Before
“Mandy, you know I can’t leave Christina. She’s only thirteen,” Anna said to her best friend and assistant.
“Yes, you can. I’m quite capable of caring for a thirteen-year-old, I’ll have you know. This cruise is just what you need. It’ll be fun. Just because it’s a singles cruise doesn’t mean you’re going to find a significant other just like that.”
Anna laughed. “I think that’s exactly what it means. You can’t put thousands of single people together, on a singles-only cruise ship, and not have expectations. It sounds fun, but it’s not really my cup of tea.”
“You’ve never even been on a cruise,” Mandy teased. “You might surprise yourself and actually enjoy being waited on hand and foot. Meeting new friends is simply a bonus.”
“Then why don’t you go?” Anna asked.
“Because someone has to keep you organized, and besides, I’m dating Eric exclusively now.”
“Hmmm, and when did this happen? I thought he was just a guy from the gym.” Mandy Martin was a total babe; she attracted men like bees to honey. At thirty-five, she’d never married and loved the single life. Anna was lucky to have her on her team. Tall, blond, and buxom were three words to describe her. Add in kind, smart, and a huge heart, and this was who Mandy was.
“He was. At first. That’s what happens, Anna. You date, you find out you’re compatible, then boom, you sort of commit to date one another. Easy peasy.”
“Does this mean what I think it means, or am I being old-fashioned?”
“Probably not. It means we’re going to see what happens. When you’re dating five or six guys at once, it’s time-consuming. Not so easy getting to know any of them, you know?” Mandy said.
“No, I wouldn’t know from personal experience, but I get the picture,” said Anna. “I would feel completely out of place, not knowing anyone.”
“My point exactly! You’d be in the same boat, literally, as the other guests. You mingle, you see someone who interests you, say hi, ask his name. Say something cutesy, or you could go the traditional route and just introduce yourself. Whatever works. It’s the perfect solution for you.”
Anna thought her life was as close to perfect as one could get, given her circumstances. Being a single parent had its moments though she’d been lucky so far. Anna adored Christina and knew her daughter felt the same way about her. At thirteen, she was tall, like Wade, who’d been six-four. Christina was five-eight already, but that’s where the similarities ended. Minus her height, she was a carbon copy of Anna. With her reddish brown hair, aqua-blue eyes, full lips, and olive skin, Anna often thought of her as a mini version of herself. They laughed about this, Anna telling her at least she would know what she might look like when she was her age. At forty-one, she hadn’t aged too much; but she knew that in this age of fillers, plumpers, and sunscreen, Christina’s generation would age exceptionally well if they took care of themselves while they were young. Living in Texas, sunscreen was a necessity. She had used it most of her adult life and insisted that her daughter do the same.
“So, you’ll go?” Mandy interrupted her thoughts.
Sighing, she knew that if she didn’t give her an answer, Mandy would never let up. And why not? she thought. They were weeks ahead with her filming schedule; school was out for the summer. Christina would be fine without her for a few days. For Christina’s thirteenth birthday, Anna had given her an adorable tabby kitten whom they’d christened Mr. Waffles because of his wafflelike coloring, and now she spent most of her free time with him. So she doubted she’d be missed.
“Give me the details, and I’ll start packing,” Anna said, enjoying the surprised look on Mandy’s face.
“Seriously?”
“Yep,” she replied, grinning. “I need a break. After what I’ve been through the past couple of months, it will be a relief.” Anna had been stalked for weeks, probably by a crazy fan. The police had been called in and launched an investigation, but so far, there’d been no arrest. Fear and looking over her shoulder had taken their toll on her. She truly needed a vacation.
“You’re not joking?”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. I could use a break. Not sure how this cruising the high seas works, but I’m willing to give it a try. However,” she said, “not a long cruise. One week max. I’m clueless how I’ll react, so that’s all I’ll commit to. And you have to swear on your life that you’ll be extra watchful. Christina still has no clue about all this insanity.”
“I’ll guard her with my life—you know that. You’ve spent most of your life around water when you lived in Corpus Christi, so you’ll be fine. I’m going to book this cruise before you change your mind. It’s Wednesday, and the Splendor of the Sea departs this Friday. That should be enough time to pack a few things,” Mandy said. “Leave the details to me.”
If Anna didn’t know better, she would swear Mandy had an ulterior motive, but she’d always been up-front with her since day one, so she pushed the thought aside. She needed to rest and recharge, and this was as good an opportunity as any. She would relax and try to catch up on all the books piled up by her bedside. “I would say thanks, but I’ll wait until I’m back.”
“Anna, you don’t have to go,” Mandy said. “You work so hard, and we’re way ahead of schedule. Though I kind of promised Christina I’d take her to SeaWorld.”
“I knew it!” Anna laughed. “You two sneaking behind my back again?”
“Not really; it just came up in conversation a couple of weeks ago.”
“And what about Mr. Waffles?” Anna asked.
“SeaWorld has a pet-sitting service. I checked.”
“Looks like you’ve thought of everything.”
“My cousin has a time-share in Orlando. She’s not using it, so she offered it to me, and the idea blossomed from there. I checked the airlines, and there is a flight out of Lubbock on Friday.”
“Then, yes, you can take Christina and Mr. Waffles while I . . . do whatever I’m supposed to do.” She’d feel better knowing Mandy and Christina were out of town.
“I promise, you’ll have a good time. You know I’ve been on more than a dozen cruises, and I had a blast every time. You’ll be surprised at all the activities on and off the ship. Maybe you could vlog. No, forget I said that. This is a vacation from vlogging. Though you could take pictures.”
“I’ll hold you to that. If it’s too awful, you’re in for it, big-time,” Anna teased. “And no pictures.”
“Right. So, I can call the travel agency?” Mandy asked. “They’ve kept a room on the upper deck open for you; it’s the best they have. We can fly to Orlando together. I don’t think the flight was completely booked.”
“Make the call.”
“Consider it done,” Mandy singsonged, taking her cell phone from her pocket. Mandy was the ultimate vacationer, being single and gorgeous. They’d hit it off right away when she’d applied for the assistant position, and they’d been best friends ever since.
Anna shook her head, amazed that she’d so readily agreed to Mandy’s plans. She really did need some time away from work. As much as she enjoyed working, a few days to herself would be nice. Factor in the fear she’d been living with for the past few weeks, and Mandy’s cruise plans couldn’t have happened at a better time.
Since Wade’s death, she had dated a few guys, but there was nothing serious with any of them. Except one. Sort of. James Banks. She wasn’t really that serious about him, but he had been more than serious about her. He was a photographer she’d met while on location shooting a video for her YouTube channel. A true charmer. Blond, blue-eyed, and sexy as hell. She’d enjoyed spending time with him; he made her laugh and forget about the past. They’d already been seeing one another for three months when she learned he was still married. Feeling like a total fool, she’d broken it off immediately. He tried to convince her that he was in the process of getting a divorce. Anna adamantly told him no, see you later, have a nice life. She didn’t need or want anyone’s excess baggage. He’d called her numerous times, pleading for a second chance, but she’d politely told him he wasn’t the one for her. He’d been hurt, but she knew he’d get over her, as he was quite handsome and outgoing. No doubt, women would line up just to have a date with him. She didn’t need a man in her life. She and Christina had gotten along just fine without one in their lives, and she was positive she would continue to do just that.
Though late at night, when she was alone with her thoughts, she questioned her choices and how they would affect her daughter’s future. Anna hoped that the absence of a male role model in Christina’s life would not have any serious negative effects on her. She tried her best to be both mother and father, and so far, she hadn’t heard any alarm bells ringing. Yet the issue was always present in her mind, especially now that Christina was a teenager. Hormones and peer pressure were very real. She didn’t want her daughter to feel like she couldn’t come to her if she had problems with school, her friends, or anything she wasn’t sure of or comfortable with. So far, they’d shared a super mother-daughter relationship, and she prayed it would continue.
Anna had been raised in most part by her mother, her father having died from pancreatic cancer when she was only seven. She’d loved her dad so much, missed his big, booming voice when he’d come home from work, and for a while, it had been difficult for her to understand why he never came home again. With time and maturity, she understood, but she had never stopping missing him. He was the kind of man who walked into a room and people noticed him. He was movie-star handsome, with thick auburn hair and the same aqua-blue eyes she had, his smile as bright as the stars. People chartered his deep-sea fishing boat, the Miss Ellie, and he always had a story to tell at the dinner table. Her mother would laugh at his stories, telling him she knew a fish story when she heard one. They were a happy, fun-loving family. Then her father changed. Almost overnight. He lost weight, his bronzed skin became sallow, washed-out. His energy fizzled out like a deflated balloon. For months, her mother insisted that he go to the doctor for a checkup. And when he finally did, the news had devastated them. He hung on for nine months after his diagnosis. He died in her mother’s arms late one night while Anna was sleeping. She remembered waking up that morning and seeing her mother, her eyes swollen from crying, and she knew her daddy was gone. Their sadness seemed to last forever after he died. Mom sold the fishing boat and their house. Then they’d moved to a small condo on Padre Island. While her mother tried her best, their lives were never the same. Holidays were lackluster, forced. In Anna’s senior year of high school, her mother died of a massive heart attack at the young age of forty-two, and, once again, life for Anna drastically changed. With no family to speak of, she’d stayed with Elizabeth Callahan, her best friend in high school. As soon as she graduated, she moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University. With three part-time jobs and a few scholarships, she managed to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She found a job with a small, family-owned ad agency in which she earned enough to rent an efficiency apartment and buy a secondhand Honda. Anna had many friends during her time in college, but none were so close that she shared with them the tragic story of how she’d lost her parents. It was still painful and raw, especially the loss of her mother and the nightmare of the panic attacks her death had caused. Those attacks almost crippled her as she blamed herself for her mother’s death even though she knew it was impossible for her to have caused her mother to have a heart attack. It just seemed that everyone she loved died.
If she learned anything from her parents, it was to move forward and make each day count, to never live in the past. Positive to a fault, Anna did her very best to stay upbeat, but there were times when she thought she might fall apart. One lonely weekend, beyond homesick, she drove to Corpus Christi to check out her old house and all the places that were once so familiar to her. She’d purchased a sub sandwich from Heavenly Hoagies, taking it down to the docks at Red Dot Pier, where her father had anchored his fishing boat, and her life changed. Almost instantly.
She’d been lost in memories when a giant of a man caught her attention. For a moment, she’d thought it was her father, then realized how ridiculous that was. Her father was gone, but from a distance this guy reminded her of him. Tall, broad-shouldered, with light brown hair streaked from too much time in the sun. There was a worn leather tool belt hanging loosely around his hips, his muscular legs were encased in faded denim, and a too-tight, faded Houston Oilers shirt clung to his chest. Mesmerized, she’d watched him as he carefully sanded what appeared to be a piece of delicate wood. She wasn’t sure of the type. Whatever it was, his long fingers touched it as though it were the most delicate object in the world. She was unsure how long she’d been sitting staring at him. Apparently it had been too long because he’d suddenly stopped and looked up, his eyes settling on her. He was the most beautiful male specimen she’d ever seen.
He tilted his head, as if in question, and she nodded, unsure why. She remembered the sound of the ocean slapping against the boat’s hull, the briny smell, seagulls plunging down into the water, their high-pitched squeal piercing the air as they swooped down for their catch of the day.
It was as though time stopped. Anna had no memory of walking down the pier to the boat, though she did recall that his eyes never left hers. Time was endless. Without invitation, she’d reached for the hand he held out to her and stepped onto the deck. “I’m Wade Campbell.”
“Anna Ross,” she’d said, taking his hand. She’d never experienced such physicality from a single touch.
After that moment, her life was a whirlwind of change. She returned to Lubbock, gave a two-week notice at the ad agency. Luckily, she didn’t have a lease on her small apartment. She packed what little she owned into the trunk of her Honda and, two and a half weeks later, she’d rented a dingy but cheap apartment in Corpus Christi. She wasn’t so lucky finding work in her chosen field, so she’d taken a job as a desk clerk at the exclusive Omni Hotel. Eight months later, she and Wade were married in a small ceremony on the beach. Her life was almost perfect, and not a day passed that she didn’t thank her lucky stars for her spur-of-the-moment trip to Corpus Christi.
For the next few years, Anna and Wade lived an ideal life. He finally saved enough money to purchase the shop he’d worked for, Woodworks. He specialized in restoring boats, yachts, and any water vessel that had any kind of wood. Though his was only a one-man operation, he made enough money for Anna to quit her job at the hotel. She’d saved enough for a down payment on a small house in Corpus Christi’s Bay Area. The location was safe, family-oriented, and they both loved the neighborhood.
Anna had a knack for decorating, and she’d turned their average little home into a stylish yet comfortable living space. With so much time on her hands since she’d stopped working, she discovered she had a special flair in the kitchen. Her mother had been an excellent cook, too, so she assumed she’d inherited this skill from her. Wade was only too happy to be her taste tester. She fashioned new recipes for desserts and special drink concoctions, smoothies and a variety of drinks using Texas’s famed Dr. Pepper as a base. She grew her own vegetables, herbs, and spices, another new skill she enjoyed. She relished entertaining in her tastefully decorated home and did so often, and the small group of friends they shared told her that an invitation to her dinner parties was in high demand from others in their neighborhood, neighbors whom Anna and Wade didn’t know as well as they did Joyce, Robert, Ashley, and her husband, Bryan.
Once a month, she hosted a cookout for the neighborhood. They made more friends, and Anna looked forward to planning and preparing new and different meals for them.
Wade and Bryan both became motorcycle enthusiasts. Anna wasn’t thrilled about it, but Wade enjoyed it immensely, and she was grateful he had a hobby that wasn’t related to his work. After a few months of riding a secondhand motorcycle, he’d invested in a Harley, and this became his only mode of transportation during all but the rainy season. Then Anna insisted he drive his old pickup truck that had been on its last mile when they’d met. He was due for a new set of wheels, but until they saved up, he’d made do with his old truck and new Harley.
They had been married over two years when she discovered she was pregnant. Wade had been ecstatic when she’d told him the news. Unlike many new parents, they chose to wait until the birth to find out their child’s gender. To Anna, this was part of the thrill of being pregnant. Their friends were astonished at this news but understood their desire to keep the excitement buzzing until the actual delivery.
As typical first-time births went, Anna was in labor for eighteen hours, Wade with her through every cry, every scream, then every push. He’d cut the cord, placed a tiny baby on her chest, and announced with tear-filled eyes, “We’ve got ourselves a little girl.” She’d been over the moon, seeing her little bundle of joy, and only now would admit that she’d secretly hoped for a daughter the first time around. Andrew Wade Campbell would have a big sister whenever he arrived, if at all. Or not—because another girl would be just fine, too. They’d wanted at least two, maybe three children. Gender really didn’t matter. Her love for Christina was enormous, so complete that she knew her heart would swell with love for each child she gave birth to.
The first few weeks were tough, but Anna was competent, patient, and madly in love with her daughter, so the loss of sleep and routine in their lives was worth it. She hadn’t suffered from any dark moments after the birth and for that she was grateful.
Soon enough, they would be on a better schedule. Until then, she made the best of their new lifestyle. Wade took a month off work to stay home with her. She cherished the time but realized that one of them had to earn a living. Her first day alone with her daughter had been uneventful, and for that she was glad. As the weeks turned into months, her days and nights became more routine. Time flew, and suddenly, one day Christina was four months old, sleeping through most nights.
When Christina turned two, they decided to try for a brother or sister. Months went by and nothing happened. After a year of trying, they both visited their doctors to see if either had developed any medical issues that would prevent them from conceiving. Both were given a clean bill of health and were told to stop thinking about getting pregnant, and most likely they would easily have a second child.
On the fifth anniversary of their daughter’s birth, Anna decided she would not have another child. It wasn’t happening, and after many tears, anger at her own body, numerous crazy how-to-conceive concoctions, she told Wade she w. . .
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