Page 14 of Bumping into You

When my mam got sick, I stepped up. I was there for her, driving her around to her appointments, hiring a caregiver for her when I was on a twenty-four-hour shift with the firehouse, and doing everything in my power to ensure she was able to still be as active as possible in the community.

We’d definitely had to scale back on what all we did; she just didn’t have the energy for much. But we made time for music nights at the community center and picnics on the beach.

And now she’s gone.

Sadness floods through me. I want to fulfill this promise to her. I want to try and find someone I can be with, someone who makes me genuinely happy like she wanted. It’s the last way I can show her that I am always there for her. I promised her to look for that person a year after her passing, but it’s so hard. How can I care for someone when they could just leave so unexpectedly? I couldn’t bring myself to put my heart out there just for the potential to lose them someday like I lost my mam. And now that it’s time to keep that promise, it looks like I won’t be able to. Sorry, Mam.

Shaking my head to clear away the thought, I stand and leave for the Imperial SkyDeck to hang out until I meet up with the others.

Located at the front of the ship, the Imperial SkyDeck is an adult-only lounge with a pool, a bar, and a small restaurant.After making a right hames of things with Rose, I am ready for a drink. A pick-me-up of sorts.

The circular bar is full of people, but I manage to snag a seat just as an elderly couple get up. As a firefighter, situational awareness is a big part of my job. I tend to carry my keen observation skills into my normal life, and I enjoy relaxing and observing people and their surroundings. Due to the wall of alcohol in the center of the bar, I can only see to my left and right, but I can still hear those on the other side.

A group of college kids are trying out the drink of the day, the Bahama Mama. An older bloke is sipping on what appears to be a glass of whiskey. A couple who looks to be in their mid-forties are debating about some excursion they are going on at the first port. Chuckling to myself, I hear the husband going on and on about how they never just relax on their cruises and it’s always go-go-go with the missis. He looks wrecked, and we haven’t even left the port yet.

Poor bloke.

As I sip on my Blue Hawaiian, I continue to listen to the different groups around the bar as I wait for my own group to arrive.

A voice catches my ear; my heart races and my eyes go wide. I can’t say for sure, but considering the giving out I’d just had at Duke’s, I am sure I’m listening to Rose.

I fiddle with the edge of my napkin. I’m suddenly restless, not wanting to make my presence known, especially after our last conversation. But something about her tone has me leaning in to hear better. She doesn’t sound like the same fierce and in-control Rose from earlier. There’s a nervous edge to her voice. Something is off. Where is the confident, take-charge woman from lunch?

Chapter 9

Gwen

I’m a jumble of emotions as I make my way to the Imperial SkyDeck. Niall is still throwing me off, and I don’t have time for whatever he wants with all the things I need to do for the wedding. Trying to calm myself, I grab a drink before sitting at the bar.

As I’m mid-sip on my Miami Vice, a tall figure stops by my table.

“Gwen?” he asks.

I cough on my drink, sputtering all over the bar. It can’t be. But it is. The man standing in front of me is no other than Bradley.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he says.

My head whips up, taking him in. He looks just as good as he did the last time I saw him when he left my office eight months ago.

I just blink at him. This cannot be real life; this can’t be happening. It’s like I’ve short-circuited, and I can’t compute what my eyes are trying to tell my brain. Bradley is on the same cruise. The cruise that Holly and Greg are about to get married on. A cruise that is going to last over a week.

My brain is screaming at me to do something, anything.Say something, Gwen!

“Yes, small world,” I say, my voice shaking slightly. What the heck is he doing here? On this exact cruise, what are the odds of this even happening?

“What’s it been, about a year?” asks Bradley.

I lean back a bit, trying to distance myself from Bradley, my shoulders stiff as I force a smile on my face.

“Who’s counting?” I say, dryly. I am not prepared for this little reunion. I can’t even wrap my head around how Bradley is on this cruise too. “What are you doing here?”

“At the bar?”

“On this cruise.” I say with more than a little heat in my voice.

“Oh, um, I’m here with . . .” Bradley looks around, then says, “Here she is.” He gestures toward a woman coming our way with a drink in each hand.

She gives him a peck on the cheek. “Here, Bradley Boo,” she says, handing him a drink.

---