Page 6 of Waylaid in Whittier

“Something tells me you’re going to owe me big time after this.” Millie slipped the raincoat on.

“The hood,” Andy said. “You’ll want your hood on.”

Taking note of his sly smile, she made sure she tied it around her chin, figuring that before his demonstration was over, Millie would be glad she did. “I’m ready for whatever you’re about to subject me to.”

Andy cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. “I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this demonstration of the newest, hottest feature on board any cruise ship sailing the high seas.”

He went into a short spiel about how he’d been approached by a company eager to break into the cruise ship market. After some back and forth, Andy had agreed to partner with them to install the cutting edge spa feature in exchange for free publicity.

Millie interrupted. “Meaning they gave you a discount.”

A small rumble of laughter ensued. Andy possessed many qualities, with thriftiness being near the top of the list.

“Of course. If this new spa feature works out, Siren of the Seas will be featured in cruise ship magazines across the globe which could generate commissions, depending on how many units are sold.”

It was all beginning to make perfect sense. Andy, a true tightwad, frugal, thrifty, all the above, rarely took his eyes off the “bottom line.” Which was cause for concern, considering Millie was the guinea pig for his new project.

“Without further ado.” Andy placed a light hand on her back and propelled her toward the center shower. “Millie, if you’ll be so kind as to make your way inside.”

She sucked in a breath and stepped into the shower, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

“I almost forgot.” Andy grabbed a pair of rubber shoes sitting near the shower door. He handed them to her. “You’ll want to take your shoes and socks off.”

Millie muttered under her breath, placing her work shoes and socks a safe distance away before sliding her bare feet into the rubber shoes.

Andy propped the door open and backed up, leaving a good five feet of separation between them. “I think we’re ready to go. On the count of three, I’m going to have Millie press the big blue button.”

“Do I have to?”

More laughter followed her comment.

Andy ignored it. “One…two…three.”

“I hope I don’t end up regretting this.” Millie gritted her teeth and pressed the button.

Chapter 3

The spa shower made a whirring sound. The whirring picked up and became more of a steady hum, yet nothing happened.

Millie placed a light hand on the wall, confirming there was a faint vibration. “It’s making a lot of noise, but nothing is happening. Is it broken?”

Andy held up a finger. “It needs a few seconds to crank up.”

A dribble of water dripped on the floor, followed by icy cold air blasting out of the wall vents.

Millie shivered, rubbing the sides of her arms. “This reminds me of what it feels like to stand on the promenade while we’re touring Glacier Bay.”

“The best is yet to come. It should start kicking in any second.” Andy gleefully rubbed his palms together. “The suspense is killing me.”

Plop.

A chunk of part snow and part slush landed on Millie’s head and slid down the side of her hood.

Plop.

Millie turned, noticing a glob of thick snow perched on her shoulder. She lifted her gaze, watching as spurts of snow blasted out of the showerhead. “It’s snowing.”

“Snow showering.” Andy beamed. “Isn’t it bloody brilliant?”

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