Page 45 of Wait for Me

Jonas and Abdul were leaning over the railing, looking at the river.

“Here fishy! Fishy!” Jonas’s hand was stretched out.

With one giant stride, Logan yanked him off the railing. “You could fall over!”

“Dad, you’re scaring the fish. Inside voice, please.” Jonas seemed oblivious to the drama he had put his parents through.

“Next time, before you go anywhere, you need to let Mommy and Daddy know,” Logan lectured Jonas. “We thought we lost you at the store.”

“We came to see the fish.” Jonas nodded to Abdul, and Abdul nodded back.

Truly, it was the adults’ fault—Abdul’s mother, the other woman, and those three men. Logan didn’t even want to look at their faces right now. He was a bit angry that the strangers had taken his son out of the store without his permission.

Marie smiled, but Logan could see it was forced.

“Thank you for taking care of our son,” she said nicely to the women.

One woman turned to the other, who translated what Marie said into a Middle Eastern language that Logan didn’t speak. It sounded like Arabic, but he couldn’t be sure.

The first woman smiled and said something in her own language.

The second woman standing behind her translated for Marie and Logan. “Her excellency says we thought you knew your boy walked with us.”

“However, he hadn’t paid for his bag of rocks.” Logan pointed to what Jonas held in his hand.

“We paid for it,” the second woman said.

“I didn’t see you go to the checkout,” Logan said.

The woman pointed to one of the two men with them. “He took care of it.”

“I should reimburse you.” Logan reached for his wallet.

The man held up his hand. “No need.”

Logan noted then that not only did the man understand English, but he also spoke in British English, not American. One more thing to bring up to Marie tonight.

Marie.

Logan didn’t know why he kept thinking of Marie, especially when she was standing next to him. He felt like he was going to lose her as soon as this cruise was over.

Would he lose her for real this time?

Marie was holding Jonas’s hand, as if not wanting to let go.

I feel the same too, if that’s what she’s feeling.

“So are we getting ice cream?” Jonas asked, as if nothing had happened at all.

“I could use some right now,” Logan declared.

“Me too.” Marie laughed.

But it was a nervous laughter.

Chapter Twenty-Two

After lunch in Ketchikan, they had returned to the ship. Neither Marie nor Logan was up to taking any water tour of the surrounding inlets, or going to see the bald eagles, or returning to the salmon hatchery. Marie was sure they’d all be back in Alaska again someday, and they’d do all that next time.

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