several new dresses I can’t wait to wear,” Liz said.
“An everyday occurrence,” Ruth laughed.
Liz bristled. “What’s wrong with wanting to dress up?”
“As long as you can afford fancy clothes, go for it,” Gloria said.
“Have fun.” Millie held the door, waiting for the women to exit. She turned to find her husband watching her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “You’re giving me the look.”
“What look?”
Millie bounced on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “The one I get when I’ve done something that gets me into trouble.”
Nic ran the back of his hand across her cheek. “I was thinking about the Garden Girls’ previous voyage and how much they remind me of you. Curious, inquisitive minds with a dash of disaster mixed in.”
“Mr. Bautista is off the ship. We should easily steer clear of trouble on this voyage.” She tapped the top of her watch. “On that note, it’s time for me to run down to the gangway.”
After checking in with Suharto, the head of gangway security, Millie made a beeline for the lido deck. The sailaway party was in full swing with “DJ Felix” at the helm, cranking out tropical tunes.
Millie glimpsed Gloria and the others lounging poolside, sipping fruity cocktails and mocktails.
Noticing pool towels, beach reads, and sunglasses nearby, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
She quickly reminded herself that she had plenty of sun-drenched island days both in the past and in her future.
Fall weather in Michigan meant cold nights and cool days, making South Florida’s balmy temps a special treat.
Up next, she hosted a meet-and-greet. The next few hours passed by in a blur. Despite Millie’s jam-packed schedule, she managed to grab a quick bite to eat after an impromptu staff meeting to handle a minor issue.
“Millie, do you copy?”
She plucked her radio from her belt. “Go ahead, Cameron.”
“Are you skipping your welcome aboard announcement today?”
“Whoops! I’m on my way.” Picking up the pace, she jogged to the stairs, making it to the sound booth in record time.
The technician met her at the door. “You forgot,” he guessed.
“Completely.”
“I think we’re all struggling with a lack of sleep today.”
“Last night, or should I say early this morning was a rough one.” Millie reached for the headphones and took several deep breaths.
He tapped the control board. “Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Ready.”
“Five…four…three…two…one.”
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let me be the first to officially welcome you aboard Siren of the Seas, your home away from home for the next seven days.” Millie went into her spiel, a speech she’d memorized by heart, thanking them for completing their safety check-ins, which allowed the ship to depart on time.
“This cruise is all about fun, food, and making new friends. We’re going to rock it until we dock it.
” She ticked off the evening’s highlights before ending her announcement.
She slid the headphones off and hung them on the hook. “Danielle might be filling in for some of the announcements this week. My cousins are on board so I’ll be taking time off to spend with them.”
“The chill cousins from Michigan?’ Cameron teased.
“You betcha.” Millie thanked him again for the reminder and ran downstairs to her office.
First things first, she pulled up the marine forecast. The fall season meant seas could be somewhat of a roller coaster, causing unexpected port cancellations and adding extra sea days.
Although reaching the tail end of hurricane season, the new and equally erratic weather fronts often wreaked havoc on the ship’s itinerary.
Thud. A muffled noise caught her attention. She looked up to find Andy Walker, her former boss, standing in the doorway.
Millie welcomed him in. “I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
“I’ve been working on the new project.”
“Still?”
“It’s being a bit…time consuming.” Andy looked around. “Donovan isn’t here?”
“No. Should he be?”
“You missed the weekly staff meeting. We’ve received several complaints.”
“About what?”
“The love and marriage show.”
Her smile vanished. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Some of the departing guests filled out comment cards, claiming they were offended by the content.”
Donovan arrived, interrupting the conversation. “Hey, Millie, Andy.”
“Andy was telling me we received some complaints about the love and marriage show.”
The ship’s purser reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded stack of papers, and set them on her desk.
“I’m almost certain it was a specific group traveling together who weren’t chosen to take part in the games.
They also complained about karaoke and the movies played on the big screen outdoors. ”