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“Then let’s wait until you can see where you’re going before you strike out on your own.”
“Are you always this sensible?”
“I hope so. One of us has to be.”
“What makes you think I’m not? I’ve been taking care of myself since I was in my teens, and I don’t do foolish things.” Unless she counted marrying a man she barely knew, and time would tell how foolish that had been.
He parked where they could board with their luggage and reached over to squeeze her hand. “I didn’t say you made foolish choices. I just don’t want you to worry you’ll have to keep doing everything on your own. Let me handle whatever I can.”
She bit her lip. “I hadn’t planned to even think about marriage before I reached thirty, so I’ll need a while to get used to the idea of having a husband. I don’t want to fight over things.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been married, but some couples fight all the time, and I don’t want that.”
“Neither do I. Here’s a steward with the wheelchair.” He left the car to open the back, and a second steward handled their luggage.
Their cabin was a duplicate of the one she’d seen on board the Goddess, even to the bathing suits in the closet. She’d been eager to leave the hospital, but the move left her completely drained. She’d been too shaky to attempt using crutches and hadn’t left the hospital with a pair. She loved to walk and dance, and being confined to a wheelchair was torture. It couldn’t be easy for him either. “This cruise isn’t going to be much fun for you.”
“Describe fun.”
“I have the energy of a teabag left too long in the pot. How am I going to be able to do anything with you?”
He laughed. “I can visualize having fun with a teabag.”
“I’m imagining the sly gleam in your eye even if I can’t see it clearly. What time is dinner?”
“We’ll eat at the captain’s table once the voyage begins, but now we can eat as soon as the kitchen prepares whatever you’d like. Are you hungry?”
“Not really, but I can eat, if not much else.”
“We’ll concentrate on what you can do then. The library has audio books. Do you ever listen to those?”
“I love them for trips.” She took a deep breath, but felt so uncomfortable in her own skin it brought no relief. She rubbed her arms. “Maybe it’s post-traumatic stress, but I don’t feel right.”
Clearly concerned, he knelt beside her. “I’ll see if the physician is already on board.”
“No, don’t bother him, or her. I’m not used to feeling so helpless. For now, we can’t do anything about it.”
He kissed her cheek, stood and pulled open the small refrigerator hidden in a cabinet. “Maybe it’s low blood sugar. Would you like some orange juice?”
“Yes, thank you. I could pretend I’m a princess who’s used to being waited on, rather than a runway model who’s unable to stand. Is there a limit to the number of requests per day?”
He handed her a glass of juice. “I’ll let you know when you’re close.”
She looked up at him and wanted to believe he was a little bit clearer. “Then what?”
“We’ll start over.”
The teasing promise in his voice made her giggle, and she nearly sprayed juice through her nose. “Hotel refrigerators usually have mixed nuts. Are there any here?”
“A big jar.” He poured some into a napkin and carefully laid it into her hand. “I need to move my car into the long-term garage. Will you be all right while I’m gone?”
“Look, I’m sitting up without being dizzy, and that’s real progress.”
“Maybe I should move you to the bed.”
“No, I’m fine. Just turn me around so I can look out at the port. It’s such a colorful, relaxing blur.”
