Page 111 of Why Cruise

Sunset Climbing Competition (4:00 PM) Multiple difficulty categories

Justice

A giggle and a “shhh” were my alarm. I took a deep breath. Maybe the first real deep breath I had ever taken. I sat up. No headache. That constant weight on my chest, gone. I had actually slept. The clattering of dishes called me. I pulled on the linen pants I had discarded yesterday and surveyed the damage. The bed was a glorious mess.

I swooned. I literally swooned, had to hold on to furniture and everything at the sight of them at my table. They were both in fluffy white robes. Mackenzie’s hung off one shoulder. Theo’s hair was damp. She brought a delicate looking coffee cup to her lips with a pinky out.

She gasped and lit up when she saw me. “We met Todd the Butler!”

Laughing, I sank into a chair between them. Theo poured me coffee and Mackenzie put a chocolate croissant on my plate.

“We didn’t know when you’d be up, so we just asked for pastries and not eggs.” Theo explained.

“Where’s Ren?”

“He was gone when I woke up.” Theo said, neutrally.

But it wasn’t neutral at all. I couldn’t quite name the emotion burning my throat. Disappointment wrapped in anger with a sprinkle of desperation. I had been lying to myself for years that I had moved on from Ren Delano. And now he was gone again. He would be gone for good.

“We both know how this ends.”

I put a spoonful of sugar in my coffee and a splash of cream. Theo pretended he wasn’t watching me intently. Mackenzie licked chocolate off a finger that glittered in the morning light. Morning? Was it morning?

“What are your plans for the day?” I sipped the coffee. It was still warm, but not blazing hot like I normally liked it.

“We haven’t really discussed it.”

“Nothing from your spreadsheet?”

“Not a single green item.” Theo made a face and rubbed his hand across his stomach.

“You alright?” I asked, something deeper than generic concern stirring.

“I probably should have just had eggs.” He said absently.

Mackenzie was picking up crumbs on her finger and licking them off. Theo turned his fork over and over, grimacing. I looked between the two of them, doing their best, and failing, at acting casual.

“What?”

“You do it,” Mackenzie whispered to Theo.

“No, you.”

“We flipped a coin. It’s you.”

“I asked Todd the Butler about the panties,” Theo jerked his head toward me.

“Fine.” Mackenzie sat up straight and folded her hands. “Rose won the scavenger hunt.”

“Fuck.” I blurted. “Now you’re going to have to punch her, Mackenzie.”

“That’s what I said, but Theo said no.”

“There’s actually a lot of things we haven’t done on the ship. There’s a movie theater, a batting cage, mini golf. Or we could just hang out by the pool.” Theo rushed to change the topic.

“I’ll have Todd the Butler get us a cabana by the pool if you want.”

“The pool doesn’t have cabanas.”

---