Excerpt of Caribbean Cruising by Rachel Hawthorne

Chapter One

The Enchantment Night One

"I can't believe it! Everything is totally amazing!"

I couldn't believe it either as Julie Barnes and I gazed
around one of the atriums of The Enchantment. The name
suited this ship. I was definitely enchanted. It was huge
and luxurious. I figured it would take all ten nights of
the cruise simply to walk from one end of the ship to the
other.

"Come on," I said, nudging Julie's arm. "Let's check out
my cabin."

Julie was my best friend. Like me, she had blond hair. But
her eyes were blue, while mine were green. And she was a
little shorter than me, which meant she had a difficult
time keeping pace when I was in a hurry like I was in now.
I just wanted to see everything as quickly as possible.
There was so much to take in. My time here would be short,
and I didn't want to waste a single minute.

"Slow down, Lindsay," Julie ordered. "Your cabin's not
going anywhere."

No, it wasn't, but I was anxious to see it, to get settled
in. Still, I did slow down as we walked along a wide
corridor, which closely resembled a boulevard. Stores and
restaurants lined both sides. Plants, statuettes, artwork,
festive lights, and a domed ceiling created an openness
that I hadn't expected within a ship. It was like touring
a gigantic mall—one of my favorite places to hang out.
With so many people mingling around, it was like a
bustling city floating on the ocean. I was a little
overwhelmed by the crowds and the vastness of the ship.

"It's just not fair that I have to work and can't go on
this cruise with you," Julie lamented.

Those words had become Julie's mantra ever since I'd told
her that I was going on my trip.

"I'd give anything if you could come," I said. We'd shared
everything since kindergarten. I couldn't imagine not
sharing this too.

"I know. You have to send me a postcard from every port,"
she commanded. "I will. I promise."

"And since you are so into making lists, I expect a report
listing all the yummy details about every guy you meet."

I laughed. I was a little obsessed with lists. I liked
organization and had compiled several different lists as
soon as I found out I was going on a cruise—everything I
needed to buy before I came onboard, all the items I
needed to pack, and everything I planned to do while I was
on this cruise.

"Maybe I'll just send you a list of their names. I'm
hoping there will be so many that I won't have room on the
postcards to tell you about all of them."

"That's a definite possibility," she said. "Have you ever
seen so many cuties in one place?"

"Nope." From the moment I'd checked in and we'd started
our quick tour of the ship, I'd seen at least a dozen guys
who I thought I'd like to get to know better. Each one was
smiling, laughing, or talking with someone.

"I think it is so romantic that Walter is going to marry
your mom on a cruise ship," Julie said.

"He's definitely gone all out."

Walter Hunt was quiet and reserved, but when he spoke,
people listened and did as he asked. Mostly because his
name appeared on a famous list of the top one hundred
wealthiest people in the world.

Hence the cruise. A special honeymoon for him and his new
bride—who just happened to be my mom—and anyone else who
wanted to tag along. Of which I was undeniably one.

They say that most people are introduced by a friend to
the person they'll marry. That's how Mom met Walter. She
was attending a friend's funeral. Her friend had worked
for Walter's company so Walter had gone to the funeral as
well. He and Mom met, hit it off, and now my life was on
the verge of changing forever in ways that I'd never
really anticipated. And truthfully, it's something I was
having a hard time comprehending. For as long as I could
remember, it had always been just me and Mom. Now it would
be me, Mom, and Walter.

Still, Walter was nice and I liked him. I thought he'd be
good for my mom. I was heading off to the University of
Texas in the fall, and I'd been a little worried about Mom
dealing with the empty nest. So I was definitely in favor
of her marrying Walter.

And I was going to be a bridesmaid for the first time in
my life. I had no doubt that I was embarking on a summer
of firsts. And I planned for most of them to take place on
this cruise.

I didn't think most cruise ships allowed wedding guests
onboard, but Walter had made special arrangements so he
and Mom could have their friends and family attend the
wedding. He'd reserved the top deck for the ceremony. At
midnight we'd have our official bon voyage and prepare to
leave the port of Galveston. The guests would depart, and
the ship would sail away into the night toward the
Caribbean.

"I can't believe you are going to spend ten nights on this
ship. Did you see all the stores we just passed on that
boulevard?" Julie asked.

"I know. It's like a fancy mall or something. Plus there
are lots of little shops on the islands. They're supposed
to have some great bargains. Good thing I've been saving
all my paychecks."

While Julie tore ticket stubs at our mall's movie theater,
I worked in the concession stand. Sometimes I thought I'd
never eat another bag of buttered popcorn in my entire
life. Just the aroma of buttered popcorn made me lose my
appetite.

Julie glanced over at me. "If you run out of money, I'm
sure Wealthy Walter will buy you anything you want."