Page 4 of Tiki Hut Tragedy (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #6)

“We’ll take the good news first,” Millie said.

“The tiki hut excursion is a go,” Astrid replied.

“Perfect.” Isla’s fingers flew over the keyboard, tapping out a message to Zema, the tiki hut’s owner. “We should hear back shortly.”

“Great.”

“What’s the bad news?” Millie asked.

Astrid’s shoulders slumped. “Dixie, Gail and Wendy are upset.”

“Refresh my memory…who are they?”

“The top three contestants, the three eating queens I’m supposed to keep happy at all costs or it’s…” Astrid made a slicing motion across her neck. “They can make my life pretty miserable. ”

“I don’t doubt it for a minute,” Millie said. “Would you like me to explain it to the group?”

She brightened. “Could you?”

“Absolutely. Let’s do it now and get it over with.”

“Hang on.” Isla squinted her eyes. “Zema confirmed. You’re back on for the excursion, scheduled for ten o’clock Monday morning where you’ll meet on the dock in Grand Turk. I’ll have the tickets for your group delivered to your cabin tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much.” Astrid clasped her hands. “This is the best news I’ve had all day.”

“You’re welcome. Make sure your group arrives all together, which is one of the requirements,” Isla said. “Everyone boards at once.”

“I will. Thanks again.”

Millie made a move to follow, and Astrid stopped her. “On second thought, I’ll handle the Belly Busters. I’m going to put my foot down and put an end to their shenanigans.”

“Show them who’s boss.”

Astrid straightened her shoulders, a look of determination on her face. “I need to stop letting them push me around.”

“Good for you.” Millie gave her a thumbs up, saying a small prayer for Astrid as she walked away.

“Well?” Isla leaned her elbows on the counter. “How do you think it will go over?”

“They won’t be happy, and deciding who won’t get to go should be interesting. Astrid has her hands full.” Millie consulted her watch. “On that note, it’s time for me to get back to work.”

She escorted Scout back to the apartment before heading to the upper deck, where she found the sailaway party well underway.

Millie circled the outer edges of the crowd, humming along with the catchy Calypso tune. She began collecting empty drink glasses and heard Felix call her name. “Come dance with us, Millie.”

She dropped the dirty dishes in the bin and stepped onto the deck’s makeshift dance floor. With her hands in the air, Millie shimmied and swayed to the beat, rocking it out until the last few notes of the song faded.

“For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of bumping into her yet, let’s give a hand to our very own Cruise Director Millie,” Felix whooped.

Millie gave a friendly wave and then scooted off to the side, slipping away before a new song started to play.

With free time before her next event, she made her way to the buffet, plucked a dinner plate from the rack and strode over to the salad station.

Loading up on lettuce, she added cherry tomatoes and cauliflower along with several strategically placed slivers of ham before pouring a generous amount of ranch dressing over the top .

With the lunch crowd long gone, she easily found a table near the window, offering an unobstructed view of the Miami skyline.

“Is there room for one more?” Annette appeared, a plate of food in hand. “Great minds think alike. I was going to give you a buzz to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat.”

“Mine was spur of the moment.” Millie slid her silverware off to the side, making room for her friend. “I figured I might as well eat before the evening festivities kick into high gear.”

“It’s going to be a busy week.”

Millie mentioned the storm brewing. “I’m sure Nic will steer around it. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re rocking and rolling for a day or two.”

“It is the season.” Annette spread her napkin on her lap. “Have you met the Belly Busters?”

“Some of them. Hotshot Hannah is testing my patience. ”

“Yours too?”

“Miss Annette, do you copy?” Annette’s radio went off. A frantic male voice called her name.

“Who is that?”

“Barth, my new assistant.”

“Barf?” Millie’s eyes widened.

Annette held up a finger. “Hang on.” She unclipped her radio. “Go ahead, Barth.”

“Kyra has returned from making her deliveries. She has another list.”

“From the Belly Busters group?”

“Yes. I can bring it to you,” Barth replied in a clipped voice. “I have it in my hand.”

“That would be great.” Annette told him where to find her and thanked him before replacing her radio. “That group is already getting on my last nerve. ”

“Ditto.” Millie sipped her tea. “Their list of demands is over the top.”

“You’re telling me. Mine is all food related.”

A crewmember with dark brown hair rushed toward them, clutching a single sheet of paper.

Annette waited until he got close. “Thank you for bringing it to me.”

“You are very welcome,” he replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but I did take a look at it. If you want, I will handle the special eating challenge meal requests.”

“Perfect.” Annette perused the list. “There doesn’t appear to be anything too out of the ordinary.”

“Except for the last item,” Barth said.

Annette lowered her gaze and made an unhappy sound. “I’ll deal with this one later.” She set the paper aside. “Have you met Millie Armati, the cruise director? ”

“Not officially.” A shy smile spread across Barth’s face. “My previous position didn’t allow me to mingle with the upper management.”

“Barth is moving up the ladder.”

“Where did you work before?”

“The engine room.”

“Congratulations on the promotion. It’s nice to meet you, Barf.”

Annette coughed loudly. “Did you just call him Barf?”

“I…uh. I thought Barf was your name. I need to get my hearing checked. What is your name?”

“Barth.” He spelled it out for her. “B-A-R-T-H.”

Millie’s hand flew to her mouth. “I am so sorry. Of course, your name isn’t Barf. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“It is okay,” Barth said. “You are not the first person to call me Barf. ”

Annette shifted, giving her new assistant her full attention. “We need to give you a nickname.”

“My full name is Barthyolomew, but it is too long and formal,” Barth said. “I’m open to suggestions.”

“What’s wrong with Barty?” Millie asked. “It’s catchy.”

“Barty,” Barth repeated. “It does have a nice ring to it.”

Annette slapped her palm on the table. “Barty it is. Henceforth and forevermore, you will be Barty, my bubbly assistant.”

Millie waited until Barth, now known as Barty, walked away. “Oh my gosh. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be. I think the nickname will work out much better.”

“He has big shoes to fill. Amit was the best. How did Barty go from the engine room to the galley?”

“He and Amit are friends.” Annette explained that they were both from Bangladesh, from the same region and knew each other. “Amit assured me he was a hard worker, willing to learn. I trust Amit’s judgment.”

“If Amit thinks he’s a good fit, I’m sure he’ll work out fine.”

“I had better get going.” Annette shoved her chair back and gathered up her empty dishes. “Not again.”

“Not again, what?”

She jabbed her finger toward the overhead speakers. “The song. I’ve heard it twice now since we’ve been sitting here.”

Millie grew quiet, listening to the Superhero Strong song. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Maybe Majestic Cruise Lines is cutting back on its music royalty payments and shortened the playlist. ”

“No.” Millie removed Hannah’s list of demands from her pocket and handed it to Annette. “Read Belly Buster’s demand number seven.”

“Play Superhero Strong on loop, twelve times per day for motivation.” Annette handed the paper back. “They got to our sound team too?”

“I don’t know.” Millie tossed her dinner napkin on the table, a look of aggravation on her face. “But I intend to find out.”