Page 2 of Waylaid in Whittier (Cruise Director Millie Mysteries #5)

“Millie, do you copy?”

Millie unclipped her radio from her belt. “Go ahead, Andy.”

“Where are you?”

“Scout and I are getting ready to make our rounds.”

“Perfect. Meet me up in the spa. Bring your raincoat.”

“My raincoat?”

“Remember the special project I told you I was working on?”

“How could I forget?” For weeks now, her former boss, now in charge of fun and funds aboard the cruise ship, had been working on a super-secret special project. It was so super-secret that even his wife Cat, who was also Millie’s close friend, had no idea what it was.

“It’s ready, and you’re going to be the first person to test it out.”

“Should I be scared?” she joked.

“Scared? Of course not. It’ll be fun.”

Millie promised she was on her way, grabbed her raincoat and wheeled Scout’s stroller out of their apartment.

Nic, the ship’s captain and Millie’s husband, caught her eye and made his way across the bridge. “You and Scout are heading out?”

“To make our rounds.” She told him her first stop was to meet Andy up in the spa. “He’s showing me the project he’s been working on.”

“It’s creative. I only hope the time and work he’s put into it are worth the effort.” Nic glanced at the clock. “I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”

“You’re checking it out too?”

“I am.”

“See you in a few.” Millie gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stepped off the bridge. Taking the side stairs, she and her miniature Yorkie reached the spa deck in no time.

She gave a friendly wave to Camille Bessette, the spa’s manager, and continued walking.

Camille hurried around the desk. “Are you here to check out Andy’s new project?”

“I am.”

“I’m dying to know what it is. I was just heading that way.” She hustled to keep up with Millie’s fast pace. “The workers have been in and out of here for days.” Camille explained she’d attempted to take a sneak peek, only to be promptly escorted out and told the area was closed until further notice.

The women stopped when they reached the doorway leading to the spa’s inner sanctuary, noticing a big bold “Restricted Area” sign taped to it.

“Let’s try to guess what it is. I have a clue. Andy told me to bring my raincoat.”

“Raincoat?” Camille wrinkled her nose. “That explains why workers wheeled a cartful of drainage pipes back here.”

“Maybe it’s a splash pad.”

“For children?”

“For adults.” Millie warmed to the idea. “How cool would an indoor adult splash pad be?”

“Especially if it had massagers on them.” Camille closed her eyes. “Steamy jets of goodness in a sauna setting.”

“I like the sounds of that.” Millie reached for the door handle. “There’s only one way to find out.”

The hush of low voices echoed from within. Neon green masking tape lined the floor, directing their steps past the lush potted plants strategically placed inside to offer an intimate setting. Music, a mixture of both flutes and harps, played softly in the background.

Millie caught a whiff of jasmine mingled with sage. The music, the scent, the scenery all evoked a sense of tranquility and she could feel herself relax. “I need to spend more time in here.”

“It’s a peaceful place.” Camille confided that after particularly stressful workdays, she sometimes sneaked in and lounged in the relaxation room. “You should come hang out with me.”

“I think I will. Thanks for the offer.”

Following the designated path, the women rounded the corner and came to an abrupt halt. A cluster of ship employees stood near the trio of rainfall showers…showers that reminded Millie of test tubes.

Andy stood in front of the group, chatting with Donovan Sweeney. He caught Millie’s eye and waved her over.

“I think Andy wants you near the front,” Camille whispered.

“Great.” Millie was starting to suspect he hadn’t summoned her to check out his most recent project, but to be a part of his “big reveal.”

“It looks like an impressive gathering.”

Camille wasn’t wrong. Somehow, Nic had arrived before her. He stood near the front, alongside Donovan, Dave Patterson, the head of security, Antonio Vitale, the staff captain, as well as several other officers.

Millie hesitated. “I guess I better get up there.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Scout,” Camille offered.

“Thanks.” She trudged past the others, reluctantly making her way to the front of the room. “Is everyone else here to test out your surprise?”

“No. I only needed one volunteer.”

She glanced around the room at the growing crowd. “You didn’t mention I was part of the big reveal.”

“You’re always such a good sport. I figured you wouldn’t mind showing off the spa’s new star attraction.”

Millie’s eyes slid to the side, studying the trio of showers, trying to figure out what was different about them. “What am I getting myself into?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. I see you remembered to bring your raincoat.”

“Something tells me you’re going to owe me big time after this.” Millie slipped the raincoat on.

“The hood,” Andy said. “You’ll want your hood on.”

Taking note of his sly smile, she made sure she tied it around her chin, figuring that before his demonstration was over, Millie would be glad she did. “I’m ready for whatever you’re about to subject me to.”

Andy cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. “I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this demonstration of the newest, hottest feature on board any cruise ship sailing the high seas.”

He went into a short spiel about how he’d been approached by a company eager to break into the cruise ship market. After some back and forth, Andy had agreed to partner with them to install the cutting edge spa feature in exchange for free publicity.

Millie interrupted. “Meaning they gave you a discount.”

A small rumble of laughter ensued. Andy possessed many qualities, with thriftiness being near the top of the list.

“Of course. If this new spa feature works out, Siren of the Seas will be featured in cruise ship magazines across the globe which could generate commissions, depending on how many units are sold.”

It was all beginning to make perfect sense. Andy, a true tightwad, frugal, thrifty, all the above, rarely took his eyes off the “bottom line.” Which was cause for concern, considering Millie was the guinea pig for his new project.

“Without further ado.” Andy placed a light hand on her back and propelled her toward the center shower. “Millie, if you’ll be so kind as to make your way inside.”

She sucked in a breath and stepped into the shower, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

“I almost forgot.” Andy grabbed a pair of rubber shoes sitting near the shower door. He handed them to her. “You’ll want to take your shoes and socks off.”

Millie muttered under her breath, placing her work shoes and socks a safe distance away before sliding her bare feet into the rubber shoes.

Andy propped the door open and backed up, leaving a good five feet of separation between them. “I think we’re ready to go. On the count of three, I’m going to have Millie press the big blue button.”

“Do I have to?”

More laughter followed her comment.

Andy ignored it. “One…two…three.”

“I hope I don’t end up regretting this.” Millie gritted her teeth and pressed the button.