“A fancy dinner, I bet.” He paused for a deep breath. “What’s the ship like?”
“It’s very nice.” Vanessa held back a sigh of her own, leaned against the headboard, and settled in for a longer conversation than she wanted. “You’d like it, Dad. The woodwork is impressive.” She spent the next ten minutes answering his reluctant questions. He was curious, but didn’t want to show it. Vanessa described the details she knew he’d be interested in, but not so much as to make it obvious. Her being away on this trip and aboard the ship was already hard enough on him.
She closed her eyes after hanging up. Usually, he called her only every few days, but his calls had become more frequent since she’d arrived in Portugal. Which was unfortunate because Dad’s earnestness could only be taken in small doses.
After a quick shower, she changed into her favorite pair of dark skinny jeans and added a thin cardigan over a gauzy top and chunky necklace. She pulled her hair into a low ponytail and applied some light make-up. It was only breakfast, and dressy casual was probably fine.
In truth, the dress code caused her some anxiety. Before the trip, Vanessa had read blogs on river cruises and social procedures aboard five-star ships. Despite her reluctance, being prepared made more sense. Her lack of knowledge would probably appall some of her fellow passengers but, at this point, Vanessa could only hope they wouldn’t see right through her inexperience.
What about the captain? Did he know this was her first time on a cruise? How much had Grandfather told him?
She glanced at the full-size mirror behind the door one last time. Much better than this morning when she’d seen the captain near the bridge. The key-card went in the front pocket of her jeans.
She was ready to face the day…and Captain Romano.
* * *
Click here to learn more about Meet Me At Sunrise
Other Books by Lucinda Whitney
A Love Story from Portugal Series:
The Secret Life of Daydreams
One Small Chance
Romano Family Series:
Hold Me At Twilight (a Romano Family novella)
Meet Me At Sunrise (a Destined for Love Romance: Europe)
Love Me At Sunset (a Destined for Love Romance: Mansions)
Marry Me At Dawn (a Romano Family novella) Coming Soon
Sometimes you plan a story for years and sometimes a story springs on you in a short few weeks.
Knox and Jacinta were such a fun surprise!
Thank you to my critique partners (Laura, Lori, and Sally) for the almost-everyday support and brainstorming.
A big thank you to my fabulous editors, Michele and Ellie, who not only helped me turn my story into something much better, but were also super-quick about it.
Again, my thanks go to my mother for taking me to Porto again on my last trip to Portugal. As many times as I’d been there, I hadn’t crossed the Dom Luís bridge before, and I’m glad I did. It gave me the inspiration for a great scene between Knox and Jacinta.
This is a short little story but it was so much fun to write and I love how it turned out. I hope all of you will fall in love with Knox and Jacinta as well.
Thank you!
A pior coisa que ter uma família grande é não ter família nenhuma.
The only thing worse than a big family is having none at all.
Lucinda Whitney was born and raised in Portugal, where she received a Master’s degree from the University of Minho in Braga, in Portuguese/English teaching.
She lives in northern Utah with her husband and four children. When she’s not reading and writing, she can be found with a pair of knitting needles, or tending her herb garden.
She’s the author of The Secret Life of Daydreams and One Small Chance, her LDS romance series named A Love Story from Portugal. Hold Me At Twilight is the first book in the new Romano Family series.
Please visit her website at lucindawhitney.com for more information and news.
Copyright © 2017 Lucinda Whitney
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events, is entirely coincidental.
Edited by Michele Paige Holmes and Ellie Whitney
Cover design ©2017 Lange House Press
Published by Lange House Press
Ebook edition released in April 2017
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Hold Me at Twilight Page 7