Cabin Fever

She made a promise to herself to spend every moment of this adventure with her kids. Perhaps, in some small way, that would make up for all those long hours they had spent with their babysitters.

She let out a heavy sigh, suddenly seeing the cruise in a whole new light. She watched as Sarah took Connor’s hand and pulled him in closer so she could see the pictures on the brochure. Connor didn’t put up any resistance. He merely opened the brochure, lowered to her level and began reading.

“May I see your boarding papers?”

Startled by the deep voice, Becky looked up and into the impossibly green eyes of the handsome man standing in front of her.

“What?”

“I’m here to escort you to your cabin.”

She handed him the papers.

“Oh, I see you’re in a penthouse, Ms. Montgomery.”

“Becky.” She felt her cheeks heat up. Now why had she wanted to tell him her first name?

“Welcome aboard. Follow me.”

Becky tapped the kids’ shoulders to get their attention and they all fell in line behind the man. She caught bits and pieces about the treasure hunt as Connor kept reading while they walked. It looked as if they were being given the VIP treatment with a special escort, something Estelle had likely set up.

As they walked, Becky sneaked a glance at their escort. He was very good-looking, dressed in white shorts and a white polo shirt, with the ship’s insignia discreetly stitched over his heart, along with a small name tag: Dylan Langstaff—Newfoundland. He wasn’t dressed in a steward’s uniform, and there was no indication of his title, so Becky could only guess this wasn’t part of his regular duties. He looked more like the fit outdoorsy type to her.

“‘…and the sun god was intensely jealous of the beautiful moon goddess and wanted her all to himself.’” Connor continued reading the legend in the brochure. “‘He didn’t like it when she was on the far side of the earth and he couldn’t see what she was doing. In one of these periods, the moon goddess fell in love with a beautiful shepherd from Arcadia named Lexus…’”

Becky could only imagine this cute guy’s backlist of women, probably the proverbial “girl in every port” routine. He didn’t seem the type who would choose to spend weeks on a ship, working far from home while he had a wife or steady girlfriend waiting his return. No, he definitely looked more like the dyed-in-the-wool bachelor type.

“‘…they had to keep their love a secret from the sun god and could only be together at night. The moon goddess went to the celestial seamstress Athena and begged her to weave a beautiful cloak of shimmering moonbeams that would shield the goddess and her lover from the eyes of the sun. The cloak worked beautifully until one day when the sun was searching for them, the cloak slipped and nearly revealed them…’”

But Dylan was the perfect specimen of the type of guy she had expected might work on a cruise ship: handsome and tall—she guessed just over six feet—wavy brown hair with those natural blond highlights from being out in the sun, thin and tan with muscular arms and straight shoulders. She thought he probably handled the athletic activities the ship offered, maybe helping passengers climb up those rock-climbing walls that were so popular. Connor had been to a birthday party at a rock climbing gym in San Diego a few years ago, and all the men there looked like Dylan—powerfully built, fit, ready for adventure.

“‘The moon goddess arranged for a blacksmith to make a clasp to secure the cloak and couldn’t resist having a large diamond inserted in the clasp. The sun was becoming increasingly jealous because he knew the moon goddess was in love with a human and he was determined to put an end to their relationship…’”

Becky kept sneaking peeks at Dylan as he led them into one of the glass elevators, then down a corridor with plush carpeting under their feet, where creamy white doors lined both sides of the hallway. She noticed his hands, the long fingers, his neatly trimmed nails and the silver and onyx ring on his right pinky. Perhaps the ring was a gift from a pining girlfriend patiently waiting for him in some exotic port of call?

“‘…and once again, the sun god carefully scanned the area with his beam, and this time he noticed a flash of light. When he moved his beam over the same spot, he realized it was the facets of a diamond flashing in the light. He grabbed the diamond clasp and tore the moonbeam cloak from the lovers. Then he struck Lexus, and sent the moon goddess back to the sky. In his anger, the sun god had melted the bronze clasp, freeing the diamond, which the moon goddess snatched up to remember her lover…’”

“Here we are,” Dylan said.

“That mean old sun god—I want to know what happened to the poor moon goddess,” Sarah whined. “Did she ever see Lexus again?”

Dylan turned, knelt on one knee to get down to Sarah’s level and shook his head. “No. Poor Lexus died, and the moon goddess cried for so long that the earth was about to be flooded with her tears.”

“Like my mommy did when my daddy left to go to—” Sarah began, but Becky reached out and pulled her back to make her stop talking. Sarah liked to tell everyone that her daddy had left to go to heaven, but he was watching them every minute from his cloud. He didn’t want to leave, but God needed him to be an angel, just like in It’s a Wonderful Life. Becky was never really comfortable talking about Ryder with anyone, especially not a stranger.

But it was too late. Sarah had already said too much.

Dylan looked up at Becky and his face seemed so full of concern that it took Becky’s breath away. It was neither sympathy nor pity. It was something she couldn’t put her finger on.

Here was this charmer, this obvious babe magnet, yet he seemed to have a soft underside, and for a split second Becky thought she could see into his soul.

Something shifted inside her, something she couldn’t explain.

He looked back at Sarah, and the compassion was replaced by the friendly smile of a man telling a child a story.

He stood and opened their cabin door. “The goddess Artemis came to visit the moon goddess and convinced her to stop crying before she destroyed everything on earth, and she agreed, but not before she shed one final silver teardrop that hardened around the diamond. Then she sent the jewel off to be hidden, but she said she would always cry one day a year for Lexus.” His voice turned into a whisper. “And she still does, but on the very next night—” he waved an arm over his head and grinned “—the moon goddess sends a cascade of moonbeams and shooting stars across the sky to remind everyone of Lexus.”

“So when we see a shooting star, that’s the moon goddess reminding us of Lexus?” Sarah asked him, wide-eyed.

“You bet it is,” Dylan answered, still smiling that dazzling smile.

“Right,” Connor mumbled, slumping down on the sofa.

“Don’t pay any attention to my brother. He’s no fun anymore.” She motioned for Dylan to bend down so she could tell him something, then she blurted, “He doesn’t even want to read about Harry Potter. He doesn’t like movies, not really, and he won’t play Wonder Girl with me.”

Connor pulled a pillow up over his head.

“I knew there was something different about you.” Dylan winked at Sarah.

As Sarah did her cute Wonder Girl pose, Becky could tell Dylan had won her heart. And could win Becky’s if she wasn’t careful. It was his eyes. He had those sensitive, innocent eyes, but Becky knew it had to be something he could turn on and off at will. He worked on a cruise ship. He was trained in the art of making people, especially women, feel special. Wasn’t he?

Becky put her arms around her daughter’s shoulders, and pulled her in tight from behind. She suddenly felt as if this man had learned enough about her family. “Thanks for escorting us to our room, and finishing the story. I think I can figure everything out from here.”

“Okay. But don’t hesitate to contact someone if you need assistance, Ms. Montgomery.” He turned to leave, but then stopped and slowly turned back around. “Oh, there’s one more thing about that diamond the moon goddess hid.” He directed his charm at Sarah. She stared up at him as if he were telling her a special secret.

“What is it?” she asked, never blinking. He had her full attention. Even Connor slipped the pillow off his head.

“It’s hidden somewhere on this very ship. In one of the cabins, to be exact, and whoever finds it will have good luck.” Dylan looked directly at Becky. “Especially in love.”

A slight shiver danced up her spine as she stared into those magical jade-colored eyes of his, and for a moment she actually considered Lacey’s advice. But before she could genuinely second-guess herself, the oh-so-charming Dylan Langstaff was gone.

CHAPTER TWO

“I CAN’T BELIEVE you pulled this off, Patti, that this treasure hunt idea is actually happening.” Thanasi Kaldis walked up behind Dylan, who was handing out brochures in the lobby with Patti Kennedy, the cruise director.

“Look at them,” the ship’s hotel manager continued, “half the people aren’t even glancing at their brochures. I still say that no one will bother looking for that silly pendant. I thought the whole idea was rejected, Patti.”

Thanasi was in his late forties, wore his navy-blue blazer over meticulously pressed whites; he had a crop of black wavy hair and a charismatic smile…most of the time. However, at that precise moment he directed a teasing scowl at Patti.

“It was never rejected,” she told him in a confident voice. “You must have dreamed that, so stop your stressing. Just go with it. Besides, it’s going to be fun.”

Patti, also dressed in a navy blazer and whites, was a brown-haired dynamo who had celebrated her thirty-ninth birthday in Venice on a gondola, alone. If Dylan had known about it beforehand, he would have surprised her with a party or dinner. They’d become friends, and he hated to hear that his friend had been so alone on her birthday, especially when she loved people so much and wanted nothing more than to see everyone around her happy.

Her title usually went to a man, but Patti was possibly the best cruise director Dylan had ever worked with. She anticipated the needs of the passengers and was always looking to enhance their cruise experience. Plus she was just fun to be around.

She turned back to a young couple approaching her. “Find the hidden pendant and receive extra perks the entire cruise!”

Dylan watched as the woman took the brochure, glanced at it then stuffed it into her large straw handbag. Perhaps Thanasi was right. The pendant hunt could be a complete bust. He hoped not, though. He’d liked the idea, and he would be taking part in a few fun excursions set up for the passenger who found it.