Chapter 1

Rhonda exited the cab hesitantly. If she admitted it to herself, she was scared. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, accepted her bags from the driver, and entered the terminal. After a quick security check, she stood in front of the check-in counter.

“Ms. Whitehall?” the lady behind the counter asked. “Welcome. Could you provide your identification, please?”

Rhonda passed over her license and waited while it was examined and scanned.

“And Mr. Whitehall?”

“Passed away a year ago.”

Even after all this time, Rhonda’s voice hitched with a bit of sadness.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You are traveling alone then?”

“Yes.”

“If you could look at the camera, please? Thank you. This is your badge, which is also your room key and can be used for charging things on board. Do you have any questions?”

“No, thank you.”

Rhonda took her badge and the lanyard it was attached to and slipped it over her head before she walked over to wait for the announcement to board. The noise in the boarding hall increased. Dozens of separate conversations, excited kids, yelling, and running all combined to create a cacophony. Rhonda found a seat out of the way where she could watch the people. Most were couples about her age, some younger in groups of four and some older, usually with bored-looking teenagers in tow. While she regretted not having children with Matt, a part of her was relieved as well.

“Is this seat taken?” A woman in her sixties asked.

“No, please, have a seat.”

“Thank you. Such a great crush at boarding time. Your first cruise, dear?”

“Yes.”

“All alone? You’ll love it. Lots of single meant if that’s your interest. Women, too. I don’t judge.”

“Thanks for the tip. What brings you?”

“Cards, dearie! And dice. I love hot dice. Here come the girls now. We go every quarter, enjoy the scenery, or sample the goodies,” she said.

Rhonda could not help but laugh a little at the woman’s antics.

“I’m Maybell, by the way. That’s Nancy, Theresa, and smiling Sam.”

“Rhonda. Pleased to meet you, ladies.”

“Lose your better half?” Sam asked as she smiled at Rhonda.

“Actually, yes. About a year ago now. Drunk driver.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I was...”

“It’s OK, really. The jewelry tends to give the wrong impression. I just haven’t gotten around to take it off.”

“How long were you married?” Maybell asked quietly.

“Ten years.”

“No kids?”

“No, but only because we were waiting. He’d only just got a promotion, and we were finally ready to start.”

“And now?”

“Now it’s time. This is my first real outing. Alone.”

“You’re never alone on a cruise, dear,” Theresa said.

The boarding announcement cut off Rhonda’s response. The ladies gathered their belongings.

“Let’s get aboard. I need a drink,” Maybell announced.

Rhonda could not help laughing as the women followed Maybell onto the ship. Rhonda got turned around a couple of times before she found her room.

“Cabin,” she said as she entered the small space.

A full-sized bed dominated the space, with just enough room for a small bathroom and shower. There was just enough space for her to hang up her few things once they arrived from the port-side. She quickly changed into the lighter clothes she had in her day bag, locked her wallet in the safe, and started down the hall to explore the ship. There were several bars and clubs, a couple of restaurants, the stern buffet, and the pool. Maybell and her crew held court at the casino bar where a gaggle of women and not a few men gathered to listen to whatever story was told.

Rhonda noticed that not all the men were pensioners. A couple seemed to be in their twenties or thirties. She smiled. She had never really thought about the idea of female sugar daddies, yet clearly, some of the younger guys were kept men. She waved at Maybell and continued upstairs. Small knots of people looked over the rail or waved down at people on the shore.

“Drink, ma’am?” A waiter asked, a tray of drinks in his hand.

“Thank you.”

“Complements of the captain,” he said before he walked on to the next person.

She took a sip of the frozen, fruity concoction. Alcohol was not something she often drank, even less after Matt died. Still, the rum tasted good, and she was determined to relax and have fun. There were several knots of people, women, and men. Her guess was a group, either couples or friends, who had not relaxed enough yet. Or maybe she projected that thought. They announced lifeboat drill time, and Rhonda made her way to her station.

“Oh dearie, don’t drink that,” Maybell said later that evening.

They leaned at the railing later that evening as the ship slid out of port, and the Card Ladies finally caught up with Rhonda.

“I’ll get you something better,” Sam said.

“It’s only my second.”

“Well, that’s good. We got to you early enough. Now, new rule, don’t lose sight of your drink. If you do, order a fresh one. Too much risk that one of the lowlifes will slip something into it. Rule two, stick with clear alcohol or wine. Hangovers can be such a bitch. Here you go. A simple martini. Sip it slow.”

Rhonda took the drink from Sam, thanking her as she did.

“Any other rules?”

“Yes. Spit, don’t swallow.”

The rest cracked up as the ship entered open waters and the sun dipped towards the horizon. Despite her initial misgivings, Rhonda found herself drawn into the orbit of the Card Ladies, and she learned this was not a bad thing. The Ladies seemed to have some serious pull on the ship, and Rhonda soon found herself at the head table for the group, such as it was, seated between Theresa and Sam.

“You know, if you play your cards right, you might have a dance partner tonight,” Sam said quietly as they served the appetizer.

“Oh?”

“There is a rather attractive gentleman, just over Maybell’s right shoulder, who keeps looking this way.”