First Class Voyage (First Class Novels – A Contemporary Romance Series) (11 page)

David returned and sat down and Paul told him he’d be right
back. He walked around to Nic and sat down next to her.

“Hey,” he said.

Her eyes looked in his direction, her head not moving. She
continued to twirl the umbrella.

“Hi,” she finally sighed.

“You okay?”

“Fine. You know what? Actually I’m not fine.”

“Oh,” Paul frowned. “Is there something I can do to help?”

Nic dropped her hand away from her cheek and turned to Paul.
Paul wondered if perhaps she was a little drunk.

“April was supposed to come on this cruise with her husband,
but two months ago he moved out and filed for divorce.”

Paul sympathized with April’s husband. After just a couple
of encounters with her he couldn’t imagine
anyone
being married to her
and
not
file for divorce. He kept his thoughts to himself as Nic
continued.

“So because I’m the only one she knows that doesn’t have an
important job, yes, her words, not mine,” she smirked, “I was asked to come on
this trip with her seeing as though she had already paid for two. She pleaded.
No, she
begged
me to come. ‘You’ll have a great time’ she said. ‘We can
forget all about men and just do a girls’ trip’ she said. Well, the second we
stepped on that flippin’ boat, my
only
purpose was to be next to her in
case the man she was chasing, in that second, had a friend. Then I was supposed
to
take
the friend, you know, be a good sport and help her out, so she
could forget about her sad heartbreak and move on. What a load of bullshit. She
never had any intention of having a fun girl’s trip. She just wanted to get
laid by as many men as she could find. I got played. So to answer your
question, no, I’m not okay!”

Yeah, maybe more than a tiny bit drunk
, he thought.

“So, man after man for the past week, I’ve had to sit and be
pleasant because she wanted to
do
some guy she’d only just met. Chat up
some lonely guy looking for love on a cruise ship. Yeah, been a real great
vacation.”

Paul looked down and tried not to make eye contact.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I guess
you’re
one of those
men, huh?”

Paul tried not to grin. “No apology needed, ma’am.”

“And now you go all
Navy
on me,” she huffed.

“Excuse me?”

“You know! With the
ma’am
. I’ve dated some of you
Navy boys and let me tell you something. You are
not
all ‘An Officer and
a Gentleman’ or ‘Top Gun’, believe me. I wouldn’t be on this stinkin’ cruise if
Richard Gere or Tom Cruise had shown up, that’s for sure. No, you’re all a
bunch of creeps who have a girl in every port and just lead us on. It’s all about
you, isn’t it?”

“Well, I’m not a pilot. I’m a Seal.”

“Same difference!” she shrugged.

“Well if there is something I can do to help I’d be happy to
assist you.”

“Thanks. Really. But I’m fine.”

“Okay then.” Paul stood and headed back to David.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

Paul grinned. “Yeah, fine. Nothing a little coffee and a few
aspirin won’t fix.”

*****

The family met for dinner at seven. Maureen was thrilled
with the idea of eating with her family every night.

“We should do this more than once a week when we get home,”
she smiled.

Katy’s head jerked upwards and Andrew looked horrified.

“I think Sundays are good,” Matt said. “I don’t think we
could manage more than that with all of our schedules.”

“Nice save,” mouthed Ben to his big brother.

Peter, having seen Katy’s pained expression at his wife’s
suggestion, chuckled and changed the subject.

“Paul almost beat me today.”

Andrew dropped his knife. “Really?”

Paul laughed and shook his head. “Not even close.”

And so the conversation was steered to the exploits of the
Lathem family on the island of Antigua.

“So, Patty?” Derek asked. “I saw you having a drink on the
pier with a man.”

It was Janie’s turn to whip her head around and look at her
mother.

“A man?” she asked.

Patty played with her napkin and for several seconds and
Janie didn’t think she was going to answer.

“Just a gentleman I met on the ship. We took a short tour of
the island. It’s nothing scandalous!”

Matt smiled. “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

“Yes. Yes I did.”

Matt turned and looked at Janie, eyebrows raised.

“Well that’s nice,” Janie said, her eyes never leaving
Matt’s.

He nodded and took her hand and kissed her palm. “That’s a
good daughter,” he whispered.

Janie frowned and looked at her mother. She looked as though
she didn’t have a care in the world
. A man?

Matt squeezed her hand and caught her attention.

“Leave it,” he whispered.

A man?

DAY 11 – SAN JUAN

Katy awoke with her cheek resting on Mark’s chest, their
legs entwined, and the sunshine streaming through the glass door. It was still
early, as Mark usually woke before her and he was still in a deep sleep.

Carefully, she slid from the bed and tiptoed to the
bathroom, quietly closing the door behind her. A dream had awoken her; a dream
of their honeymoon. It was warm and peaceful and they were on a beach with the
most amazing clear water at their feet. She was happy and calm.

With a smile on her face, her eyes had opened and she was
instantly disappointed it had not been real. It was time. She was ready. When
they returned home, she would tell Mark she would marry him, and the sooner the
better.

She crept back to bed and slid back under the covers. She
didn’t go back to sleep. She cuddled with the man of her dreams. 

*****

“She’s dating a strange man she met on a ship! How can I
not
be worried?” sighed Janie.

Matt pulled her closer to his side and kissed her forehead.
He was trying not to downplay his wife’s concerns but he also knew that Patty
was a grown woman who was able to make her own decisions. Her judgment could be
trusted.

“Have you ever known your mom to take unwarranted risks? To
make silly, impetuous decisions?”

Janie shook her head. No, her mother was sane. But this was
also very out of the norm for her too.

“She has been alone for a very long time.”

“I know,” agreed Janie. “But this just isn’t like her.”

“How do you know?” asked Matt. “You have not lived in the
same city for four years. She may be dating regularly. And you can’t blame her
for that if she was.”

“The voice of reason,” she frowned. “You’re probably right.”

Janie thought back to her childhood. She could not ever
remember her mother going on a date. Not since the day her father had died
suddenly of a heart attack. Janie was thirteen, and she and her two younger
sisters had been the only focus of her mother’s life since.

Janie understood loss. When her first husband had died of
cancer five years ago, she was inconsolable. She couldn’t imagine having to put
on a brave face every morning and care for three young children. She had
realized just how strong and marvelous her mother really was. And her father
had died over thirty years ago. Janie had a hard time remembering his face
without the aid of a photograph. No, she couldn’t fault Patty for wanting
companionship.

“I suppose it’s harmless enough,” she conceded.

Matt just grinned at his wife.

*****

“I love your skin,” Mark growled as he nibbled on Katy’s
shoulders.

After a room service breakfast, they were ready to venture
onto the beautiful island of San Juan. Mark had been there many, many times
over the years, but this was Katy’s first visit to the tropical paradise. She
wore a white cotton dress with spaghetti straps. Her bronze skin was too much
of a temptation for Mark.

“Come on,” she giggled. “We need to go.”

“Fine,” Mark chuckled. “Let’s go.”

They made their way off the boat and strolled down the dock
hand in hand. Mark was going to show her
his
San Juan; everything he
loved to see when he had been there before. He wanted to share it with her. He
wanted to share
everything
with her.

*****

Maureen sat on her balcony watching the passengers
disembark. She didn’t have anything specific planned for the day so she was in
no hurry.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “There’s Mark and Katy.” She waved
frantically but they didn’t look up to see her.

“I do love that girl,” she sighed.

Peter chuckled. “Don’t sound so happy about it.”

“Oh Peter! What if she never marries Mark? What if in twenty
years they’re
still
engaged?”

“Well you won’t need to worry about that because you’ll be
dead.”

“Peter!” she exclaimed. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”

“You think you’re going to live forever?”

Maureen frowned. “Fine! I want to see them married
before
I die.”

Peter walked to his wife and kissed her. “I’m taking Andrew
and Rory golfing again.”

“Of course you are,” she smirked.

“They will get married, Maureen. I know it. You’ll have
another daughter…officially.”

Peter hoisted his clubs onto his shoulder and Maureen was
left by herself with her thoughts.

She
did
consider Katy her daughter. She loved her no
less than if she had born her herself. And she knew that Katy was
completely
in love with her son. She couldn’t have asked for any woman to love him more.
She knew it wasn’t possible. So, what if she didn’t live to see them married?
As long as they were happy would it be
so
bad?

*****

Mark and Katy wandered the streets of San Juan, entranced by
the sights and smells of the old city. They walked several blocks and arrived
at Castillo San Cristobal, a Spanish fort that began being built in the
seventeenth century. Katy had never been a real history buff, but with Mark as
her personal tour guide, she soon became fascinated with the place. He knew so
much about it.

“Originally, it was much larger than this, but they knocked
down a considerable amount when the city became too big and they needed more
roads and space.”

“You know your stuff,” Katy grinned.

“Oh, I love this place,” Mark beamed. “I come here whenever
I can. Can you imagine what it was like in the 1700’s when this was a real
military fort? Sitting high upon the ocean watching for enemy ships?”

They wandered through the buildings, reading the history,
looking at pieces of history and taking some photos.

“For an old place, it’s holding up surprisingly well,” Katy
said as her fingers traced the outline of a large stone in the wall.

“It was built to defend the city, fight the British and
protect its people. It’s strong and made to last for a very long time.”

“You’re kind of like a fort, aren’t you?” Katy smiled as she
wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Am I?” He looked surprised.

“Well, you protect your family and defend your people.”

Mark looked into Katy’s eyes and saw a tinge of sadness.
Would she ever be completely free of him? Of that bastard who kidnapped her and
tied her to a bed?

“I will protect and defend you until the day I die,” he
whispered and gently kissed her lips. “You never have to fear him, you know. He
is in the past, history.”

“I know.” She attempted a smile. “You rescued me. I am
forever in your debt.”

“No,” he said as he shook his head. “I am in yours. You rescued
me,” he smiled.

“I think your rescue beats my rescue,” she laughed.

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really. So when you think of a way that I can repay
you, all you have to do is ask.”

She kissed him and turned back to the canon they stood in
front of and climbed on top.

“Take my picture,” she grinned.

*****

In all his years of sailing all over the globe, Paul had
never been to San Juan. He was on a tour bus with his mom riding around the
city, seeing the sights.

“You seem restless,” Maureen said to her son. “Is everything
okay?”

Paul smiled at his mom and patted her hand.

“Yup,” he said. “Everything’s fine.”

“Good!” she said. “I worry about you when you’re gone. I
don’t like to worry about you when you’re home too.”

Maureen’s attention was back on the buildings outside the
bus. Paul closed his eyes, his mother’s words swirling through his head. He
didn’t like her to worry. Sometimes it made him physically ill to think of her
back at home worrying about him. But he would always have to put it from his
mind because the mission came first. It always did and it always would.

*****

The next stop on Katy’s personal tour was Capilla del Cristo
Chapel. It was a church built on an ancient wall that protected the old city.
Unlike the fort, it was small, but beautiful. They were not allowed in, but an
old man sat at the gate playing his accordion as tourists walked by. Most of
them kept going.

Katy and Mark stood and listened to the music and when it
stopped the old man told them the legend of the old church. In 1753, a young
man was in a horse-race at the St. John's Day festival. He lost control of his
horse and they plunged from the rocks high above the sea. The people prayed to
Christ to spare the boy's life and miraculously he lived. To express his profound
gratitude, the young man began building the chapel that very year.

They listened to the story and thanked the old man for his
time.

“It’s a shame we can’t go in,” Katy sighed.

“You can see other churches,” Mark said. “The city is filled
with them.”

“Yes, I know, but the story is so beautiful. It makes me
want to see inside.”

He took her hand and led her back to the street and
continued wandering through the maze of people and cars.