Page 23 of Too Far To Sea
“Very nice, thank you.”
Two bridesmaids giggled, and Dana blushed.
Not good.
McKay knew he hadn’t crossed any lines. But perhaps he had stepped too close. No more special treatment for Dana. He turned his attention to the crew members at the alcohol check-in table. He had a job to do. If he had three months left on his contract or if Dana lived on the other side of the country, like in Idaho, it would be easier to ignore her. Knowing that he could see her again was likely what fueled the attraction. He needed to ignore it.
Still, McKay found his attention drifting to the door Dana had disappeared through. The next passengers approached with shopping bags full of souvenirs, but he barely registered their presence. What was it about Dana Knight that made maintaining professional distance so difficult? In five years of working cruise ships, he’d never been tempted to cross that line. Now he wanted to run across the finish line, arms raised up high like a marathon winner.
“Sir?” A passenger’s voice snapped him back to attention. “Do I need to register this bottle?”
McKay forced himself to focus on his duties. He couldn’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a passenger.
8
Without crutches,the cobblestone streets and walkways of Galway were fairly simple to navigate. Dana stopped at the first shop she came to. Alone for the day, she intended to find an Irish wool sweater for herself and one for her father, if she could. She was in no rush. Cheyanne, Chandler, and the rest of the party had hurried to see the Claddagh rings before taking an all-day tour of the Cliffs of Moher, which included a two-mile hike. While she was more than glad to ditch the crutches, a hike was more than she should take on, since the goal was to stand at her sister’s wedding in heels.
She wandered in and out of the shops in the tourist trap district. One shop boasted the softest sweaters in town. Dana browsed each shelf until she’d seen every sweater. A traditional Aran sweater caught her eye. Knowing she would come back the same way to return to the dock, Dana left without making a purchase. What were the chances that the first store would have the perfect sweater? Better off checking the other stores before settling on this one.
Two streets later, a jewelry shop tempted her inside with its promise of sitting for a twenty-minute presentation on Claddagh rings. It was time for a rest.
After watching a video presentation on the history of the Claddagh ring and its symbols of the heart, hands, and crown. She politely looked at the less expensive rings in the shop before exiting. Since the ring’s history was so tied to romance, she decided not to get one. She didn’t need the reminder of the thing that eluded her year after year. The idea of wearing the ring with the heart pointed out to show she was available wasn’t her vibe. No point in advertising to the world she didn’t have a boyfriend.
She waited for a couple to enter before exiting. A man held the outer door for her.
“Miss Knight?”
Dana registered the voice before she recognized Officer Worth out of uniform. Still handsome. “I didn’t recognize you in clothes.” Heat rushed to her face. “I mean…”
His laugh echoed in the narrow street. “I’m undercover as an American tourist. Did you find a ring?”
“Not really looking for one. I took advantage of the video to sit for a while.”
“Hey, you don’t have crutches today.”
“No. I’ve been super conservative about using them. At home, I would have ditched them days ago.”
He glanced up the street. “Where is the rest of your group?”
“On an excursion.”
“They left you behind again?”
“No, this one was my choice not to go. I decided that hiking along the cliffs wasn’t for me at the moment.”
“Understandable. So what are you doing?”
“Window shopping mostly.”
“Instead of hiking, you’re walking all around Galway? You’ll put on almost as many miles as you would on the cliffs.”
“Yes, but I can go slowly and stop at every café. What are you doing off ship?” If he could ask about her, it was only fair she asked a few questions back.
“I need to purchase a Claddagh ring.”
“Girlfriend in every port?”
“I see the video indoctrinated you.”
