Christmas Cruise in July Read online

  “You wanted to go on my honeymoon?” Merissa asked in a stupor.

  “Well, not exactly. But we both know Kyle would have wanted you to go anyway and not waste his gift. He spent months planning that surprise.”

  “You helped him?” Merissa asked.

  “Sort of. Just directed your guy to a few sites online,” Amy said.

  “I don’t understand.” Merissa gazed at the envelope Amy held in her hand. “I shredded it! It can’t be the same one, but the pictures and the writing are all identical. It’s Kyle.” Merissa jumped from the couch and began to pace. “Now I know I’m going crazy. But I am grateful to have you along for the ride this time around.”

  “I refuse crazy!” said Amy. “Maybe someone out there has the recipe for magic glue. They should market it. They’d make a fortune.” She glanced at the top left corner. A picture of Santa dropping a flat parcel from the sky, complete with Merry-Christmas-curly-ribbons fluttering in the breeze, cascaded downward. “Was this Santa return address sticker on the original envelope?”

  Merissa stopped striding back and forth and studied the wrap closer. “I don’t think so. There was something Santa-like there but no address that said, delivery from the North Pole.”

  “Perhaps not, but just maybe Kyle’s ghost delivered the second one, under the cloak of the Claus family,” said Amy. Merissa frowned but it did not stop her friend’s imagination from running wild.

  Amy turned the envelope upside down and spilled the contents out on the table. “The brochure – same cruise – July 5th leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.” She exhaled for effect. “I’ve never been to Florida.” Amy waved a piece of paper in the air. “The boarding passes? I don’t think the envelope included them the last time. It needs to be closer to sailing time to get these babies.” Her excitement grew despite her efforts to squelch it.

  “Well, it must be close enough now, because here they are. My name and… this is crazy-wrong. Your name is there instead of Kyle’s.”

  Amy squealed, then clasped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

  “You are not sorry. You actually want to go on my honeymoon?” said Merissa.

  “It’s not your honeymoon anymore. It’s clear someone wants you to go – and not by yourself. I suppose I’m the second choice.” Amy grinned. “But I don’t care. I’m in if you are.”

  “The North Pole’s sick idea of a joke will not manipulate me,” Merissa said.

  “Lighten up. Maybe Mrs. Claus has a heart for lonely people, or better yet, a close connection to the Miracle-Maker, and together they matched you and me up for a good time.”

  “You just said Kyle’s ghost sent it. You are grasping at straws.” Merissa picked up a zip-lock bag and examined it. A velvet card holding a Christmas ornament of half a cruise ship was there. “Half a ship?” Merissa wrinkled her brow. “Sounds like this ship might sink.”

  “Or…” Amy moved closer and whispered the big reveal. “Maybe a mysterious man will have the other half, and it will be love at first sight.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Merissa pushed her away.

  “There are single men on cruises, and what better place to test your wings – no commitment necessary – just fun. Come on – in July, it will be a whole year since Kyle’s demise. It’s time to see if there are any fish in the deep blue sea worth baiting.” When Merissa scowled, Amy continued. “Surely you won’t disappoint the North Pole who went to all this trouble to heal your, sorry-cold heart.”

  “I don’t know. Sounds crazy. For all we know, the sender could be a stalker,” said Merissa.

  “I’ll protect you!” Amy groaned. “Promise me you’ll give it serious thought. And just to be on the safe side, I’m keeping my boarding pass, in case you get rip-happy again.” She picked up the pass with her name on it and headed for the door. “I’ll be here at six tonight to pick you up for Karaoke. Wear something nice.”

  Amy flew out the door leaving Merissa holding the manila envelope.

  ******

  Across the city, Chad Livingston scooped the mail from his box. It was a wonder the mailman didn’t stop delivery when he was away from home. He’d just returned from a two-week assignment in England, and the enclosed space was full to overflowing. He gathered it in his arms and headed for the elevator.

  The team abroad had been enthusiastic hosts, showing him all the sites and nightlife they could squeeze into evenings and weekends. He couldn’t wait to unpack and shut the blinds. He’d had enough excitement to last for a while; not that he didn’t like a good time same as everybody else, but Chad was most creative during the quiet hours, and he had not had nearly enough of those lately.

  He’d snapped photographs galore and couldn’t wait to develop them and perhaps sketch a few to add to his files of drawings no one ever saw but him. He was a businessman, not an illustrator. He’d tried the starving-artist route and had sadly back paddled to work in his trained area of expertize in human resources. Chad couldn’t complain. He’d landed a great job that took him to many countries, and he enjoyed finding solutions to problems in the work world – of which there were many – both foreign and domestic. But mostly, the artist in him loved to kick back and draw a sunset on the beach. Chad sighed. It had been a long time since he’d made it anywhere close to a beach.

  Chad dropped his suitcase in the hall and moved into the living room. His lazy-boy awaited him and he sank onto it with a loud groan. Too late, thoughts of sipping cold lemonade while relaxing tempted Chad’s thirst, but he ignored it. He grabbed the first bundle of letters. Advertisements went in the trashcan beside him; bills went in another pile; and personal letters – which were few for sadly, no one his age went the snail-mail route anymore, went in a special stack. Only his parents filled this category, and he smiled. Three – they must have really missed him. Letters from home would provide him with reading for later tonight when he’d reached stress-free mode. A no-rush frame of mind was necessary when reading of life at home; the dog, the horses, the neighbors, the church, and an update on his friends who’d chosen to spend their lives on the shores of North Carolina. He groaned. The beach! Maybe he needed a trip home.

  Chad picked up the heap of manila envelopes. These were always work-related. It never stopped coming. Briefly, he closed his eyes and pretended it would go away, like magic, but then immediately felt guilty. It suddenly hit him he’d become a workaholic and today it did not mix well with jetlag. He compromised and scanned the envelopes and separated them according to priority. That would satisfy his obligation to duty. It was his practice to check out the sender first. This eliminated a few that almost always ended with no-way – you fix it. A smaller stack amounted to basic problems that were boring and easy enough to do in his sleep. The largest was the need-to-check-this-out pile of serious complications, and unfortunately, those challenges were accumulating way too fast.

  Almost to the bottom of the envelopes, Chad double-checked to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He tossed the two that remained aside. He laughed outright and squinted to view the return address again. The North Pole! He wondered which one of his friends had come up with this one. Someone sure plastered on lots of stickers and sketches. They must have known he was a sucker for drawings. Chad turned it over and ripped it open. The contents fell on his knee, and he gasped.

  No way! He’d just dreamed of a vacation on the beach, and presto – here it was. Well, sort of. His name was on the boarding pass for a cruise sailing out of Fort Lauderdale on July 5th. Double occupancy. He glanced at the second sheet and saw his buddy’s name on it. Yep, that was it! The next big set up! Skip was always trying to hook him up with some girl, but he’d carried this date to the extreme. He knew Chad far too well. This trip he’d have a hard time refusing.

  Chad leafed through the brochure and groaned. The ocean, the adventures – what? It was a Christmas Cruise in July! That was unusual, but not unlike Skip to hunt down the one he could never turn down. Christmas was Chad’s favorite
holiday. He shook the envelope, and the last item fell out. Tucked inside a Ziploc bag, resting against blue velvet background, sat half of a ship ornament hanging from a string. Half a ship? Was that like someone else had the other half? His sister owned a half necklace with that same idea, but hers was a best-friend split – B/F – with her forever-best-bud. Chad had always thought the idea corny, but that described his little sister to a T.

  “Yeah, now it’s all coming together,” muttered Chad out loud. Skip had somehow fixed him up with the owner of the second half – his friend’s bizarre idea of a human scavenger hunt. He grabbed his cell phone and texted his friend.

  ‘Home and found the envelope. Nice going! Might have to take you up on this deal.’ A minute later, Chad received his reply.

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Don’t play dumb! You sold me. No persuasion is necessary. Putting the date on my calendar as we text. 13 days – way to go with the freebie! Guess that covers you for my birthday and Christmas this year. Thanks.’

  ‘We are going somewhere – as in you and me?’ came the response.

  ‘Enough with the dumb-act! I’m hooked. See you tomorrow morning.’

  The next day, Skip Jacobs tried to deny that he’d sent the gift.

  “Why would I say it came from the North Pole? And, yuck with all the weird pictures all over the envelope.”

  “I like the Santa thing and all the yucky pictures. That’s what makes it my gift. Thank you for such in-depth thoughtfulness,” said Chad.

  “Suppose I’ll take the credit for it since it saves me buying that shiny contraption you wanted for your car. You’re all about the shine, mate. Does that not worry you?” asked Skip.

  Chad punched him. “Not in the least. I don’t wear sparkle. I just like to look at it on inanimate objects – like Christmas tinsel.”

  “Yeah, Christmas. Suppose there’ll be parties and such. It is a vacation, right?”

  “Right. But it seems to have a religious theme running through the fun. You up for that?” asked Chad.

  “I’ve been to parties at your church,” Skip said. “Are you going to be a stick in the mud about this cruise?”

  “No! Just setting you straight on what your gift involves,” said Chad.

  “But there will be girls, regardless, in bathing suits, on beaches, and at the pools. Can’t go wrong with that scenery,” said Skip.

  “And sweaty females in the gym,” said Chad.

  “That’s more your type.”

  “Looking forward to it, Skip. Already scheduled the trip on my calendar, and it’s approved.”

  “Suppose I should do that, too.”

  “You better. Summer is a busy time for families wanting to go on vacation.”

  “Best get my name in then.” Skip took out his phone pushed some buttons and slapped it on the table. “Hold your breath for the answer.”

  Five minutes later his cell did a dance on the table, and he crossed his fingers. “Here goes.” Skip read the text and let out a holler. “Do you believe that? Someone canceled his vacation just before the boss got my text. I walked into his time slot as easy as taking candy from a baby.”

  “You ever tried that?” asked Chad. When Skip gave him a puzzled look, he explained, “Taking candy from a baby?”

  “No! I never go near the squirmy, stinky bundles they call babies.”

  Chad laughed. “You’re a piece of work, mate.” He slurped the last of his coffee and stood up. “Time to face the pile of work on my desk.”

  All Aboard

  Merissa stood with her carry-on and gazed into the harbor where the Imperial Voyager waited for passengers to come aboard and sail away on the deep blue sea. The main source of entertainment came from the Twelve Days of Christmas theme that this cruise line was hosting, but along with that fun, the itinerary offered five land excursions. The North Pole had booked her for three of them – the same three that Kyle had picked. Over the past months, Merissa had grown accustomed to the strangeness of this vacation and gave in to Amy, swearing never to mention it again. They were both ready for a vacation. The flight had caused them to miss most of yesterday’s Independence Day events, but Merissa wasn’t up to the weak substitute for her wedding day. Too many memories lurked around every corner on the home front. She looked forward to the fact that no uninvited ghosts would haunt her on this cruise ship.

  Amy caught up and nudged Merissa in the arm, knocking her off balance. “Are you ready?”

  “What? To see if our boarding passes are fake and we made the trip for nothing?” Merissa said realizing she’d blown her promise not to mention the peculiar provision of this gift.

  “Don’t be a party-pooper. It’s not like you to be negative. You need to stop and get back to the joy of living,” said Amy.

  “You mean, find a boyfriend? Is that what defines joyful living?”

  “You promised – remember!” Amy growled, and Merissa felt a guilty tinge. She’d have to do better. It was time to fly even if her heart still screamed no.

  “Well, let’s board this ship and see what the North Pole has planned for us,” Merissa said with the cheeriest voice she could muster.

  “That’s the spirit!” said Amy satisfied with Merissa’s outward show of enthusiasm.

  A porter relieved them of their luggage. They’d each printed off the suitcase labels separately online, Amy not wanting to let her pass out of sight for a moment. Merissa and Amy stood aside and let the man check the clipboard of papers in his hand. When done, he motioned for the girls to go, Merissa passed the porter a tip and they sped away, flinging handbags over their shoulders and screaming hip-hip-hooray into the wind. Merissa had to admit. The sea breeze smelled good and thirteen days of carefree sailing was a trip too grand to waste.

  They hurried to join the line waiting to go inside the registration building. Overcrowded with anxious vacationers, the staff remained well organized, and the line sped through with ease. When they reached the counter, they produced their boarding passes and identification, and sure enough, their names came up on the computer screen. They posed for individual photos and were each handed a key.

  “Have a great cruise, ladies.”

  Amy’s mood was contagious and Merissa dashed along the hallway to keep up, light-headed with thoughts of the fun this next adventure might bring. Just inside the doors of the ship, a woman scanned the cards, and when she saw that the picture taken at the desk matched, ushered the women aboard. Merissa could not help but give thanks and as she walked into the foyer and pressed the elevator for the 6th floor. She whispered, “Thank you, Kyle.”

  Behind her, Amy caught the words and shouted aloud, “Amen.” The moment amplified, and Merissa discovered that being here without Kyle wasn’t as bad as she’d dreaded. They emerged on the 6th floor and came face to face with a large nativity scene.

  “Hope Santa likes Jesus,” said Amy.

  “Doesn’t matter – I do, and that’s all that matters since this floor is our home for the duration of the cruise.”

  Merissa glanced to the left and right. She still held her boarding pass. “We are odd numbers, so I think this is the hallway that leads to our vacation abode.”

  The girls didn’t have far to walk. “This is it.” Merissa stuck her key card into the lock, and the door opened.

  “It’s an outside cabin,” Amy squealed. “We can see the ocean from our room.”

  “Kyle’s idea. He loved to watch the sunrise or sunset.”

  “Oh, yeah – the honeymoon thing, right,” Amy said.

  Her statement did not hit a sore spot in Merissa’s heart, and she experienced a flood of relief. Perhaps Amy had been smart to force her to come. Amy sprawled on one of the twin beds. “This one is mine.”

  Merissa began to unpack her small bag. There was a safe in a cupboard, and after figuring out a mutual combination, they tucked their passports, money, and anything of value inside and locked it. All they needed for the cruise was their door key, whi
ch tripled as an onboard credit card and sea-pass when disembarking for excursions.

  “I brought a fancy necklace that has a spot to tuck the card in. That way we don’t have to carry our purse around, and we won’t lose the thing,” said Amy fitting her sea-pass inside the plastic covering.

  “That is most definitely one of your best purchases, Miss Where-Did-I-Put-It.” Merissa laughed.

  “Too true! Isn’t it nice I got me all figured out, the good and the bad?”

  Merissa raised her eyebrows and headed for the washroom. She wondered if Amy had dropped one of her digs on purpose because they both knew that Merissa did not have herself figured out one tiny bit. She’d become a different person since Kyle’s death and sometimes questioned if he’d even recognize her if he came back. Silly thought – he was gone – and not coming back, ever.

  “Let the festivities begin!” Merissa called out to Amy before she closed the bathroom door. She meant the comment to bring hope to her friend that all her hard work of encouragement over this past year had not gone in vain. Instead, Merissa discovered she was actually warming up to the vacation.

  When she emerged a few minutes later, Amy stood at the door talking. “This can’t be. Merissa doesn’t even know you.”

  Merissa rounded the corner, and her eyes fell upon the most handsome, hunk of man she’d seen in a long time. Blue eyes, sandy blonde hair, and robust features that spoke of strong character.

  “I’m Merissa James,” she said. “Can I help you?”

  “My name is Chad Livingston, and I was just showing your roomie that there may have been a mix-up in our reservations.”

  From behind, Merissa heard Amy groan. “He’s right! My boarding pass and my room key are for next door. Merissa, we never even noticed!”

  Chad shrugged his shoulders and handed me his boarding pass. “Neither did we. Guess we were all caught up in cruising and missed the discrepancy.”