Once a month, she hosted a cookout for the neighborhood. They made more friends, and Anna looked forward to planning and preparing new and different meals for them.
Wade and Bryan both became motorcycle enthusiasts. Anna wasn’t thrilled about it, but Wade enjoyed it immensely, and she was grateful he had a hobby that wasn’t related to his work. After a few months of riding a secondhand motorcycle, he’d invested in a Harley, and this became his only mode of transportation during all but the rainy season. Then Anna insisted he drive his old pickup truck that had been on its last mile when they’d met. He was due for a new set of wheels, but until they saved up, he’d made do with his old truck and new Harley.
They had been married over two years when she discovered she was pregnant. Wade had been ecstatic when she’d told him the news. Unlike many new parents, they chose to wait until the birth to find out their child’s gender. To Anna, this was part of the thrill of being pregnant. Their friends were astonished at this news but understood their desire to keep the excitement buzzing until the actual delivery.
As typical first-time births went, Anna was in labor for eighteen hours, Wade with her through every cry, every scream, then every push. He’d cut the cord, placed a tiny baby on her chest, and announced with tear-filled eyes, “We’ve got ourselves a little girl.” She’d been over the moon, seeing her little bundle of joy, and only now would admit that she’d secretly hoped for a daughter the first time around. Andrew Wade Campbell would have a big sister whenever he arrived, if at all. Or not—because another girl would be just fine, too. They’d wanted at least two, maybe three children. Gender really didn’t matter. Her love for Christina was enormous, so complete that she knew her heart would swell with love for each child she gave birth to.
The first few weeks were tough, but Anna was competent, patient, and madly in love with her daughter, so the loss of sleep and routine in their lives was worth it. She hadn’t suffered from any dark moments after the birth and for that she was grateful.
Soon enough, they would be on a better schedule. Until then, she made the best of their new lifestyle. Wade took a month off work to stay home with her. She cherished the time but realized that one of them had to earn a living. Her first day alone with her daughter had been uneventful, and for that she was glad. As the weeks turned into months, her days and nights became more routine. Time flew, and suddenly, one day Christina was four months old, sleeping through most nights.
When Christina turned two, they decided to try for a brother or sister. Months went by and nothing happened. After a year of trying, they both visited their doctors to see if either had developed any medical issues that would prevent them from conceiving. Both were given a clean bill of health and were told to stop thinking about getting pregnant, and most likely they would easily have a second child.
On the fifth anniversary of their daughter’s birth, Anna decided she would not have another child. It wasn’t happening, and after many tears, anger at her own body, numerous crazy how-to-conceive concoctions, she told Wade she wasn’t going to think about having another child. One was enough. Both were content with this decision. Secretly, though, Anna hoped that after having made the decision, she would get pregnant.
During Christina’s first semester of second grade, her life, their lives changed forever. Anna couldn’t forget that horrible day. She would never get over the loss though she’d learned to live with it.
She’d just put her daughter down for the night and settled on the sofa to read an article Wade had recently been featured in. Wade had a big job he’d had to finish, so she knew he wouldn’t be in until late. Around midnight she’d gone to bed, knowing she’d see her husband in the morning.
Around four in the morning, she’d been woken from a sound sleep by the shrill sound of the telephone ringing. Thinking it was Wade, she answered with a sleepy-sounding hello.
“Mrs. Campbell?” a stern, businesslike voice asked.
She remembered sitting up, switching the bedside light on. “Yes, this is she.”
From there, she always drew a blank. Her memory had completely blocked out the events of that early-morning tragedy. He’d been in a fatal motorcycle accident. All she needed to remember was that Wade was dead.
Her life would never be the same. The darkness overwhelmed her.
Chapter 2
“This is unbelievable,” Anna said to the cabin steward.
“Yes, ma’am. This is the largest cabin on the ship,” he said. “Your suite is the best we have to offer. No other compares.”
She nodded. “It’s more than I expected.” It was like a luxurious apartment. There were two bedrooms, two and a half baths, and two private balconies.
“You’ll have the entire fourteen hundred square feet of space all to yourself,” the steward continued. “Unless . . . well, this is a singles cruise, ma’am.” He added the last sentence with a wink.
“Call me Anna.” She knew from the brochure she’d read on the plane that she was assigned a personal steward /butler. She didn’t want to be called “ma’am” for seven days. Might as well get that out of the way.
“My pleasure. And you may call me George,” he said in a lovely Jamaican accent.
Extending her hand, she said, “We could be besties at the end of this cruise.”
He laughed and shook her hand. “Besties?”
George appeared to be in his mid- to late-twenties. Tall and broad-shouldered, he was a good-looking guy. With his coffee-colored eyes, dark, closely clipped hair, and warm brown skin, he probably had women falling at his feet. “It’s what my daughter calls her best friend, Tiffany. Besties.”
“Of course. Then we will be ‘besties,’ Anna,” he said, his smile friendly and a bit flirty in a teasing sort of way.
Some women might’ve been offended. She wasn’t at all. Having the ability to read people, she suspected George was just as friendly to everyone he met.
Spying a silver bucket on the kitchen counter, she removed a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne. “Nice,” she said.
“Allow me,” George said, taking the chilled bottle of champagne from her.
“Thank you,” she said, heading out to the balcony. Excited to have such a luxurious space all to herself, she settled onto a lounge chair. The summer air was thick with humidity, but there was just enough breeze from the Gulf for it to be tolerable. Glad she’d packed shorts and several sleeveless sundresses, she decided then and there she was going to do just as Mandy suggested. Rest, relax, and allow herself to be waited on. According to the brochure, that was the main point of cruising on the Splendor of the Sea.
George stepped onto the balcony, a glass of the Veuve Clicquot on a tray. “I’ll leave the bottle to chill,” he said. “If you need anything, Anna, please push the button labeled STEWARD. I’m available around the clock.”
They really did wait on one hand and foot, she thought. “Thank you, George. I’m going to enjoy this”—she held up the crystal flute of champagne—“then I plan to unpack and get settled in.”
George held up his free hand. “No, no you may not! I will unpack for you now.”
“That’s okay. I can do it myself.”
“Anna, this is what I’m here for. Please allow me to do my job,” he insisted.
She wasn’t comfortable with him handling her lingerie and personal items. “I insist. I’m a bit OCD and have my own system, so please, let me take care of that later. I’ll have another glass,” she added, holding the flute out to him. If she continued to drink this fast, she’d be totally inebriated by dinner; she already felt a bit light-headed from just one glass. Not much of a drinker since she’d had Christina, she reminded herself to take it easy. She didn’t want George to think she was heavy-handed