Page 39 of Midnight Serenade
“This is the first instance where I’ve really felt the gap in our ages.”
He looked amused. “You know people your age find things like this satisfying as well.”
“I don’t believe you.” I sat down in the leather chair next to me and pulled my knees up to my chest while Kazi settled under the desk, closer to me than Sebastian. He made sure he had me in his line of sights everywhere I went. It was sweet, in a way, and I was sorry that he’d been so scared when I’d disappeared, but because I was five, I made a face at him anyway. Kazi yowled in a chuffing way at me. He was mocking me; I was sure of it.
“I haven’t hired more security for you; they’ve just sort of taken you on as their pet project.”
“That’s not funny, Sebastian. I’ve used the restroom today twenty-eight times, and no, I’m not having bladder issues. It’s because it’s the only place I can find any peace!” I flung up my hands. “And even then, Kazi pads at the door, wanting to be let in. I’m giving your cat heart attacks. This is not sustainable.”
Sebastian set his pen down and gave me his full attention. “It’s only temporary until the culprit is caught.”
I sighed and slumped deeper into the chair. “I need Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. They’d have already unmasked the bad guy.”
“Life is not a television show or a book.”
“You take that back.”
He laughed and came around the desk to kneel in front of me, then drew me into his arms. I felt so safe and so seen with him. And not seen in a leering way. Seen in a gentle, tender-hearted, kind, and cared for way. I sighed. Crisis averted. I hadn’t really wanted to fly home anyway. I still wanted to see Fiji.
“When are you coming back to my jail cell?” I asked, straightening his tie and avoiding looking at his eyes.
“You mean the place where Micaela talks in her sleep all night about taking down perps, and your mom and Kazi snore in unison?”
I laughed. “Well, at leastIdon’t have any nocturnal bad habits or challenges for you to deal with.”
“You sleep like an angel.”
I snorted. “I do not. I sleep like I’m trying to swim the English Channel from the comfort of my own bed.”
He grinned. “It’s kind of adorable.”
I shook my head at him. “It’s less adorable when you sleep in the same bed with me. My mom has landed on the floor one too many times when we’ve shared a hotel room over the years. Do you know how bad I feel about unknowingly booting my seventy-three-year-old mom onto the floor? She’s woken up bruised!”
“I can take it. I’m tough. And if worse comes to worst, I’ll just sleep as a bat. It’s very hard to shake off a determined bat.”
I laughed and leaned in for another hug, then sighed as I got up. “Come on, Kazi. Let’s get ready to go to our dinner rotation tonight.”
Sebastian opened the door for me. “What restaurant is in your rotation tonight?”
“Crème de la Crème.”
“I’ll meet you there at eight?”
I nodded. I’d picked the second dining option. It was generally less busy than the first. “I’ll see you then.”
I worean elegant white jumpsuit to dinner. The long, silky fabric of the sleeves felt cool on my overheated skin. I’d been getting too much sun lately, and my skin was paying for it.
Kazi, Mama, Micaela and I had been seated in a spot close to the live music, which was more background music for the guests to enjoy as they ate their three-course meal. This was only the second table service dinner I’d had on the cruise. I’d mostly been enjoying the excellent buffets or quick-grab meals since coming onboard, but I was in the mood for something a little more fancy tonight.
Sebastian found us right away and pulled my chair out before taking the spot next to me for himself. It was just us four; Rafe was still busy trying to play catch up from all the time he’d been taking off lately. I never knew this before my trip, but cruise ship crews wereconstantlybusy.They worked really hard and were very underappreciated. They weredefinitelyunder-tipped.
When it came time to order, I ordered asoupe á l’oignon gratinéefor a starter course, followed by asalade caprifor my salad course, andboeuf stroganofffor my entrée. My after-dinner dessert sounded completely yummy:mousse au chocolat.Everyone ordered something different, and we all shared a bit of our plates with others so we could taste the rich variety of the restaurant. Besides, getting to try four differentdesserts was wonderful. I recommended it for everyone, hands down.
Talk around the table was on pleasant things. No one brought up the near misses I’d had lately, or the hours I’d spent lost in the middle of the night in the South Pacific Ocean. I was hesitant to bring it up, because my people reacted badly to the reminder in various ways. Mama would get a panicky look on her face, while Sebastian and Micaela both looked like they wanted to rip someone’s arms off. Preferably the bad guy’s. And while the bulk of the memory held tinges of awe because of the sea life that had come to my rescue, the rest of it kept giving me nightmares that I awoke from in a cold sweat.
In fact,so muchhad happened to me since I’d come aboard that there were moments when I wished I’d never come on a cruise ship. And then I looked at how happy Mama was, the new friendships I’d made with both Micaela and Rafe, and the emotion in Sebastian’s eyes when he thought I wasn’t looking, and I counted my blessings.
Great things didn’t come without difficulty, right? At least, this was my mantra at the moment. I recited it when guys hassled me on the boat because I was a siren. I recited it when Kazi tried to break into the bathroom for the thirtieth time. I even recited it when I left my room in the morning to find an entire platoon of guards outside my door, including the one permanently outside on my verandah.
