Chapter Four
“No parties.”
Madison rolled her eyes.
Ellie scoffed.
The fact that neither of them made a verbal comment wasn’t lost on him.
“You’re the one that will be doing the partying, Dad,” Madison said.
“Is that right?” James glanced at his phone to see how far out his Uber driver was. “When was the last time you saw me party?”
Ellie narrowed her eyes. “The Halloween where you dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow.”
“You were twelve,” he reminded her. And while he had been dressed up as a drunk pirate, he’d kept the rum out of his soda since the party Ellie spoke of was for nothing but twelve-year-olds.
Ellie and Madison exchanged glances.
“Send us pics,” Madison told him.
“And don’t turn off your tracker.”
“Isn’t that my line, Ellie?” The caveat to the girls having cell phones was that their whereabouts were tracked every minute of every day. “Besides, I doubt it will work in the middle of the ocean.”
“He’s right,” Madison said.
According to his phone, his ride was one minute out.
“Which reminds me . . . watch out for each other.” Not that he needed to worry.
Cindy was fifteen minutes away. While they could have mandated that the girls spend the time James was away on the cruise at their mother’s, the adults in the situation realized Ellie and Madison were two months away from their eighteenth birthdays .
. . and were leaving for college in August. It was time to cut the cord.
“We will.”
James opened the front door.
The morning sky was still sleepy.
“And no boys over.”
The driver pulled up to the curb.
“Yes, Dad.”
Leaving the girls sent a strange wave of panic through him.
Misplaced panic, since he’d been turning on and off the parenting button since his divorce, but anxiety nonetheless. “Remember, don’t add to the population, don’t subtract from the population. Don’t end up in the hospital, the newspapers, or jail.”
Madison and Ellie both laughed and finished his weekend speech for him. “And if we do end up in jail, establish dominance early.”
God, he loved his girls.
James opened his arms, and they both stepped close.
One arm around each of them, he kissed the top of their heads. “Love you both.”
“Love you, too, Dad,” Madison cooed.
“Do crazy shit and have a good time,” Ellie encouraged.
James stepped out of the house.
“Love you,” Ellie said.
He looked back and winked. “No parties, no boys.”
Both the girls muttered as he made his way down the steps and into the driveway.
Once he settled in the back of the beat-up Toyota that smelled a little like cigarettes and regret, the driver asked him what airline he was flying.
“United.”
The driver pulled away from the house, looked in his rearview mirror. “Going on vacation?”
James almost said yes . . . Instead he shook his head. “Business.”
There was no way he was telling a stranger that he was leaving his home for an extended amount of time.
Especially with the most important people in his life being left behind.
As that thought circled in his head, he removed his phone from his pocket and pulled up the group chat between his daughters and him. Don’t forget to set the house alarm when you leave.
Madison responded with a thumbs-up.
James tapped his finger on his knee.
And when you’re in for the night.
Ellie sent a wide-eyed emoji followed by one rolling their eyes.
Don’t tell your friends I’m gone.
James knew that last one was a stretch . . . but he had to try.
A few seconds passed before Ellie responded.
Get here at eight. Dad’s gone for ten days, Trevor is bringing the beer.
James read the text twice.
Before he could wrap his brain around the words, Ellie texted again. Oops, that wasn’t meant for you.
A grin swept over his lips.
She’s kidding, Dad, Madison texted.
James laughed and put his phone away.
Dorm rooms didn’t have security alarms, and boys were down the hall.
How had that happened?
Eighteen years gone . . . just like that.
The chartered yacht Mari’s daughter and son-in-law owned was the closest thing she’d ever come to a cruise ship.
It was nothing close.
The singles group from San Diego poured in like a wave. Summer had given Mari and Rosa matching T-shirts with the words San Diego Singles along with the cruise line’s logo. The lime-green color singled their group out of the crowd.
And what a crowd.
The special T-shirts weren’t an original idea. There were several singles groups huddled together as they walked onto the ship.
Employees with smart uniforms and pleasant smiles greeted and directed them toward the general area of their rooms.
“Room 6521 is starboard, midship.” The employee pointed toward the stairwell. “Up two levels. Your luggage should arrive at your stateroom within the hour. In the meantime, feel free to join the bon voyage party on the Lido deck. The buffet is open.”
Rosa thanked the woman enthusiastically. “This is going to be great.”
While Mari had been a reluctant participant, the sheer number of people and smiles had her changing her mind.
“Let’s find our room, then join the party.”
“Lead the way,” Mari said, following her friend.
Map in hand, the two of them took the stairs.
Navigating the narrow halls and other passengers finding their rooms led them to theirs.
Mari’s first impression when Rosa opened the door was instant. “Looks much smaller than the pictures.”
Rosa moved straight to the window and looked outside. “At least we have a view. Besides, we won’t be in here other than to sleep.”
Mari peeked into the bathroom. It was on par with what she found on the airplane. A bit larger because of the shower. It had all you needed.
Two beds, a TV . . . a small desk. “It will work.”
Near the TV sat a piece of paper, which addressed their group.
Mari read it out loud.
“‘Welcome aboard, San Diego Singles. Join us on the main pool deck, or Lido deck, for the bon voyage party and group photo. Please wear your T-shirts. There will be music, dancing, and of course . . . cocktails. We are all seated in the same general area of the main dining room and encourage you to move around to meet other members of our group. Each day, along with the ship’s itinerary, we have our own supplement. Group games, competitions, and costume parties, to name a few. Join as many or as few of the activities as you like. Though we really did work hard to make this a vacation you’ll never forget and hope to see you often.
Enjoy your first afternoon and evening on board. ’”
It was signed San Diego Cruise Crew.
Rosa tossed her purse on one of the beds. “Let’s find the party.”
Without their luggage to unpack, there wasn’t a reason to stay in the room.
Mari glanced at her purse. “Do we need to carry our purses around?”
Rosa shook her head. “Our room key pays for everything.”
“Maybe put our passports and wallets in the safe.”
Rosa agreed.
After locking the room safe and stashing their purses in one of the drawers in the room, they made their way to the upper deck and followed the sound of the party.
The loud thump of music overtook the noise of the people.
Already, the pool was overflowing with bodies. Obviously, seasoned cruisers knew to pack their swimsuits in whatever they walked onto the ship with, and they wasted no time in making themselves at home.
Mari and Rosa stood on the fringes, taking it all in.
Two bars, one on each side of the pool, were three people deep. Every chair was taken. And kids ran past with plates of food in their hands.
Mari knew, without a doubt, that she was staring at what would be the main theme of her life the entire time they were on this ship. Like happy hour at her restaurant during the holiday season. A nonstop party.
James stood on the balcony of his suite looking out over the port of Fort Lauderdale, kicking himself for packing his computer in his suitcase.
The group T-shirt that could be seen from a mile away sat on the bed along with Summer’s itinerary.
There was no way he was going to wear an advertisement for his single status.
A lack of a wedding ring should be enough. Although James knew the moment the thought entered his head that missing a ring had very little to do with missing a wife.
He turned back to his room and looked around the space.
It was two and a half times the size of a normal stateroom, complete with a living space, separate bedroom, kitchenette, and bathroom that included a bathtub. It was total overkill. But unlike the other guests on board, James planned on working and therefore spending plenty of time in his room.
That was, once his luggage arrived.
He glanced at his watch and considered his options.
He might as well grab a bite to eat and explore the ship instead of staring out the window.
He didn’t have far to go before he found the long line into the buffet.
Yeah, he wasn’t that hungry.
Music led him to the pool, where everyone who wasn’t eating seemed to be gathered.
James weaved in and out of people . . . a lot of them wearing matching T-shirts. Not just the lime green Summer came up with, but people in bright yellow, soft blues, orange, and reds.
All the shirts had similar themes.
Sassy Singles from Seattle.
Right Swipe from Richmond.
Always a Bridesmaid, Never the Bride.
The girls wearing the pink shirts had the bridesmaid logo, and they all looked like they were only a couple of years older than his daughters.
There was even a group from The Villages, a retirement community that lived an hour outside of Orlando. Their logo said The Real Village People.
As the music faded, a man’s voice, in a distinct British accent, called out over the PA system.
“Good afternoon. And welcome aboard. I am your cruise director, Percy, and these beautiful people you see beside me will be guiding you through all the fantastic adventures you’ll be experiencing over the next ten days. Are you excited?” His question ended in a yell.
The crowd on deck clapped, and a few cheered.
“Oh, c’mon, friends, that was weak. I asked, are you excited?”