Page 109 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“I haven’t seen any of his pieces,” I add, “but he’s very passionate about it, so I can only imagine they’re brilliant.”
“What are you two gossiping about?” Riley asks, separating us with his body.
Hugo points at him. “You.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Riley tells me you build and design furniture.”
“I do,” he says, his expression appreciative. “Been doing it since I was a kid.”
“What’s your business called?”
“Wilson and Son.”
Hugo grabs Riley’s arm. “In Buxtonville?”
“Yeah. That’s me.”
“I’ve bought a few of your pieces for my clients. They’re delightful.”
Eagerly ditching me for Riley, Hugo commandeers him as our guide instructs us to follow her to the service elevator.
“I’m afraid you’ve lost him for the duration of the tour,”Manny says, chuckling. “My husband can talk all day and night about furniture and decor.”
I happily shrug off the abandonment. “I bet Riley could too. He must feel so proud right now, knowing an interior decorator sources his art.”
Manny presses his lips together in agreement, then clasps his hands behind his back. “So how’s it going, sharing your cabin? The two of you seem to be getting along rather well.”
“We are. We had a few hiccups at first, but nothing we’re not working through.”
“I bet you did. What a shock to find out you both weren’t cruising alone as planned.”
“Shock is an understatement. But to be honest, I’m enjoying the company.”
He holds the elevator doors open for me, so I step in, craning my neck to find Riley crammed in at the back, the poor thing paler than he was a minute ago. I wince, hoping Hugo’s continuous rambling provides the distraction Riley needs.
“Welcome to the Behind-the-Scenes tour, folks. My name is Gabriella, one of your Guest Services staff, and I’ll be your guide today. Our first stop on the tour will be Deck Two, where we’ll find the i95, also known as the crew passage, which is a large laneway from one end of the ship to the other. It allows the crew to move about quickly and freely. It’s also where the crew quarters, medical facility, laundry, and food stores are. From there, we’ll head to the engine room and desalination plant before visiting the galleys and then the bridge. Video recording and photography are strictly prohibited, but please feel free to ask as many questions as you like.”
“This is exciting,” I whisper to Manny as the doors open again and we funnel out.
Stepping aside, we wait for Hugo and Riley, Riley’s shoulders relaxing as they both join us.
“You okay?”I murmur to him.
He playfully coos. “Naww, you really do care about me, don’t you?”
Drawing in perhaps my one-hundredth frustrated breath for the morning, I huff it back out again. “I’m reconsidering.”
“You are not.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Gather around,” Gabriella instructs, ushering us closer. “Don’t be shy; we’re all friends here.”
We bunch together like a bouquet.
“As you can see, to my right is the medical facility, which staffs two nurses and one physician. It’s equipped to treat minor non-emergency conditions as well as stabilize patients with life-threatening illnesses. It has an ICU, testing lab, pharmacy, and yes… a morgue. For obvious reasons, we cannot go through the center, but you’d be wise to avoid this amazing place anyway. A visit here could set you back hundreds to thousands of dollars.”
