“They’re forgetting the crime rate!”
Chloe turned. It was Broderick who had spoken. He looked at her and grimaced. “Well, it’s true. They don’t have a great crime rate. That’s why it’s always important to me that we go with the flow—you know, trips arranged by the ship. There was a story once—I forget where, not Jamaica, but some port—and some people figured it was cheaper and best just to go with some friendly guy at the port. Husband and wife. They were never seen again,” he told them.
Chloe smiled. “Well, we are on a trip planned by thecruise and last I read, Jamaica was doing a good job at getting a handle on their crime. Hey, I was here as a college kid—we went over the mountains with just a few friends. The biggest danger we experienced was someone getting higher than a kite, there was so much marijuana being planted, harvested—and sold to dumb tourists!” she said cheerfully.
“So, you were a bit of a stoner, then?” Broderick teased.
“Oh, not me! Even in college, I had far too much respect for my parents!” Chloe said.
“You mean you were afraid of them?” Daniel asked.
“No, I just didn’t want them to be disappointed in me,” Chloe said.
“Wow. You were a good kid,” Broderick told her.
She shrugged. “I guess they were good parents.”
Daniel laughed softly. “So, she makes a good wife, too, eh, Wes?”
“That she does!” Wes assured him with passion.
“As you wish, as you wish!” Daniel said, laughing.
“Hey! I think we told you all, we just learned how to be... hm, successful, I guess? We both try to do the ‘as you wish’ thing,” Chloe reiterated, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes, something matters more to him, sometimes it matters more to me. We do a pretty good job of making it all work that way!”
“Nice,” Broderick murmured, looking out the window. “And, yeah! Nice new friends, and nice views we’re getting here along the way!”
As if on cue, their guide began to speak.
They passed through Falmouth with its charming Georgian-style architecture. Their guide pointed out the park that celebrated Christopher Columbus’s first landing on the island. The bus driver slowed so that everyone could get a good look out the windows.
From there they moved on, with the Falls within easy reach.
It was an interesting ride, Chloe thought. Wonderful, like any friendly excursion away from a cruise ship.
People chatted, as they had been doing. But the passengers were respectful, tending to stay dutifully silent when their tour guide was speaking, only chatting as they drove along the road.
She was startled when Daniel McClintock, seated behind them, leaned forward. “It’s cool, we’ve got a little bar in this area, some wet rocks to climb, lounge chairs in the shallow pool area. But I wish that they’d offered us the Fall and Dolphins tour!” he said.
“Oh, I know, I love that one! I absolutely love dolphins,” Chloe assured him.
“Maybe we’ll find a few when we’re diving at the next stop!” Wes offered.
“Yeah, but the ones who are accustomed to playing around with people are so much better! There’s a place in Marathon in the Florida Keys, the Dolphin Research Center, and, oh, man, is it cool. They’ve saved all kinds of creatures. I’m not sure if they still have it, but they gave a loving home to a blind sea lion... It’s a really cool place. But, hey, this will be cool, too!” he said.
Broderick had leaned forward, too. “You can tell which of us does more real work! I’m just grateful to sit in a lawn chair by the beautiful sparkling water and chill!”
“Hey, I like wildlife,” Daniel protested.
“He does. The house was filled withwildlifewhen we were growing up. Daniel never saw a stray that he didn’t bring home,” Broderick told them.
“Not a bad thing!” Chloe assured him.
“My mom will tell you that our grocery bill for pets wasbigger than the one we had for people,” Broderick said, chuckling.
“It’s nice that your parents were into rescues,” Wes said. He twisted in his chair, too, looking back at the brothers. “Mine let me bring home a one-eyed terrier and a cat, and then I was told we had enough pets.”
“Hey, they let you have a rescue!” Daniel said. “That’s better than some.”
