Page 65 of Escape to the Sun

‘I don’t want to overstep. It’s not what I think, it’s just something I’ve heard, that’s all.’

‘What is?’ Louis ground to a halt, auspiciously right next to one of the many fire doors dotted throughout the ship. He tried not to stare at it.

Maria took a deep breath, allowing the air out slowly as she stared at him.

‘People are suggesting you’re not focused enough, Louis. They’re saying you’ve taken your eye off the ball and as a result things on the bridge aren’t running as smoothly as they should be.’

‘What? How is some loose wiring in an engine room my fault?’

Maria shrugged. ‘I don’t think it is, but the buck does stop with you, Louis. And – please don’t be angry with me – but some people are saying you forgot a debrief yesterday.’

Her delicate eyebrows flexed. She looked incredibly awkward.

‘We did have a debrief. Right before the Christmas banquet,’ Louis said, his frown matching hers. He could feel his blood pressure rising. ‘I’ve not missed any scheduled meetings.’

‘And then there’s the fact you weren’t in your cabin this morning, and we couldn’t raise you on your radio. Resorting to texting you wasn’t exactly ideal.’

There was no wriggling out of this observation.

Louis swallowed. ‘No. That was an oversight on my part. You’re right.’

Maria sighed. ‘We’ve all noticed what’s been happening between you and that guest. And your private life should be completely that. But this is your first posting as captain, Louis. Listen, it’s not my style to tell anyone what to do. But – oh, I’m just going to come out and say it – Tim Price is gunning for you. I know he’s new on board, but he’s good at what he does. And he’s talking about contacting head office. Don’t mess it up because you’re distracted by a pretty girl.’

‘I haven’t been distracted…’

‘Louis. Where is your radio?’

He felt for the spare on his belt, noticed the arch in her eyebrows and huffed. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘Far be it from me to rain on your parade – I think it’s great you’ve found someone to enjoy your downtime with… But this is your shot at having Blue Line Cruising see you as permanent captain material. Don’t mess it up.’

Less than a fortnight ago, he had been utterly focused on doing the best possible job in his first posting as captain. And the desire to do his best hadn’t diminished.

Maybe, if he hadn’t met Hannah, he would have spent more time physically on board the Ballygowan – but it wouldn’t have altered his time on duty on the bridge, or how he’d treated any crew member. He remained convinced it wouldn’t have changed any decisions he’d made.

And yet… There had been moments when he’d almost forgotten he was captain of the ship, had wanted to feel like one of the guests, relaxed and making the most of being in the Caribbean with a beautiful woman.

He certainly hadn’t been thinking about the ship when he and Hannah had been sharing their most intimate moments – and misplacing his radio was unprofessional. There was no dodging the bullet of him not being in his cabin, either. There he would have been instantly contactable. He could have done better; chastised himself for the slips, however minor they might be.

He nodded. ‘I hear what you’re saying, Maria. And thank you for saying it. My eye has always been on the ball, but I will make even more effort from here on in, I promise.’

‘You’re preaching to the converted, Louis – it’s some of the others you need to reassure.’

‘Like Tim Price?’ Louis could feel himself bristle at the idea of having to reassure his least favourite member of the crew.

Maria nodded. ‘Yes. Like Tim.’ She pursed her lips, then added, ‘Anyway, if you’re serious about this girl, you’re going to have to make her understand how the life works, aren’t you? I mean, you’re away for months on end – if she can’t cope with that, it might be better to find out now, rather than later.’

It was as though someone had slapped Louis round the face with a cold fish. Had he been nestled in a warm fuzzy world of make-believe? How would Hannah react to life after this cruise? Or even worse, would she head home without a backwards glance when it ended? That scenario wasn’t something he’d even considered, but perhaps he should.

He sighed, nodded in agreement with Maria’s comment and headed for the bridge.

34

Hannah hadn’t wanted to disturb Louis on the bridge, and didn’t know what else to do with it, so she took his radio with her to breakfast, planning to get it to him later.

‘What’s that?’ Millie said as she approached the Herring family table.

‘It’s the captain’s radio, you melt,’ Nathan said, back to throwing insults around without the measured presence of Keisha.