First Class Voyage (First Class Novels – A Contemporary Romance Series) (14 page)

So after Christopher was fed and asleep, Patty met Lester on
the pool deck with the children; Ella was walking holding her hand and
Christopher in the stroller. They found a table and the two adults read stories
to Ella and played with her dolls.

“I haven’t done this since my daughter was this age. That
was a
long
time ago,” Lester said. “I have all grandsons,” he explained.
“It’s all about cars and shooting things,” he laughed.

“I have grandsons too so I understand,” Patty nodded.

“What do you think of Miami?” he asked.

“Well I only spent a day there before we boarded the ship so
I’m not sure I can make an assessment,” Patty replied.

“Oh,” he said. “I understand.”

Patty wasn’t very sure what that meant but Christopher began
to stir so her mind switched gears and she attended to her grandson.

*****

Gradually, all the family arrived back on the ship. Well,
all but Mark and Katy. The crew onboard made it very clear to the passengers
that by two o’clock everyone should have returned to the boat so they could begin
the voyage back to Miami. So at 1:45pm, Janie sat on their balcony overlooking
the pier completely beside herself with panic. Patty was in their living room
with the children and Matt’s anxiety was beginning to grow with each passing
minute.

They watched as groups of two and more walked down the dock
and disappeared through the door below, safely back on board.

“Where are they?” Janie whispered as she chewed on the
inside of her cheek. “Why aren’t they back?”

Matt rubbed her shoulders and waited, silently praying they
would appear on the pier, healthy and in one piece.

At 1:58pm, Janie was almost in hysterics when from the
corner of her eye she saw a movement below. As she stood and leaned over the
railing, there were Mark and Katy hand in hand running to the ship laughing.

“Oh thank God!” she cried and threw herself into Matt’s
awaiting arms.

*****

A couple of hours after the ship set sail for Miami, Katy
called Janie in her suite.

“I have been worried sick about you!” Janie scolded.

“Why?” Katy was genuinely confused.

“Because I didn’t know where you were?” Janie’s voice
hitched ever so slightly.

Katy heard it. She heard it loud and clear.

“Oh, honey! I’m fine! I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think
about that. Janie please forgive me?”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Janie whispered. “You’re a
grown woman. But you know me? I worry about everything. I’m just glad you’re
okay.”

“I’m more than okay,” smiled Katy. “I’m wonderful.”

“Wonderful?” Janie’s curiosity was peaked. “What did you
guys do?”

“We had a wonderful time. But we didn’t get a whole lot of
sleep so we’re just going to stay in for the rest of the day and catch up. See
you tomorrow?”

“Sounds good,” she said as she replaced the telephone
receiver.

Hmph! Matt was right. They weren’t sleeping!

*****

That evening at dinner, Lester joined the Lathems. Katy and
Mark didn’t leave their cabin but the rest of the clan was curious as to why he
was there.

“So what do you do?” Janie asked, trying to sound very
casual.

“Oh,” Lester chuckled. “I’m retired. Have been for some
years now.”

“So what did you do for a living before that?” Janie
continued the inquisition.

“I owned a pool cleaning service. Living in Miami there are
a lot of pools,” he smiled. “But several years ago I sold the business and did
very well for myself. Now I do some gardening and play golf.”

“Oh, excellent!” Peter nodded in approval.

“And your wife?” Janie kept going

“She died many years ago. Breast cancer.”

That detail sobered Janie…but only for a moment.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, sincerity in her voice. “You
didn’t remarry?” And so it went on.

Lester shook his head. “I never found a woman that could
capture my interest like Delores. She was one in a million.”

Patty lowered her head and played with the napkin in her
lap.

“I can understand that,” Matt agreed. “When you find the
one
your life is blessed.” He lifted Janie’s hand and kissed her palm.

“Did you come on the cruise alone?” asked Janie, not
deviating from course.

“No, my daughter, our only child, Maggie, told me I had to
come because she couldn’t stand to see me wasting away at home. So I’m here
with her and my son-in-law and their three boys.”

“That sounds lovely,” Janie smiled. She took a sip of water
and was about to ask another question when Matt beat her to it.

“So what did everyone do today?”

The conversation flowed as each regaled their adventure in
San Juan. Janie sat picking at her salad with a frown on her face.

“Stop,” Matt whispered, trying to fight a smile from
forming.

“What?” Janie asked trying to look totally innocent.

“You know what,” Matt chuckled. “Leave the poor man alone.”

“I’m just asking a few simple questions.”

“And what if this had been the response to me when I was
introduced to your mother?”

“That was different!” she hissed.

“How?” he asked.

“It…it just was!”

Matt chuckled and squeezed her hand. Then he went back to
his soup.

After the dessert plates were cleared, Patty asked Matt if
he and Janie would mind keeping the children for the evening.

“Of course!” Matt exclaimed. “You don’t have to ask Patty.
They’re my children. You have been a wonderful help but they’re not your
responsibility. Go have a good time.”

Patty kissed Matt on the cheek and left with Lester. Janie
sat silently and watched them go.

DAY 13 – AT SEA

Mark and Katy were finally emerging from their cabin. Katy
had called Janie and said she would be up by the pool sun tanning. Janie was
going crazy wondering what had kept them occupied overnight in San Juan.

“This is not like you,” Matt said as he stood in the
bathroom shaving. Ella sat on the counter, covered in shaving cream with a comb
in her hand mimicking her father. “What’s up?”

“I know,” sighed Janie. “I just feel it. I can’t describe
it. There is more to this story. I
feel
it.”

Matt wasn’t going to argue with her. First of all, he had
learned that arguing with his wife was pointless; he would never understand how
her brain worked and how her idea of logic was formed. And secondly, when it
came to gut feelings, she was usually right. Of course he would never admit
that out loud, and never within earshot of his wife!

“Well, maybe she’ll fill you in today,” Matt said.

Janie piled the breakfast dishes back on the room service
tray and shoved it outside their cabin door on the floor in the hallway. As she
came back in, Matt took her in his arms and held her tight.

“Let’s just not have a repeat of the inquisition of last
night,” he mused.

“Fine,” she whined, but grinned at her husband.

“Who wants to go play in the pool?”

“I do!” yelled Ella.

*****

“It was breathtaking,” explained Katy. “The cottage had
these huge doors that folded back and when you lay in the bed it was just like
you were on the beach. Amazing!”

“So, Mark just rented a house for you for the night?”

“Yeah,” Katy said hoping Janie would leave it at that.

“Huh,” she said. “That sounds very romantic.”

“It was,” sighed Katy. “Incredibly romantic.”

“Huh,” she said again.

Katy watched Janie chew on the inside of her cheek, not
overly convinced she would let it go. But after a few minutes, with no more
talk of their ‘disappearance’, Katy began to relax.

Janie waved at Ella who was splashing in the water with her
daddy and Mark. Tyler and Adam had just arrived and were jumping in the pool so
Ella’s interest in her mother waned.

Katy rolled over onto her stomach and buried her head in her
arms. The warm sun felt glorious on her skin.

“So you had no idea he’d done that?” continued Janie.

“Done what?” asked Katy, her hope fading.

“That he’d rented a house.”

“Nope.”

“Huh,” Janie said for the third time.

The baby started to fuss and after several minutes of him
not settling down, Janie decided to head back to their suite and feed him. She
asked Katy to let Matt know where she had gone and left the pool.

She walked through the coffee bar on her way to the elevator
and caught sight of her mother sitting at a table with Lester. They were
laughing and apparently having a great time. Her mother’s eyes were bright and
as Janie stood and watched for a moment she wondered when the last time she had
seen her mother so…so happy.

The thought saddened her. Yes, Patty was her mother, but she
was a woman first. And didn’t she deserve happiness too?

*****

When Matt noticed Ella starting to shiver, they climbed from
the pool and he wrapped her in a large fluffy towel and laid her on a chaise.

“My sunglasses,” she ordered.

Matt raised his eyebrows and waited.

“Pease?” she grinned.

Matt took her glasses from the bag and propped them on her
nose.

“You should be on the French Riviera,” giggled Katy.

Ella crossed her ankles, put her hands behind her head and
laid back in the warm sun.

“That’s quite a little diva you’ve got there,” Katy laughed.

Matt stretched out on the chaise on the other side of Ella
and Mark headed off to get some drinks. Katy rolled over onto her back and
closed her eyes.

Mark was strolling back from the bar as a man walked in
front of Katy’s chair.

“Nice!” he drawled. “I’d like to get me some of that.”

“Back off!” snarled Mark. “That’s my wife you’re talking
about.”

The man scurried away and Katy propped herself up on her
elbows. She looked up at Mark and grinned. He smiled at her and then he turned
his head slowly to see Matt’s jaw open wide.

“Wife?” he mouthed.

“Shit!” Mark muttered. “Sorry,” he said to Katy.

She grinned and sat up.

“What the hell?” Matt said, clambering up to a sitting position.
“Janie was right, dammit! You two were up to something!” He looked down at
Ella, fast asleep cocooned in the towel.

Mark sat on the edge of her chaise.

“We didn’t plan it,” he began. “It was a spur of the moment
thing.”

“In San Juan?” Matt asked.

“Yeah,” grinned Katy.

“So that’s why you guys didn’t come back to the ship.”

“We haven’t told anyone. Please don’t say anything.” Mark
pleaded.

“Well, congratulations!!” Matt grinned. “This is great!!”

“Thanks,” said Mark.

“Oh shit!” Matt said, the smile disappearing from his face.
“You can’t ask me to not tell Janie. She would KILL me if she found out I knew
and didn’t say anything.”

“I’ll tell her,” said Katy. “I’ll go do it now,” she smiled.
“Then you won’t get in trouble.”

“Thank you,” Matt sighed. “And really, congratulations.”

*****

Katy knocked on Janie’s door. It took a minute for her to
answer. She was changing a diaper.

“Hey,” Janie smiled. “Come on in.”

Katy followed her into the living room. It would have been a
spacious room, but there were two portable cribs set up, a couple of strollers
and some toys scattered. She took the baby from Janie and moved Ella’s giant
stuffed dolphin off the chair and sat, cuddling little Christopher.

“He’s growing like a weed,” she grinned.

“I know! He can only wear a few of the three month clothes
now. He’s a chunk!”

“Oh my sweet little boy,” she cooed. “He’s drunk!” she
laughed.

“Yep,” Janie chuckled.

“So this morning,” Katy began, “I didn’t tell you the whole
story.”

Janie’s eyebrows raised and she sat down, her interest
piqued.

“Really?” she said.

“No,” Katy said as she rocked the baby. “Something else
happened in San Juan, something we hadn’t planned on, but the opportunity
presented itself so we jumped on it.”

Janie scooted to the edge of the sofa, staring at Katy, not
knowing what was about to be confessed.

“Mark took me to this beautiful old cathedral,” she
continued. “He had been there several times on his many trips there and he knew
the priest and he came out and talked to us and… well…we hadn’t planned on
doing it, but Mark has been carrying the papers with us everywhere we go and…”

“You got married,” Janie whispered.

“We did,” Katy grinned. “We got married.”

Janie sat motionless for several seconds and then squealed
with delight. “YOU GOT MARRIED!!!!”

Christopher’s little body jolted and he screamed his little
lungs out. Katy stood and tried to soothe him as Janie threw her arms around
her best friend’s neck and held her tight while they laughed and cried and
laughed some more.

“I am
so
happy for you!” Janie beamed.

“You’re not mad?”

“Why on earth would I be mad?” Janie was horrified.

“Because we did it just by ourselves. We didn’t tell
anybody.”

“Of course I’m not mad!” Janie laughed. “I’m thrilled.
Thrilled for you both. This is wonderful!”

“Just do me one favor,” Katy asked, a seriousness in her
tone.

“Of course,” sobered Janie.

“Don’t tell anybody, at least not ‘til we get home.”

“Not even Matt?” Janie asked.

“Mark just told Matt.”

Janie visibly relaxed. “Oh, good,” she smiled. The smile
disappeared quickly as she spoke the name. “Maureen!”

*****

If Katy didn’t love her job as a nurse so much, Janie would
have suggested she go into acting. Katy was brilliant at pretending that there
was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for the rest of the day and all through
dinner. Janie was duly impressed. But she didn’t know just how long she would
be able to keep it up.