I smiled a smug smile and pulled my ponytail tighter.
“You’re right. I always run my show. All I have to do is have these bothersome meetings with him to check a silly little detail off my list every day.”
I hugged her.
“You’d better get back to your stateroom or my mother will wonder what you’re up to,” I said.
“She wasn’t there when I left,” Juliet shook her head. “Not sure when she’ll be back.”
“Nice try,” I pursed my lips. “I know my mother would not go out carousing all night. Besides where would she and Russ go? To his room with his roommate the priest?”
Juliet grinned. “Ha! I just wanted to see if I could get you riled up again. Your mom was tucked into her bed doing a crossword when I ducked out. She knew by the fact that I was in my pajamas that I wasn’t going too far and figured I was headed here, so she asked me to tell you good night again.”
Yep. I knew my mother. Well, except for her new hair and wardrobe.
“Juliet, what do you think of her new look?”
“Keira, she looks awesome. Stop worrying.” She started out the door and then stopped. “Take this as a compliment: If that’s what you’ll look like at her age, you’ll still be pretty stylin’.”
Maybe. But she had already been aging gracefully side by side with my father, and now had apparently found love again. Geesh. She was on love number two, and I hadn’t even found bachelor number one.
Chapter Eight
“Keira, do you want to join us for breakfast?”
My mother’s polished tones followed her ladylike knock on the door of my stateroom the next morning, the first full day of our cruise. I took the few short steps from where I was sitting at my desk to open the door.
“Good morning, Mother. Who’s ‘us’?” I peered around her, expecting Russell because I knew that Juliet was hitting it hard at the ship’s gym.
“Russell and I are forgoing the buffet upstairs and going to the little cafe in The Commons. It looks like fun.” Her upbeat tone matched her teal sundress and coordinating sandals.
I thought for a moment.
“Now Keira,” she began.
“Oh, no,” I said hurriedly in case she got the wrong idea. “I was just thinking of my time. The first cooking class starts in little over an hour, and I wondered if I could sneak in some more work before I went down there.”
I gestured toward the second bed in my stateroom, which I had converted into an office space last night.
“Keira, I realize this is a working trip, but you have to eat. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t insist on that?”
I smiled and hugged her.
“Are you kidding? Between you and Mama D., I’m sure I’ll have plenty of reminders to eat. Plus I’ll be around food all day every day with the cooking classes. I’ll be sure not to miss the tastings.”
She waved that last comment off.
“Oh, those bits and bites don’t count, and you know it. I don’t want you to be the first person to come on a cruise and lose weight!”
We both laughed.
“I promise I’ll maintain an official cruiser’s eating plan, okay? It’s just that today is the first day of the event, and I want to make sure that everything goes well.” I stood up and looked into the mirror to straighten the collar of my blouse.
“I have no doubt that it will, darling,” her voice trailed off. I caught her eye in the mirror and spun around.
“Mother, that’s a funny tone.”
“No tone, sweetheart, I just forget what a successful businesswoman you are sometimes, that’s all.”
“Well, I never was cut out for the debutante-ladies-who-lunch world, was I?”
“No, you were not. While the other little girls played tea party, you had your Barbie dolls imitating career girls who answered to a demanding CEO.”
I turned back to the mirror. I didn’t want to remind my mother that the other little girls never included me in their games and thought I was too stuck up to play tea party; in reality, I was just really shy.
I started to put my hair into a crisp, professional French braid.
“Come sit here and let me do that. I haven’t braided your hair in ages.”
We sat on my bed, and I turned my head, offering my hair to her. The feel of her delicate hands gently pulling my hair brought back fond memories. She must have been feeling the same way.
“Keira,” she sighed. “You know, your father always said your hair was spun gold.”
I chuckled. “He should have taken out an insurance policy on it before I decided to get that awful perm in high school. Remember?”
“Oh, all teenagers go through phases, I suppose.” She finished the braid with an expert twist. “If the perm was the worst experiment you tried, I guess we were lucky.”
“It really made it difficult to get my hair up under my riding helmet though.”
Mother feigned a shudder. “Oh, sweetheart, you know I love you, but the photographs from that era are, shall we say, a little awkward.”
We both laughed, then turned to the door when we heard a soft rap.
“That’s probably Russ.” Mother looked at me expectantly. I decided my bit of work could wait.
I took her hand in mine and kissed her cheek. “Let’s go with him to the cafe. I’d better get my first of many breakfasts of the day in, to stay on that cruiser’s diet.”
“This is so charming!” my mother exclaimed as we sat at a small table outside the cafe. The three of us had gone through the self-serve line, selecting yogurt, fresh fruit, and bagels. Russ had returned inside to retrieve tea and coffee for us.
I nodded. “I know that the large buffet on the Lido Deck by the pool is ample, but this is nice and quiet, isn’t it?”
Small marble tables suitable for two or three were clustered near the entrance of the cafe, but toward the center of the deck were groupings of chairs and couches with low tables to accommodate plates or glasses. Lush live greenery covered half of the deck, making it feel as if we were in the middle of a charming city park.
Russ joined us with our beverages.
“Here you go.”
As he sat down, his hand brushed my mother’s shoulder and she reached up to pat it lovingly. They already had a shorthand of sorts with these casual touches and smiles.
“Yoo-hoo!”
We looked up to see Angela and Marco D’Agostino walking toward us.
“Mama and Papa D.!” I smiled and gestured for them to join us. “Are you having breakfast?”
“Oh my, Keira!” Mr. D’Ag waved that thought off. “We ate with the kids earlier up at that buffet. Goodness! That was more than enough.”
They pulled up two chairs from another table to join us.
“Maybe a coffee though,” said Mrs. D’Ag, motioning toward the cafe. “Marco, I’ll have a cup, and see if they have a cookie to go with that to keep these folks company.”
I suppressed a smile. I had been around my best friend’s family long enough to know that food was an integral part of life and companionship and that no matter how recently one had eaten, there was always room for just a little more.
“Isn’t this deck beautiful?” my mother asked.
“Marco could spend his whole time right here, I’m sure,” Mrs. D’Ag agreed.
“I’d love to know more about these plants,” Mr. D’Ag said as he returned with the coffees. He sat next to his wife and tilted his ball cap, which was emblazoned with his own nursery logo, back on his head.
“Well, you can, sir,” came a voice that I was now beginning to recognize as one that could pop up behind me at any moment.
I closed my eyes, counted to ten, and spun around.
“Mr. McAllister, what brings you here at this moment?” I asked as politely as I could.
“It’s Brennan,” he reminded me, smiling, flashing those infuriating dimples. “The cafe is my favorite breakfast spot when I don’t have an obligation in the morning.”
“Keira?” My mother’s inquisitive tone reminded me of my girls’ school training, which had somehow deserted me.
“Mr. McAllister,” I began, then corrected myself “Brennan ... this is my mother, Maeve Graham, our friends Russell Shaw and Marco and Angela D’Agostino. Folks, this is Brennan McAllister.”
“The cruise director,” finished Russell. My head swiveled.
“He was the one who made the announcements last night, Keira,” added my mother. “He’s also listed in the Lodestone newsletter that we get every day.”
“Of course, Keira,” finished Mrs. D’Ag. “He’s the one who Damian worked with to be able to celebrate the Mass.”
Does everyone know this guy already? I get that the cruise director of a ship is supposed to be visible, but I’d sure like to forget this one.
“Mrs. Graham, I see where Keira gets her stunning looks. Mr. Shaw, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Mr. and Mrs. D’Agostino, it’s delightful to meet the parents of our priest-in-residence. And of course, you also must be the parents of our featured chef, Alexandria?”
What tha—?
Smiles all around at his encyclopedic knowledge. Charm by the bucket, this guy had.
“Oh, and Mr. D’Agostino, check your Lodestone for the final day at sea. We have a guided tour of these plants by our head nurseryman. You won’t want to miss that. Now if you fine folks will excuse me, I’ll get to my breakfast and let you get back to yours. Have a regal day!”
His azure eyes sparkled, and he worked in a wink as he walked away.
“Well, Keira, he seemed awfully nice,” said Mrs. D’Ag, expectantly.
“Very sharp young man,” agreed Mr. D’Ag.
“Is he the one you’ll be ... working with?” This was my mother asking tentatively.
I looked from one to another.
“Well, Russ,” I said, “you might as well jump in.”
I could tell he was trying not to saying anything that might jeopardize our already tentative relationship, but then even he had to comment.
“Well, all I can do is give you this,” he handed me a table knife with a smile, “you know, to cut the romantic tension?”
Very funny.
“Ha-ha” I retorted and punched him in the shoulder. He gave me a friendly wink as the others laughed. Maybe this Russell guy would fit in after all. I was just glad my back was to the interior of the cafe and I wouldn’t need to worry about catching the twinkly eye of the Charming Cruise Director.
By the time Juliet was able to join us, it was nearly time for the others to leave for their stroll in Nassau and time for the two of us to attend the first cooking demonstration of the day.
“Keira!”
Juliet’s stunning looks and unique fashion sense make her hard to miss in any crowd. Even with the emerald camp shirt and khaki shorts that we had adopted as our uniform for the week, she carried her own look with her edgy hairdo and flair for accessories. She bounced over to our table.
“Hello family!” She grinned and circled the table to distribute hugs. Even though it took her a moment last night to get used to the hugs and kisses of the D’Agostinos, she had fallen right into their ways.
The group at the table smiled right back.
“Juliet, my dear,” my mother spoke for the entire gang. “We’re thrilled to see you, but we need to leave so that we’re able to get onto the island in enough time for a nice stroll and get back for some pool time before dinner and tonight’s show.”
“Sounds fine,” said Juliet. “You know that Keira is chomping at the bit to go over the first demo again, even though it has been planned and replanned. Is there a musical this evening?”
“I believe the show tonight is Grease,” said Mrs. D’Ag. “I hear it is great. Will you girls be joining us?”
“You bet.” Juliet affected a dance move made famous in the stage play.
“Come on, prima donna,” I laughed and hooked my arm through hers. “We need to get to the demo room. We actually do sing and dance for our supper, remember?”
Kisses all around, then we all left to attend to our various activities.
“Let’s go back to the office,” I said as we entered the elevator. “I need to get my iPad.”
“You do know that it isn’t actually an office, right? This is a temporary situation,” said Juliet. “Or has my worst nightmare come true, and you’ve decided that you like sleeping in the office and you’ll be giving up your apartment when we get back to Denver?”
I nudged her with my hip.
“No, silly,” I rolled my eyes. “Can you imagine me giving up my tasteful apartment to live in our office, even if the office itself is tasteful?”
“I don’t know, Keir.” She shook her curls. “Lately you’ve spent a lot of time there.”
“Well, to get ready for this trip, yes, but don’t worry. And don’t worry about that slip of tongue of mine, calling my stateroom the office. I just have to keep the two halves of the room straight in my head, you know?”
“Yep,” she said. “That’s you. Precise. To the nth degree.” She slouched to lean on the railing that circled the small space.
The elevator door opened, and two particularly attractive men entered, garbed for a day’s excursion off the ship, and pressed the button for Deck 15. Juliet’s posture improved immediately.
“You guys going to the island?” she asked prettily. “Shouldn’t you be going on a ‘down’ elevator?”
I suppressed a smile. She could teach a class in Flirtation 101.
The taller of the two turned toward us and flashed a brilliant smile.
“We’re actually headed to grab a bite on the Lido Deck first. Have you two ladies had breakfast yet?” His dark chocolate eyes moved from one to the other of us.
“Actually, we had our breakfast at the cafe in The Commons,” she said.
We?
Hunk Number Two, with matching dark flashing eyes, joined in the conversation. “Is it good there?”
“Delicious,” Juliet’s curls bobbed. “You should try it one morning.”
“Or maybe for a quick coffee this afternoon?” Hunk Number Two turned fully to address both of us.
I jumped in at this point, seeing where the conversation was going. Not that I had a problem with either of these two guys, but seriously, we were here to work!
“Jules, our schedule is booked this afternoon, remember?”
“Jules. What a great name. And you are ...?” Hunk Number One addressed me.
“She’s Keira, and we’d both be delighted to meet you but unfortunately we’re running an event that will keep us pretty busy during the day.”
By this time, the elevator had reached our stateroom floor and the doors opened. The guys held the doors open and one of them asked, “What event? Is it something we can attend?”
“It’s the ‘Cooking at Sea’ event, and it is fully booked unfortunately,” Juliet pulled two flyers from her tote and handed them to the guys. “I’m sorry, we didn’t catch your names.”
“I’m Langston,” said the taller of the two, “and this is my brother, Owen.”
“Too bad about your schedule,” said Owen, looking over the flyer.
“Oh, but I’m sure we could meet for a cocktail after the last demonstration to tell you more about it, couldn’t we, Keira?” Juliet tilted her head, and her smiling eyes caught mine.
I knew that if I said anything about “paperwork” or “catching up on the day,” her look would turn in an instant.
“Sure,” I laughed. “How about in the Sports Bar at about 5:30?” I picked the bar that was in the most common area of the well-traveled Promenade Deck. Sure, these guys seemed nice, but still they were unknown to us, right?
I continued, “You fellows need to let these doors close. I can only imagine how many people are fuming right now.”
Langston took his hand off the open door button and leaned back into the car. “They’ll be fine. It’s vacation time, remember? No worries, n
o hurries.” The door closed on his flashing grin.
“What?” Juliet said innocently, looking at my smirking face.
“You know what,” I bumped her hip.
“C’mon, Keir, I know this is a working trip, but why can’t we ‘work in’ a little bit of fun?” She grinned at her own wordplay.
I just shook my head and started walking toward my stateroom. She grabbed my arm.
“You aren’t angry, are you?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
“Of course not, Flirty Gerty,” I laughed. “I just wonder why it took you even this long to get us dates for drinks.”
“Hey, you knew my outgoing personality when you hired me,” she flounced.
“Yep. The only girl I know who can go from zero to having guys drool over themselves in sixty seconds.”
“I shall take that as a compliment.” She ruffled her curls even more buoyantly.
“Oh, it is, sister, it is.”
“Besides,” she added, “you know that I know the difference between harmless flirtation and advertising something I’m not selling.”
We reached my stateroom. I hugged her.
“Jules, you know it and I know it. Just make sure the guys know it.”
“Hmmph,” she sniffed. “I know I didn’t go to Catholic girls’ school like you did, but my aunties could have given some lessons in propriety to the nuns!”
We laughed, then I went into the stateroom and retrieved my tote containing my iPad and other materials I’d need for the day. I gave myself one last look in the mirror, patted my immaculate French braid, and rejoined Juliet. We returned to the elevator to descend to Deck 3 for the first demo of the day.
“Here we go,” I said. “Day One.”
Chapter Nine
We reached the conference room, which had been divided into two demo rooms, and walked into the first room—and felt as if New Orleans had been transported lock, stock, and barrel onto the ship. Exuberant Mardi Gras music blasted from speakers, and tables were decorated in the trademark purple, green, and gold colors. I couldn’t resist smiling as the guest chef, Louisiana Annie, yoo-hoo’d toward us from the front of the room.
Love on the Lido Deck Page 7