CHAPTER NINE

 

Theresa groaned at the warmth of the sun hitting her shoulder as it filtered into the cabin. She hadn’t taken one step out of bed, and it already promised to be a fantastic day, but she didn’t need the bright wake-up call. Right now she was nestled in bed with Trevor, and after the amazing night they’d had, she was too physically spent to move.

There had been a lot of revelations last night. Trevor was a spy. She could hardly believe what he was saying, but deep down she knew it was true. It totally explained his behavior over the years. Dropping out of sight for years at a time, sporadic visits, and his nomad existence. And more importantly, he’d stayed away to keep her out of danger. The car accident she’d been involved in seemed like amazing bad luck at the time. She was thankful that she’d made it out with just a few scratches and a mild concussion. She felt like someone was with her, like a guardian angel or something. It was Trevor she thought she’d felt cradling her before she passed out. She’d thought she’d imagined it.

She turned to see Trevor’s peaceful face and couldn’t resist caressing his cheek. He’d taken a leap of faith and shared something with her that she was certain he shouldn’t have. He trusted her to keep his secret.

There was still so much she wanted to know, but it would have to wait. Breakfast in bed sounded awesome, but she still had a job to do. Some of her seniors would be up and ready to eat and take their morning walks. She needed to know her charges’ plans for the day. But she was looking forward to round two with him tonight.

The alarm on her cell phone, which was in her purse, began to sound. When she scooted to get out of the bed, Trevor pulled her tighter.

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not going anywhere,” he said, eyes still closed. “I propose we stay in this bed all day long.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, but we will do no such thing.” She giggled. “I have a group to guide, and my first appearance is at breakfast. The early birders are going to be in the dining room at six.”

“Stay for a little while longer.” He kissed her and pulled the bed linen over their heads. “The group can handle getting around for one day without you.”

“I’d love to stay here too.” She angled her neck so he could kiss it. “I like to know the general direction they’ll be heading in and make sure everyone takes their morning meds. I need to get down the hall to avoid a walk of shame past your grandmother’s cabin. Remember, hers is next to mine.”

“Fifteen more minutes.” He took her nipple into his mouth.

“Nope.”

“I promise it will be the best fifteen minutes of your life.” He waggled his eyebrows, rolled her on her back, and covered her body with his.

For once she wasn’t dreaming. She wouldn’t wake up in a few moments sad that his loving touch and soft kisses were a fantasy-induced longing for him. And she wanted more than fifteen minutes. Maybe the seniors wouldn’t notice if she were an hour late for breakfast.

 

* * *

 

Trevor hummed a tune as he strolled down the corridor to his grandmother’s cabin. He felt great after his night with Reese, and he looked forward to spending time with her today. But first thing’s first. He wanted to spend time with the other woman in his life. Grandma Reed had more than proven to him that she didn’t need a chaperone and she’d forgiven him for popping up. He was her favorite grandchild after all.

He knocked on the door twice. The door opened, and she greeted him with open arms.

“Good morning, Grandma.” He kissed her on the cheek. “You ready for our breakfast date?”

“Yes.” She fastened on her fanny pack. “I have a full day planned with the girls. We’re going to do that lip-syncing thing, then we’ll have drinks on the deck. I hope they have some Marvin Gaye in their rotation.”

“Sounds like a busy day. You sure about the drinking?”

“Maybe I’ll get a massage at the spa too.” She picked up her sunhat from the table.

“Did you pencil in any time with your favorite grandson?”

“No, I figured you’d be busy with Theresa. You two looked really cozy last night. I assume you made some progress?”

“You could say that. I had a wonderful time last night.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I was going to ask her to spend the day with me.”

“Good.” She ushered him out in the hall and closed the cabin door. “You don’t need your grandma ruining your good time, and I don’t need my worrisome, well-meaning grandson watching me like a hawk.”

“If something happens to you, there will be a line of Reeds waiting to kick my butt when we return to the Baltimore port.”

They made their way to the main deck and into the huge dining room. Theresa was sitting at the table with most of the seniors, looking even more beautiful than she had just a few hours ago. She was right. The seniors were up at the crack of dawn, ready to get on with the day. The seat next to her was empty, so he helped Grandma Reed into her seat next to her friend Pearl and went over to take the empty seat next to Theresa. A waiter came over and quickly took their orders.

“Good morning, Reese.” He kissed her on the lips and sat down.

Her eyes widened. “Good morning, Trevor.”

Everyone at the table stopped eating their meals.

“Oh, cut it out,” Grandma Reed said. “You people act like you’ve never seen anyone kiss before.”

“I knew that pretty boy grandson of yours was trouble,” Mr. Stewart said. “It’s been a couple of days, and he’s already the ship’s Casanova. He’s too fast for someone nice like Theresa.”

“Stewart, you watch how you talk about my grand baby,” Grandma Reed fired back.

Mrs. Hick’s eyes sparkled. “Are you kissing all the ladies at the table?”

“Keep your lips off my grandson, Martha.” Grandma Reed gave her friend a stern look.

“You spoil that boy,” Mr. Stewart grumbled.

“Everyone.” Theresa tapped her glass. “We were having such a good time. Let’s not start the day with a disagreement. Trevor’s not trying to pounce on me; we’ve been old friends for a long time.”

Trevor was surprised at how quickly the seniors went on about their business. Grandma Reed was staring daggers at Mr. Stewart. Mrs. Hicks was still looking at him as if she were thinking about getting a kiss from him. When he turned back to Theresa, she was answering a question someone had about the spa.

When she finished answering the question, she turned to him. “You sure know how to throw a stick of dynamite into a crowd. Your impromptu kiss almost sparked a revolution.”

“It was definitely worth dying for.” He leaned in. “I was thinking that once you’ve finished tagging the seniors for migratory purposes, we could go back to my cabin.”

“Watch it. One of those people is your Grandma.” She giggled and sipped her orange juice.

The waiter placed a plate of waffles and bacon in front of him. He got the syrup and poured. “I know where my Grandma is going to be, and despite my every instinct to follow her around the ship again, I am going to respect her wishes.”

“You were following her?”

“For a little while. She’s kind of predictable, so I don’t need to keep an eye on her at all times.”

“That’s so sweet and kind of creepy,” she mused. “And to answer your question, the idea of going back for another intense fifteen minute workout gives me chills, but I have to say no.”

“No?” His stomach flip-flopped. Had she changed her mind about them since she’d left him early in the morning?

She bit her lip. “You promised we’d talk some more, and I’d like that. If we spend all our time playing tonsil hockey, I won’t get any more answers. And to be honest, I still have this nagging feeling you’ll bolt in the middle of the night again. Only this time I’ll know why, and it will worry me sick.”

He deserved that. She needed reassurance, and he could give her that.

“OK. How about a walk around the ship? We can talk about anything you like.”

“I like.” She kissed him.

 

* * *

 

Theresa listened as Trevor rattled on about his years away from home. He didn’t go into detail, but he told her enough that she got the gist of what he’d been doing for his country. She found most of what he said to be pedestrian, nothing like the things she saw in spy thrillers. He’d been on surveillance teams for years until one day he was thrust into playing an active role in operations with cover identities. It was no surprise someone recruited him.

“What do you think it was that put you on the agency’s radar?”

“I was told my IQ, coupled with athleticism and observation skills.”

“Oh, yeah? Me too.” She put her hand on her hip. “Well, not the athleticism part. I take spin classes with Trina, but we mostly chat about the donuts we’re going to eat when we’re done.”

He laughed.

“I can read people really well,” she said.

“I know you can.” He caressed her arms.

“Come on, I’ll show you a mystery I’ve been working on since we boarded in Baltimore.”

“Who does it involve?”

“Mr. Stewart,” she said matter-of-factly. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

“Figures. What’s that old hound dog up to? Harassing more young women on the ship?”

Theresa pulled his hand. “It’s ten thirty. Let’s go see what he’s doing.”

She really did feel like a spy skulking around the casino floor in search of Mr. Stewart. As she’d predicted, he was at the casino cage, cashing in his ticket. After he’d counted his winnings, he stuffed the money into his pocket and headed outside. They kept a safe distance as they watched him make a stop at the candy story to buy a box of chocolates. Then he went to the ship’s guest services and waited for fifteen minutes for a bouquet of flowers.

Trevor raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me Mr. Stewart found a new woman to pester?”

“No. He’s finally making the moves on the true object of his affection.” She linked arms with him. “He’s on the move.”

They continued to move as the elderly man made his way to the karaoke lounge. There were a group of women sitting at a table. One of them was his grandmother. She watched as Trevor’s jaw dropped when Mr. Stewart marched over and gave the flowers and candy to Grandma Reed.

His jaw ticked. “Are you kidding me?”

“Mr. Stewart only compliments me when your grandmother is around. I suspected he had a thing for her during the cruise meetings at the center.”

“Well, she’s going to just shoot him down.”

“Maybe. But would it be so bad if your grandmother had a friend?” They looked on as Grandma Reed continued to give Mr. Stewart a curious look. Theresa tugged on his hand. “We’re done here.”

“Wait, I want to see—”

“Your grandmother is a grown woman who can handle herself.”

“That was pretty good. The way you deduced Mr. Stewart’s actions.”

“You’re not the only one who can do surveillance and gather intel. Speaking of covert affairs, you owe me an explanation. Can we talk now?”

“Fire away.”

She guided him to less heavily populated area of the deck. There were only a few people there, so she felt comfortable that they could continue to talk.

“Do you carry a gun?”

“Only when I have to.”

“Do you use nifty spy gadgets like in the movies?”

“Most of those devices you see in movies are Hollywood embellishments, but some are working tools that the rest of the population just isn’t aware of yet.”

“Wow,” she said. “Do you do any dangerous stunts?”

“Again, Hollywood embellishments. Going around doing martial arts and charming every woman I meet would bring too much attention. The most important part of my work is blending in.”

“I can’t imagine you blending in anywhere. You kind of stand out. You’re tall, have an athletic build, dress like a fashion model, and you’re good looking. People notice you.”

“But there’s a difference between people looking at you and making people pay attention to you. Good-looking, eh?”

She rolled her eyes. “I see your ego doesn’t feel the need to lie low.”

“It’s always nice to know someone desires my body as well as my mind.” He grinned.

“When were you recruited?”

“Junior year in college. It seemed more organic that a college student would opt to do some traveling after graduation. I took photography electives in school, and I was pretty good.”

She waved her hand. “You were quite the shutterbug in high school. I remember all those pictures you used to take of me.”

“You were always my favorite subject.” He moved a rogue lock of hair out of her eyes.

“What gave you the idea to send those packages?”

“I was missing you. We always said we’d travel together, and in a way we were. You were always in my thoughts.”

“Well, I like the trinkets and journal entries. They were informative and fun.”

“Have you ever visited these places based on the recommendations?”

“A few.”

“What was your favorite place to eat?”

“I’d have to say the Notre Dame de Grace in Montreal. The nightlife, coupled with the awesome restaurant choices, was just a wonderful experience. I had a blast, and I’ve taken a group of ladies for a bachelorette weekend. We drank, ate, and enjoyed the atmosphere.”

“I’m glad you were able to get out into the world. Has there been anyone serious since Tony?”

She could play coy. He looked stricken from asking the question. “No. I decided that if I kept on looking for certain things, I’d end up with another Tony in my life. So I started being more discerning about dating.”

“I know it sounds awful to say, but I’m glad you didn’t meet someone.” He rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I actually just verbalized that selfish bullshit.”

“I was hoping you’d taken a vow of celibacy. There, that makes two selfish idiots.”

“No one in my life ever compared to you.” He caressed her cheek. “I never stopped loving you for a minute. I love you, Reese.”

“I love you too.” Her eyes teared up.

“You do understand that you can’t tell anyone about any of this?”

She nodded. “I’d never repeat a word to anyone. I promise.”

“Good. I don’t want you or anyone else I love in danger again. It would kill me if something happened to you.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“If I have even the slightest chance of a do over with you, I want it. And I know that means telling you the truth of why I stayed away. Do I have a chance?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

She stood on her tiptoes as Trevor leaned in for a kiss. It was what she’d wanted for so long.