spread his arms. “How can I pass up the opportunity to try the pancakes with strawberry sauce and whipped cream?”
“Fine, you go pig out. I’m changing into my swimsuit and reserving us some lounge chairs.”
“Okay, but I might check out the gym before I return, if I can figure out how to get to the fitness center.”
“It’s forward past the solarium, on the same deck as the pool. I think the spa is there, too.”
By the time she made her way to the pool, many of the seats already had towels thrown across them or bodies percolating under the tropical sun. She didn’t know if Brianna or Vail’s parents would join them but decided to save an extra place just in case. Searching for three vacant lounge chairs, she spied Heidi Stark’s familiar face down one row. As she picked her way along, she felt the deck lift underfoot, tilting first to port, then to starboard, making her remember she was on a ship. By now, the rolling motion had become soothing and no longer bothered her. Same for the engine vibration that rumbled underfoot.
“Are these chairs free?” she asked Heidi. The scent of suntan lotion mingled with salt spray from water sloshing in the pool. Without waiting for a reply, she laid out her towel and reserved the next couple of chairs with her beach bag and a mystery novel that Nicole had loaned her. The other stylist was always trying to get Marla to read books, but all she had time for were Modern Salon and other professional magazines. Maybe now she’d actually be able to concentrate on a story.
“Hey, Marla,” Heidi said in her child like voice, glancing at her from behind dark sunglasses. “You’re out early.”
Marla sat and squirted sunscreen into her palm. The lotion had become very liquefied from the heat, so she rubbed it diligently on her arms and legs. “I gather it’s going to get crowded later and all the chairs will be taken. I’m not interested in learning how to cross-stitch or in watching a fruit-carving demonstration. Besides, Dalton’s parents went to the shore excursion talk this morning. They can tell us what we need to know, although we’ve already filled out our tour order form. Have you been to any of these ports before?”
“All of them.” Heidi giggled. She looked like a Barbie doll with her blond hair tied into a ponytail, her taut bikini, and her leggy figure. “I’m not sure if we’ll get off the ship at Roatan.” Her nose wrinkled. “Like, it’s so third world, you know?”
Marla glanced at the heated whirlpool, where two young women, a bald man, and a gawky youth soaked in the mist. “We’re going on the Tabyana Beach tour. Dalton didn’t want to do the jungle canopy adventure, and we’ll go snorkeling on one of the other islands. So we’ll do the beach and barbecue thing at Roatan. I hope it’s worth fifty-five dollars each.”
“The beaches are nice. Don’t expect to go shopping, though. It’s a total bore.” Heidi waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. The large diamond on her left finger winked in the sunlight. Marla glanced at the woman’s diamond-stud earrings and tennis bracelet with rocks sizable enough to have paid for her entire group’s cruise.
Is that why Heidi had married a man twice her age, so he could shower her with jewels? She scanned the faces of passersby, wondering what was taking Dalton so long. People chatted and laughed, some of them sitting at square tables and eating food from the outdoor cafe, while glasses clinked at a bar nearby. Oh well. Maybe he’d decided to try the treadmill.
Stuffing her lotion bottle back in her bag, she kicked off her sandals and leaned back to relax. Her eyelids shut, and she let her limbs sag. Ah, now this was what she called a vacation!
“I can’t believe the triptych is on board,” Heidi blurted, after an interval in which Marla felt her cares slip away.
“Huh?” Her mind took a moment to reorient.
“Alden Tusk’s work. Thurston was so upset about it.”
Marla
“Fine, you go pig out. I’m changing into my swimsuit and reserving us some lounge chairs.”
“Okay, but I might check out the gym before I return, if I can figure out how to get to the fitness center.”
“It’s forward past the solarium, on the same deck as the pool. I think the spa is there, too.”
By the time she made her way to the pool, many of the seats already had towels thrown across them or bodies percolating under the tropical sun. She didn’t know if Brianna or Vail’s parents would join them but decided to save an extra place just in case. Searching for three vacant lounge chairs, she spied Heidi Stark’s familiar face down one row. As she picked her way along, she felt the deck lift underfoot, tilting first to port, then to starboard, making her remember she was on a ship. By now, the rolling motion had become soothing and no longer bothered her. Same for the engine vibration that rumbled underfoot.
“Are these chairs free?” she asked Heidi. The scent of suntan lotion mingled with salt spray from water sloshing in the pool. Without waiting for a reply, she laid out her towel and reserved the next couple of chairs with her beach bag and a mystery novel that Nicole had loaned her. The other stylist was always trying to get Marla to read books, but all she had time for were Modern Salon and other professional magazines. Maybe now she’d actually be able to concentrate on a story.
“Hey, Marla,” Heidi said in her child like voice, glancing at her from behind dark sunglasses. “You’re out early.”
Marla sat and squirted sunscreen into her palm. The lotion had become very liquefied from the heat, so she rubbed it diligently on her arms and legs. “I gather it’s going to get crowded later and all the chairs will be taken. I’m not interested in learning how to cross-stitch or in watching a fruit-carving demonstration. Besides, Dalton’s parents went to the shore excursion talk this morning. They can tell us what we need to know, although we’ve already filled out our tour order form. Have you been to any of these ports before?”
“All of them.” Heidi giggled. She looked like a Barbie doll with her blond hair tied into a ponytail, her taut bikini, and her leggy figure. “I’m not sure if we’ll get off the ship at Roatan.” Her nose wrinkled. “Like, it’s so third world, you know?”
Marla glanced at the heated whirlpool, where two young women, a bald man, and a gawky youth soaked in the mist. “We’re going on the Tabyana Beach tour. Dalton didn’t want to do the jungle canopy adventure, and we’ll go snorkeling on one of the other islands. So we’ll do the beach and barbecue thing at Roatan. I hope it’s worth fifty-five dollars each.”
“The beaches are nice. Don’t expect to go shopping, though. It’s a total bore.” Heidi waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. The large diamond on her left finger winked in the sunlight. Marla glanced at the woman’s diamond-stud earrings and tennis bracelet with rocks sizable enough to have paid for her entire group’s cruise.
Is that why Heidi had married a man twice her age, so he could shower her with jewels? She scanned the faces of passersby, wondering what was taking Dalton so long. People chatted and laughed, some of them sitting at square tables and eating food from the outdoor cafe, while glasses clinked at a bar nearby. Oh well. Maybe he’d decided to try the treadmill.
Stuffing her lotion bottle back in her bag, she kicked off her sandals and leaned back to relax. Her eyelids shut, and she let her limbs sag. Ah, now this was what she called a vacation!
“I can’t believe the triptych is on board,” Heidi blurted, after an interval in which Marla felt her cares slip away.
“Huh?” Her mind took a moment to reorient.
“Alden Tusk’s work. Thurston was so upset about it.”
Marla
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