Chapter Six
James met the day surprisingly rested.
He wasn’t sure if the sway of the ship contributed to that, or the fact that he’d gone to bed late and didn’t have an alarm clock pulling him out of bed before the sun rose.
Either way, he rolled out of bed and pulled open the drapes of his stateroom to find nothing but the vast blue sea and a sky dotted with clouds.
He pulled on the sliding glass door and was met with wind.
The first day on this cruise was at sea. Nothing but whatever the ship had on offer to entertain the passengers. And from what he’d witnessed the night before, that offering was expansive.
The PG-13-rated dating game had been a riot to watch. Something he’d expect from a bunch of college kids, only without alcohol shots at the end of each round.
That thought instantly had him envisioning his girls and realizing that they would be facing weekends filled with nights like what he’d just experienced before the year played out.
Alcohol, boys . . . party games. Yes, laughter, fun, and excitement, but that wasn’t the part that concerned him. It was the boys and alcohol.
Boys trying to pick them up.
Sneak them off to a quiet place.
Like the Italian spitfire he’d run into twice now.
The image of her put a smile on James’s lips.
She was something. Funny, without trying to be, and completely taken aback by the interaction with the old guy trying to pick her up. It was as if she hadn’t been hit on before.
The part that struck James the most about her was the fact that she wore every thought as a different expression on her face. From being formally polite, to confused, to dumbfounded, appalled, angry, daring, bossy, and last but most importantly, bewildered.
It was that last adjective that had James smiling as the morning salt air kissed his skin.
He would bet money her double take on him wasn’t planned. Once she’d taken her seat with her friends and then looked back at him, the wonderous puzzlement that crossed her eyes had him kicking himself for not catching her name.
“Ah well,” he said to himself. Meeting a woman wasn’t his goal.
Convincing his daughters they were free to live their lives and placating his ex-wife with this forced vacation was.
He moved back inside, picked up the phone in the room, and ordered a carafe of coffee with a light breakfast from room service. Then jumped in the shower.
Wearing shorts and a casual shirt, he set up in the living room portion of his suite to tackle his workday. It was too early at home to expect any interaction with his staff, but at least he could work on a couple of bids for upcoming contracts.
Just as he was settling in, a knock on the door announced his meal.
James answered the knock, expecting to see Koi, his steward . . . and instead found Summer.
“There you are.”
“Good morning,” James said to Cindy’s friend.
“I was starting to think you didn’t get on the ship yesterday.”
James stood back and motioned for her to come in.
“I’ve been here the whole time.”
Summer was in full get-shit-done mode.
Around her neck was a lanyard holding God knew what. In her hand she held a clipboard. Sunglasses were holding her hair back like a headband, and the tennis shoes suggested she planned on running all day.
It reminded him of the days when the elementary school carnival was run by the PTA . . . aka Summer, Cindy, and all their friends.
James had never been so happy to be Cindy’s ex at that point. Poor Clayton was roped into doing all kinds of chores for the women.
James had no problem being the fun guy, hanging with the kids, and spoiling them rotten.
“You weren’t at the kickoff party.”
“Yesterday at the pool?” he asked, playing dumb.
“Yeah.”
“I was there.”
“I didn’t see you.”
“Among the other five hundred people, I’m not surprised.”
Summer cocked her head to the side. “We gathered for a photo.”
“I forgot my shirt,” he lied.
She rolled her eyes and turned to look at the room. “Leave it to you to book a suite.”
James let that go. “What can I do for you, Summer?”
“And what’s this?” She pointed to his computer.
“Work.”
“You’re on a cruise,” she exclaimed.
“I am?” James turned around and shrugged his shoulders.
“Oh my God. I promised Cindy that you’d have a good time.”
Someone knocked at the door.
“Hold on.”
Koi, the Vietnamese steward, offered a toothy smile. “Good morning, Mr. Russell. I have your breakfast.”
James stood back, giving the man room. “Perfect.”
“Room service?” Summer questioned.
“On the dining table is fine,” James directed.
Koi glanced at Summer, smiled, and said good morning.
Out came a tablecloth. A small vase with a tiny flower. A full set of silverware, glass of water, coffee, juice, and a covered plate.
James and Summer watched as Koi worked.
“Do you need another cup for the coffee?” he asked.
“No,” Summer answered before James could. “Thank you.”
“Anything else, just let me know.”
And Koi was gone.
“Room service,” Summer said a second time. “You do realize there are three dining rooms and a buffet you can catch, right?”
“And free room service.” Well . . . not free. It came with the room, and the room wasn’t exactly cheap.
“I completely understand why Cindy divorced you.”
“I’m glad to have cleared up any confusion,” he told her.
Summer huffed and shook her head. “You know I can’t let you stay in the room all day. As nice as it is, there is a whole world happening out there.”
He needed to throw the woman a bone so he could eat his breakfast while it was hot.
“I have some work to do. I’ll get out. I explored the ship last night. I’m not a complete hermit.”
Doubt crossed her eyes. “Oh yeah . . . what did you do?”
“I saw strangers kissing tennis balls.”
“The dating game?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t see you there.”
“I didn’t see you either,” he said.
It looked like she didn’t believe him. “Did you meet anyone?”
James thought of the Italian. “I did.”
“What was her name?”
“Did I say it was a her?” James reached for the coffee.
“James!”
It was like having a second ex-wife.
Though maybe he could get some information if he played this right. “I think you might know her. I believe she was wearing that green shirt earlier.”
Summer’s eyes lit up. “Who?”
“I didn’t get her name. We chatted at the bar. I think she was Italian.”
Summer’s brow knitted together, then lifted. “Rosa?”
“Maybe.”
“Or Mari? Wait, was she the one that got onstage?”
“No. I think that was her friend.”
Summer lifted her hand to reach a tad shorter than her. “Yea tall, hair about here.” She moved that hand to her shoulder. “Accent?”
James nodded. “Dark eyes, petite. Attractive.”
“Yeah, that’s Mari.”
Mari. She looked like a Mari.
Not that James had ever met a Mari.
“She’s kind of quiet.”
James shrugged. “She had a lot to say last night.”
“Huh!” Summer stared him down, and that computer brain of hers spun and spun.
“Satisfied?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
James looked to the door of his room. “If you don’t mind. My breakfast is getting cold. And if I’m going to get my work done so I can join all the frat boys playing drinking games at the pool later, I need to get started.”
Summer drummed her fingers on her clipboard, huffed again, and turned toward the door.
“Don’t make me drag you out of this room, James.”
“Goodbye, Summer.”
She let herself out while he stared at the closed door.
Her name was Mari.
Mari had no idea where Rosa was storing her energy.
The night before didn’t land them in bed until after eleven. Which wasn’t that bad, but considering they hadn’t slept much since getting on the airplane, Mari had met her edge.
Rosa bounced out by six while Mari rolled over to catch more shut-eye.
“Enjoy the buffet without me,” Mari had encouraged.
She stumbled out of bed just before eight and was in the shower when Rosa returned from breakfast.
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who stopped me to tell me how much fun they had watching us last night.”
“You’re an overnight celebrity.”
Rosa laughed. “That was so much fun.”
While Mari brushed out her hair, Rosa held both the ship’s daily itinerary and Summer’s edition of things to do.
“There is more where that came from, I’m sure.”
Rosa dropped her hands to her lap. “What do you want to do today? Ping-Pong tournament? Sexiest man on board? Salsa lessons?”
“Those are the choices?”
“That and twenty other options.”
Mari turned toward her friend, offered a smile. “How about we find a sunny spot on deck that isn’t completely overrun. I can read, and you can dance around from one activity to another.”
“I can work with that.”
An hour later, Mari and Rosa perched themselves on the deck above the pool, shielding them slightly from the party happening below but giving them a bird’s-eye view should Rosa decide to jump in to join the fun.
The sun in the middle of the ocean was intense.
Happy in a pair of cotton shorts and a sleeveless shirt, Mari ducked under a wide-brim hat and smothered her skin that was exposed to the sun with sunblock.
So far, Chloe’s clothing choices were working beautifully.
Aside from the lingerie.
That piece of clothing was going to require a conversation.
And scolding.
Her children were never beyond an age in which a good reprimand would remind them who their mother was. Though her words had much less of a punch these days.
Thinking of home had her wondering what they were doing.
It was half past seven in the morning there.
Luca and Brooke would be getting Franny off to school. Maybe take Leo to the park before the day busied up.
“What are you thinking about?” Rosa asked from the lounge chair next to Mari.
“Nothing.”
Rosa lowered her chin and lifted a brow.
Mari sighed. “Home,” she confessed.
“Mari!”
“Cosa?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. Home is exactly as it was last week. And the week before, and the week before.”
Mari opened her mouth.
Rosa jumped up and cut her off. “You need a distraction.”
“This ship is a distraction.”
“Bloody Mary or a mimosa?” Rosa asked.
Mari’s eyes widened. “It’s not even noon.”