more than glaciers. Gil sat at a table near the outdoor pool, drinking coffee with a man whose back was to me.
“I’ll be right back,” I told my classmates.
Gil spied me coming and smiled. Rising as I neared, he gave me a brief kiss on the lips. “Sit with us.” He pulled out a chair. “Cealie, this is my uncle, Dr. Errol Thurman.”
The doctor stood. “Gil told me about you, Ms. Gunther. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Please call me Cealie.” I accepted his handshake.
He grabbed the pager off his belt and studied it. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to stay. I’m needed back at work.”
“Doc,” I said, not missing an opportunity, “I met the man who died. Do you have any suspicions about what caused his death?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t yet. His death was so distressing. I hope we will learn its cause soon.” He placed a hand on Gil’s shoulder. Their resemblance was striking. The same strong cheekbones, same broad forehead and gray eyes. “It’s so good to get to see you, Gil.”
“Let me know when you have a few free minutes again,” Gil said, and his uncle nodded.
“You look so much like him,” I told Gil, watching the doctor stride away.
“Some people think he’s my father.”
“No wonder you came onboard to see him.” I squeezed Gil’s wide hand.
“Let’s go where we can see glaciers,” he said with a grin. “And then you might feel so cold, you’ll need someone to warm you up.”
His attention warmed me inside, much like a steaming mug of cocoa with melting marshmallows. I led him toward a rail on the side of the ship opposite from where my classmates stood. People snuggled together from the cold. I nudged into a small spot. Gil stood behind me, able to see the view over my head.
“Breathtaking,” he said, possibly spying glaciers for the first time.
“This was the epicenter of the Good Friday Earthquake in 1964,” the guide announced. “It was the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history.”
“Impressive.” Gil kissed my ear, creating small earthquakes below my belly.
But a concern gnawed at me. I turned to face him as much as I could with so little space between us. “I’m worried about Sue.”
He kissed my lips. “Who?”
“Sue—my aunt—uncle, my tall attractive classmate. All of my life until two years after our high school graduation, she was my Uncle Stu.”
Gil cocked an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
“I’d like for you to ask your uncle something.”
He smirked. “You aren’t thinking of having any changes done, are you? ’Cause I like you exactly the way you are.” He nudged closer.
“What a cute couple,” a young woman said. Wearing the ship’s mauve and sea green colors, she gripped a large camera. “May I take your picture?”
“Sure,” Gil said. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed. A long deep kiss.
“Great. You’ll be able to see your picture displayed on the Promenade Deck.
Gil waved her off, his tongue still down my throat.
I gasped and broke away. “You want the world to see a picture of us like that?”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.” I placed a palm against his chest to keep him from closing in. “But I need your help.”
“For what?”
“I told you. Ask your uncle a question or two.” I glanced at people crammed on either side of us. “I’d better wait to talk about it.”
He noticed what caused my hesitation. “Then let’s go down.”
I peered out at snow-capped mountains and crystalline glaciers with what seemed tiny bits of them broken into the sea. The announcer was naming marine life visible in the distance—sea lions and whales, I heard mentioned.
“You don’t want to miss this,” I told Gil. “We’ll only be in this fjord a little while longer.”
He glanced out to sea. “It is pretty, but we’ll see more glaciers on this trip. And I’ve already seen these a few times.” He urged me ahead toward the elevators. One was already there and empty. We took it down.
“I
“I’ll be right back,” I told my classmates.
Gil spied me coming and smiled. Rising as I neared, he gave me a brief kiss on the lips. “Sit with us.” He pulled out a chair. “Cealie, this is my uncle, Dr. Errol Thurman.”
The doctor stood. “Gil told me about you, Ms. Gunther. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Please call me Cealie.” I accepted his handshake.
He grabbed the pager off his belt and studied it. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to stay. I’m needed back at work.”
“Doc,” I said, not missing an opportunity, “I met the man who died. Do you have any suspicions about what caused his death?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t yet. His death was so distressing. I hope we will learn its cause soon.” He placed a hand on Gil’s shoulder. Their resemblance was striking. The same strong cheekbones, same broad forehead and gray eyes. “It’s so good to get to see you, Gil.”
“Let me know when you have a few free minutes again,” Gil said, and his uncle nodded.
“You look so much like him,” I told Gil, watching the doctor stride away.
“Some people think he’s my father.”
“No wonder you came onboard to see him.” I squeezed Gil’s wide hand.
“Let’s go where we can see glaciers,” he said with a grin. “And then you might feel so cold, you’ll need someone to warm you up.”
His attention warmed me inside, much like a steaming mug of cocoa with melting marshmallows. I led him toward a rail on the side of the ship opposite from where my classmates stood. People snuggled together from the cold. I nudged into a small spot. Gil stood behind me, able to see the view over my head.
“Breathtaking,” he said, possibly spying glaciers for the first time.
“This was the epicenter of the Good Friday Earthquake in 1964,” the guide announced. “It was the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history.”
“Impressive.” Gil kissed my ear, creating small earthquakes below my belly.
But a concern gnawed at me. I turned to face him as much as I could with so little space between us. “I’m worried about Sue.”
He kissed my lips. “Who?”
“Sue—my aunt—uncle, my tall attractive classmate. All of my life until two years after our high school graduation, she was my Uncle Stu.”
Gil cocked an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
“I’d like for you to ask your uncle something.”
He smirked. “You aren’t thinking of having any changes done, are you? ’Cause I like you exactly the way you are.” He nudged closer.
“What a cute couple,” a young woman said. Wearing the ship’s mauve and sea green colors, she gripped a large camera. “May I take your picture?”
“Sure,” Gil said. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed. A long deep kiss.
“Great. You’ll be able to see your picture displayed on the Promenade Deck.
Gil waved her off, his tongue still down my throat.
I gasped and broke away. “You want the world to see a picture of us like that?”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.” I placed a palm against his chest to keep him from closing in. “But I need your help.”
“For what?”
“I told you. Ask your uncle a question or two.” I glanced at people crammed on either side of us. “I’d better wait to talk about it.”
He noticed what caused my hesitation. “Then let’s go down.”
I peered out at snow-capped mountains and crystalline glaciers with what seemed tiny bits of them broken into the sea. The announcer was naming marine life visible in the distance—sea lions and whales, I heard mentioned.
“You don’t want to miss this,” I told Gil. “We’ll only be in this fjord a little while longer.”
He glanced out to sea. “It is pretty, but we’ll see more glaciers on this trip. And I’ve already seen these a few times.” He urged me ahead toward the elevators. One was already there and empty. We took it down.
“I
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