Under the Moonlight collection

by MaryAnn Kempher

  “What’s so funny?” asked Scott.

  “You,” answered Alex. “I remember asking you if you thought Kimy was mad at you, and you said, and I quote, ‘I don’t know, but what could she do?’ I guess we know the answer now.”

  ***

  As the elevator traveled down to the third floor, Amy clenched and unclenched her hands, watching RJ out the corner of her eye and having second thoughts. She liked RJ, but she’d never made it a habit to fall into bed with men she barely knew. What the hell, it’s a cruise. But the thought didn’t quell her nerves. If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t want sex, at least not with him. When the elevator door opened, he got out and turned around, surprised that Amy didn’t follow.

  “I thought you wanted to see my room.”

  “I thought I did too. But now, I don’t think so.”

  RJ reached over and took her hand tightly in his, gently tugging her out of the elevator. “Come on. I’m a very good … decorator.” He smiled and winked. Amy pulled her hand away and with her other hand pushed the button for her floor.

  “No, sorry.”

  RJ’s good looks disappeared. His mouth became a thin line across his face. “Fine,” he said and walked away, clearly angry.

  Amy had just sat on her bed when there was a knock at the door. She didn’t think RJ knew her room number. She hoped he didn’t, anyway.

  “Hey,” said Katherine. “I heard a door shut. I wasn’t sure it was yours, but thought I’d check. Did you go talk to Jack?”

  “Oh, Katherine,” said Amy, tears falling down her cheeks. “You were right. He has moved on.”

  “Why? I mean what did he say?”

  “I didn’t talk to him. I was going to, until I saw him with a woman.”

  “Oh no.”

  “He had his hand on her back.”

  “Did he see you?”

  “No, thankfully. And then I almost did something really stupid.”

  “What?”

  “You know that guy I met, the first day? Robert, RJ? I almost went back to his cabin. He saw me, right after I’d seen Jack.”

  “You said, ‘almost,’ so you didn’t, right?”

  “No, and I’m glad I didn’t. But I think he was pretty mad.”

  Katherine put her hand on Amy’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Amy hung her head. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been. I had it all, and now he’s with someone else.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Maybe not, but you said yourself he doesn’t want me back.”

  Katherine laughed. “Oh I don’t know about that. That’s what he said, but I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t think he means it, but you did really hurt him, Amy.”

  “I know.”

  “But this cruise, this is your second chance. Find Jack. Make him talk to you. Tell him how you feel.”

  “What if he rejects me? What if he tells me he never wants to see me again?”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  ***

  Amy walked around the ship, with no destination planned and no interest in where she ended up. She barely watched where she was going. When she had broken up with Jack, it had seemed like the smart thing to do. They’d only been dating a few months before he was talking about future vacations and wondering aloud where they should live. Amy put the brakes on quick. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Jack, but white picket fences and kids playing in the backyard had never been a fantasy of hers.

  She’d expected to miss him but was equally sure it wouldn’t take long to get over him; it had never taken her long before to get over a man. But this time it had been different. She’d done all the usual things she did after a break-up. She’d treated herself to a spa day, bought some new clothes, even put some highlights into her normally dark hair. However, this time the good feelings associated with these activities had been hollow and fleeting.

  Finally, as she sat alone on a café terrace, she admitted to herself that she missed Jack a lot. The pain was unfamiliar, because she’d never loved a man like she loved Jack. It had taken her a month to realize her stupidity, but it was too late.

  Amy had knocked and knocked on his apartment door until his neighbor came out and told her the news. He’d moved, across the country no less. Though she was sure Jack had never run away from a fight in his life, he apparently had his own way of dealing with heartbreak. He put as much distance between himself and the cause as possible. For the next three months, Amy had cried and shouted, stopped eating, and then binged. By the time Alex’s wedding on a cruise had been brought up, and she’d started to feel halfway okay again, a cruise had sounded like a great idea to her.

  When she first saw Jack, her heart had soared, but then fear overcame her. She hesitated and instead went to Katherine. She was glad, because had she gone to him, had he introduced his new girlfriend to her, she wasn’t sure how she would have ever overcome that pain and humiliation.

  So look at me. Do I, or don’t I have some serious shit for luck? And what now?

  She still planned to approach Jack. She had to—it couldn’t be resisted.

  “Excuse me.”

  Amy looked up in time to avoid walking into two little old ladies walking toward her. They looked familiar. Wake up, Amy. But she didn’t think they’d been paying much attention to where they were walking either. Both seemed preoccupied with a pie they were holding. As the women passed her, her breath caught in her throat. Jack stood just a few feet away. For a second they didn’t speak, then Amy said, “I don’t know what to say to you.”

  Jack smiled. “How about ‘hello,’ or ‘how have you been?’”

  “Hi, Jack. Katherine told me you were on the ship.”

  “I didn’t think she was going to do that. She’d thought you knowing about me might ruin your vacation.”

  Jack and Amy moved over to the railing, each leaning on an arm and trying not to look as nervous as they both felt.

  “I saw you,” said Amy.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. I was too nervous to talk to you. When I finally got up the nerve, you were busy.”

  “Busy?”

  Amy looked out toward the sea, too hurt and embarrassed to meet Jack’s eyes. She said softly, “You were with a woman. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  There was a questioning, hopeful sound in her voice. It only took a moment for Jack to realize she was probably talking about Marni. Maybe Amy had seen him walking Marni to her cabin? He didn’t ask. Seeing Amy, being close to her, filled him with many emotions. If he believed Katherine, Amy was still in love with him, but he wasn’t sure what that meant to him. As much as he knew how good it would feel to hold her in his arms again, she’d screwed up his head and he wasn’t eager to backtrack.

  He watched her face. While dating, they’d had fights, now and then. He wondered if she thought his forgiveness would come as easily this time as it had in the past. What did she think? That he’d quit his new job in Tampa, break his lease, and move back to Reno? That all she had to do was look sad and beautiful? Amy placed a hand on his arm. He looked down at it.

  “I have to go, Amy. I’m sure Katherine told you that I’m head of security on this ship. I have work to do.” Jack started to walk away.

  “Couldn’t we get together later maybe? To talk?”

  Jack didn’t turn back, and he didn’t look at her. He needed to have the strength to leave Amy behind.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Amy watched Jack walk away. She felt like she was choking. The hand that seconds earlier had been on Jack’s arm now covered her heart. Was it breaking all over again? Her eyes burned with tears that she refused to cry. They would have to wait until she was alone in her cabin. Katherine had been right—he had moved on. He made it look easy. Had he ever loved her? She was beginning to think maybe not.

  ***

  Alex and Scott went back to the pool for a while, ate another meal, and drank multiple alcoholic beverages. They l
ay on lounge chairs, comfortably buzzed. A small cluster of women, all beautiful and all wearing bikinis, huddled together a few feet away. More than once, Alex looked up to see one or more of the ladies looking at him or Scott.

  “It occurs to me,” said Alex, “that we should have come on a cruise together before we were both engaged.”

  “Why do you say that?” asked Scott. When Alex didn’t answer, Scott removed the towel that had been covering his face and followed Alex’s gaze toward the group of women. Scott laughed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. But I wouldn’t trade Katherine for any of those women.”

  “And I wouldn’t trade Sophie for any of them either.”

  “I might trade her for some of that though?” said Scott, pointing. A waiter carried a large, round tray covered with desserts. He stopped a few chairs away. Two older women sat up. The tray was set down on a small table between the two ladies, and each eagerly grabbed a dessert.

  “Now those two ladies really know how to enjoy a cruise,” said Scott.

  Alex nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah.”

  ***

  Nene and Gaga sat comfortably on lounge chairs, careful not to spill the hot chocolate or drop the plateful of brownies that had just been brought to them. With one chubby hand, Nene reached for a second brownie; with the other she sipped some hot chocolate.

  “Ahhh, this is the life, right, Gaga?”

  Her sister, Gaga, naturally slim, swallowed her third brownie and smiled. “Yes it is. Did you see the sign on the wall in the restaurant? Later, all the goodies from the baked goods competition that have already been judged are going to be set out for you and I to eat.”

  “Do we have to share?”

  Gaga laughed. “Unfortunately, yes. Too bad we’ll be home on Friday.”

  “I do think it’s a bit silly to turn the ship around,” said Nene. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s sad that a woman died but—and I don’t meant to sound callous—couldn’t they put her in a refrigerator somewhere?”

  “No, Nene. Don’t you think her family back home is distraught and awaiting her return?” answered Gaga. “How would it be if the cruise people said, ‘Sorry your whoever is dead, but we have the tropics to visit. Her body will be back in two weeks.’”

  “I guess. It was nice that the captain stopped by to see me.”

  “What? When did he do that?”

  “Yesterday. Oh that’s right. You were napping. He stopped by to ask me what I saw that night. That kind of bothered me. I’ve told the story to two different men, haven’t I? But he was very nice just the same.”

  Gaga seemed impressed. “To think, the ship’s captain came to see you. My goodness.” Gaga reached for another brownie.

  “Oh no you don’t,” said Nene. “That last brownie is mine.” She pointed at Gaga’s plate, “You done with that?” she asked.

  Gaga rolled her eyes, then handed Nene the tart on her plate.

  “Hurry and eat that,” said Gaga. “We have things to do and places to go.”

  ***

  Jack walked around the ship in a fog. Seeing Amy up close jarred him. He was bothered by how much he wanted to go back to her. He didn’t like to think of himself as unforgiving or inflexible, but he also wasn’t a man to be toyed with, or a man who would allow himself to be jerked around. Finally, angry at himself, he forced thoughts of Amy from his mind. He had a murder, probably two murders, to solve. He thought about the object he’d found in the cafeteria kitchen and decided to go see if there were any more.

  As usual, the kitchen was full of people. He narrowly avoided being run down by the same short, chubby waiter he’d seen on his first visit. The waiter kept his head down as he put all his weight into pushing a trolley full of pies.

  Jack pushed through the swinging doors and was surprised to see two men shouting, their faces inches from each other. One man Jack recognized as Chef Philippe, but he didn’t recognize the other man, who also wore a chef’s coat.

  “I have as much right in this kitchen as you do. You must share!”

  “Share? Share?” sputtered Chef Philippe. “With you? Are you mad?”

  Jack rushed over and separated the two men. “Gentlemen, what’s the problem?”

  “This heathen, this saboteur,” said Chef Philippe, “he thinks he can waltz into my kitchen and start baking what passes for baked goods in his country.”

  “Do not disparage my country,” shouted the other chef.

  “I’m not disparaging your country,” Chef Philippe shouted back, “just your country’s baked goods.”

  “Gentlemen,” said Jack. He looked at Chef Philippe. “Now, Chef Philippe, is this man supposed to be here, or not?”

  Chef Philippe looked away angrily. He waved his arms around, then said, “Yes, but he shouldn’t have just waltzed in and started cooking. There are ways to go about things. You don’t go in another man’s kitchen. He has no class, no finesse.”

  “I have no class? I have no finesse?”

  Jack stepped between the men again. After a few minutes, with Jack’s help, the two chefs came to a working arrangement. The visiting chef left, with plans to return later. Chef Philippe looked at Jack.

  “Did you come to tell me the name of my saboteur? Was it him? I bet it was.”

  Jack tried not to laugh. Sometimes Chef Philippe reminded him of the scientist from the Back to the Future movies. All wild hair and crazy eyes. But soon enough, the chef was calm and charming, as if he hadn’t been shouting seconds earlier.

  “No, sorry,” said Jack. “Came to have another look around. Are you busy?”

  “Well, I’m behind.” Chef Philippe pointed at what looked like an oversized ice cream carton. It was at least four feet tall and four feet around. “You see that container over there? That holds flour.”

  Jack’s eyebrows raised. “The whole thing?”

  “Yes. Don’t be so surprised. I’m making desserts for the ship’s guests, and for the contest. And thanks to my saboteur, I have to work double time and make double entries.”

  “I get it,” said Jack. “You’re busy. Is there a time when the kitchen isn’t so busy?”

  “No,” answered the chef. “Not really.”

  ***

  Scott and Katherine walked out of their room at the same time as Amy. It was dinner time and they were all headed to the main dining room. Katherine and Amy looked beautiful; both wore long summer dresses that accentuated their glowing tans.

  Scott suddenly turned around. “Forgot my watch. You two go ahead—I’ll meet you downstairs.” He kissed Katherine and briskly walked back toward their room. Amy and Katherine got in the elevator.

  “Are you okay?” asked Katherine. Amy hadn’t said much about Jack, but Katherine could tell he was on her mind.

  “Sure. I’m fine.”

  “Do you want to talk about Jack?” asked Katherine.

  “No, I don’t want to talk about Jack.”

  “Okay.”

  “I mean what did I think? Did I think it would be easy to get him back? That he’d be glad to see me?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’m better off without him anyway, don’t you think? It’s been three months. He’s not the only one whose moved on.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Katherine.

  “Why are we even talking about him?” asked Amy, annoyed. “The hell with Jack Harney. I don’t need him.”

  “That’s right,” said Katherine. “You don’t.”

  “How can you say that? Jack’s the only man I’ve ever really loved.”

  Katherine didn’t answer and tried not to smile. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  ***

  Tuesday, Frank silently looked at Jojo and Bobby as they monitored the ship’s video screens. Soon they would all go their separate ways. He thought about the coffee shop Jojo and Bobby planned to open; they’d need a lot of money for that. Frank wasn’t a big coffee drinker, so he thought opening a coffee shop was a waste of money.
What had Jojo and Bobby done to earn so much money? he wondered. He thought about how long he’d been working with the two men. They’d screwed up a lot and were lucky to still be around at all. A less forgiving boss would have gotten rid of them a long time ago.

  But they would soon be gone. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It meant change, and Frank wasn’t big on change. He’d taken the cruise ship position because for crew members, life on a ship quickly became predicable. It wasn’t nearly as glamorous as people seemed to think, like it was a paid vacation. That was a joke. It was downright boring sometimes, but for Frank that had been the job’s appeal. The only excitement to be had was during their visits to various ports. That was fun. But even that had started to become dull. After all, they went to the same places all the time.

  “You two excited about staying in Florida?” he asked.

  Jojo and Bobby turned their chairs around. “You know it,” said Bobby. “All good things must come to an end.”

  “You’ve given this a lot of thought? Pretty sure this is what you want?”

  “It’s time for us to go,” said Jojo, “it’s for the best. We know you’d rather we stayed. But we’ll have replacements. I’m sure they’ll work out as well as we did.”

  Frank wanted to laugh, thinking, I hope not. “You guys are on until eleven, right?” he asked.

  “No,” answered Bobby. “We were supposed to get relieved at three, but we’re doing the next shift a favor and staying on until six.” Then he laughed and said, “Unless you want to relieve us early.”

  Frank laughed, then said, “Nice try. All right, I’d better go. I start my shift soon. Probably should go do my thing. I’ll see you two later.”

  “Later,” answered Jojo and Bobby in unison.

  Frank slowly walked toward the elevator, lost in thought. He was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t time for him to start thinking about a new start too. It looked like Jojo and Bobby had found what they’d been looking for. Frank wanted his share. The excitement he used to feel on reaching each new port was gone. But if he was staying in Florida, if he was planning his new start, he’d open an ice cream shop. Everyone loved ice cream, and in Florida business would be good all year around. He had money, but was it enough? Nope, not yet. Starting a business would be expensive; his ice cream shop would have to wait a little longer. He did some mental calculations. Or did it have to wait?