Chapter 34
Before the cruise—Boston, MA/Charlotte, NC/Baltimore, MD
She and Greg were sitting at her kitchen table, enjoying breakfast before they got on the road. “You never said last night, how was your first day back at the Physics Review ?” He was stirring cream into his coffee almost absentmindedly as he talked.
Nora had been too focused on packing to think about work. “I wouldn’t know. I spent the last two days catching Jennifer up on everything. I won’t actually be back at my old job until after we get back from the cruise.”
It was going to be an adjustment; she had enjoyed her time as an interim editor, and she’d been—all modesty aside—damn good at it.
It was hard to explain, even to herself.
It wasn’t that she liked being in charge; more that she enjoyed being the one people came to knowing she’d have answers—and actually having them.
It was almost—as silly as it sounded—kind of intoxicating.
“Good,” Greg said. “I mean, I’m going to be a source again for you.
I’d hate it if journalistic ethics made you break up with me before our vacation.
” He laughed, but it was something she’d have to address.
She’d need to talk to the Ethics Board, and probably also Human Resources.
Nora knew there were ways to work around the rules, but she assumed there would be a lot of paperwork involved.
And probably a stern lecture from Mr. Brooks, too.
But it would be worth it. She’d been with Greg Sanders for nine months; the longest relationship she’d ever had. And this was their first proper trip together; they’d gone on brief weekend trips—one night, occasionally two, but that was it.
This was nine nights and ten days onboard the Empress of the Seas . That was a serious trip. A serious commitment. And if it went well, it might be just the first commitment of many.
She might even say the words to him that she hadn’t said to anyone since Daniel. And mean them.
Daniel , the same time
“Are you excited yet, Daniel?”
Leanne Butler was. She’d been unable to talk about anything except the cruise for the last two weeks.
He’d thought he was obsessive about getting ready early for a trip, but he had nothing on her.
He’d gone over to her place for dinner three nights ago, and she led him straight to the bedroom to show off her packed luggage with the same proud flourish David Copperfield used when he made a national landmark vanish on live TV.
“I’ll be excited once we get to Baltimore.
” He was looking forward to the cruise, even if he wasn’t quite as excited as his girlfriend.
Honestly, he’d be glad to go on any kind of trip with her.
Between their work schedules, her family commitments and the two cats she refused to spend more than one night away from at a time, they had yet to go anywhere together for more than one night.
The reason Leanne was willing to leave the cats now was the same reason she and Daniel had met in the first place: Bianca.
His cousin had met Leanne in a pottery class in January and they became fast friends—Bianca had a knack for that.
Three weeks later, Bianca introduced him to Leanne, and two weeks after that they’d had their first date.
Two months ago, Bianca and Leanne got to talking, and Leanne lamented that there was a great deal on a cruise, and she really wanted to go, but she couldn’t leave Reeses and Hershey alone for ten days.
Bianca volunteered to stay at Leanne’s apartment for the duration of the cruise, and that was that.
“Then let’s get going! Everything is in the trunk, I double-checked already. If we start now, we should make it to Baltimore before dinnertime.”
Five minutes later, they were off. Leanne offered to drive, but seven hours on the highway was very taxing, and he wasn’t about to let her start off the trip by tiring herself out.
Instead, she navigated, and in between calling out directions, she read aloud from the brochure about all the attractions aboard the Empress of the Seas .
It hadn’t occurred to Daniel at the time, and he only thought of it two hours into the drive north to Baltimore: the day that Bianca agreed to watch Leanne’s cats, the same day she’d booked the cruise, was September 6 th .
Nora Langley’s birthday.
Why did that thought hit him now? He needed to be fully present for Leanne. She deserved that—and so much more—from him.
Nora , around dinnertime
She hadn’t really wanted to stay by the airport. Something about it just felt weird to Nora. But Greg had done some research and declared the BWI Airport Marriott the best combination of price, ease of access to the cruise terminal, and amenities.
Who was she to argue, after he’d spent two hours putting together a chart with bullet points?
No, that was unfair. He’d spent two hours to make sure she didn’t waste money, her car would be safe for the duration of the cruise, and there’d be no trouble getting to the terminal tomorrow morning. And she hadn’t asked him; he’d done it of his own accord. She should be grateful.
It was the kind of thing Daniel would have done. Except with less bullet points and more self-deprecating jokes.
And that was unfair, too. She needed to stop thinking about Daniel.
The last time she’d spoken to him was more than four years ago.
She was with Greg now, and she wanted desperately to make this work.
Greg deserved her full attention, her full heart.
And she deserved someone who was ready to accept it.
“What do you think?” They were in their room, and she was ready to collapse.
They’d split the driving, but she’d had the bad luck to be behind the wheel for the worst traffic, and it had frayed her nerves.
“We can go down to the restaurant, or call room service and just collapse up here. This bed is awfully comfortable, it’ll be kind of decadent to sit in bed and eat a fancy dinner in our pajamas, won’t it? ”
“Sure, Nora. That sounds good to me. Go ahead and order, you know what I like.” But he wasn’t joining her on the bed; he was sitting in the plush armchair—admittedly, it did look very comfortable, too—and making no move to put his pajamas on.
Maybe he was tired from the drive, just like her. He hadn’t slept all that well last night, either. Maybe a good dinner—hopefully the crabcakes lived up to their reputation—would lift his spirits.
Daniel , around nine o’clock
Leanne turned to him as they lay in bed. “Do you know the last time I had an actual vacation? A whole week off?”
Daniel shook his head. It hadn’t been since they’d started dating.
“Neither do I,” she said. “Maybe—the week after I took my last exam? That was—God, was it really three years ago?”
“That’s too long,” he agreed. Not that he could talk.
He always made sure to use his vacation time, but he either just stayed home and spent a few days zoning out in front of the TV when he wasn’t catching up on household chores he’d neglected, or he went back to the Bronx and stayed with his parents.
“But, you know what, it’s sort of the same for me. I haven’t been on a proper vacation since—wow, Disney World, when I was fifteen.”
She stared at him. “I don’t believe you.”
“I mean a vacation where you go somewhere fun, and you stay in a hotel, and you have no responsibilities at all. Where you eat out every day, and somebody else cleans up after you, and there’s no laundry or taking out the garbage or anything. Not just taking time off of work, you know what I mean?”
She thought about that, and finally nodded along with him.
“I see what you’re saying. If you put it that way, I think the last time I went on one was probably spring break, senior year of college.
Me and my roommate went to South Padre Island.
” Daniel gave her a blank look; he’d never heard of it.
“In Texas. About three hours south of San Antonio. That’s where Gloria was from—my roommate, obviously.
It was her idea, and I thought it would be—I don’t know. Boring? Stupid?”
“But it wasn’t?”
“No!” When she got excited, Leanne’s bright blue eyes got so wide; you couldn’t help but be drawn along with her into whatever she was talking about. “It was a blast. We were almost in Mexico. Margaritas on the beach, live music every night, and the boys…”
He leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed him back. When they broke apart, he grinned. “What about the boys?”
“Well, it wasn’t like that .” She laughed.
“Not really.” She paused, just for an instant.
“Okay, there was one night, and there was this guy from—Texas Tech, I think?—and we were sitting together on a blanket, and there was a big bonfire, and he had the prettiest eyes. Not like yours are pretty, but—you know, it was a romantic atmosphere, and I’d had a couple of margaritas .
..” There was only one other person who’d ever said he had pretty eyes.
But—he had to put her out of his mind. It wasn’t right to be thinking of her when he was lying in bed with his girlfriend, who he’d just kissed a few seconds ago.
“A couple?”
“Six, if you must know.” That sounded more accurate for spring break in almost-Mexico. “And we kissed for a while, until Gloria dragged me back to the hotel room. I yelled at her when we got there, but…”
Daniel knew what she was going to say. “You thanked her the next morning.”
“Something like that,” she agreed. “I wonder what she’s doing these days. I should try to look her up. She was good people.”
Daniel kissed her again. “You know what, Leanne? So are you.”
She really was. It was impossible not to see it. So why did he have to keep reminding himself of it?