Page 18 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
“I bet.”
A small squabble between Roxanne and another woman caught their attention, and Astrid excused herself. “Time to play referee.” Once again, she took control of the situation, and it grew quiet.
With the dining room cleaning in the works, Millie headed to her next event, ticking off her mental to-do list as she walked. Tomorrow’s Grand Turk port day meant a slightly more relaxed scheduleandher first official scheduled time off since returning from Alaska.
The day flew by with Millie bouncing from trivia to crafts to a VIP spa event.
A sea day meant formal night and a pre-dinner party for the past guests. Swapping out her daytime work uniform for her crisp formal duds, Millie was almost ready when Nic arrived home to freshen up.
“There you are.” Millie bounced onto the tips of her toes and gave him a quick kiss. “I haven’t seen you all day.”
“Same here. I heard about the food fight fiasco,” he joked.
“Good grief. Those women are high maintenance. Who knew food-eating contestants could be so temperamental?”
“Suharto mentioned he’s had a couple of issues with them already.”
Millie turned, giving her husband her full attention. “I’m sure the food fight was one. What else?”
He shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. I’m not sure.”
“Hmm.” Millie let it drop, briefly wondering what other mischief the Belly Busters had gotten into. “I had better get going. I’ll see you at the past-guest party.”
Nic stopped her. “What’s your schedule look like this week?”
“The usual. Why?”
“Just curious.” Her husband hurriedly told her goodbye. “See you soon.”
Because of the large number of previous cruisers on board, the popular event would take place in the theater. She arrived right on time, giving Danielle, who stood at the other entrance, a quick wave.
The party was a highlight of the voyage, an opportunity to thank their passengers for returning again and again to spend their hard-earned dollars cruising with them.
By the time the last guest arrived, the party was in full swing. The orchestra played a catchy tune, and guests hit the dance floor.
Joy Turner, a server and one of Millie’s friends, appeared. “We have a full house tonight. Guests love these parties.”
“For good reason.” Millie plucked a crispy bruschetta from Joy’s platter and nibbled at the edge. “Good food, a wide variety of drinks, top-notch entertainment. What more could you ask for?”
“It isn’t serving the Belly Busters.”
Millie sobered. “Uh-oh. What happened?”
“They’re obnoxious and demanding. I hosted an earlier event, and they ran me ragged.”
“I believe the host is finally getting them settled down.”
Joy crossed her fingers. “I hope so. I see some hungry cruisers over there.”
Nic arrived, and Millie followed him onstage for the introductions. After greeting their guests, she stepped off to the side, proudly watching while he introduced the other officers and staff, heads of each of the departments, who were cheered with enthusiastic applause, but no one more so than Annette.
“I trust you are enjoying your meals,” Nic said. “Annette Delacroix does an excellent job of keeping us well fed.”
Another round of applause ensued.
Working his way down the list, Millie was last. She took over from there, thanking the staff again and voicing her appreciation. She ended the speech and caught up with her husband, who was surrounded by a gaggle of women.
“…your wife is such a sweetheart. How long have you two been married?”
