Page 7 of Mommy Calls Me Princess

“Dinner’s ready,” Linda called out as she and Sarah set the sides on the patio table. One thing my loft lacked was outdoor space. More of an excuse for Darcy and me to get away a couple days a month. As it was, Jack had a bedroom designed just for us with our own bathroom and a two-person tub.

As we dined we watched the sun set, and it was nothing short of amazing. As the dark descended, the outside lighting came on. Jack had the perfect balance of soft lighting. The islands in the Puget Sound had the best views all around. Quaint, not packed as Seattle proper was. You could breathe here without the stressful sounds of sirens and honking horns. As soon as we drove onto the ferry I swear, my entire body relaxed.

With dinner done and the leftovers cleared away, the parents said goodnight and returned to their homes. Vale and Darcy headed to the monkey room, Vale’s playroom, though with their full tummies and given how much they’d already played it wouldn’t be long before the yawns would descend.

Jack had some emails to answer so I took the break to unpack and settle Darcy and I into our room. I’d just started her bathwhen she came around the corner. Her face spread in a huge yawn.

“Ohhh, tubby time.”

“Yes and I even brought your tubby toys but if you open the cupboard under the sink I believe you’ll find a gift from Jack and Vale.” I spotted it when I grabbed the bubble bath.

For being as tired as she was she sure did move fast. That girl had that cupboard open and the container of new tubby toys out and into the water before I had a chance to glmpse what was in there.

“Silly Princess, what did they get you?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. Was too excited to play with them to check.”

Getting an excited, fidgety little undressed and in the tub was quite the challenge. But in the end we persevered.

“Mommy! Mommy! They got me a mermaid Barbie!”

“How in the world did you miss that when you grabbed the basket?”

“Vale must’ve buried it under all the duckies, and boats, and look Mommy, seals!”

I smiled as the silly girl giggled and played. How had I survived so long without this kind of happiness in my life?

“Princess, Mommy has something serious to ask you.”

She sat the toys down and gave me her undivided attention. “Yes, Mommy.”

“Mommy would like for you to move in with her.”

Darcy let out the biggest squeal and all I saw was a flurry of bubbles and water when she jumped up and drenched me.

But just as quickly, she stilled. “Really, Mommy?”

“Really, Darcy though with the baptism by bath water I’d say it’s a done deal.”

“I’m so excited and it’s an easy move. Everything in my suitcases is all I have.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Chapter Three

Darcy

Day one aboard the Magdalena…

Saying goodbye to Mommy this morning was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Mommy sent me back to work with a new piece of princess luggage and a matching backpack packed full of goodies that she made me promise not to peek at until I was in my cabin. When we got back to her place from Vale’s, there were a bunch ofboxes she said not to open just inside the entryway. I’m guessing whatever was in them was now in my bags.

Sneaky mommy.

But she was my mommy, and I loved her to the moon and back!

The crew always boarded a day or two before the passengers. Then we had time to get ourselves situated and make sure that their rooms and the common areas were stocked, cleaned, and ready. The vendors handled the retail stores and food court stands, the culinary staff took care of the dining halls while the housekeeping staff, which was me and my team, made sure the cabins were clean and up to our high standards.

As soon as we checked in and dropped off our luggage we were called into a meeting with Captain Solis in the main conference room. We were in for a long cruise this time but at least it wasn’t a kink one, that would give me a bad case of the sads without Mommy here. This was a twenty-one-day cruise that went from Seattle to Santa Barbara, then to Cabo San Lucas, and the final port at Panama City. Some of the passengers would depart there and board other cruises. We’d dock for three days to prepare the ship for another set of passengers onboarding for the trip to Seattle with stops at Puerto Vallarta and San Diego then Seattle.

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