Page 29 of Waylaid in Whittier

“I see a shiny object.” Cat clambered over a pile of rocks. She swooped down and grabbed hold of what was left of a shovel, lifting it over her head. “Look what I found.”

“A busted shovel?”

“It’s better than nothing.” Cat dug into the ground and scooped up a pile of dirt.

“Good luck.” Annette walked along a small embankment, mindful to keep a visual on Brody and Cat. Every few feet, she found small piles of dirt, all fresh, as if someone had recently been there.

She wondered if Millie and Sharky were having any luck in figuring out who may have attacked the woman. What if it was Elvira? Annette had only chatted with her briefly during her previous cruise.

How Sharky had ever become involved with the annoying woman was beyond her. Maybe it was one of those “opposites attract” situations. But then, Sharky was a one-of-a-kind in his own right.

Annette thought about Jose, how he had come back on board the Siren of the Seas and sought her out. On the one hand, she was perfectly happy with her life, uncomplicated by romantic relationships. She had her friends, her career. But Jose had a way of turning her thoughts inside out.

He made Annette’s heart pitter-patter. The way he looked at her. His easygoing, soft-spoken manner. Running the galley was stressful. Day in and day out, putting out fires, handling one crisis after another, always on the go.

Jose was like a breath of fresh air. Calm. Cool. Never seeming to be stressed. She knew Amit wasn’t a fan and was leery of him. Annette couldn’t blame her friend. The first time he’d worked on board the ship and after they had started dating, Jose had shown up in the galley one day out of the blue and announced he was transferring to another ship.

To be honest, she’d been devastated. Her heart healed and then she became angry. Finally, she’d convinced herself it wasfor the best. And just like he’d left, he waltzed back into her life, determined to pick up where they left off.

She had given him the cold shoulder. To Jose’s credit, he was persistent, had pursued her, sending her notes, buying her flowers, planning a romantic afternoon on their day off. And he’d apologized multiple times, claiming he had fallen for Annette and been scared.

Annette was no dummy. A small part of her suspected there was more to it than Jose getting cold feet. History could very well repeat itself and she was setting herself up for another round of being letdown. But she wasn’t getting any younger.

Her friends were all happily committed. Millie and the captain. Cat and Andy. Danielle and Brody. Shoot, even Sharky and Elvira.

Maybe she felt she was missing out, and there was no harm in giving Jose another shot. People could change. Maybe he had. One thing was certain, he’d come back to Siren of the Seas, had sought her out, and wooed her.

She hadn’t fallen for Jose hook, line and sinker, but she was open to seeing what happened—at a slower pace, of course.

Cat began waving her broken shovel in the air. “I think I found something.”

Annette changed direction and hurried toward her friend. “What is it?”

“This.” Cat held a rock in her hand. “I found gold.”

Brody jogged over and inspected her find. “That isn’t gold.”

Cat’s smile vanished. “It has flecks of gold. Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Brody flipped it over. “I take it back. It is gold…fool’s gold, also known as iron pyrite. See the streak? If it was real gold, the streak would be yellow.”

“Crud.” Cat took the rock from Brody and threw it on the ground. “What a bunch of baloney.”

Annette patted her arm. “You aren’t the first person to be fooled by fool’s gold, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be the last.”

“I’m ready to head out. It’s a shame I didn’t plan ahead and bring a few tools with me so we could take a proper look around.”

Cat kicked at a pile of dirt. “And waste our time finding more faux gold?”

“At least you’ve gotten a glimpse of the real Alaska, not the tourist traps in town.” Annette flung her arm around her friend’s shoulder. “Panning for gold or digging for gold isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

The trio returned to their starting point and climbed back into the truck.

“I wonder how Millie and Sharky are doing,” Brody said.

“I don’t know. So far, we’re striking out.” Annette buckled her seatbelt. “All we know for certain is someone has been digging around in Elvira’s spot.”

“The same someone who attacked Wanda,” Cat added. “What’s our next step?”

---