I emerged from the bathroom sheepishly, holding the note in my hands. I’d considered flushing it down the toilet, but instead, I handed it over to Sam, who read it silently and went pale.
“Who…?” she looked at me inquisitively, but I shook my head.
“You haven’t told anyone on the ship, have you?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“No, of course not!”
“Not even Cece?”
“No, not even Cece,” said Sam. “Did you…?”
“No. I love Cece dearly, but this isn’t the kind of thing you tell someone right after meeting them, is it?”
“I’m sorry, Addy—I’m so sorry.”
I took a deep breath, willing the memories to go away. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I just… who would know? If neither of us talked about it, how would someone find out?”
My voice trailed off as I spoke and Sam and I both looked down at the note. The same thought must’ve occurred to both of us.
Finally, I said softly, “Maybe it showed up in some kind of background check and whoever it was checking put things together and figured out it was me.”
“Maybe that’s what it is,” Sam said encouragingly.
“Or maybe,” I licked my lips since they seemed to have gone dry, “Maybe someone from there is here. On this ship.”
“No, no that can’t be,” Sam said quickly. “Nope.”
I took a deep breath. “I thought I’d left that all behind me by getting a job on a cruise ship. Got as far away as possible from everything.”
Sam looked down at the note again. “What’re you going to do? Maybe you should tell the police when we get back to New Orleans. Or at least tell Ethan Lee, or the captain.”
I shook my head, and squared my shoulders. “I’m not going to do anything. Not yet. If someone from the staff sent me the note, they wouldn’t be from that—event. This cruise line definitely wouldn’t hire criminals. It’s just someone messing with us. Teasing us for being sleuths. You know, a bit of lighthearted fun, using the name of a movie. They thought they were being clever and funny, that’s all.”
Sam looked at me doubtfully.
“Don’t worry,” I said more cheerfully this time. I almost believed what I was saying. “It’s just someone pulling a stupid prank. No point worrying about it. Whoever sent it will probably tell us themselves, and we’ll all laugh about it.”
Sam opened her mouth to speak, and then she snapped it shut again, wordlessly.
Finally, she said, “If you think that’s the best thing to do.”
I nodded my head vigorously. “I do. So let’s forget all about this unpleasant mess, and instead figure out what to wear for the ball. I want to enjoy the rest of this cruise—I mean, we get to hang out together again! How cool is that?”
“Very cool,” said Sam warily. “Loads of fun.”
I knew from the glint in her eyes that she wasn’t about to let me out of her sight, or get into secluded dark areas by myself, and suddenly, I felt a rush of love for my bestie. She’d lied her way onto this ship to be with me, and I had to admit, I felt so much better with her by my side.
I threw my arms around her in a bear hug. “You’re the best, Sam. And I don’t want you worrying about me, I can take care of myself. I just need you to not get thrown into the brig again!”
“I can do that!” Sam said, laughing, and I let go of her.
“And if you do get thrown into the brig again,” I said with a wink, “now I know how to get you out.”
“Yeah,” Sam teased, “I hear you’ve got an in with the first officer.”
We giggled, and headed over to the wardrobe to try to find something to wear to the ball.
Things were looking up again, and I focused my mind on the upcoming ball.
This job was going to be a blast, I told myself. The note was just a prank. My bestie was on the job with me, I’d found a great new friend in Cece, and my terrible boss was no longer around asking me if I saw. I was going to get to know Officer Hot Stuff a bit better, and yes, I’d finally start using the staff gym.
Yep, I told myself, life on a cruise ship was going to be one long, smooth ride…
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Join The AR Winters Newsletter!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33