Page 9 of Midnight Serenade
I slumped onto my rumpled bed. Of course. I should have thought of that. “Um, I think I lost Kazi. He slept with me last night. When I woke up this morning, he was gone. I think he’s been lion-napped.”
The Brit roared with laughter. “My name is Rafe, by the way. I know you’re calling me the Brit in your head, love.”
I felt myself turn red again and put my hands to my flushed cheeks.Seriously, get a grip, Gracie. Missing lion!“I’m so?” I started to stammer, but he laughed and stopped me.
“No worries. Sebastian still calls me the Brit. It’s unfair, really. Our crew is diverse. He doesn’t call others the Nigerian or the Australian. It’s only me who’s singled out.”
I shook my head and laughed. This Rafe guy seemed like a crack-up. “It’s probably because he feels the most comfortable with you.” I mean, that felt obvious to me. I always hesitated to say what was obvious to me because I thought it sometimes came off as condescending, but thankfully Rafe didn’t seem to be bothered. In fact, he sounded thoughtful.
“Huh. I never thought of it that way. I think I have some apologizing to do.”
I grinned and then sobered. “Do you know where Kazi is? Did someone come into my bedroom and steal him?”
“I can assure you that no one broke into your room, but I’m fairly certain Kazi let himself out. He can work the handles on doors. Helpful for going out, but less so for going in.”
Because going in, he’d need a key card... and opposable thumbs.
I slumped in relief. “Thanks, Rafe. I’d feel better if someone had eyes on him, though. I want to be sure I didn’t fail at cat-sitting on my very first day.”
“Understood. Give me a moment.”
Our channel went quiet. Now that I’d inadvertently used channel two instead of channel one, I was glad I had. I would have felt bad waking Sebastian up after he’d worked the whole night. I’d gone to bed at one in the morning. I could only imagine what late—or rather early—hour he’d gone to bed. Was owning a cruise ship so difficult that owners worked twelve, fifteen, or even eighteen-hour days? I didn’t know, but I was looking forward to finding out.
The walkie squawked again. “Come in, baby bird. Come in.”
I depressed the button. “Harty har har.” I said it sarcastically, but it was actually funny.
“Kitten is found. I repeat, the kitten has been found.”
I fell back on the bed, cracking up laughing. It was partly naked relief, and partly because Rafe was playing along with my silliness. I always appreciated people who could handle my silly.
“Roger, mother bird. That’s a ten-four.” I got my giggles out and then pressed the button again. “Thanks for the recon, mother bird. Do you know a good place to get a really tasty Colorado omelette and hash browns for breakfast?” I figured it didn’t hurt to ask the staff. They always knew the best places to eat.
“The Saucy Sunrise Cafe on deck four makes the best omelettes.” And then silence. I was about to thank him for his suggestion when the walkie squawked again. “Can I join you for breakfast?”
I bit my lip. I didn’t want to ask him straight up if he was deeply in love with someone, which would deaden my pull on him. Or, the weirder ask, if he had a strong will and a strong mind, which experience had taught mealsodeadened my pull. I mean, I wished I could just ask that of random strangers, but this wasn’t Star Wars, unfortunately. I shrugged. He seemed okay. I would be in a public place, and I knew the owner. I felt confident that if things didn’t go well, I could always ask for help from Sebastian.
“Roger that, mother bird. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
The Saucy SunriseCafe was adorable. It felt like a retro fifties diner, except more upscale. I quickly found a booth—it was aseat yourself—and opened the menu. I was pretty sure of what I wanted, but I wanted to check over the menu just in case.
I was startled when a man in his late thirties sat down across from me. “Baby bird?”
I choked on my laughter, nodding. “I’m assuming you’re mother bird?”
He sat back, a huge grin on his face. “I am so glad you woke me up this morning.”
I groaned. “I’m so sorry! I feel so bad. I was just actually congratulating myself on not waking Sebastian up after his late night, and instead I woke you up.”
He waved a hand like it was no big deal. “I don’t actually get to sleep much. It’s no trouble, really. I’d much prefer to be here with you, making a new friend.”
I grinned and held out a hand, which he took and kissed the back of. I had to laugh. I thought he was just naturally charming, and not really flirting with me. “How can you be so charming at 7:30 in the morning? I’m Grace, by the way.”
“Am I charming?” he asked with a grin that said he knew he was. “I’m Rafe, as I said before. It’s nice to meet you, Grace.” He picked up his menu. “So, tell me about you and Sebastian’s date. Did he tell you he pawned part of his to-do list on me so that he could go?”
“No! But do tell.”
Over breakfast, Rafe told me about what he did on the ship as the cruise director. Basically, he was the face of the ship, and a man who wore many hats. He was constantly busy and rarely slept. He was an eagle shifter who frequently took flights over the ocean and back to the ship to stretch his wings. He was charming, intelligent, and very handsome, and I felt absolutely no sparks. I think he felt my lure, but thankfully he was one of those rare individuals with a strong mind.
