Page 15 of Cruising for Christmas
She nodded and closed the balcony door.
They walked into the buffet area and chose their meals before taking a seat at a table. A few minutes later, Shay and Ryan joined them.
“Did you exercise this morning?” Norah asked.
Shay rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Yes, but it was a struggle. Those little shits banged on our door again.”
Ryan laughed. “She gets so worked up about it. I keep telling her we’re on vacation and people are just having a little fun.”
Shay glared. “There’s nothing wrong with me wanting a good night’s rest so I can get my morning exercise in while on vacation.”
Ian smiled at Norah from behind his coffee mug. Norah stuffed a forkful of whipped cream-covered waffle in her mouth.
Shay looked over at Norah and shrugged. “Anyway. Do you have any plans before we all meet up for lunch and drinks?”
Norah chewed her food and swallowed before shaking her head. “No. I might go to the hot tub.”
“Oh, soaking my muscles sounds nice. We’ll join you.”
Ryan nodded in agreement. Norah stole a glance at Ian, who was already looking at her. She blushed.
“Would you care to join us?” she asked.
“Sure. Sounds nice.” He took a sip of his coffee and sat back in his chair.
Norah smiled and looked back at Shay, who was scrutinizing her face. Norah immediately hid her smile and shoved another forkful of waffle into her mouth. When they finished their food, the group agreed to meet at the pool after changing.
Norah sat in the hot tub closest to the adult section where the rest of their group was. The hot tub overlooked the side of the ship, and she stared out at the water, hoping to catch sight of some marine life. Several other people sat on the other end of the hot tub, but they were involved in their own conversations with drinks in hand despite it not even being 10 a.m.
The water rippled with the jets, and she hadn’t even noticed that Ian had slipped in next to her until she heard his deep laugh. She looked over at him, where he was staring at her in amusement.
“What?”
“I’ve only said your name five times.”
She laughed. “One thing you should know is I hyperfocus, and when I do, everything around me fades.”
“Noted. What are you hyperfocusing on?”
She tilted her head toward the water. “The sea. I’m hoping to see a dolphin or whale.”
They continued to watch the water in silence for several minutes before Norah noticed something break the water’s edge. Being on the top deck of the ship made it look small, but she was almost positive it was a dolphin.
“Ian! There!” Without even thinking, she reached blindly and began patting his chest to get his attention and pointed toward the water. “There! A dolphin!”
“Oh yeah, there is one,” he said.
She stopped patting him as they watched it ride the waves of the cruise ship. Several minutes went by before she turned to smile at him, only to realize her hand was still resting on his chest. She pulled it back like she had been burned and cringed.
“I’m sorry.”
He chuckled. “It’s okay. You were hyperfocusing.”
Shay’s voice rang out next. “What are you two doing?”
Norah looked over at Shay, who raised a meaningful eyebrow. “Oh, you know. Just watching for marine life while I force Ian to do it with me. The usual.”
Ian laughed again. “You can’t force a willing participant.”
