Page 14 of Waylaid in Whittier

Millie dove into her work schedule, hopscotching from event to event, hosting activities, and even handling a minor crisis involving a bingo game dispute.

She worked through her early break. By the time the lunch hour rolled around, things had settled down, giving her an opportunity to head home and check on Scout.

Nic must’ve been watching out for her. He caught up with his wife near the hallway leading to their apartment. “You look stressed out.”

“It’s been a busy morning.”

“I heard you being summoned on the radio and figured you had your hands full.”

“More like overflowing.” Millie pressed her finger to her lips. “I’m thinking only positive thoughts. The rest of the day will be easy breezy.”

“At the very least, lunch will be. I ordered room service, hoping you would swing by. Our food is in the fridge.”

Millie waited for him to swipe his keycard and open the apartment door. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Maybe a time or two, but I never tire of hearing it.” Nic closed the door behind them and sneaked in a kiss. “Has my planning scored me a few brownie points?”

“Uh-oh. I knew there was a catch,” she joked. “What do you want?”

Nic set his lanyard on the table and pulled her into his arms. “A few moments of my wife’s undivided attention.” He kissed her soundly. “Is that too much to ask?”

“Not at all.” Millie snuggled closer. “I’m yours until I have to clock back in.”

He kissed her again, this time a long, lingering kiss. “Something tells me the rest of your day is going to get a lot better.”

“It already has.” Millie kicked her shoes off and tilted her head. “I live such a blessed life.”

“Welive a blessed life.” Nic released his grip. “Unfortunately, I’m on a tight schedule as well. Rest assured, I have a romantic evening planned.”

Millie arched her eyebrow. “What sort of romantic evening?”

“One that will have to wait for a few more days. But for now…” He led her into the dining room and escorted her to an empty chair. “Let’s enjoy what little time we have.”

While they ate, Millie filled Nic in on Sharky’s crisis and then shared her concerns about Jose. “Do you know or remember him from before? He works in the IT department.”

Nic thought about it. “No. His name doesn’t ring a bell, but then a lot of employees have come and gone.”

“I’m sure.” Millie toyed with her food. “Patterson thinks I’m making something out of nothing.”

Nic feigned shock. “My wife, jumping to conclusions?”

She playfully punched his arm. “Very funny. You have to admit, I have an uncanny ability of picking out the bad guys.”

“It’s true. The fact you remember him after all these years is amazing,” her husband marveled.

“I remember a few details about those first days on board. I was terrified I would mess up; certain Andy would fire me at any moment and I would end up returning home to Michigan with my tail between my legs.”

“But it didn’t work out that way, did it?” Nic asked. “Instead, here you are, living your best life, traveling around the world with your husband and friends.”

“The only thing missing is seeing more of my kids and grandkids.” She fed a small scrap of turkey to Scout, who sat patiently waiting and watching their every move. “I need to get going. I’ll be working on a new activity schedule for when we head back to the warmer Caribbean climate. What are our first ports?”

“One of your favorites…St. Kitts, along with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.” Nic rolled the “r” around on his tongue. “Siren of the Seas hasn’t stopped there in a long time.”

“I don’t recall ever docking in Puerto Rico. I’ll have to check out the sights.”

“Maybe we can plan a day and go together.”

“I would like that.” Millie pushed her chair back. “Thank you for lunch.”

---