appreciate that, Kathleen, but I’m kind of looking forward to being on my own
today.”
“Translation,” Patrick said with a grin. “She’s avoiding all things Christmas.”
“A little hard to do on a Christmas cruise,” his mother pointed
out, and she gave Joss a concerned glance.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 55
7/23/13 1:06 PM
56
Merry
Humbug Christmas
“I . . . know.”
“I have a feeling she’s up to the challenge,” he said.
“What about Christmas dinner?” his mother added. “You will
join us for dinner, won’t you?”
“Of course, she will,” he cut in. “She has to eat.”
Joss tossed him a fleeting glare before she turned away from him
and smiled at his mother. “I’ll be here.”
“Oh, good.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to go and say hello to the
Jenkins family.”
“Of course, dear.”
She didn’t even look back at Patrick as she navigated her way
over to the table of the von Trapps, but that didn’t stop him from watching her weave her way through the crowded tables. When the
wife invited her to join them, Joss sat down between her and the husband. He envied them a bit for landing in the sunbeam of that toothy white smile of hers, slightly crooked on one side where the corner of her lips dipped ever so slightly.
“She really doesn’t like it?”
Patrick snapped back to the moment. “I’m sorry, Mother. What?”
“Miss Snow. You said she’s trying to avoid Christmas.”
“Oh. Yes. She mentioned it when I escorted her back to her cabin
after dinner last night.”
“It seems like an odd place to spend your holiday then, doesn’t
it?”
“It does.”
“Very mysterious.”
“Wrapped in a conundrum,” he added.
When he looked back toward the von Trapp table, Patrick didn’t
see Joss sitting there anymore, and he scanned the area to find her.
When he finally spotted her, she was almost out the door.
“Mother, will you be all right here for a while?”
“Lilibeth said Douglas can push my wheelchair, dear. You go
about your business for a bit.”
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 56
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Once Upon a Jingle Bell
57
He stood up and pecked her cheek before rushing off. Once he
reached the doorway, he sprinted through it and looked around until she strolled across his line of sight.
“Joss!” he called out as he jogged toward her. “Where are you off to?”
She smiled as he reached her. “I was browsing through the guest
services catalog in my cabin this morning, and I saw there’s a little shopping mall onboard. I thought I’d give it a look.”
“Want some company?” His pulse thundered in his ears as he
awaited her reply.
“Sure. But I’d like to run up to my cabin first.”
He grinned, waving her in front of him to board the elevator
as they reached it. The car was a full house this time around, and Patrick stretched to reach around the apparent honeymooners standing so close to one another that air couldn’t even pass between them.
“Sorry,” he finally said. “We need to stop on Frosty. Could you
push the button for us?”
“Oh, sure,” the groom replied. “Sorry.”
“Frosty,” the bride mused. “Isn’t that cute, honey?” Looking to
Patrick, she told him, “We’re on King Wenceslas. We don’t even
know who that is, do you?”
“He was the Duke of Bohemia,” Patrick answered. “Became king
at eighteen.”
The couple exchanged curious glances before the bride inquired,
“What does a Bohemian king have to do with Christmas? I wonder
why we didn’t get a fun floor name like Frosty the Snowman.”
“He was just the subject of the carol because of his generosity
toward orphans,” he continued, and then he noticed their indifference toward old Wenceslas’s history reflecting off Joss’s utter amusement. “Well, no matter. Your inquiry was rhetorical, wasn’t it?”
The elevator doors slid open, and Patrick reached back and took
hold of Joss’s wrist.
“Happy
today.”
“Translation,” Patrick said with a grin. “She’s avoiding all things Christmas.”
“A little hard to do on a Christmas cruise,” his mother pointed
out, and she gave Joss a concerned glance.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 55
7/23/13 1:06 PM
56
Merry
Humbug Christmas
“I . . . know.”
“I have a feeling she’s up to the challenge,” he said.
“What about Christmas dinner?” his mother added. “You will
join us for dinner, won’t you?”
“Of course, she will,” he cut in. “She has to eat.”
Joss tossed him a fleeting glare before she turned away from him
and smiled at his mother. “I’ll be here.”
“Oh, good.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to go and say hello to the
Jenkins family.”
“Of course, dear.”
She didn’t even look back at Patrick as she navigated her way
over to the table of the von Trapps, but that didn’t stop him from watching her weave her way through the crowded tables. When the
wife invited her to join them, Joss sat down between her and the husband. He envied them a bit for landing in the sunbeam of that toothy white smile of hers, slightly crooked on one side where the corner of her lips dipped ever so slightly.
“She really doesn’t like it?”
Patrick snapped back to the moment. “I’m sorry, Mother. What?”
“Miss Snow. You said she’s trying to avoid Christmas.”
“Oh. Yes. She mentioned it when I escorted her back to her cabin
after dinner last night.”
“It seems like an odd place to spend your holiday then, doesn’t
it?”
“It does.”
“Very mysterious.”
“Wrapped in a conundrum,” he added.
When he looked back toward the von Trapp table, Patrick didn’t
see Joss sitting there anymore, and he scanned the area to find her.
When he finally spotted her, she was almost out the door.
“Mother, will you be all right here for a while?”
“Lilibeth said Douglas can push my wheelchair, dear. You go
about your business for a bit.”
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 56
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Once Upon a Jingle Bell
57
He stood up and pecked her cheek before rushing off. Once he
reached the doorway, he sprinted through it and looked around until she strolled across his line of sight.
“Joss!” he called out as he jogged toward her. “Where are you off to?”
She smiled as he reached her. “I was browsing through the guest
services catalog in my cabin this morning, and I saw there’s a little shopping mall onboard. I thought I’d give it a look.”
“Want some company?” His pulse thundered in his ears as he
awaited her reply.
“Sure. But I’d like to run up to my cabin first.”
He grinned, waving her in front of him to board the elevator
as they reached it. The car was a full house this time around, and Patrick stretched to reach around the apparent honeymooners standing so close to one another that air couldn’t even pass between them.
“Sorry,” he finally said. “We need to stop on Frosty. Could you
push the button for us?”
“Oh, sure,” the groom replied. “Sorry.”
“Frosty,” the bride mused. “Isn’t that cute, honey?” Looking to
Patrick, she told him, “We’re on King Wenceslas. We don’t even
know who that is, do you?”
“He was the Duke of Bohemia,” Patrick answered. “Became king
at eighteen.”
The couple exchanged curious glances before the bride inquired,
“What does a Bohemian king have to do with Christmas? I wonder
why we didn’t get a fun floor name like Frosty the Snowman.”
“He was just the subject of the carol because of his generosity
toward orphans,” he continued, and then he noticed their indifference toward old Wenceslas’s history reflecting off Joss’s utter amusement. “Well, no matter. Your inquiry was rhetorical, wasn’t it?”
The elevator doors slid open, and Patrick reached back and took
hold of Joss’s wrist.
“Happy
Similar Books
