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Betty came over and asked, “Did you lose something?”

“I left a book here,” I responded.

“There was a book but I didn’t think it was yours. A woman was reading it.”

Fuck. My sister’s going to be pissed.

“You don’t happen to know where she went, do you?” I asked.

“Of course. She signed her slip with her room number. Let me see if I can find it.” Betty flipped through her pad and then gave me her room number. But instantly her eyes widened, and she added quickly, “I don’t think I’m supposed to give you that information.”

“If I was a passenger, you’d probably be in serious trouble,” I warned her.

“Rick, I’m thinking I’m not cut out for this. I should go back to what I was doing before.”

“And what was that?” I asked.

“Cleaning the cabins. We do it while the passengers aren’t in their rooms. Can’t screw that up with my big mouth,” she sighed. “It’s just that I really enjoy talking to people. I could stand here and talk to you for hours. I’m a very social person.”

She definitely had the gift of gab. I don’t know why, but I felt bad for her. She was young but seemed to really want to make working on a cruise ship her career. With guidance, she could do well. “Why don’t you talk to whoever is in charge of hiring and let them know what you enjoy. Maybe they could use some help running the games and activities they do on the ship.”

“You really think they’d let me help?” Betty asked warily.

“If you don’t ask, you’ll never know,” I said over my shoulder as I left to retrieve my book.

I couldn’t help but think of the advice I gave Betty. It was the same advice I’d given to many others over the years, but somehow, never acted on it myself. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have joined the Navy. I could be married with children and grandchildren by now.

Years ago, marriage sounded like a ball and chain, holding me to one place. That’s why I joined the Navy. I could travel, see new places, meet new people. It also meant that I never had a serious relationship with any woman, because I wasn’t around long enough to make one.

Did I have regrets? I wasn’t sure. I tried not to think about what I don’t have, and focus on what I do.

I finally reached the woman’s door and knocked.

“Who is it?” a sweet voice asked from inside.

“Hello. My name is Rick. I work for the cruise line and it seems you found a book that belongs to…another passenger.” I really didn’t want to get into how the steamy romance belonged to me. The door opened and my jaw dropped. Nearly thirty years later, yet I knew her face instantly. “Valentina.”

Her expression said she was equally shocked to see me standing at her door. “Rick? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I work here.” There was no reason to ask her the same question. Obviously, she was single and out to meet men. It shouldn’t bother me. We hadn’t been together since I left for the Navy. I’d meant to keep in touch, to come back to her, but one tour of duty became two, then three. We eventually stopped speaking.

I never forgot you.

“Oh, that’s right. You mentioned that when you knocked. You want that book I found up on deck.”

“Yes, I do.” But now I’ve found something I want so much more.

“Come on in and I’ll get it for you,” she said.

It took everything within me to shake my head. I knew exactly what would happen if I entered. We’d start with small talk, but somewhere along the way I’d fuck it up and kiss her. Our physical connection had been like the strongest magnet and even now, I found myself drawn to her.

“I’ll wait here,” I said. She nodded and went to get the book. I missed her even for the brief time that the door was closed. How the hell was I going to manage being around her and not being with her?

The door opened again and she handed me the book. “I hope whoever it belongs to enjoys it. Looks like a fantastic read.”

“I didn’t know you read romance,” I said. “I thought you liked mystery.”

“Good memory. I used to and kind of still do, but over the past few years I started trying new things. Romance novels being one of them,” she said.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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