Savasana at Sea

by Ava Dunne

  “Are you okay?” Sebastian asked quietly, in my ear.

  I lost my center, and wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Instead, I took a deep breath, opened my eyes and looked into his. “Yes, thank you,” I managed.

  “Darling, you’ve avoided me all day!” Veronika appeared on Sebastian’s other side, wearing a nearly transparent pink tank top with nothing underneath and a bright yellow sarong. She couldn’t drop into Sebastian’s lap. When one of the other men patted his knee, she gracefully lowered herself onto it, keeping her full attention on Sebastian. “I was hoping to spend the day together.”

  “I went snorkeling,” Sebastian shrugged.

  “I do not like to snorkel.” Veronika pouted.

  “Which is why I went without you,” he returned, with an easy smile.

  “Who’d you go with?” I asked, determined to insert myself in the conversation.

  “Gary and Ernie.”

  Why did the name Gary sound familiar? “I don’t think I’ve met them yet.”

  “You’d know them if you saw them,” said Sebastian. “Good guys, both of them. Do you snorkel or dive at all?”

  “No, but I’d like to try it sometime,” I said. Not that I ever wanted to before that very instant.

  “Maybe next time, you can join us.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Veronika snorted. “Sophie does not strike me as the underwater type.”

  “I don’t mind getting wet,” I protested, and then reddened as I realized how it sounded.

  Andrew put a hand on my back, and it felt warm and steady. “Maybe I’ll have to be the one who joins you next time you go swimming,” he said. I smiled at him with gratitude.

  The conversation swirled around me, and I was content to sit back and listen. I should pay more attention to the gossip; I might learn something useful. While I found other people interesting, I didn’t find second-hand jabber and speculation about them enthralling. I finished my rum punch and slid some money on the table, which Sebastian waved away. “I have to go and get ready for my class,” I said.

  “I’m still buying you the drink,” said Sebastian. He reached into his wallet and tossed a few bills on the table. “I’ll walk back with you. I’d rather get back on board early anyway.”

  He stood up and Veronika’s eyes flicked from me to Sebastian. “I’ll see you later?” She asked.

  “Maybe,” he smiled down at her.

  She stood up and planted a kiss on his lips that left no room for objection. “I’ll see you later,” she stated.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I THREADED MY WAY DOWN the decks, feeling dizzy, and heard raised voices. I wished Sebastian was still with me; he’d gone his own way as soon as we re-boarded, saying he had checks to run in the engine area. I spotted the couple with whom Stella and Bartholomew socialized, raising their voices to a man I recognized as the Purser. I felt a moment of guilt for never reporting the attack on the Sun Deck to him, then convinced myself Duncan, or more likely, Chief Bakshi handled it, and he had enough to worry about from the pair before him. The Purser watched them, a solemn expression on his face, his large eyes dark with compassion, and gave the occasional nod.

  Chief Bakshi was with them, looking grim. He glanced in my direction, but didn’t acknowledge me. I decided to offer the same discourtesy.

  “It couldn’t walk away on its own,” the woman insisted. “We’re not casual about our valuables.”

  Part of me wanted to hang around and eavesdrop, Roz-style; the rest of me was too tired and overwrought from the ups and downs of the day to want to cope with someone else’s drama. The latter part of the self-inflicted argument won, and I ducked around to the employee area and down to the cabin. I’d find out what was going on later from Roz.

  Without bothering to unpack my bags, I dropped them onto my bunk, grabbed clean yoga clothes out of the drawer under it, and jumped into the shower. It revived me, but I was still a bit unsteady. Too much alcohol, too much exotic food, too much emotion. I grabbed my new drying racks on the way out the door and headed back up to the yoga studio.

  I unlocked it and stepped inside. In spite of the mats on the floor, some of which had to be wiped again to dry them off, I felt better just by stepping into the space. It was starting to feel like my space, not Geri’s, or anyone else’s. As tired as I was, I realized I would miss it when the cruise ended.

  Maybe I should think about opening my own yoga studio? The last thing New York City needed was another yoga studio. I needed to find a place that wasn’t in the midst of yoga glut. Where did I want to live? New York wasn’t the only livable place in the world, but since I started living my dream in the city in college, I never seriously considered living anywhere else. Teaching yoga felt right. Maybe I should take a few minutes, sit in the meditation room, and seek some answers.

  “Sophie, are you okay? It didn’t sound like you heard me the first few times I spoke your name.”

  My head jerked up, and my eyes met Andrew’s. “Oh, hey, no, I was a million miles away. I’m fine. Just getting set up for the 6:30, in case anyone re-boards early, or didn’t leave the ship today.”

  “They’d be a serious mess if they didn’t leave to explore the port,” said Andrew.

  I thought of Kristina. “Maybe some wanted to stay in and rest.”

  “You rest at sea. You play in port.” Andrew grinned.

  “Did you play in port today?” I got caught up in his enthusiasm.

  “Of course!” He twinkled at me. “Girl in every port and all that.” When he saw my expression, he amended, “Kidding! I walked around and enjoyed not being on call for a few hours. I was worried about you, though, there at Senor Frog’s. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m not used to the schedule yet, so I’m tired, and then I tried to pack everything into today. Sightseeing, shopping, eating, hanging out. I constantly feel like I’m rushing and there’s no time.”

  “Which is ironic, considering how much people are paying to relax on the other side of that ‘employees only’ door, isn’t it?” Andrew agreed.

  “Exactly.”

  “See you later for a drink upstairs?”

  “Maybe. I have a feeling I’m going to make it an early night tonight, so it might not be an alcoholic one.”

  “Whatever you need, Sophie.” Andrew leaned forward and gave me an impulsive kiss on the cheek. The sweetness of the gesture surprised and pleased me. “Later!” He scampered off.

  Harmonia and Roz entered, Roz a little unsteady on her feet. “Look what the cat dragged in,” I teased. “Good day on shore?”

  “Senor Frog was as far as I needed to go,” said Roz. “I’ve been to Nassau dozens of times. I’ve done it all, and bought too many souvenirs.”

  “I didn’t see you there.”

  Roz preened. “I have my own table.”

  “You need to detox before the show tonight,” Harmonia stated. She stared at me. “So do you. Wait here.” She disappeared, then reappeared carrying a two-litre bottle of water, which she pushed into my hand. “Drink that by the end of class.”

  “I’ll have to pee like a racehorse,” I complained.

  “Better than paying with a hangover the size of the Mississippi.”

  I knew she was right. “You going to be okay, Roz?”

  Roz straightened up and refastened the hair back on top of her head. “It’s called acting, darling. It’s part of what we do. Did you know that Kiki is playing Andrew and Viktor?”

  “Kiki? From the spa?” The woman Kristina felt comfortable with, and who worked on Duncan? Was that the “friend” Andrew visited the other day in the spa? None of my business, I decided.

  “No!” Harmonia’s eyes lit up. “I know she’s been crazy about Andrew since they met, and he seems nonchalant about her. You think she’s trying to make him jealous?”

  “Rumor has it, she’s pretty bendy,” said Roz. “Viktor likes to mix it up. Kiki! Sounds like she should be working a str
ipper pole.” Her eyes twinkled. “Rumor has it she did that in Vegas.”

  “So what if she did?” Harmonia challenged.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you and the detective are doing the horizontal hokey-pokey?” Roz demanded, wheeling around to face me with a stagger. “I don’t like hearing about it from Nicolette. I should hear it first, from you, and then I get to one-up that cow.”

  “I’m not! We’re not!” I blushed. “Where do all these rumors come from? They’re annoying.”

  “Oh, people say this and that,” Roz shrugged. “They hear something from someone else and pass it on.”

  “They have to start somewhere,” I pointed out.

  “They do, but damned if I know where,” said Roz.

  “You may not start them, but you do repeat them,” Harmonia challenged. “I don’t know which is worse.”

  “Go cast someone’s chart,” Roz scoffed.

  “Is that the best you’ve got?”

  “At this moment? Yes.” Roz chuckled. “Oh, did you hear about the thefts?”

  “What thefts?” I asked.

  “A couple of people went to the Purser, saying there’s jewelry missing from their rooms or safes or wherever they damn keep it.” Roz shook her head. “I’m still getting over the fact we’ve got a new Purser named Peregrine Pepperman.”

  “He’s nicer than Walter, and better-looking,” said Harmonia. “I still wonder why Walter left without a word two weeks ago. I thought he was good at his job. I didn’t hear any embezzlement rumors, and that’s the only thing I can think of that would cause a qualified Purser to leave.”

  “Yes, it’s unusual that they could have kept it quiet around this place,” said Roz. “But Purser Peregrine Pepperman — that’s going to be my new warm-up before going onstage every night, say that five times fast — seems to know what he’s doing, too.”

  Bridey McCauley entered, wearing a fuchsia yoga outfit. “Did you hear about the jewel thefts?” She asked, her eyes bright.

  “Just this minute,” I said. “I was on shore since late morning.”

  “Seems the thieves hit while most people were out,” said Bridey. “My roommate, Mary Alice, thought she lost her diamond ring, but it was in the bottom of her glass, under her teeth.” At our puzzled looks, Bridey added, “she takes out her teeth when she lies down for a nap.”

  Lydia came in, chattering about her exciting day on shore, accompanied by another teenager named Natalie. They’d met the previous day at the rock-climbing wall, and Natalie’s parents invited Lydia to join them for the day’s shore excursion, a Blue Lagoon Island Sea Lion Encounter. In return, Lydia convinced Natalie to come to yoga. “The sea lions are so cute!” Lydia enthused. “Those little faces! It makes me think maybe I want to be a marine biologist.”

  It lifted my spirits to see her so animated. The older gentleman who usually came to the early morning classes joined them, taking up a spot near Bridey, which made me grin, especially when Bridey blushed. He never offered his name, so I privately called him “Bridey’s Suitor.” Neither Melodie nor Joshua attended, nor did Stella and Bartholomew. I hoped they were having fun. Neil was there, and smiled as he unrolled his mat.

  “Did you get a chance to go onshore at all?” he asked.

  “Yes. Did you?”

  “I did. I’ve been to Nassau a few times, so I could show Brenda around,” he said. “I think she had a bit too much sun, or maybe it’s rum, so she’s resting before tonight’s show. I thought I’d come and work a few kinks out, in the interim.”

  I focused on standing poses such as mountain and tree, for grounding after a hectic day, and poses close to the ground such as reclining pigeon and a series of twists designed to flush out the toxins. We felt the tension in the room start to drain away as people settled into the quiet sequences. The energy shifted and lifted. Near the end of the session, they were giggling, and by the time they were in savasana, the room was gentle and peaceful.

  “You are a gifted teacher,” Neil stated, on his way out of the room. “You do more than put us through paces. Thank you.”

  “Thank you,” I returned. “I appreciate the compliment.”

  “That was terrific,” Roz admitted. “Wish I’d come in more often.”

  “We still have a few days, and you’re always welcome.”

  “See you for a bite upstairs? Since we don’t leave port until 8 PM, our first show tonight isn’t until 9:30.”

  “I’ll be up in a few minutes,” I said. “I’ve got to clean up in here first.”

  “We’ll save you a seat,” Harmonia promised.

  I let happiness consume me as I set up the four drying racks bought in Nassau, wiped down the mats with mat cleaner, and hung them on the racks. I stepped back, pleased with the work, and turned to put away the mat cleaner bottles and towels.

  “Sophie?” Duncan Cooke stepped into the room.

  “Hi.” I smiled at him. “Did you have fun in port?”

  “Walked a bit too much,” he grimaced.

  “Do you want to try a few poses?”

  He stared at me. “You just said that with a straight face.”

  “Of course I did.” I was puzzled, and then it dawned on me. “Oh.” Time to change the subject again. “Do you think Geri’s killer is the one with the most to lose? If Geri blabbed about whatever she had on him? Or her?”

  “Not necessarily,” said Duncan. “She could have been killed by something that seems petty to an outsider, but was important to the murderer.”

  “So it might not be the person with what seems like the most scandalous secret.” I mused.

  “The FBI agents joined us in Nassau. They’d like to talk to you, if you can come up to 1285 later.”

  “I will, thanks. How is Chief Bakshi coping with his authority even more diluted?”

  “He’ll have to deal.” Duncan paused. “I’m struggling with a dilemma.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Maybe.” He stepped forward, placed his hands on my shoulders, leaned in and kissed me. I froze for an instant, before my hands pressed against his chest as I kissed him back. Time frame be damned, I’d fallen for his looks, his charm, and his obvious interest. When I was ready to admit that I didn’t want it to stop, to hell with the rules, he stepped back.

  We stared at each other. “Did that answer your question?” I asked, breathless.

  “It created more. But at least it wasn’t unwelcome?”

  I shook my head, unable to speak.

  He watched me. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

  “I know about birth control!” I snapped, then blushed. We looked at each other for a minute and laughed.

  “I don’t want to put your job in jeopardy,” he clarified. “But since it’s assumed we’re involved, I don’t want to miss the opportunity.”

  Duncan heard the rumors, too? “I’m sick of assumptions. My job is past jeopardy. I’m only here for the rest of this cruise.”

  He frowned. “Then you’ll be back in New York?”

  “That is where I live.” The words came out sharper than I intended. “Is that a problem?”

  “I can’t offer you anything beyond this week. Nothing when we’re both back in New York. I’m divorced twice. I’d like to blame the job, but it’s not the job. It’s me.”

  “Look, I’m getting over the man I thought I was going to marry. I have no idea what I want. I’m just trying to get through the week.” I’ve fallen, he hasn’t. I’m here and available. I was hurt, but tried to put a brave face on it.

  He smiled. “You’re in transition, I’m in transition. This might be what we both need. But you don’t seem like a casual person. Not like—” he stopped and blushed.

  I took a deep breath. “The others who get it about one night stands.”

  He stared at the floor, but didn’t deny it.

  “I was warned the hobbies on board are sex, alcohol and gossip.”

  Duncan looked at me. “I’d like to say I won’t hurt you
, but I probably will.”

  I swallowed. “I don’t think I’m strong enough to be hurt right now.”

  He nodded. “I understand. I won’t put you in an uncomfortable position. I promise.”

  “That’s not what I—” I started, but he was gone. What the hell did I mean? I wanted him, until I realized he didn’t want anything beyond the desire. I wanted more. Was I willing to deal with the consequences of a one-sided fling? Why couldn’t I throw caution to the winds and enjoy it? I wasn’t worried about being a “good girl.” But one night stands weren’t my thing either. But we had more than one night left on the cruise. . .he had a cabin on the passenger deck. . .with a window. . .

  I placed my hand on one of the drying racks to steady myself and closed my eyes. Confusion, I named it.

  “What the hell is that?” Jacques demanded, puffing in the doorway.

  “What is what?” I asked, opening my eyes.

  “Those, those ugly things you’ve got standing in the room!” Jacques flapped his hands.

  “They’re drying racks. The mats don’t dry well if they’re on the floor, and I have to clean them after every use. There aren’t enough mats to switch them out between classes.”

  “Those rack things are ugly. Get rid of them.”

  “I need them.”

  “I said, get rid of them. They’re ugly.”

  “How am I supposed to get the mats cleaned and dry between classes?”

  “Not my problem.”

  “It is if you’re telling me to ditch what works and not offer an alternative.”

  “You’ll do as I say. You answer to me.”

  “I answer to Hans. And the cruise line.” I flushed. Nasty retorts boiled and bubbled up. Breathe. Don’t say something you will regret.

  “What is the problem here?” Second Officer Viktor Horvat joined us.

  “Her attitude.” Jacques sneered.

  “From what I overhead, you are the bigger problem.”

  Jacques paled and took a step back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Viktor raised an eyebrow. “Enlighten me.”

  “Those rack things are ugly. They make the studio ugly!”