Page 96 of Viking Vengeance Cruise

“We’ve earned the whole tray,” Nettie counters. “I did a takedown, and takedowns burn calories.”

Sixty seconds from felony takedown to cookie negotiations. This is why they’re my people.

They take off just as Magnus materializes once again, looking rather satisfied with himself. “Justice for my Astrid. The murderess will face her punishment.”

I squeeze Ransom’s hand so he can listen in on the fun, too.

“Your Astrid?” The words land on me all at once, and my eyes sting. “You’re still in love with her, Gerald,” I say as I sniff back tears.

“My name may be Gerald,” he says, his voice going softer by the second. “But in my heart, I’ve always been Magnus. The real you isn’t what others name you. It’s who you choose to be. That’s the Viking way, little one. To become the warrior you were meant to be, regardless of what the world says you are.” He’s already fading. “You did well tonight. I’m proud. Until we meet again!”

Magnus belts out a roar that blows my bangs straight back, and I’m the only soul in the room who gets to enjoy the breeze. And then Magnus Darkwater disappears once and for all in a shower of silver stars.

“Goodbye, Gerald,” I say with a sigh. “Long live Magnus.”

Ransom tilts my chin up, and I look into his warm cobalt eyes. “Another cruise, another murder solved. I’m proud of you, too.”

A laugh bubbles from me. “Just another day living on the Emerald Queen,” I say, and I kiss him while the Valhalla Lounge slowly returns to some semblance of normal around us.

I’ve officially accepted that my life includes airborne champagne flutes, dog piles on killers, and philosophical chats with dead accountants in fur cloaks.

And honestly?

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

CHAPTER 23

Suddenly Hitched—What a Trip!

Dear Trixie,

This is my last letter because we disembark tomorrow, and I needed to tell you how everything turned out.

I took your advice and told my daughter the truth that night in Helsinki. We were on the balcony watching the water, and I just said it. The whole story. The called-off wedding, the furious parents, the lawsuit threats, meeting her dad six months later.

She cried. Then she laughed. Then she said, “Mom, why didn’t you tell me this when I first called mine off? I’ve been feeling like such a failure.”

We talked for hours. About my engagement, hers, what it means to trust yourself when everyone else thinks you’re wrong. She admitted she’s been terrified that calling it off meant she’d end up alone and that everyone would judge her. I told her that being alone isn’t the worst thing that can happen. Marrying the wrong person is.

Here’s the best part.

Yesterday in Helsinki, she met someone. A guy from Colorado who’s traveling solo, also nursing a broken engagement. They spent the whole day together exploring the fortress and old town, and she came back to the cabin glowing. They exchanged phone numbers. I’m not saying he’s her next great love. But watching her laugh with someone new, seeing her realize she has a whole future ahead of her, not just a past behind her? That was everything.

She thanked me this morning for booking this cruise with her. I had to tell her she booked it, not me. We both laughed until we cried.

Thank you, Trixie. For helping me show up the way she needed.

—Grateful in Tallinn

Dear Grateful,

I’m not crying. You’re crying. Okay, fine, we’re both crying, and I’m getting mascara on a perfectly innocent advice column.

This is exactly how it’s supposed to go. Messy, honest, imperfect, and ultimately good. You showed up. You told the truth. You let her see that you’re human and flawed and still figuring things out too.

Now she gets to go home knowing she’s not alone in this. She has a mother who understands. A mother who made hard choices and survived them. A mother who loves her enough to admit she doesn’t have all the answers.

Also? A cute guy from Colorado who’s also recovering from a broken engagement is basically the universe hanging a neon sign that reads, You’re going to be fine. Better than fine. Whether he turns into something or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s open to it. That she’s laughing again. That she knows her story isn’t over just because one chapter ended badly.