Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2) (6 page)

The line dancing class was way more fun than Millie had thought it would be.  Along with Alison, there was another young dancer, Tara.  Millie took an immediate liking to Tara.  She was bubbly and she smiled all the time.  Whenever she looked at Millie, her eyes twinkled with mischief.  As if she was about to get in trouble but because she was so sweet, it wouldn’t matter.

She and Alison seemed to like each other and the two women taught not only the 15 or so passengers some basic line dance steps, they taught Millie, who had never kicked up a pair of cowboy boots in her life.

It took her a little bit to get the hang of it and she was glad no one she knew was there to watch her embarrass herself, but the girls were patient and they made it fun.  The passengers were having a ball and soon, they were groovin’ to Achy Breaky Heart. 

When the class was over, Millie’s feet were sore, but her face was smiling.  She thanked both of the girls for showing her the steps.  Millie guessed she had done an okay job with her new task because they asked her if she wanted to come back and help the next afternoon when they taught a square dance class.

Millie was thrilled.  Square dancing was right up her alley. She nodded.  “I can cut the rug with the best of ‘em.”

Tara’s eyes twinkled.  “Well, maybe you can show us a thing or two.”

Millie was still smiling – sweating – but still smiling – as she walked off the stage and made her way out of the theater.  The smile lasted right up until the moment she remembered she was to meet Captain Armati. She glanced down at her watch.  She had ten minutes to make it up to the bridge. 

Millie’s steps dragged as she made her way to the bridge.  The captain held her very future in his hands.  With just a single word, her world could come crashing down around her! 

Millie’s hand shook as she tapped on the outer door that opened to the bridge.  She sucked in her breath, closed her eyes and whispered a small prayer.  “Please God.  Let me keep this job.  You know how much it means to me.”

The door swung open.  Millie flashed startled eyes at the man in the doorway.  His outfit was similar to Captain Armati’s uniform, complete with the stars and bars on the shoulders.

She glanced down at the tag. 
Staff Captain Antonio Vitale. 
His brown eyes were warm and welcoming.  A small smile played across his lips as he looked at Millie’s tag.  “Ahh. The infamous Mildred Sanders.”

His heavy accent was charming and if Millie weren’t so dang nervous, it would sound downright sexy.  But she was nervous.  So nervous that her armpits were damp and her mouth dry.  She wished it were the other way around.  Her mouth moist and her armpits dry.

She sucked in a breath and smiled brightly. She held out her hand.  “How do you do.  Uh, Captain Vital.”

Millie just about passed out.  It wasn’t Captain Vital.  It was Captain Vitale! The man chuckled.  “Vital, Vitale.  It’s all the same.” He waved a hand to the side.  “Please. Please come in.  Captain Armati is expecting you.”

Millie groaned inwardly.  That’s what terrified her. Expectations. Expectations she was certain she was not living up to. 
Why, oh why, could she not behave herself?  Why did she have to prove that she could be just as good a detective as her ex-husband, Roger, had been?

Captain Vitale cocked his head.  “Follow me, please.”

Millie obediently trudged behind the captain as he walked down the narrow hall and into the bridge.  There were only two other people inside: a woman in uniform and Captain Armati.  The woman was off to one side, studying what looked like an oversized computer screen. 

Captain Armati was front and center.  He held a pair of binoculars to his eyes as he studied the vast ocean through the wall of windows.

Millie wished she hadn’t been so nervous. It would be cool to stand there and check out the view.  All that water.  The amazing thing was - the captain knew exactly where they were at – and where they were going. 

Millie wished she felt the same.  She had no idea where she was going.  Probably home.

Captain Armati set the binoculars on the top of the counter.  He shifted his body, his gaze coming to rest on Millie.  The sweat had traveled from her armpits to the top of her forehead as beads of perspiration formed on her brow.  Millie was so freaked out, she didn’t even wipe it away.  Soon it would be trickling into her eyes.  No matter.  She would be history and this whole moment of sheer terror forgotten.

The captain skipped the pleasantries.  “Millie Sanders. Follow me.” He didn’t wait for an answer.  Instead, he abruptly headed to the other side of the bridge - the opposite end from where Millie had just come in.  She picked up the pace and trailed along as he walked down a small corridor.  At the end of the small hall was a gray metal door marked “Private.” Above the silver door lever was a key pad.

Captain Armati punched in a code and opened the door.  He stepped inside and held the door.  “Please.  Come in.”

Millie let out the breath she’d been holding.  He had said “please.” Maybe she wasn’t in as deep of doo-doo as she originally imagined. 

There was no time to dwell on the
please
part.  Millie looked around.  She was in some sort of private apartment.  Her eyes widened as it dawned on her that this had to be Captain Armati’s private quarters!

It was a masculine space. A dark, gray sofa sat against the far wall.  In front of that was a round wooden coffee table.  On the other side of the room was a flat screen TV that hung on the wall. 

Next to the TV were two floor-to-ceiling bookcases, crammed full of books.  A wingback chair was directly in front of the bookcases and a tall lamp with an ornate, Victorian shade hovered over the top of the wingback. 

It was the perfect spot to read a book, escape the hordes of passengers or avoid complaining crew.

It was definitely a cozy retreat. 

Beyond the living room was a small kitchenette.  Millie couldn’t see the whole thing.  Only enough to know there was a small stove, a sink and enough counter space to cook a gourmet meal. 

Millie didn’t want to seem as if she was snooping.  She lowered her eyes and studied her fingernails. Her palms were sweating. She rubbed them on the front of her pants. 

Captain Armati stepped past the living room and stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room.  Millie, unsure what she should do, followed him.  Plus, she wanted to check out the view.  This was a whole lot different from her little hole in the wall.  Windowless, claustrophobic hole in the wall.  Still, she was grateful for her job.

Which was in jeopardy.  The fear came rushing back as she followed the captain’s gaze and stared out the window, certain this was one of the last times she would have a view such as this.  There were absolutely zero views like this in the suburbs of Grand Rapids!

Captain Armati put his hands behind his back.  He nodded out the window.  “I love the ocean.”

Millie nodded.  “Me, too.”

He glanced at Millie.  “It’s in my blood.  You know, my father was a captain.”

She didn’t know that but Millie nodded anyways.

He went on.  “Spent his whole life sailing the world.” He abruptly changed the subject.  “Do you like working on the ship?”

“I-uh.  Yes, sir.  I mean, yes, Captain Armati.” The words stuck in her mouth like six saltine crackers without a drop of water to wash them down.  “I love the job,” she admitted.  There.  It was out.  He could fire her, but at least he would know he was destroying her dreams!

He held up a hand.  “Stay here.”

He didn’t wait for an answer.  He deftly sidestepped Millie and headed up the stairs on the opposite side of the room.  Stairs Millie hadn’t even noticed. 

Her eyes followed him up.  The wonder of it all! This place had a second floor! 

She watched him stroll across the open loft and disappear behind a door.  If he was going to fire her, he was being nice about it.  Maybe this was some sort of test.  Then she remembered Andy saying that the captain had never asked an assistant cruise director to come to the bridge.

Millie nervously shifted from foot to foot.  He was taking forever!  The minutes dragged by.  Maybe something happened to him.  Like he suddenly became ill.  She wondered if she should go check on him.

Millie took a step in the direction when the upper door suddenly opened.  The captain was back – and he wasn’t alone.  There, trotting along beside him was one of the cutest little dogs Millie had ever seen.  He wasn’t much bigger than a doggie dish.

“Yip!”  The little ball of fur eyed Millie before he scooted down the stairs and darted to her.  He raced around her feet a few times before stepping on her shoes and lifting his front legs.  He pawed at her shins.

The captain looked down at the bundle of fur sitting on Millie’s feet.  “This is Scout.”

Millie bent over and stuck her hand out so Scout could sniff it.  Then she reached out to rub the tip of Scout’s ear. 

Captain Armati sighed.  “The dog is a gift from my daughter, Fiona.”

Scout ran over to the captain who promptly picked him up.  The dog nuzzled his neck.  Millie did a mental shake.  This man loved that little dog.  But the ship didn’t allow dogs - or any animals for that matter.  That was, of course, unless you were the captain.

“Scout is a birthday present,” he explained.

He set the wisp of a dog down.  The dog ran back to Millie and pawed at her ankle. She picked him up and held him close.  Close enough for him to lick the end of her nose.  The dog was adorable. 

Scout was a cute name.  She remembered her dog, Daisy. Sudden tears welled in the back of her eyes.  Millie blinked rapidly.

She hoped the Captain hadn’t noticed, but he had.  “You don’t like dogs?”

Millie sucked in a breath.  “I love dogs.  My dog, Daisy, died a few months back.  Daisy’s death was the last straw.  She was the reason I decided to apply for a job on the ship.  Once she was gone, nobody back home needed me.”

Captain Armati stepped close to Millie.  “I’m sorry.”

Millie nodded.  “Me, too.” 

Scout was trying to climb the front of Millie.  He got hold of a chunk of her hair that had come loose from the tidy bun and began to gnaw on it.  The crazy thing was cuter than a button.  How could anyone not become attached?

“I was hoping you could help me out,” he said.

Millie set Scout on the floor.  He ran over to a small box of stuffed animals in the corner of the room and proceeded to drag a stuffed monkey – twice as big as he was – across the floor.  He stopped in front of Millie and looked up.  “Ruff!”

“Scout gets lonely in here all day.  I need someone who can take him around.  You know, keep him company.  I thought of you.”

Millie nodded.  Perhaps it was because she was the most “grandmotherly” of the staff and crew. 

Captain Armati studied her face.  “Of course, only if you’re interested.”

Was she ever interested! Millie interrupted.  “Oh, I would love to help out!  Take Scout for walks, take him around the ship.” She paused.  “Can I take him with me around the ship?”

Scout could be her sidekick, her partner in crime…her miniature sleuth!

Captain Armati nodded.  “Of course. I have permission to keep the dog on board with me.  I guess you could say corporate bent a rule or two on my behalf.  As long as Scout doesn’t become a nuisance,” he warned.

That meant Millie would be responsible for making sure the dog didn’t get in trouble.  Heck!  Millie couldn’t even keep herself out of trouble! 

“Are you sure?”

Millie nodded.

The captain grinned.  “You have a bit of a reputation as a busybody, but I think you’re the perfect person for this job, if you’re up to it.”

“I’ll leave a small baggie of food in the table,” he continued. “Scout eats a little bit all day.”

Scout knew they were talking about him! He barked and then danced around in little circles.  It was if he somehow knew his life was about to get a lot more exciting.

Captain Armati picked Scout up and headed for the balcony.   “Let me show you around.”

He unlatched the hook and slid the slider open. The three of them stepped outside.  Millie could almost be envious of the balcony.  It was large.  On one end were two lounge chairs, a small glass top table next to each.  On the other side was a long, green strip of AstroTurf…a spot that apparently belonged to Scout. 

The captain set the pup down.  Scout pranced over to the strip and routed around, pawing at the fake grass, before darting to the other end to take care of business.

After Scout was done, they walked back inside the cabin.  The captain quietly closed the door and locked it.  “I was thinking you could come up in the morning before your shift started, take Scout out and then go back on duty until lunchtime.  After that maybe run back up here in the evening for another go ‘round the ship.  Kind of wear him out so he’ll sleep at night.”

That would be fine with Millie.  In fact, that would be more than fine!  She loved the idea!  On top of that, it meant that Millie wasn’t about to be fired.  It felt more like a promotion!