Chapter 3
3
The flight attendant cleared Dana’s dinner tray. Brit and Simone had been correct about the flight. It had been worth the embarrassment of being pushed in a wheelchair to get on board. She’d only seen her mother for a few minutes, long enough to reassure her she’d be off the crutches before the wedding. During their video call yesterday, Cheyanne had been more amused than upset by Dana’s need for crutches. Losing a soccer game to a three-year-old and a gopher hole was funny, almost… The stuffed prairie dog left anonymously, with building security’s help, was cute. It would be a long time before she lived her accident down.
“Here is your ice bag.” The flight attendant handed her one on a tray.
“How did you know?”
“Simone told me to treat you like royalty.” He winked.
“What is her area?” Dana transferred the ice from the plastic bag into the leak proof silicone ice bag she’d brought.
“Main cabin.” A commotion on the other side of the dividing curtain caught the attendant’s attention as someone tried to pull the curtain aside.
“Where is she? Is she on this flight? I’ve been back to the main cabin. She isn’t there.” Sheila’s voice rang through the plane. “She’s on crutches! How can you lose a woman on crutches?”
Someone answered her mother in a firm voice. “Ma’am, I’m sure she’s on the plane. Please take your seat and?—-”
The attendant standing next to Dana looked at her.
“My mother, sorry.” Dana moved to stand.
He motioned for her to stay sitting. “Simone warned me. I’ll take care of this.”
Dana sank back into her seat, a familiar mix of embarrassment and anger churning in her stomach. Even on a transatlantic flight, her mother made a scene.
He walked to the curtain separating business and first class. Dana turned to watch the drama unfold, grateful that at least this time she had witnesses to her mother’s behavior.
“Do you know where my daughter is? She is supposed to be in the main cabin and there is a strange man in her seat.”
“Did you see her get on the plane?” asked the attendant. “Yes, she was in a wheelchair. She’s tall and—” Sheila squeaked as she looked past the flight attendant and her eyes connected with Dana’s. “What are you doing here? Why is she in first class?”
Sheila tried to elbow her way past the flight attendant. If there was any karma in the world, someone would record this to post on social media. But that would hurt Chey, so hopefully not.
“Ma’am, please sit down.” He blocked the way and pulled the curtain closed.
Dana covered her mouth. The flight attendant had intended to have her mother see her.
“But my daughter?—”
“Has a ticket for that seat. You, however, don’t have a ticket that allows you in this section of the plane.”
“She should trade seats with me. I am her mother!”
“Ma’am, if you don’t sit down, I’ll ask the air marshal to restrain you and we can land at the nearest airport and deplane you.”
“Mom, will you sit down?” Cheyanne’s voice was firm. “This is my wedding. Don’t you dare ruin it.”
A moment later, the flight attendant returned. “Would you like a drink?”
“Actually, yes,” Dana answered wryly. “A large glass of patience, with a dash of ginger ale, please.”
The rest of the flight passed peacefully. Thanks to the lay flat bed and the television, Dana even slept. However, she couldn’t fully relax, knowing her next confrontation with her mother was unavoidable.
The moment Dana hobbled off the plane and onto the gangway on her crutches, her body sagged.
Sheila stood behind the wheelchair attendant with a tightlipped smile and paper cruise luggage tags in hand. “I told your sister weeks ago we should have excluded you. But she wouldn’t have it. However, she agreed to let Chandler’s cousin stay in the suite with the rest of the bridal party. You now have an interior cabin all to yourself. Don’t miss the bus to the ship.”
“Thank you so much for your concern, Sheila.” Motherzilla . Dana forced a polite smile as she took the luggage tags. She knew better than to let her anger show. She’d play her mother’s game for now, but she wasn’t about to let this ruin her time on the cruise or her friendship with Chey, which had blossomed while her younger sister attended Northwestern.
Shelia rushed away.
“Do you need anything else, Miss?” asked the attendant, gesturing to Dana’s crutches and backpack.
“No, thank you.”
“Then let’s get you to customs. And don’t worry about missing the bus. We get to take the short way.” The woman pushing the chair stopped by an electric vehicle which resembled a glass enclosed golf cart. She opened the door for Dana. “I need to find another traveler who needs assistance. Then we’ll be on our way.”
A few minutes later, the woman returned with an older gentleman dressed exactly like what Dana pictured an old Cambridge professor would wear, down to the bow tie and tweed jacket.
The attendant slid in the driver’s seat and turned to Dana. “Where are you going on your cruise?”
“We are sailing around Ireland, then back to London for my half-sister’s wedding.”
“Well then, let’s not miss that cruise bus.” The driver circumvented the long customs line and drove the little cart through a designated assistance lane.
When she was the first to reach the bus, Dana tipped the assistant extra, glad that she’d picked up a few pounds while in the states. She wasn’t sure that tips were necessary in the UK, but she would rather be generous when possible. “Thank you so much for your help.”
Dana watched Sheila, her step-father, sister and the rest of the bridal party herd their suitcases to the bus only to be told they were supposed to drop them with the porter as Dana had upon leaving customs. There were advantages to needing wheelchair assistance. She should have tipped her helper double for showing her the drop off.
At the docks, another wheelchair waited for her, allowing her to bypass the long line of passengers waiting to board and get her key card. Deck 8-1269. Sheila must have planned this room change weeks ago. She couldn’t have orchestrated this from the plane.
Using another shortcut, the crew member wheeled Dana onto the ship. A uniformed officer stood at the security checkpoint, scanning cards. Two bars on his shoulder boards indicated his seniority. His bearing spoke of military experience—Navy, maybe. She’d seen enough former military in private security to recognize the telltale signs. But it wasn’t his uniform, though it fit him perfectly, that caught her attention. It was the almost-smile playing at the corners of his mouth, as if he found something quietly amusing but was too professional to show it. Her heart did an unexpected flutter when his gaze met hers. Get it together, Dana. He’s just doing his job.
He stopped her chair. “Ms. Knight? I don’t have you listed for wheelchair assistance.”
Her eyes met his—a warm hazel that seemed to see right through her. He wore the perfectly non-committal expression most bodyguards used. It was difficult to guess if he would smile or frown next. Dana forced herself to maintain her composure. “Um. No. I just sprained it two days ago. I should be fine on my crutches.”
“How?”
“How what? Did I hurt it? Or how am I going to get around this enormous ship,” Dana glanced at his name badge, “Officer Worth?”
His neutral expression slipped into a genuine smile that transformed his entire face. “Both?”
“Playing soccer with a three-year-old. And I’ll just skip my upper body workouts for the next few days.” Dana used her crutches to help her balance as she got out of the wheelchair and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She turned to the young man who had pushed it. “Thank you so much for your help. I’ll be good from here.”
Officer Worth nodded at her. “Don’t forget to check in at your muster station.” His voice held a note of concern that seemed more personal than professional. More likely, it was her imagination or the extra ibuprofen.
“Thank you, have a great day.” Dana kept her voice steady, though she felt his eyes on her as she maneuvered past the elevators to have her card scanned at the muster station.
Her brief bubble of satisfaction at handling that interaction professionally popped when she made her way to her stateroom. As she expected from her key card number, instead of the spacious multi-bedroom suite her sister had booked months ago, a dark, cramped interior room awaited her. The cruise line had decorated the room trying to counter the feeling, but another light or two would have helped more.
On the bright side, being alone, she wouldn’t feel like the crusty camp counselor when the rest of the bridesmaids got seasick or drank too much. Any refund for the difference between her portion of the classy suite and the compact room would go into Sheila’s pocket.
Dana sat on the end of the single twin sized bed and elevated her throbbing ankle. The tiny room was small enough she wouldn’t need her crutches to hop around, as long as the seas were calm. For her current situation, this was the better option of a room. Something she wouldn’t tell her mother. Luxury was overrated.
A glance at the ship’s app told her that the closest open food venue likely to have ice was four floors up, near the pool. The others wouldn’t open until the ship left the dock hours from now. With a sigh, she maneuvered to her feet and grabbed the crutches, bracing herself for the trek to the upper decks.
Despite her best efforts to focus on navigating the ship’s layout, her mind kept drifting back to Officer Worth’s smile. She’d met plenty of attractive men in her line of work—why did this one make her pulse quicken? Maybe it was just the pain medication making her light-headed. Yes, that had to be it. Because developing feelings for a crew member would be the worst possible complication to an already complicated trip.
Notwithstanding her bravado earlier, getting around the ship on crutches was daunting. Once at the pool deck, she found she had to cross to the other side. Cheyanne and her friends sat around the main pool already in swimming suits, although it was a cool day. Her half-sister waved her over with a flourish of her mimosa. “Dana! Come join us. We were just talking about going to the casino tonight. You must come.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass this time.” Dana eyed the bridesmaids, who were already tipsy if Lindie’s and Erin’s giggling was any sign. Renee said something to Amy-Kate behind her hand. The inside cabin was a bigger blessing than she thought it could be. “I should stay off my foot as much as possible.”
“It’s my bachelorette cruise. Celebrate with me.” Cheyanne’s gaze slid past Dana, lighting up as she caught sight of a man approaching. “Chandler!”
Dana pivoted on her crutches. Chandler strode towards them, clad in khakis and a polo shirt, looking every bit the proper British gentleman on a holiday. Two of his grooms-minions followed him. His cold eyes raked over her with a hint of disdain. The minions, full on sneered.
“A pleasure to see you again,” he said, though his tone indicated otherwise. He turned to Chey. “Sunscreen? I’d hate for you to ruin the photographs.”
“Of course. Do you need some?” Chey plucked a bottle out of her bag.
Chandler sniffed. “Remind me to get you some of my brand.”
The minions squeezed in between the bridesmaids only after Chandler sat on the end of Chey’s lounge chair.
The conversation turned to the sail away party. Dana left as soon as she felt she could. At the outdoor bistro, she asked for her icepack to be filled and treated herself to a warm cookie, which was easier to hold than the celebratory ice cream cone alternative.
Back in her cabin, she propped her foot on the bed with the extra pillow and let the ice do its work. Intending to read her new novel about a viscount and his list of marriageable debutantes, she pulled out her phone. A notification from the Hastings Security app filled her screen. She tapped to respond, unsure if she could login without connecting to the ship’s Wi-Fi system. To her surprise, the app connected immediately.
Hastings 2: Where does Peter hide his blue elephant when he doesn’t want to take a nap?
Oops, she’d forgotten to put that on the list of things her sub needed to know. At least the person texting couldn’t hear her laugh.
Dana: Behind the plant in the living room. If you can’t find it, ask the AI in the penthouse. She always knows where the elephant is.
The AI Colin Ogilvie designed was scary smart and bordered on creepy sometimes with how much she knew.
Hastings 2: Why didn’t I think of that?
Acting on a hunch, Dana tapped the reply.
Dana: ZoElle, is that you?
Hastings 2: Yup, the only thing Alan lets me near anymore is the computers. Watching Peter in the apartment qualified as a “safe activity.”
Dana: I won’t redefine his definition of safe.
Hastings 2: How’s the trip going?
Dana: Don’t be surprised if there is a viral video of my mother losing it on the plane.
The video phone on the app rang. Dana answered to see ZoElle Hastings, her hair in a messy bun. “I just wanted to wish you bon voyage.”
“I’m surprised my app works down here.” Dana flipped the camera to show ZoElle the room. “I’m not connected to the ship Wi-Fi and I don’t have international data on my phone.”
“That isn’t the suite you showed me. It looks like a normal—” ZoElle gasped. “—What cruise line are you on?”
Dana held up her key card and panned the room with her phone to show the full effect.
“No wonder I am having flashbacks.” ZoElle shuddered. “The kidnappers held us in a room so similar to that one only larger. What happened to the original suite?”
One of Hastings Security’s most publicized cases was when ZoElle and Alan posed as newlyweds and rescued an heiress from a deadly situation on a cruise. Who knew it was the same line her sister chose for her bachelorette?
“Motherzilla switched my accommodations. The room is growing on me. Private is good sometimes. Is this the same ship you were on in Panama?”
“I don’t know. Definitely the same cruise line. Did you know Colin Ogilvie designed an app for that cruise line about the time Alan and I got married?”
Not surprising that Colin’s technology for Hasting Security had been crucial in saving the heiress under their protection. “Is it based on the Hastings app?”
“Probably the same tech. That may be why your app is working on the ship. Colin may have built in a backdoor or something. At least now I know I can contact you if Peter loses anything else.”
“And I can contact you if I need to jump ship.”
“Is it as bad as you thought it would be?”
“You know my mother. She moved me to this lovely room. Who knows what else she has planned. At least Cheyanne wants me here so…”
ZoElle glanced away from the screen. “They found the elephant. Thanks for letting me bug you on your cruise.”
Dana laughed. “I should let you go before I get in trouble with my boss for using the company app when I am on vacation.”
“Don’t worry about him. Alan is too preoccupied with his impending fatherhood to micromanage the trivial things. Enjoy your cruise!” ZoElle closed the app from her end.
Dana sighed as she lay back on the bed. She reached for her ice pack and the lid fell off spilling cold water and ice on the bed. It was one of those days, or weeks. Dana cleaned up the best she could. The remaining ice wasn’t enough. She needed more. Dana checked the cruise app, there had to be a closer place than by the pool to get ice. An ice machine like a hotel would be nice. If she could wait an hour… no better get it now.
Dana tossed her phone into the fanny pack she wore like a crossbody bag. Her mother had ridiculed the newest fashion, however it was extremely useful with crutches and better than wearing it on her belly or fanny like her mother did. She glanced around the room again for anything she might need. Her key card lay on the bed. She was never that careless. Stress overload? Bad luck? Dana snatched it up and slid it in her pack. She started her second quest for ice.