This is something new...
It is a long one so I'll post it in "Chapters" One every day until we're through. I'll try to post around 9ish. Good for everyone? Thanks for endulging me. Here we go.
I hope you enjoy it.
YOU’D HAVE LOVED IT
Lacie hurried about, re-brushing her hair, checking the mirror again and again for flaws. There could be none. Absently, she patted her pocket for breath mints and lipstick. She sucked her teeth to insure no stray spinach or feta cheese was mashed in her teeth. She paced back and forth practicing her smile. Lacie opened the door and to anyone in that hallway, she was a beautiful butterfly emerging; fluttering in a garden of ocean-traveling flowers; the perfect cruise director who could joke, listen and flit from person to person making lives wonderful even if for just a few days. She truly loved her job and the people that came into her life. Because of her lonely childhood, she had always been eager to meet and make friends.
She sometimes made deep connections. This time, it was Forrest Ahn, a unique no nonsense widower and traveler extraordinaire. He had amazing stories about his life adventures when he and his wife explored fearlessly. Since her passing, he’d stayed put and his relatives had all but tied him to this ship. Conceding, he found he wanted to return to the place where they’d said their vows, living many happy years; Portofino, Italy. Lacie was captivated by this wonderful man. She enjoyed his jokes and ability to connect with people. She looked forward to seeing him, taking extra time to do so during her afternoon deck strolls.
However, like a ship that crosses paths with a rogue wave, Troy Penger utterly crashed into her, sweeping her feet out from under her. She recognized him as a beautiful disaster the moment he glided on board. Dripping with expensive clothes, making magnanimous requests but dismissing snobbishly “Thank yous” from the staff, he was quite the attention getter. He all but drooled on the sun goddesses, slithering up behind them, whispering in their ears to make them blush before moving on to the next chair. When he spotted Lacie, he immediately went into high gear. He complemented her lavishly from her thick wavy hair that almost appeared midnight blue, to her sharp green eyes. He sent the finest wines to her table at dinner, which she sent back. On the third night when his brown hair was just right and he smelled like clean sweet soap. She agreed to dance with him. He held her too closely but his blue silk shirt felt sensuous against her arms. They made a stunning couple. He told her stories, wrapping around her whispering softly against her cheek so that his warm breath barely tickled her neck. His gaze was intense and his body was strong. He made her weak in the knees. She knew his type was trouble so she surprised herself when she accepted his invitation to tour the next day in Corfu, Greece.
