Page 44 of Waylaid in Whittier

“I remember.”

“Elvira’s been hinting around, asking what my plans are for when I retire.”

“You think she’s trying to figure out if you two have a future together?” Millie asked.

“Yeah. It’s still a few years down the road, but it’s never too early to plan for retirement.”

“I agree,” she said. “Regardless of what you decide, it’s going to be a drastic change. Going from living at sea to being on shore or, in your case, near land.”

“Right. I’m still leaning toward a houseboat to keep expenses low, docking it somewhere I can dip my toes in the water whenever I want. I’m thinking waterfront property will probably be out of my price range, so living on a boat would make more sense.”

“Clearly, you’ve given it some thought. It will be important to make the right decision.”

“Because I’ll be using a hefty chunk of my savings,” Sharky said. “If you don’t mind me asking, when did you realize Captain Armati was the man for you?”

Millie drew her knees to her chest. “I remember going to the bridge with Andy. He introduced us. My first thought was he wasn’t particularly friendly. In fact, I was pretty sure he didn’t like me.”

“It wasn’t love at first sight.”

“Not at all. He called me to the bridge not long after. I don’t remember the exact timeline. I thought he was going to fire me.” Millie chuckled at the memory. “He invited me to his apartment.”

“Ah.” Sharky made googly eyes. “The captain inviting you to his place was where the love story began.”

She laughed out loud. “He introduced me to Scout and asked if I would take him with me around the ship because he was lonely. Looking back, it may have been a ploy to get to know me better. I’ll have to ask him.”

“He has a lot of patience with you.”

“He does. Nic is my soulmate. I believe God brought us together. He gave us both a second chance at love.” Millie explained that Nic’s first wife had died. “The bottom line is you never know what the future holds.”

“True.”

“About Elvira. You two seem compatible yet different enough to keep your relationship interesting.”

“We are. The distance between us can be a bummer,” Sharky said. “Or maybe it’s a good thing. Elvira and I might drive each other nuts.”

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Millie picked at a piece of lint. “Are you disappointed she might not join us for our cruise?”

“Sort of. Once I got used to the idea, I figured we would have fun. My main concern right now is trying to help clear her name,” Sharky said. “I know she didn’t attack the woman unless Wanda started it.”

“My gut tells me it ties into her gold mining site. The map. The hidden camera. All we need to do is figure out who it is.”

“My money is on someone from her group.”

“Mine too.”

The elevator made a grinding noise. The lights flickered again, and they started to move. Instead of continuing up, the elevator went back down.

Millie grabbed hold of the handrail and pulled herself to her feet. “I survived being trapped in an elevator.”

“Trapped in an elevator with me, no less,” Sharky joked. “It must be your lucky day.”

Chapter 17

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Standing on the other side was a small cluster of people.

An older woman with thick oval glasses and ringlets of white hair springing up all over her head shuffled forward. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you to whoever rescued us,” Millie said.

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