Page 9 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
“Well?” Isla leaned her elbows on the counter. “How do you think it will go over?”
“They won’t be happy, and deciding who won’t get to go should be interesting. Astrid has her hands full.” Millie consulted her watch. “On that note, it’s time for me to get back to work.”
She escorted Scout back to the apartment before heading to the upper deck, where she found the sailaway party well underway.
Millie circled the outer edges of the crowd, humming along with the catchy Calypso tune. Shebegan collecting empty drink glasses and heard Felix call her name. “Come dance with us, Millie.”
She dropped the dirty dishes in the bin and stepped onto the deck’s makeshift dance floor. With her hands in the air, Millie shimmied and swayed to the beat, rocking it out until the last few notes of the song faded.
“For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of bumping into her yet, let’s give a hand to our very own Cruise Director Millie,” Felix whooped.
Millie gave a friendly wave and then scooted off to the side, slipping away before a new song started to play.
With free time before her next event, she made her way to the buffet, plucked a dinner plate from the rack and strode over to the salad station. Loading up on lettuce, she added cherry tomatoes and cauliflower along with several strategically placed slivers of ham before pouring a generous amount of ranch dressing over the top.
With the lunch crowd long gone, she easily found a table near the window, offering an unobstructed view of the Miami skyline.
“Is there room for one more?” Annette appeared, a plate of food in hand. “Great minds think alike. I was going to give you a buzz to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat.”
“Mine was spur of the moment.” Millie slid her silverware off to the side, making room for her friend. “I figured I might as well eat before the evening festivities kick into high gear.”
“It’s going to be a busy week.”
Millie mentioned the storm brewing. “I’m sure Nic will steer around it. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re rocking and rolling for a day or two.”
“It is the season.” Annette spread her napkin on her lap. “Have you met the Belly Busters?”
“Some of them. Hotshot Hannah is testing my patience.”
“Yours too?”
“Miss Annette, do you copy?” Annette’s radio went off. A frantic male voice called her name.
“Who is that?”
“Barth, my new assistant.”
“Barf?” Millie’s eyes widened.
Annette held up a finger. “Hang on.” She unclipped her radio. “Go ahead, Barth.”
“Kyra has returned from making her deliveries. She has another list.”
“From the Belly Busters group?”
“Yes. I can bring it to you,” Barth replied in a clipped voice. “I have it in my hand.”
“That would be great.” Annette told him where to find her and thanked him before replacing her radio. “That group is already getting on my last nerve.”
“Ditto.” Millie sipped her tea. “Their list of demands is over the top.”
“You’re telling me. Mine is all food related.”
A crewmember with dark brown hair rushed toward them, clutching a single sheet of paper.
Annette waited until he got close. “Thank you for bringing it to me.”
“You are very welcome,” he replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but I did take a look at it. If you want, I will handle the special eating challenge meal requests.”
