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Valentina Rizzo
“Where the hell are you two?” I muttered under my breath. My daughter has a habit of forgetting to charge her cellphone, but she’s never late for anything.
I know cruise ships are huge,but this is getting ridiculous. Abby’s last text message said she and her husband were settling in and would meet me up on deck. I’d walked around several times and they were nowhere to be found. Now neither of them was answering my phone calls.
The ship had already left port, so there were a limited number of places they could be. It was only a matter of time before we crossed paths. If I was in my twenties and still in my first year of marriage, I might be enjoying some alone time in my room as well. I certainly wouldn’t be at my mother’s side.
But that’s what confused me. If they wanted time alone, why gift me this trip? I heaved a sigh and leaned against the deck rail.
“Hi there, can I offer you a drink?” a man asked. I looked him up and down, he was tall, with white hair so long, I was almost jealous. He wasn’t dressed in a uniform, so I assumed he was a passenger as well. He wouldn’t be able to tell from the position of my hands whether I wore a wedding band. Awfully bold of you to approach me like that.
Since we’d both be on this ship for the next ten days, I wanted to turn him down gently. “Thanks for offering, but no thank you.”
He paused as though he might make a second attempt, but then nodded and said, “Enjoy the cruise. Hope you find whoever you’re looking for.”
I will, once they answer their phones.
“Thanks, I hope you do too,” I said as he walked away. Very perceptive to notice I was looking for someone. I couldn’t help but wonder how many other people had observed me searching the ship.
Sure, I’d covered every inch of the main deck, but I couldn’t name a single thing I’d seen. This vacation was long overdue. You two can enjoy the cabin, I’m going to enjoy the sunset.
The sun danced off the ocean far off in the distance. I let out a slow exhale and smiled. All the tension that had plagued me earlier vanished and I relaxed, relishing the quiet moment. I could be happy just standing here for the next ten days, but there was so much to explore. I couldn’t sit in my cabin alone waiting for my daughter.
When the sun disappeared, I decided it might be time to turn in for the evening so I could get an early start exploring all that the ship had to offer. But why go to my cabin empty-handed? Just because I didn’t want some stranger getting me a drink didn’t mean I wasn’t in the mood for one. I walked over to the poolside bar and ordered a frozen strawberry daiquiri. As the chilled contents passed through my lips, I moaned. It was fruity and refreshing.
“Now, this is a nice way to celebrate my birthday,” I said softly.
“Birthday?” a husky voice asked from behind me.
Damn.
I hoped it wasn’t the same guy from earlier. The last thing I needed was a stalker ruining my vacation. I turned. To my surprise, it was someone different. This guy was all muscle with short brown hair, slicked back.
“It’s my birthday trip, not actually my birthday,” I stated. My actual birthday had passed two weeks ago, and cake and pizza with my family was enough for me.
“Let me guess. You’re celebrating your twenty-ninth birthday,” he smiled.
Cheesy line.
I wasn’t ashamed of being fifty. Hell, it was fabulous. I was happy, healthy, and with friends that enjoy the same type of activities like me. Heck if they would’ve been on the cruise with me, that would’ve been awesome too. Family or friends was all in needed in my life. What I wasn’t, was in a mood to be hit on.
“Not even close. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m on my way to my room,” I said.
“Would you like some company?” he offered.
I looked him over, head to toe, and shook my head. “You might want to find someone your own age.” The guy was good looking, but half my age.
“Maybe I’m attracted to older women,” he said, undeterred.
I rolled my eyes and walked away. Is it the ocean air that has guys on the prowl? Am I sending off some signal? I got asked out occasionally, but usually by someone I’d seen a few times, gotten to know a little. These were two random men.
It would be so easy to dwell on the strangeness of being hit on twice in one night, but I decided firmly not to devote my precious vacation time to the matter. I had better things to think about, like how I was going to spend my day tomorrow? Maybe by the pool, catching some rays? Or maybe I could take in one of the stage shows I’d heard so much about. With any luck, Abby would come out of hiding and we’d discuss our plans over breakfast.
Opening my door, I entered my cabin and walked over to unpack. I placed my drink on the dresser and picked up a flyer left by the staff.
Join us for our singles’ bikini masquerade tomorrow at 2:00 pm.
