Chapter 5
5
McKay leaned back in the security office chair, his eyes glued to the CCTV monitors. Alvaro had assigned him to keep an eye on Miss Knight until they heard from Hastings confirming her story. The captain had left port only ten minutes late, after exclaiming that the sweet woman on crutches couldn’t be a threat to his ship. McKay watched her leave her room and head to the buffet. One of the dining rooms closer would have been a better choice, as it didn’t require reservations, although it had a long wait time. He shook his head. Not his job to choose her dining options, just observe.
Switching cameras, he followed her progress as she hobbled along to the buffet line, leaning heavily on her crutches while trying to balance a plate in one hand. Where were the workers? The dining staff had crew assigned to help those who might have difficulty navigating the buffet. McKay looked for the radio number for the dining officer and stopped when a crew member stepped up to assist Miss Knight. He frowned that she shouldn’t have gotten that far without help.
The security satellite phone rang. Martina answered and handed it to McKay. “Alan Hastings, for you.”
McKay took the phone. “Mr. Hastings?—”
“Alan, please. My father, Jethro, is Mr. Hastings.”
“Thanks for returning my call. I need to confirm that you do have an employee on board, and she is not on duty.”
“Why do you think we have an employee on your ship?” McKay summarized the phone alert and his conversation with Miss Knight.
“Were you on the Panama Canal cruise?”
“Yes, as was the security chief, hence our concern.”
“Understandable. I can confirm Miss Knight’s conversation with
a staff member through our app. She is on PTO. And Hastings has no security work on any of your cruise lines.” Alan’s voice was firm and friendly. “Our apologies for contacting her through our app and alarming you. I’ll have to have my wife look into the app glitch.”
“If she is on paid time off, why did you contact her?”
“Um,” Alan paused. “Dana’s main principles are minors. Not all of them follow predictable patterns. Is that enough for you?”
McKay pictured someone trying to act as security personnel for his niece. “I think I understand. One more question. Miss Knight is on crutches. True or false?”
Alan laughed at this. “Sadly she is, work related injury. One with no principal threat involved. So we can all laugh at the unlikelihood of the accident.”
McKay waited a moment for any more disclosures. There were none. “Thank you so much for your time.”
“No problem. Sorry we gave you a scare.”
“It was the first time I’d seen the name Hastings Security outside of our training videos since Panama.”
“You use that scenario for training too?”
McKay smiled. “We learned so much that day.”
After ending the call, Martina came to stand behind him. “Should I keep eyes on that woman still?”
“No, need.” Shame. McKay didn’t mind watching her. She’d been polite to the dining crew members and seemed confident even when dining alone. In his years working for the cruise line, McKay had never come close to even thinking about a passenger in a romantic way. He took one last look at the buffet room camera before standing. “She’s not a threat.”
McKay texted Alvaro a summary of his discoveries.
Alvaro: Not 100% convinced. PTSD. Monitor from time to time. Her future brother-in-law is a titled and wealthy Brit.
McKay: Will do. Returning to regular duties.
Alvaro sent a thumbs up emoji.
Before leaving the room, McKay scanned the rest of the monitors, looking for signs of trouble. On embarkation day, passengers started drinking earlier than most days. The bar overlooking the main pool was more crowded than normal. A walk through the bars and restaurants might flush out anyone who needed to change to a seat in a food venue.
He hadn’t made it halfway through his rounds when he spotted her on the upper deck. Miss Knight leaned against the railing, her crutches propped up beside her, staring out at the horizon where the sinking sun painted the sky in vibrant hues of orange and pink.
He should keep walking. He had actual security concerns to address. Instead, he found himself moving toward her.
“Beautiful sunset, isn’t it?” he said, trying to sound casual as he joined her by the railing.
“Oh—hi,” She smoothed a hand over her windswept hair. “Yeah, it’s beautiful out here.”
“Mind if I join you? This is my last cruise for a while. Wanted to get in more sunsets before I head home.”
Miss Knight’s eyes flicked away from the view, and she looked him over with a hint of amusement. “You mean you’re not here to keep tabs on me?”
The knowing look in her eyes told him she’d been aware of the surveillance. Of course she had. She was a security professional herself. Something about that made her even more intriguing. Most passengers either never noticed they were being watched or became paranoid when they did. He was entering turbulent waters. He needed to maintain professional distance. Instead, he found himself drawn into conversation with her, wanting to know more about the woman who could spot surveillance and make jokes about it. Would a life preserver save him?
“No. I spoke with Alan Hastings. I’m not concerned about you causing trouble.”
“To be fair, it wasn’t Alan or ZoElle or anyone from Hastings Security that caused trouble on a cruise. They only stopped it.”
“Touché.” McKay leaned on the railing next to her. “I’m not worried about you starting any trouble.”
“You realize that if I saw an incident, I’d be compelled to stop it, or at least report it.”
“The job never leaves, does it?”
“Does it leave you?” She answered his question with one of her own. Telling him more than a straight answer would. She didn’t trust him yet. “Where is home?”
“Indiana. As land locked as one can be.”
“Nope, still have the Great Lakes. I’d say Wyoming wins.”
“Or Colorado.”
“South Dakota.”
He couldn’t help smiling. “Well, now that we both know our geography…”
Miss Knight reached for crutches. One fell to the deck. McKay bent for it at the same time she did, knocking her off her foot. She landed with a thud.
“Sorry.” Instinctively, he knelt by her side.
“I’m fine. Only thing wounded is my pride. I’ll be so happy to be off these things.”
McKay pulled over a deck chair and helped her up.
“Still believe I am in some disguise?” Miss Knight checked her splinted foot. “Right now, you’re probably wondering why Alan Hastings lets me out in the field.”
“He was laughing about your injury on the phone.”
“I was playing soccer with my principals. A gopher hole jumped in my way.”
“And here I thought security details usually stood around all day.”
“Some do.” She turned her head to the sunset. “What’s waiting
for you back home?”
“Family, mostly. My mom and sister need some help.” He debated about telling her more. If the situation were different, he might say she was easy to talk to. “I’m taking several months leave.”
“Serious problems?”
“Enough.” Time to change the subject. “I don’t see you hanging out with your family.”
“You’ve been watching.” Not a question. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing.
“Just until we had confirmation from Hastings Security. Why did you choose the buffet?”
“Because I wasn’t thinking logistics. Hopefully, I am off these in a few days.”
“Next nosey question. You are part of the big bridal party. Why aren’t you with them?”
“Tonight? They are in the casino. I’d rather go put my foot up and read. My sister urged me to go. She’s a good kid.”
“But?”
“My mother is the Motherzilla-of-the-bride.” The nickname wasn’t a bad replacement for Momster.
“Motherzilla? Is that like Godzilla?”
“Something like that. In case you haven’t guessed, I am not the favorite child.”
“Why is that?”
“I was four when Dad came home from deployment. I mentioned I loved him more than my other ‘daddy’… the divorce was completed before he served ten years, which makes a big difference in the alimony. When I was ten, I fought for a change of custody so I could go live with him. I spent as little time as possible after that with my mother and Mitchell. Cheyanne and I have only gotten to know each other these last four years.”
McKay’s respect for her grew. It couldn’t have been easy standing up to family at such a young age. “That is an interesting dynamic.”
“My Dad is great. He retired from the military and took a job as a policeman in the town where my Mother lives just to be near me. He never missed a single school event, or anything.”
“And your Mother did?”
She shrugged a shoulder and looked out to sea again.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” McKay stepped back both emotionally and physically. He should go. He was on duty and any justification that this conversation was a soft interrogation was flimsy at least.
Miss Knight shrugged. “Most lives are complicated, aren’t they? Sorry, I shouldn’t have told you all of that.”
“Sometimes talking to a stranger is better than therapy.”
For a moment, they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they watched the sun disappear below the horizon.
McKay found himself wanting to tell her about his mother’s illness, about why he was really leaving the ship. Something about Dana Knight made him want to open up, and that was exactly why he needed to maintain his distance.
“Officer Worth,” she began hesitantly. “I just wanted to say thank you. For your kindness today. You could have tossed me overboard.”
McKay chuckled. “We usually ask people to walk the plank, but when I saw those crutches, well I didn’t have the heart to.”
As darkness settled around them, the ship’s lights twinkled like stars against the inky sky.
“It’s so peaceful out here.” She rubbed her arms, calming a shiver. “Hard to believe we’re on a giant ship with thousands of people when it feels this serene.”
McKay nodded, also taking in the magnificent scene. “It’s one of my favorite parts of working on a cruise. No matter how hectic the day is, I know I can come out here and just watch the sunset and relax.”
The way the fading light illuminated Miss Knight’s face, even exhausted from a long day and hobbling around on crutches, radiated something special. A beauty he couldn’t let get under his skin. “Back home, I’m lucky to get a chance to catch a sunset over the cornfields. This definitely beats Indiana.”
Miss Knight laughed, her nose wrinkling up in amusement. “Chicago sunsets have their appeal too, when you can actually see the sky through all the buildings. But this is pretty hard to beat.”
They stood for a minute longer, the silence comfortable between them.
“I should go. My ice should be in my room by now and I need to get my foot back up.”
“May I walk you back? I wouldn’t want you to fall again.”
She stood balanced on the crutches he handed her. “Oddly enough, the only times I’ve fallen or run into someone, you’ve been around.”
“Is that a no?”
She laughed, a clear, crisp sound. “I can’t really stop you, can I? But seeing that the boat is rocking more than when I came up. I can’t say I wouldn’t mind a spotter. If I injure myself again, my mother will start breathing fire.”
“We can’t have that. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but fire and cruises don’t mix well.”
When they arrived at her room, Miss Knight paused in the hallway outside her cabin door. “Thanks for tonight. It was really nice talking to you.”
“My pleasure.” McKay smiled. “Perhaps I’ll run into you again.”
“Please, not literally.”
“No. Not that. If you need more ice or assistance, just ring your cabin steward.”
“I will.”
They stood as if frozen, unable to avoid the awkward end. Then McKay cleared his throat. “Well, goodnight, Miss Knight. Sleep well.”
He walked on down the passageway, listening for the click of her door. He’d come too close to the line he’d set for himself with passenger relations tonight. He shouldn’t be interested in her. Alvaro needed to be content that she wasn’t here for anything other than the wedding, so he wouldn’t have another excuse to talk with her. Perhaps he could look her up when they were home. It was only a three-hour drive to Chicago, if traffic was good.
Dana shut her cabin door and leaned against it, her heart racing in a way that had nothing to do with navigating on crutches. She’d just flirted with a crew member. Worse, she’d enjoyed it. What was she thinking?
She wasn’t thinking; that was the problem. He’d remained mostly professional. Minus the whole walking her back to the room thing. Which she could chalk up to a liability thing especially after toppling over on deck. Her life couldn’t handle much more embarrassment. Falling all over a handsome man. At least her training kicked in and she’d changed her trajectory to the deck. The memory of his hands on her hips earlier today was enough. She didn’t need to end up in his arms again.
She placed her crutches on the floor under the bed. His excuse to walk her back was mostly legitimate. She should have waved him off when they reached her hall and avoided that awkward first date door moment. First date? She’d never told a first date so much about her life.
Jet lag. It had to be jet lag. Maybe the jokes about the Love boat. Flirting with—forget flirting—trusting. She’d gone straight to trusting him. It took her days, if not weeks, to trust her very well vetted coworkers. And she couldn’t remember telling any of them that much about her family. She’d spent hundreds of hours on duty with Chris, and he didn’t know half as much about her.
The bucket of ice sat in the bathroom sink. A good place in rough seas, she supposed. There was enough for 2 ice packs.
After changing and brushing her teeth, she made her way to the bed and settled in with her ice pack. She searched her reading app for Persuasion . After watching it the other night, she wanted to review the finer points. The words on her phone faded as she replayed her conversation with Officer Worth. The way he half smiled when she teased him about following her.
Her phone buzzed, breaking her out of her dangerous thoughts.
Brit: How’s the cruise so far? Meet any handsome officers?
Dana groaned. Of course Brit would ask that. She typed back:
Dana: Getting ready to go to bed. Sheila caused drama on the plane. Did Simone tell you?
Brit: That’s not an answer to my second question.
Writing her answer, Dana remembered she hadn’t paid for ship Wi-Fi. She checked to make sure the Hastings app was off. She didn’t need Officer Worth banging on the door when she was in her comfy t-shirt featuring a hippo eating chocolate, and boy shorts.
Dana: We discussed that impossibility.
Brit: Rumor has it, the cruise ship called Hastings.
How did she know that? Of course Mr. Gossip himself. One of these days…
Dana: Doesn’t Javier have something better to do than gossip?
Brit: I think you are being too evasive.
Dana: Yes, I met and was questioned by an officer. They were worried I was a security risk.
Brit: My imaginary version is better.
It was tempting to ask what her friend imagined just so she could compare.
Dana: I’m here for Chey’s wedding. That’s all.
Brit: Was he cute?
Dana: Who?
Brit: The officer who interrogated you?
Not cute. Handsome.
Dana: Doesn’t matter, he is an employee.
Brit: Hmmmmm.
Dana: Good night. It is past bedtime here.
Brit: Night. Sweet dreams… of ship’s officers.
Dana dropped her phone on the bed. She didn’t need her friends encouraging this. Whatever it was. She was here for Cheyanne’s wedding. She needed to focus on being a good sister and bridesmaid, not mooning over a security officer like some romance novel heroine.
Giving up on reading, Dana turned off the app and dreamed the exact dreams Brit wished upon her.