Chapter 13
“Do you need me to help you deliver the clothes?” Cat asked.
“I can handle it.” Millie finished sorting through the bags, adding a toiletry kit to each of them. “Thanks for all your help.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
“This shouldn’t take long. My plan is to drop and dash. Felix is in the library waiting for me.” She hustled down the corridor, making it to the crew members’ cabins moments later.
She knocked on C119. The door opened and Tohan appeared. “Hello, Millie.”
“As promised.” She held up his bag. “I have some clothing items along with toiletries—a toothbrush, a travel tube of toothpaste, stuff like that. Is anyone else bunking in here?”
The other male employee slipped in next to Tohan. “Me.”
Millie handed him his bag along with a keycard and repeated what she’d told the yacht captain. “I guess your female crew member drew the long straw and has a cabin to herself.”
“Next door. She went upstairs to make a call. You can leave her bags and keycard with me.” Tohan mentioned Oscar had stopped by to drop off maps of the ship’s layout and tell them where they could find food. “We appreciate your hospitality.”
“Thank God we were close by and intercepted the distress call. Do you plan to disembark in Grand Turk?”
“Almost all of our stuff is still on the yacht, except for a few personal items including Jeremy’s wallet.” Tohan hesitated. “I doubt he would pay for our plane tickets. If anything, he would only purchase one for himself.”
“What about his father? Will he pay to fly you home?”
“Not if he intends to teach Jeremy a lesson. My guess is we will remain on board for the duration of the cruise.”
Millie nudged her head toward the hall. “How is it going with Jeremy and the others?”
Tohan tipped his hand back and forth. “Most are taking it okay.”
“Except for Jeremy,” she guessed.
“Correct. He can be…”
“A pain in the rumpus.”
Tohan smiled. “You are a perceptive woman, Millie Armati. Money doesn’t make people happy. Sometimes it is the opposite.”
“Very true. I hope you enjoy your time on board Siren of the Seas.”
“Based on your questions, we will for sure not be returning to Miami before the end of the voyage?” he asked.
“The only reason we would return or change course is in the event of an emergency, health or otherwise.” Millie answered a few more questions and exchanged cell phone numbers with him before making her way to the cabin next door.
Devan and Sasha, the other couple, greeted her, appearing grateful for the clothing and other needed items. She handed them the corresponding keycards and repeated what she’d told Tohan but didn’t offer her cell phone number, only told them if they needed assistance to contact Guest Services.
“You’ll also need to visit Guest Services if you plan to charge items. Perhaps you have someone back home who is willing to add an expense account for you,” she suggested.
“What’s included? I mean, what won’t we be charged for?” Sasha asked.
“Food in the main dining room or at the buffet. We have a pizza station and deli shop. Tea, coffee, lemonade and juice are all available twenty-four hours a day in the buffet.”
“I think…I’m sure we can get by without making other purchases,” she said. “Thank you for helping us, Millie.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her last stop was Jeremy and Willow’s cabin. Millie gave the door a sharp rap. A dull thud echoed. The door slowly opened. A sour-faced Jeremy Manning stood on the other side. “Hello.”
Millie held up the bags. “I’ve found some clothing items that might fit.”
He snatched the bags from her hands. “Used clothes?” he snarled.
“Correct. The gift shop and stores are open if you wish to set up an onboard account and purchase items.”
“You mean pay for stuff? What about workout clothes? I hit the gym twice a day and need something to exercise in.”
“There is an assortment in the bag, including swim trunks, if you plan to use the pools or hot tubs.”
Jeremy dug the Lacoste shirt out of the pile. “This appears to be the only quality item.” He promptly removed his wrinkled T-shirt and put it on. “It’s a decent fit. I’m not sure about the other stuff. It looks cheap.”
“Maybe you can swap with someone in your group, do a clothing exchange.” She shifted her feet. “As soon as you provide a credit card to Guest Services, feel free to shop in the stores. We have brand-name clothing items for sale.”
Jeremy tugged at the shirt’s collar and scratched his chest. “I never should have left without my backpack.”
“You would have risked your life for a backpack?” she asked incredulously.
“Clearly, we have different priorities.” Jeremy’s scratching moved from his chest to his armpits. Scratch, scratch, scratch. “What did you wash this thing in? Poison ivy?”
Millie, realizing what had happened, that the itching powder was in play, looked away, struggling to keep from laughing. “You make it sound as if it’s Siren of the Seas’ fault that your father’s yacht sank. Might I remind you we rescued you.”
“But you could’ve towed the yacht, or at the very least made an effort to retrieve our personal belongings,” he argued.
“You can’t be serious.”
Jeremy called her an unpleasant name rhyming with “witch” and slammed the door in her face.
She sucked in a breath and pounded on the door again.
It flew open.
Millie held up the keycards—one for Jeremy and another for his girlfriend. “As I mentioned, you’ll need these to get in the cabin.”
The rude man grabbed them from her hand and made an unhappy sound. “You gave us crew member cards? I already told you we aren’t working on this bucket of bolts.”
“These are crew members’ cabins. Therefore, you get crew members’ cards,” Millie snapped. “Take it or leave it.”
Another string of verbal unpleasantries ensued. This time she was prepared for the slamming door.
“You deserve a double dose of itching powder.” Still fuming, Millie backtracked, taking the stairs to the upper deck and library. As she drew closer, she noticed Felix standing near the door, chatting with Gloria and the gang.
Millie veered right, making her way over. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No problem. I was telling your cousins and friends we have an opening for our talent show.”
“To which I informed Felix that I have no talent,” Gloria said.
“You have a special talent,” Millie said. “A knack for solving mysteries.”
“Which happens to run in the family,” he replied. “How’s it going with our newly arrived hitchhikers?”
Gloria turned, giving Millie her full attention. “Hitchhikers?”
“We rescued passengers from a sinking yacht.” Millie told the others what had transpired.
“How blessed for Siren of the Seas to intercept the signal and reach them before they sank,” Dot said. “I bet they’re thanking their lucky stars.”
“Not quite.” Millie pinched her thumb and index finger together. “Remember Sea-nanigans, the yacht in Bimini?”
“Where Scout sneaked across the gangplank and the guy acted like he was going to toss him overboard?” Ruth asked.
“It was their yacht that sank.”
“No kidding.” Dot shook her head in amazement. “I guess the mechanic we noticed wasn’t able to fix the problem.”
“Or maybe he made it even worse,” Millie said.
“If the guy was half as nasty to the repair person as he was to you, then maybe it was sabotage.”
“Could be. Either way, we’re stuck with them until we reach Grand Turk or, heaven forbid, Miami.”
Lucy crossed her fingers. “Here’s hoping the accommodations don’t live up to the spoiled dude’s expectations and he decides to fly home.”
“Going from a luxury yacht to a crew cabin will be a huge step down. My guess is Jeremy and his friends will want to vamoose ASAP.”
“If you’re here to take over.” Felix shimmied sideways. “I have a ballroom dancing class to teach.”
“We’ll miss you Felix.”
He blew Ruth a kiss. “Not for long. You promised to boogie down with me on the lido later.”
“Absolutely.” She winked, returning the air kiss and waited until he was gone. “Felix is such a sweetheart.”
“He’s a great guy. I don’t know what I would do without him.
” Millie rolled up her sleeves and made her rounds, complimenting the attendees on their beads and baubles, hand-crafted turkey napkin rings, a decorative memento she’d found online that fit perfectly with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday theme.
The group reached a stopping point and Millie called for a break, offering them coffee, tea and an array of sweet treats. She worked her way from table to table, admiring their creativity.
The craft class ended and the guests left, thanking her on their way out.
Dot stifled a yawn. “I think I’ll head to the cabin to take a nap. All this late night cutting the rug is catching up with me. I’m not complaining. It was worth every sleep-deprived minute.”
“Tonight’s lineup will be equally as sleep-deprivation worthy,” Millie joked.
“Which is why I’m on my way to beddy-bye.” She left. Ruth, Lucy and Margaret weren’t far behind.
“Bingo is calling my name. Toodles.” Liz scurried off, leaving Gloria and Millie alone.
“I’ll help you clean up.”
Millie and her cousin collected the craft supplies and placed them in the cabinet.
“What’s on your schedule? A nap, some sun or joining Liz for bingo?”
“I might sneak out onto the lido with my e-reader.”
“A perfect way to relax and kick back.”
Gloria stood off to the side while Millie checked to make sure the cabinet was locked. “Will you be getting off in Grand Turk with us?”
“I planned to. There’s a gorgeous beach only steps away from the port.” Millie mentally ran through her upcoming schedule. “We’ll be docking early. What time do you think you’ll want to head to shore? Word of advice…the beach chairs fill up fast, so the earlier you get off the better.”
“How does nine sound?”
“Perfect. Tomorrow is a full sea day.”
“You’ll be busy, I’m sure.”
Noting the look of disappointment on her cousin’s face, a sudden thought popped into Millie’s head. “Why don’t you hang out with me?”
Gloria brightened. “Like job shadowing?”
“Sure.” Millie made a time out with her hands. “Before you answer, I must warn you it won’t be relaxing.”
“I would love to. Do you need to clear it with the boss?”
Millie laughed out loud. “Donovan Sweeney is my boss. He won’t care.”
“If you want me, I would love to tag along for the day. How early do you start?”
“Let’s meet in the buffet at seven. We’ll grab a quick bite to eat before we hit the ground running.”
“I’ll be there. This will be the highlight of my cruise,” Gloria predicted.
“I wouldn’t get too excited,” Millie chuckled. “It’s not as glamorous as it seems.”
“To be honest, it doesn’t matter. Getting to hang out with my favorite cousin is what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Millie blinked back sudden tears, touched that Gloria didn’t care what she did as long as she spent time with someone she loved. “Me too. Making memories, my dear cousin. We’ll be making memories.”