Moonlight on the lido de.., p.1
Moonlight on the Lido Deck, page 1
Moonlight on the Lido Deck
A Standalone Novel
Sail Away Series
Book Six
Violet Howe
MOONLIGHT ON THE LIDO DECK
Copyright © 2023 Violet Howe/Charbar Productions
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eBook Edition
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Published by Charbar Productions
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ISBN: 978-1-7327269-6-3
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Cover image: Elizabeth Mackey
www.elizabethmackeygraphics.com
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All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews, the reproduction or use of this work in whole or in part in any form, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Moonlight on the Lido Deck is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
For John
Thanks for being my favorite cruise partner
Contents
Books by Violet Howe
Moonlight on the Lido Deck
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Also by Violet Howe
About the Author
Books by Violet Howe
Tales Behind the Veils
Diary of a Single Wedding Planner
Diary of a Wedding Planner in Love
Diary of an Engaged Wedding Planner
Maggie
THE CEDAR CREEK COLLECTION
Cedar Creek Mysteries:
The Ghost in the Curve
The Glow in the Woods
The Phantom in the Footlights
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Cedar Creek Families:
Building Fences
Crossing Paths
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Cedar Creek Suspense:
Whiskey Flight
Bounty Flight
Fallen Bloodlines:
Vampire Born
Angel Reborn (coming June 2023)
Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge
Christmas Sisters
Christmas Hope
Christmas Peace
Christmas Secret
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Sail Away Series
Welcome Aboard
Moonlight on the Lido Deck
Moonlight on the Lido Deck
By Violet Howe
Prologue
If Katie had known what a bad day it was going to be, she might have stayed in bed with the covers pulled over her head.
Instead, she’d leapt from the bed in a mad dash as soon as she realized her alarm hadn’t gone off. She wondered later if that had been some kind of omen, or if perhaps it was the universe’s unsuccessful attempt to prevent the day ahead.
She’d spilled coffee down the front of her shirt on her way to work, and it was only after she’d gotten in the elevator to head up to her office that she realized she was wearing two completely different black pumps.
“Where have you been?” Mandy asked from the desk next to hers as Katie set down her purse and what remained of her coffee. “Terrance is looking for you.”
“What?” She glanced at her watch and frowned. She’d counted on his typical late arrival to cover her own. “He’s never in this early.”
Mandy stood and came closer, leaning in to whisper. “Something’s going on. He and Rochelle have been behind closed doors in the conference room all morning with some guy I’ve never seen before. Carol over in Acquisitions said she has it from a solid source that it has something to do with the merger.”
Trepidation churned in Katie’s stomach, causing the bagel she’d wolfed down on her brisk walk to work to feel like a big rock in her gut. “Should I be worried? They said in that last meeting they didn’t expect any layoffs, right?”
“That’s what they said.” Mandy chewed on her bottom lip as she glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the conference room. “Maybe it’s good news. Maybe they’re going to transfer you to a different department, and you won’t have to work for Terrance anymore. Or maybe you’re getting promoted! Are you wearing two different shoes?”
“Yeah.” Katie looked down at her feet and sighed. “It’s a new fashion statement I’m making.”
“It’s a brave one,” Mandy said with a grin.
Katie smoothed her hand over her hair, wishing she’d taken the time to do something more than the loose knot she’d twisted it in. “Should I go find Terrance or wait for him to come and find me?”
“I told him you’d gone down to the mail room, so he said to send you to the conference room when you got back.”
Her trepidation had grown into a nauseating sense of dread. “Thanks for the cover. I guess I’ll get it over with. No sense standing here keeping us both in suspense.”
“Wait.” Mandy grabbed the black sweater from the back of her desk chair. “Put this on. Maybe it will hide that other fashion statement you’ve got going on—you know, the coffee stain?”
“Oh. Thanks. I forgot about that.”
Terrance called for her to come in on the first knock, and she swallowed hard against her fear as she entered the conference room. The unfamiliar man in the suit sat at the other end of the table, barely giving her a glance as he stared at the papers spread across the table in front of him.
Rochelle, the office’s human resource manager, was seated to his right, and the troubled expression on her face as she looked up at Katie and then immediately away did nothing to ease Katie’s fears. Mandy was right. Something was going on, and it was serious.
It was the look Terrance gave her, though, that tanked any remaining hope that she’d merely been summoned to help with their unknown project. Her boss’s usual scowl had softened into a frown, and his eyes were clouded with what appeared to be pity or regret, neither of which were emotions Katie had ever seen him display.
‘Katie, there you are. Have a seat, please.” Terrance stood and pulled out a chair for her at the end of the table nearest the door, several seats away from the three of them.
Her palms had become sweaty with apprehension, and she rubbed them on her skirt before clasping her hands in her lap.
The man in the suit introduced himself, and then in a voice much too cheerful for his message, he explained the reasons behind the company’s recent merger and detailed how the downturn of the economy and the shifting landscape of publishing had led the new management team to make difficult decisions. Decisions no one wanted to make.
The reasons behind the decisions and management’s feelings regarding them didn’t change the outcome for Katie. She’d only been with the company for six years, the lowest seniority in her department, and therefore, she would be one of the few layoffs that had been deemed necessary.
She tried to listen as Rochelle went over the terms of the severance package they were offering, and she was fairly certain she’d managed to nod when a response was expected. The signature she scrawled at the bottom of the papers Rochelle slid across the desk looked nothing like her usual signature, but in the end it didn’t matter. Less than two hours after she’d arrived late to work, she was headed back home in a dazed state of shock, her feet shuffling along the sidewalk as her mind reeled.
She hadn’t particularly liked her job, and there’d been many days when she’d wanted to hand Terrance her notice and tell him to find someone else to terrorize. But it was one thing to quit on your own terms and quite another to be told you were no longer needed.
Laid off. Let go. Cut.
Unemployed.
She couldn’t believe it. She’d been working at one job or another since high school, even juggling two different part-time positions while she was in college.
How was she going to pay her bills if she couldn’t find a job before the severance ran out? How would she find another job in publishing when the entire industry seemed to be cutting staff rather than adding them?
It stung that the decision was based only on the length of time she’d been on the job and not on her performance. Yes, there were people who had been with the company longer than she had, but she was a hard worker. Even Terrance had called her a real go-getter. She’d lasted longer under his supervision than any assistant he’d ever had, and she’d taken great pride in knowing she did her job well. But none of that mattered. It was a numbers game, and her number was up.
Never had she felt so tossed aside. So unappreciated. So adrift.
She blinked back tears as she forced herself to keep putting one foot in front the other on her way back to the apartment. She considered calling her mom, but news of her lay-off was sure to send her mother into a worry spiral, which meant Katie would end up comforting her mother and reassuring her that everything would be okay instead of the other way around.
She could call her sister, but Maya’s idea of commiseration was to point out the bright side in any bad news. Katie’s wounds were too fresh and too raw to deal with Maya’s boundless optimism and annoying pep talks. She needed to drown in her own misery a bit before she could even think about trying to climb out of it.
Grant would be the best one to talk to. He wouldn’t offer her any comforting platitudes. He’d just agree with her that it sucked without making a big deal of it, which was what she thought she needed most. But even with the five-hour time difference between New York and London, it was early enough in the day that he would still be at work, and he didn’t like for her to call during his office hours.
Surely, under the circumstances he wouldn’t mind, though. What boyfriend wouldn’t want to comfort his girlfriend when she’d just lost her job?
Back when he’d first taken the position in London a little over a year ago, they’d talked multiple times daily, and he had welcomed her call at any time.
But as he grew more engrossed in his role there, he’d grown increasingly irritated with any interruption while he was working. Then, one day he’d simply announced that he would prefer for her to only contact him after his workday was done. Even that proved problematic with the time difference though, since he would be out and about doing evening activities while she was still at her desk, making any in-depth conversation pretty much impossible on either end.
Eventually, they’d settled into their current routine of one daily phone call as soon as Katie got home from work in the US while Grant got ready for bed in the UK, and then on Sundays when they could both set aside time to be home and available at the same time, they’d do a video chat.
It wasn’t ideal for maintaining a relationship, but on the few occasions Katie had protested, Grant had reminded her they’d known it would be difficult when he accepted the two-year London assignment. Each time, Katie had backed down and agreed, again, that the short-term sacrifice was worth it for Grant’s career and thereby, their long-term future. But on days like today when she just needed to talk to her boyfriend, it felt like he was on another planet instead of another continent.
The doorman for her apartment building scrunched his brows in confusion when he saw her coming up the steps.
“Ms. Torrey? Back so soon?” He held the door open and attempted to take the box she held. “Let me get that for you.”
“I got it, Rex.” She carried the cardboard against her chest like a shield, unwilling to hand over all the personal belongings she’d accumulated in her desk over the past six years.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yep. Fine, thanks.” On a typical day, she’d engage in conversation with Rex, but this wasn’t a typical day, and she didn’t have it in her to make small talk.
He seemed to sense that, and much to her relief, he remained silent as he accompanied her to the elevator and pushed the button for her.
“Ms. Torrey?” called a voice behind her.
She turned with a frown as the new building manager walked toward her at a brisk pace.
“I’m so glad I caught you,” he said. “Could I speak with you for a minute?”
Katie had held it together as she packed her desk and said goodbye to her co-workers, and she’d managed to mostly keep the tears at bay on the walk back to the apartment. But the closer she got to home, the nearer she was to having an emotional meltdown, and the last thing she wanted was a witness.
“Can it wait, Mr. Paxton? I’m not feeling well at the moment.”
It was his turn to frown. “I see. I’m sorry to hear that. Well, how about I ride up with you and we can chat in the elevator?”
She didn’t have the energy to argue with him, so she just stepped inside the elevator and waited while Rex held the doors for Mr. Paxton to enter. With a nod and a sympathetic smile in her direction, Rex pushed the button for her floor and then exited the elevator before it closed.
“I wanted to speak with you regarding the lease,” Mr. Paxton said once the doors had shut. “I wasn’t certain how you intended to handle things moving forward, and I wanted to make sure you knew you’d need to fill out an application and submit your financial documentation if you intend to renew once this lease term is up.”
Blinking slowly in bewilderment, she tried to make sense of his words.
“Um, I’m not sure what you mean. We checked before I moved in, and we were told that according to the New York Roommate Law, I don’t have to be added to the lease to live with Grant.”
“That’s correct, but Mr. Whitman is no longer using the apartment as his primary residence since he is residing outside the country.”
“Right, but it’s still his apartment. Other than the clothing he took with him, all his belongings are here. It’s his residence, and I’m just a roommate who pays half the rent. The London job is a temporary assignment, and once it ends, Grant will be moving back in here.”
“That’s not what Mr. Whitman indicated to me in my conversation with him earlier today. The lease is up for renewal in sixty days, and today was the deadline to give notice of intent. Since Mr. Whitman said he does not intend to renew, you’ll need to fill out an application and be approved to carry the lease on your own if you plan to stay. Typically, we would go to our waiting list to fill a vacancy, but as you are already living in the apartment, we’re willing to make an exception.”
The elevators doors opened, but Katie remained glued in place as her dazed brain struggled to catch up. “What are you talking about? What do you mean he doesn’t intend to renew? You must have misunderstood. He has nine more months in London, and then he’ll be back.”
The doors began to shut, but Paxton held his arm out to block them.
“Oh, dear. I fear I may have let the cat out of the bag. My apologies, Ms. Torrey. I assumed Mr. Whitman would have told you before he told me. I would encourage you to speak with him as to his intentions, and then come and see me. I’m sure we can work something out.”
The elevator began to buzz its dissatisfaction at being held so long, and Katie stepped off as his words replayed in her head.
Grant didn’t intend to renew the lease?
No. It had to be a misunderstanding. Paxton was new. He’d gotten something wrong. She’d speak to Grant and have him talk to Paxton and clear things up.
She dialed Grant’s cell number as soon as she’d gotten inside the apartment and set the box from the office on the floor. It no longer mattered if it was work hours or not. She was certain Grant would agree this was important enough to warrant an interruption.
The call went to voice mail, so she texted him that it was an emergency and asked him to call her back right away.
Her phone rang almost immediately.
“I’m about to go into a meeting,” he said without any greeting. “Is this truly urgent, or can it wait?”
“Yes, it’s urgent. That new manager, Paxton…he said you told him you’re not renewing the lease and that I have to fill out an application if I want to stay here. I need you to contact him and straighten this out, Grant. I’ve had the worst day already, and I can’t deal with this on top of everything else.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t believe that guy.”
“Yeah, I know, right?” Katie plopped down on the couch, relieved to hear Grant’s voice, even if he was irritated.
