Page 3 of Waylaid in Whittier

“Have you found gold?”

“Maybe,” Elvira answered evasively. “Between you and me, I might have found my very own honey hole. I’m heading out later today and hope to confirm my findings.”

“Along with the production crew?”

“No way. I found this spot on my own.”

“Well, good luck.”

“Thanks. I’ve been thinking… I’ll be wrapping things up here in the next day or so. It’s the end of the season and the DNR is shutting down the roads. Something about unpredictable conditions…yada, yada. When is Siren of the Seas docking in Whittier?”

“We’re at sea today and have a scheduled stop in Anchorage tomorrow, not to dock, but to grab some supplies via the shuttle boats. We’ll be in Whittier Saturday morning to let passengers off. The ship overnights and we leave Sunday afternoon.”

“This might work out perfectly.” Elvira made a clicking sound with her teeth. “Do you have room for one more?”

“One more what?”

“Passenger. Me.”

Sharky briefly closed his eyes, and Millie could only imagine what he was thinking. She knew two things about the head of the maintenance department. First and foremost, he was a loyal friend who could be counted on in times of trouble, which is why she and the others were there—to help one of their own.

Secondly, was the fact he was not a fan of surprises. “You want to hop on Siren of the Seas when we reach Whittier?”

“You sound surprised,” Elvira said.

“More like shocked.”

“With all the hints I’ve been dropping?” she asked incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding. I thought you knew and were playing along.”

“I had no clue.”

“But I told you before about the invite to come to Alaska,” she whined.

“And then you dropped it. I had no idea. Wait. I take that back. I had an inkling when you started sending me photos.”

“You don’t sound as excited as I thought you’d be.”

“It would have been better if we planned it in advance…so I could schedule time off work to spend with you. I don’t know how much fun you’ll have sitting in my cramped cabin all day while I’m working.”

“Why would I sit in the cabin? The ship has activities galore. I’ll be busy enjoying some R&R.”

“While I’m at work,” Sharky grumbled. “It doesn’t sound like much of a fun visit to me.”

“You don’t want to see me?”

“I do, but more notice and pre-planning would have been the considerate thing to do,” he lectured.

Millie frantically made a timeout with her hands. The conversation was heading south—and fast. It was too late.

“Fine. Forget I mentioned it. You won’t have to worry about me bothering you again.”

“I didn’t mean for it to sound like I don’t want to see you, but I would have preferred we plan your visit in advance. I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from, right?”

Silence.

“Elvira?”

There was no reply. Sharky heaved a heavy sigh. “She hung up on me.”

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