Page 35 of Millie's Cruise Ship Mysteries
Millie held up the keycards—one for Jeremy and another for his girlfriend. “As I mentioned, you’ll need these to get in the cabin.”
The rude man grabbed them from her hand and made an unhappy sound. “You gave us crew member cards? I already told you we aren’t working on this bucket of bolts.”
“These are crew members’ cabins. Therefore, you get crew members’ cards,” Millie snapped. “Take it or leave it.”
Another string of verbal unpleasantries ensued. This time she was prepared for the slamming door.
“You deserve a double dose of itching powder.” Still fuming, Millie backtracked, taking the stairs to the upper deck and library. As she drew closer, she noticed Felix standing near the door, chatting with Gloria and the gang.
Millie veered right, making her way over. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No problem. I was telling your cousins and friends we have an opening for our talent show.”
“To which I informed Felix that I have no talent,” Gloria said.
“You have a special talent,” Millie said. “A knack for solving mysteries.”
“Which happens to run in the family,” he replied. “How’s it going with our newly arrived hitchhikers?”
Gloria turned, giving Millie her full attention. “Hitchhikers?”
“We rescued passengers from a sinking yacht.” Millie told the others what had transpired.
“How blessed for Siren of the Seas to intercept the signal and reach them before they sank,” Dot said. “I bet they’re thanking their lucky stars.”
“Not quite.” Millie pinched her thumb and index finger together. “Remember Sea-nanigans, the yacht in Bimini?”
“Where Scout sneaked across the gangplank and the guy acted like he was going to toss him overboard?” Ruth asked.
“It was their yacht that sank.”
“No kidding.” Dot shook her head in amazement. “I guess the mechanic we noticed wasn’t able to fix the problem.”
“Or maybe he made it even worse,” Millie said.
“If the guy was half as nasty to the repair person as he was to you, then maybe it was sabotage.”
“Could be. Either way, we’re stuck with them until we reach Grand Turk or, heaven forbid, Miami.”
Lucy crossed her fingers. “Here’s hoping the accommodations don’t live up to the spoiled dude’s expectations and he decides to fly home.”
“Going from a luxury yacht to a crew cabin will be a huge step down. My guess is Jeremy and his friends will want to vamoose ASAP.”
“If you’re here to take over.” Felix shimmied sideways. “I have a ballroom dancing class to teach.”
“We’ll miss you Felix.”
He blew Ruth a kiss. “Not for long. You promised to boogie down with me on the lido later.”
“Absolutely.” She winked, returning the air kiss and waited until he was gone. “Felix is such a sweetheart.”
“He’s a great guy. I don’t know what I would do without him.” Millie rolled up her sleeves and made her rounds, complimenting the attendees on their beads and baubles, hand-crafted turkey napkin rings, a decorative memento she’d found online that fit perfectly with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday theme.
The group reached a stopping point and Millie called for a break, offering them coffee, tea and an array of sweet treats. She worked her way from table to table, admiring their creativity.
The craft class ended and the guests left, thanking her on their way out.
Dot stifled a yawn. “I think I’ll head to the cabin to take a nap. All this late night cutting the rug is catching up with me. I’m not complaining. It was worth every sleep-deprived minute.”
