Page 4 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
Settling him into his custom stroller, she and her pup traveled stem to stern, from the tranquility deck at the top all the way down to the medical center, checking in on activities and making sure the initial hours of the cruise went smoothly.
A brief meeting with the ship’s lead entertainers rounded out Millie’s most pressing tasks. After finishing, she and Scout stopped by her office to go over the evening’s schedule and to take a quick peek at the weather forecast.
She pulled up a tracking site and clicked on the link, her heart plummeting when she discovered the cruise line’s dedicated meteorologist, the man who kept close tabs on the weather, had issued astatement. A potential storm was brewing, heading east toward the Caribbean. “Great.”
Andy Walker, Millie’s former boss, appeared in the doorway. “What’s great?”
“A storm could be heading our way.” Millie squinted her eyes and stared at the screen. “Based on the projected path, we might have a little rocking and rolling.”
He slipped in behind her and let out a low whistle. “It is the season. At least we didn’t have to worry about hurricanes in Alaska.”
“No, just bodies, bears and bugs.”
“And mosquitoes the size of honeybees,” he joked.
Millie shifted, giving Andy her full attention. “You’ve been quiet lately. What new and exciting project are you working on?”
He made a zipping motion across his lips. “Can’t tell. I can tell you that putting in the snow showerbusted my budget. What I have in the works will have to wait.”
She grabbed a notepad and began scribbling. “Which reminds me. I’ll add a snow shower gift certificate to the list of fabulous prizes awarded to our contest winners to help get the word out.”
Millie’s radio went off. “Hey, Millie. It’s Danielle. Where are you?”
“In my office, talking to Andy. What’s up?”
“I need you over by the conference rooms ASAP.”
“On my way.” Millie clipped her radio to her belt.
“Never a dull moment.”
“You know it.” Millie, with Scout by her side, parted ways with Andy outside the theater. Although not a fan of elevators, the pup’s stroller was too bulky to drag up and down the stairs, which meant the easiest way to get around was by elevator.
As soon as they reached the upper deck, they breezed past the library, making their way to the conference center’s double doors. She barreled around the corner, nearly colliding with Danielle.
Both of them stumbled back.
“Whoops. I didn’t mean to crash into you.”
“Thanks for getting here so quickly.” Danielle lowered her voice. “We have a minor Belly Buster issue.”
“Issue?” Millie cast a wary glance toward the conference room where several women milled about.
“Hotshot Hannah. Have you met her?”
“No. What’s she doing?”
Danielle grasped Millie’s arm and dragged her across the corridor, out of earshot. “She’s demanding.”
“Demanding what?”
“This.” Danielle handed her a sheet of paper.
Millie slipped her reading glasses on and began skimming the long list. “I thought Astrid from Amerifinest Foods was in charge of the Belly Busters.”
“It appears Hannah didn’t get the memo.” Danielle lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. “Astrid is off in the corner looking like she would rather be anywhere but near Hannah, who is bossing the others around. As soon as I introduced myself, she handed me the list. She’s given me until the end of the day to take care of the requests.”
“Or else what?”
