Chapter 7
7
The line to the tinder boats wound down the hallway. For the first time since boarding, Dana was truly annoyed with her mother for switching her out of the premium suite. Her sister and the other bridesmaids had received VIP treatment and disembarked forever ago without waiting in the line. A crew member came down the line checking excursion tickets. Dana held out hers.
The young man looked at the crutches. “Come with me, please.”
He led Dana to a much shorter line filled with people on scooters. “Since you are using crutches, you can use this line. Can you navigate the stairs without help?”
“Yes.” A stab of guilt ran through Dana; this line was for those with limited mobility. Her crutches qualified? A minute later, she was at the front of the line, where a crew member took her crutches. The stairs down to the tinder boat moved with the waves. Dana gripped the rails tightly, glad that she could bear some weight on her injured ankle as she hopped down the short flight. At home, she would have ditched the crutches by now. However, she did not know how much she would need to walk today and erred on the side of caution.
The cramped tinder boat bobbed in the water. Passengers squeezed together like the proverbial sardines on hard molded benches. Dana hoped those facing her wouldn’t discover they were seasick now.
No one did.
At the port, a bus making the drive to Waterford waited. A large van, that had begun to pull out, stopped suddenly in front of the bus. The door flew open and her sister jumped out.
“Dana!” Cheyanne waved her arms. “Where were you? Come on!”
Dana hurried over at Olympic speed, if crutch running was a sport.
Cheyanne gave her a quick side hug as they found their seat on the bus. “I’m so glad you made it. Next time come up to the suite and you can leave with us. I asked about it this morning.”
From the seat behind them, their mother scoffed as the van began moving again and turned on to the main road. The conversation quickly turned to what type of crystal Cheyanne wanted. As they drove through the picturesque countryside of Ireland, Dana found herself lost in thought, wondering about the people who lived here for centuries.
Cheyanne’s excited squeal interrupted Dana’s daydreams. “Look! There it is!” Cheyanne pointed at a sign that read “Waterford Crystal Visitors Centre.”
The van pulled into a parking spot on the street and they all piled out. The visitors centre was bustling with people. A young woman who was checking group’s tour times approached them.
“Welcome to the Visitors Centre,” she said. “Feel free to look around and let us know if you have any questions before your tour.” The group wandered around the gift shop, admiring the sparkling crystal pieces on display.
As Dana approached the crystal saxophone to get a better look at the masterpiece, Sheila called out, “Careful on your crutches. I’m not paying for anything you break.”
Not wanting to cause a scene, Dana gave her mother a tightlipped smile and turned back to admire the glass cutter’s work.
Their tour was called, and their guide introduced himself as he led them into the factory. As a former artisan, his presentation was full of insight as he showed them the various craftsmen working on their latest creations. Dana marveled at the precision and skill it took to turn a raw piece of crystal into something so beautiful. Skilled woodcarvers created moulds for glassblowers to shape the red-hot glass. Others hand-marked the glass for the cutters to carve the intricate patterns into the crystal. Sculptors made some unique pieces by shaping the glass. Having barely mastered making snakes and bowls from children’s clay, the amount of skill required to sculpt a block of glass into a gramophone or other unique item awed Dana.
The tour ended back in the shopping gallery. Dana wanted to purchase some small item to remember the skill of those who worked years to make something out of glass. Cheyanne and her bridesmaids gathered to choose a set of champagne glasses. Dana wandered in search of something that better fit her style. Nothing too ornate, but a piece that would show off the craft and skills she’d witnessed. And most of all, something that fit her budget. After considering various Christmas ornaments, picture frames and clocks, she settled on a small crystal bowl that had heart-shaped sides.
The piece was beyond what she’d budgeted, but with the money Chey had given her she could splurge a little. Dana found an employee to assist her since balancing on her crutches and picking up a piece of crystal were not activities she was going to try at the same time.
At a nearby register, Sheila and Mitchell argued over how much to spend on Cheyanne’s gift. The bridesmaids rushed out of the shop as if they heard a fire alarm, leaving the maid of honor to help Chey. Dana followed behind.
“Hey Dana, want to go with us to the Viking tower?” Lindie, who had been Cheyanne’s roommate, pointed to the end of the street. “We have an hour before the van comes back.”
Dana gauged the distance to be less than the length of the cruise ship. “Sure, let’s go.”
On the way down, they ran into Chandler and his minions. They dressed more alike than the women, each man duplicating Chandler’s style.
“Where is Cheyanne?” asked Chandler.
Lindie nodded to the Waterford building. “I wouldn’t go there. Her mother is trying to get her to buy this set of crystal she doesn’t want.”
“She doesn’t need any. My mum has three sets. I told your mum this three times.” He hurried up the hill.
“No offense, Dana, but your mom is kind of a mess.” Amy-Kate grimaced. “I thought Cheyanne exaggerated all these years, about how controlling she could be, but not so much.”
Dana had only met Amy-Kate a handful of times. Her ginger hair made her easy to remember. “Not offended.”
“She’s been pretty awful to you this trip. I was secretly cheering for you when you ended up at the captain’s table. And sitting next to that hot guy. I am a sucker for a man in uniform.” Lindie hummed her appreciation. “Are you going to try to see him again?”
“Officer Worth works security. I’m sure we will all see him from time to time, especially when we board the ship.” Dana watched her feet to not put her crutches in one of the many cracks between the cobblestones.
Lindie threw up her hands. “That isn’t what I meant and you know it.”
“He’s got to be thirty, just the right age for you.” Erin’s comment could have been taken as an insult, but Dana ignored it. Oh to be twenty again.
“In case you missed it in all your information from the cruise, crew members are not to be involved with passengers.” Amy-Kate’s voice held a note of superiority which poked Dana the wrong way.
“I’m not sure it would stop me.” Erin tossed her obviously dyed red hair over her shoulder. “I’m with Lindie, I love me a man in uniform.”
“It does me.” Dana hoped to end the speculation. “If I liked Officer Worth, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize his job.”
“If?” said Lindie with a grin. “Only an ‘if?’”
They reached the bottom of the hill where an ancient tower built by the Vikings stood. Dana changed the subject. “That door seems awfully short. I always thought the Vikings were tall.”
Erin pointed to a model of a ship on the far side of the tower. “I thought their ships were bigger, too.”
“There has got to be some information around here to read.” Dana’s search for a sign took her a few steps from the other women. As she read, they were joined by Cheyanne and Renee. The poor maid of honor looked exasperated. Dana wished she could help, but her interference in the shop would have made things worse. It seemed Chandler charging into the shop had ended the standoff. After a few minutes of looking around the Viking tower, the group returned to the visitors centre to await their ride. When the van returned they all slowly piled in.
To Dana’s relief, no one mentioned Officer Worth again. The last thing she needed was Lindie and her friends deciding to make sure she saw more of him.
Excited passengers returned from their first at shore day. Most were too excited to complain about long lines or the need to return early. As usual, a few passengers ignored the regulations on food and other prohibited items. McKay stood between the check in scanner and the X-ray machine, ready to intervene if necessary. Over the years, he’d learned that most of those who tried to bring fruits, meat, or dairy products on board were fully aware they shouldn’t and a stern glare with his arms crossed would keep them from arguing with the security staff. The few passengers that purchased souvenirs in the form of Irish Whisky or other drinks registered their purchases to be held until the end of the cruise.
A blue-haired lady and her friend stopped in front of him. She held up a candy bar. “Sir, we purchased chocolate. Do you need to confiscate it?”
“No, ma’am. Chocolate is not prohibited. You may bring as much as you wish.”
She turned to her friend. “I told you chocolate isn’t food.”
“Chocolate is food. And no one needs as much as you pur-
chased.”
The pair continued to the x-ray station.
McKay hid his smile as he glanced at the monitor and saw what looked to be five or more pounds of chocolate in blue-hair’s purse.
The next tinder boat arrived, and a crew member ran a pair of crutches up to the top of the stairs. Unless someone injured themselves at port, there was only one passenger on the ship who could be coming his way soon. He paid more attention to the boarding passengers than he did the ones having their belongings scanned. The fiancé, the bride-to-be, the mother, and several other bridesmaids came up the ladder. Was that the same redhead from last night? Or was it that one? He’d already counted a half dozen ginger haired possibilities.
Dana was the last one up the stairs. Of course, she would have voluntarily come last.
“Miss Knight, how was your ashore day?”
“Very nice, thank you.”
Two bridesmaids giggled, and Dana blushed.
Not good.
McKay knew he hadn’t crossed any lines. But perhaps he had stepped too close. No more special treatment for Dana. He turned his attention to the crew members at the alcohol check-in table. He had a job to do. If he had three months left on his contract or if Dana lived on the other side of the country, like in Idaho, it would be easier to ignore her. Knowing that he could see her again was likely what fueled the attraction. He needed to ignore it.
Still, McKay found his attention drifting to the door Dana had disappeared through. The next passengers approached with shopping bags full of souvenirs, but he barely registered their presence. What was it about Dana Knight that made maintaining professional distance so difficult? In five years of working cruise ships, he’d never been tempted to cross that line. Now he wanted to run across the finish line, arms raised up high like a marathon winner.
“Sir?” A passenger’s voice snapped him back to attention. “Do I need to register this bottle?”
McKay forced himself to focus on his duties. He couldn’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a passenger.