Sea Breeze by Patricia D. Eddy, Jennifer Senhaji

Chapter One
    I ’m stuck. I don’t know where I’m going, but things can’t stay the way they are. So, I’m boarding a ship, and using this fourteen-day trip to figure out what I’m going to do with my life now.
    No, I’m not some fifty-something divorcée in the middle of a mid-life crisis. That’s the sad part. I’m twenty-five, single, living and working in Vegas. I’ve never been in love, and never been anywhere. I live this blah existence, schlepping drinks, dodging losers. Nothing ever changes. Until recently.
    I don’t believe in fate or luck, so it all comes down to me. That’s why I’m taking this trip. Well, that and my coworker, Kim, had an extra ticket. Her “boyfriend” bailed, and I was her shoulder to cry on. She’s supposed to meet up with friends. They’ve organized this trip as some kind of high school reunion. In any case, I’m taking advantage of the offer. We’re not close, we’re not really even friends, but I need this, and I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to finally get away.
    I’ve never left Nevada. Don’t get me wrong, the desert is beautiful. But... I want— I don’t know what I want, but I’ll be gazing out at the Caribbean while I try and figure it out.

    I’ve never been this close to the ocean before. What the hell have I been doing with my life? After almost five hours on a plane, my first time ever on a plane, I’m hungry, and my back aches. I stretch in every direction hoping to alleviate the pain from the knots that have formed.
    “Holy shit, this thing is huge, Kim.”
    “That’s what she said.”
    “Ha-ha.” I roll my eyes. Holding my hand over my face, I peer down to the end of the boat. “How big is this thing?”
    “This thing is the Stella Maris . She has eighteen decks, holds six thousand guests, and twenty-five hundred crew members.”
    Holy crap. The Hard Rock Hotel only has 670 rooms. This is like a city on the water.
    We make our way onto the ship and find our cabin. For such a big ship, this room is tiny. Like I-can-make-it-across-the-entire-double-room-in-five-steps tiny. “Interior Stateroom” had sounded so big in the brochure.
    There’s a six-page brochure with the itinerary on my bed. Six pages for—today? Holy Jesus. I’m overwhelmed. My eyes glaze over as I scan the section entitled “Important Things to Know Today,” and I fall back on the bed while Kim sends text messages to her friends to find out what rooms they’re in.
    The luggage will be delivered at some point today. With six thousand guests, who knows how long that will take? I put the ship map and book of “Important Things to Know” in a courier bag around my shoulders and walk out the door, noting my room number and that I’m on Deck Seven. I’ll wander until I’m required to present myself for the mandatory safety drill in an hour. I doubt Kim even realizes I’m gone.
    I want to stretch my legs, so I venture out from the center of the ship to find the outside deck. I pass a rock wall, and make a mental note to conquer it at some point during the trip.
    On Deck Five, I find what I think is the main shopping area. I stop at Starbucks—who knew they’d have a Starbucks on a ship?—and order a tall drip coffee with room. As I add my cream and Stevia, my gaze wanders over to the extremely handsome guy in shorts, sneakers, and a plain white T-shirt ordering a coffee to go. He gives the barista a fist-bump and comes toward me. Tall, handsome; nice forearms.
    “Need a little coffee for your cream?” Doh. I meant “cream for your coffee,” damn it. Smooth. Real smooth.
    “Good morning. No, some sugar please. Can you hand me a couple? Thanks.”
    “It’s not really morning anymore. It’s almost two o’clock in the afternoon. Are you just getting up?”
    He smiles at me over the rim of his sunglasses. “The life of a bartender.” A flutter tingles my stomach at the sight of his smile, but then my ears catch up with my brain. He said