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“To Trixie Troublefield.” Wes lifts his glass and the rest of the table does the same. He looks more than regal in his captain’s finery, and his brass buckles gleam with a pride all their own under the chandeliers sparkling above us. “May luck be ever on your side.”
Tinsley snorts. “With the way you attract dead bodies, you’ll need more than luck.”
“That’s right,” Nettie says. “You’ll need lots of lava cake.”
“Hear, hear,” Bess shouts, and we all give a cheer before imbibing.
Ransom leans my way. “You, me, and lava cake up in the Blue Water in about two hours.”
“It’s a date.” I wink his way.
Elodie leans in from the other side of me and whispers, “I do believe you owe me a few dirty details in exchange for that racy lingerie, remember?”
“I’m still doing research on the topic,” I assure her.
She sighs. “All right, fine. But I have hope for Alaska. With chilly nights up ahead, you’ll have to snuggle up with someone.”
“Duly noted,” I say, touching my glass to hers.
“You look happy,” Tinsley says from across the table in her pink sequin gown that has been stabbing me in the eye with its reflection for the last twenty minutes. “So where are you headed off to now that you’ve been fired from the ship?”
“Pardon me?” I balk, and my adrenaline spikes at the thought.
“Wes?” Ransom growls. “What’s going on?”
“Let the record show the ship did not fire you,” Wes says before giving Tinsley a stern look. “If you want to get technical, it was Royal Lineage Cruise Lines that fired you.”
“What?” Bess, Nettie, and Elodie squawk all at once.
I’m too gob-smacked to say a word.
Ransom is back to growling.
Have I mentioned how hot he looks in his jet-black suit?
I thought it looked great for formal night, and now it feels as if he’s donned it for a funeral—mine.
“Trixie”—Wes reaches across Ransom and gives my hand a quick squeeze, a daring move in and of itself—“I meant to speak to you about it the other night, but the arrest tied me up in paperwork. As for tonight, I was going to tell you after dinner. It seems the complaint against you—regarding ghosts, of all things.” He averts his eyes as if the concept was ridiculous. “The board took it seriously. Initially, they cut you loose, but I talked them into taking you back. Essentially, you’re suspended from teaching art classes as far as the next cruise goes. But after that, you’re welcome to resume as normal.”
“Suspended?” I gasp. “I’ve never been suspended from anything in all my life.” I turn to Ransom. “Being suspended from school was one of my greatest fears growing up, right there with quicksand and the Bermuda Triangle.”
Nettie nods. “What about finding a taboo tiki in Hawaii that brings nothing but bad luck?”
Bess grunts at her bestie, “You’re the taboo tiki she found in Hawaii that brings nothing but bad luck.”
“I brought her lava cake,” she counters.
“Case closed.” I nod her way before blinking away fresh tears. “I don’t know what to say about any of this.”
Wes offers a consolatory smile my way. “Say you’ll be on the next cruise. Just because you’re suspended doesn’t mean you’re not welcome here.”
Ransom looks more than mildly alarmed for the very first time. I’ve never seen him so much as flinch, and yet with this news he seems genuinely rattled.
My lips part.
“The cruise is on me,” he says. “I’ll make sure you have the room you’ve grown accustomed to. In fact, I’ll do one better. I’ll have a special treat delivered to your room each evening.”
Elodie nudges her knee to mine. “It looks as if the details will be coming in fast and furious,” she whispers. “I think we both know Ransom Baxter stores his best treats in his boxers.”
